Let’s be clear: the Lost At E Minor office is quite partial to a case of two of cleansing ales. We favour brews that have real taste and spirit. So there was delight all-round when we were introduced to a new Australian Lager and Pale Ale: John Boston.

John Boston’s recently launched range of beers pays tribute to the founding father of beer in Sydney — John Boston himself, a brewer who made the first beer from maize in 1796. Although it offered some relief to a rum-fuelled colony, Boston took up trading and sailed to Tonga to trade with the Tongan locals at a banquet. But if reports are to be believed, he himself ended up as the main course.

We’re big fans of the Boston Mill’s Pale Ale created in his name, a well-refined pale with a nice taste of hops.

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It’s one thing to sell beer in preserved animal carcasses, but how about selling beer to preserve animals? Well, that’s exactly what Australian Nail Brewing Company is doing with their new limited edition Antarctic Nail Ale. This brewery has teamed up with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they campaign to prevent the illegal hunting of whales in the Antarctic sanctuary.

While out on just such a campaign, the Sea Shepherds had a secondary mission – to harvest ice from pure Antarctic icebergs to be transformed into the world’s first ever Antarctic Pale Ale. Nail Brewing Co. brewed thirty bottles of this rare brew and they are now being auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Sea Shepherds. The first bottle was recently sold for $800. Move over BrewDog, this is the new most expensive beer in the world – and likely the purest.

It’s a hot summer’s day and you’re cracking open your second beer. Life is good. But there’s something missing, right? Not anymore. Each bottle of the new Australian-brewed low carb beer, Skinny Blonde, features the soon to be iconic Daisy Blonde on the label, who — in a clever twist — reveals more and more of herself as the beer gets drunk. Or the drinker does. Whichever comes first. This cool initiative is the result of innovative heat sensitive ink technology which sees Daisy’s Bikini top on the beer bottle label disappear with each sip until she reveals all. Seriously! Now, boys. Slow down. Drink responsibly. The beer is brewed by the Sydney-based Brothers Ink, comprised of three friends, including Hamish from Aussie rockers, The Vines. Yup, if hypercolour shirts worked like this, we’d still be wearing them.

For the past few months, our Newcastle office has been getting stuck into the goodness that was the aptly named beer, Trial Brew. I say has been, because the beer has recently shed its Beta name and stepped out rather strikingly under its own new moniker, Nelson beer. Nelson Beer! Hmmm, kinda has a nice ring to it. But like all good brews, Nelson comes with a twist. No, no, not the top. But rather, the concept: the Melbourne based brew is almost exclusively the product of user feedback. Yup, drinkers have helped shape and refine the taste on an ongoing process.

The project went as follows: ‘We gathered feedback from around a thousand creative types regarding the look, taste, and possible names for the beer. This information was then collated in a neatly labelled ring binder and sent to our brewers. After analysing this information, the educated types made a few minor changes to Trial Brew, resulting in the Nelson we see today. Finally the emperor received some new clothes. A brief was thrown out to a few Australian based illustrators and graphic artists to bundle together some ideas for the bottle. Sydney-based design duo Sonny Day and Biddy Maroney eventually won the day with their piece entitled:,Sneaky Rafter’. The fruits of all this labour is Nelson beer, named after the area in New Zealand where the hops are brewed, a true collaborative effort,and a mighty fine drop as well. Phew! I think I need one now.