How to impress the neighbours; or: Is the Crown Ambassador Reserve beer worth $90? The Crown Ambassador Reserve is to ordinary beers what top hats are to football beanies. Picture: Chris Pavlich One of the most expensive beers in Australia. BETWEEN the Hobart tour match and the first Test I dropped home to find a package waiting. Inside? Perhaps the most elegant bottle of beer you will ever lay eyes on. Now I have always had a little problem with Crown Lager. Frankly it was a common beer in a fancy package. A shiny buttoned blazer does not make you better than anybody else. It's what's inside that counts, as my mum says, and inside did nothing for me. The new Crown is apparently all malt and there's a bit of carry on about using select malts and hops but the improvement, if there is any, is marginal. Inside the aforementioned elegant box was the 2013 vintage of the Crown Ambassador Reserve, a limited edition strong ale designed for cellaring and magnificently presented. It's a trick that's been done before. Last decade the opposition did a few vintages of a Hahn Special Vintage which was similarly aimed. Coopers do one every year in a considerably more modest package. GALLERY: Peter Lalor's best beers of 2013 INTERACTIVE: James Halliday's top 100 wines Now, this Ambassador is nearly 10% alcohol and comes in a 750ml bottle so to do a tasting I invited in the neighbours. It's fair to say the bloke next door drives on the left hand side of the road. He's a passionate recycler, grows only natives in his garden (was a bit awkward when I pointed out the weeds had grown in the backyard while he was away as apparently they are "native grasses") and he doesn't eat meat. Despite all that he's a nice bloke and his partner's a great woman. When I pulled out the Crown Ambassador he was rather impressed. When I revealed it cost $89 a bottle he was less so. The monologue about what sort of person would spend that much on a beer lasted right up until I passed him a glass. Pausing to have a sip his shoulders slumped: "Oh, dear," he said. That's, ummmm, rather good. Anyway he's right, it is rather good and both of us were feeling pretty mellow by the time we got to the bottom. Now, these fancy beers are supposed to be laid down a bit and from past experience I can tell you that they do round out a bit. Brewer Tulley Hadley has ramped up the hops from previous vintages to mellow the hops and extended the ageing period. In the past they've used oak barrels to age the beer but this year they recycled (my neighbour would be impressed) the old ones and are expecting a "smoother, more subtle oak character that will taste more vanilla than last year's." There were 9000 bottles of 2013 Crown Ambassador released, but at least one has already been consumed. My verdict: No beer is worth $89.99 but this is a good beer and I cannot help but be impressed by the packaging. Crown Ambassador Reserve Alcohol: 9.6% Drink with: caution Wearing: A blazer