We Love Craft Beer – How we’ve evolved.
In this article, we delve into the evolutionary journey of We Love Craft Beer over a relatively short period, highlighting how we’ve adapted to the dynamic changes within the industry. You can also discover how your business can follow suit and evolve alongside the ever changing Brewscape.
Commencing in 2015, We Love Craft Beer launched as a platform for consumers to gather and share their love of Craft Beer. Quickly growing into one of Australia’s largest Craft Beer communities with over 14,000 members, we engaged with craft beer lovers through various social media channels, curated unique content, provided beer and brewery reviews, merchandise, and organised events.
In a rapidly evolving industry, we found it crucial to adapt and over the past 8 years, as the Craft Beer industry itself evolved, so did we. Transitioning away from the use of the term “Craft Beer,” we embraced inclusivity, shifting the conversation to encompass the broader meaning of the word “beer.” Our focus turned to educating consumers about the exciting new wave of beers.
In 2021, a significant branding overhaul led to the introduction of our ©Beerducation social platforms and educational services. These platforms now serve as the focal point for engaging consumers and continue to elevate awareness and knowledge about beer. Our new ©Beerducation website will launch in early 2024.
So where does that leave We Love Craft Beer? Well, we still love Craft Beer and we love the industry too, and as time went on, we saw an emerging need to support the Craft Beer Industry itself, not just the consumers. That is why we are relaunching We Love Craft Beer with a concentrated effort on providing marketing services and support to the Beer Industry. Drawing upon over 20 years of marketing and business experience, we aim to assist breweries, venues, and related businesses in maintaining and expanding their operations.
So what can you expect from us in 2024? Well We Love Craft Beer is committed to providing information and advice around four key pillars:
- Insights and Analytics: Providing bite-sized industry insights, free tips, and advice through newsletters, blogs, and videos to keep you informed about industry happenings.
- Pulse Checks: Conducting regular industry pulse checks through surveys to anticipate key issues and proactively guide you through market changes.
- Tools and Services: Introducing essential marketing services, tools, and knowledge to equip you with the means to respond effectively to market dynamics.
- Maintaining Relationships: Emphasising the importance of ongoing customer relationships beyond the point of sale, helping you cultivate brand advocates for a stronger, more resilient business.
Like what you hear? That’s great, you don’t have to take any action, you are already on our database so you will receive our newsletters and updates. For exclusive tips and advice, join our industry-only (closed) Facebook Group. We look forward to collaborating with you in 2024.
Digital Analytics for the Beer Industry
Have you ever wished you could have all of your analytics in one place? Well now you can with our powerful Digital Analytics software.You can now view data from over 55 different channels and integrations in one easy to read customisable dashboard. You will only ever need one login to see ALL of you data and gain valuable insights. This powerful tool is normally restricted to use for Marketing Agencies but we now offer it to our clients, both big and small.
Key features include:
- Fully customiseble dashboard
- Include data from over 55 Channels including
- Youtube
- Email Marketing
- and many more
- Ecommerce
- Conversion Tracking
- SEO audits
- Keyword tracking
- Competitor analyses
- Fully customisable reports
You will get all of this and more on one easy to read dashboard and one easy to read report.
Download a sample presentation here or contact Nigel Ayling to arrange your free online demonstration.
The South Coast Ale Trail is not a destination, it’s a journey !
The craft beer trail which launched recently connects 8 Breweries along the South Coast of NSW. Stretching from Wollongong to Pambula near the Victorian border, the Ale Trail delivers a diverse range of breweries as it winds its way along some of the country’s most beautiful Coast line.
Starting at Wollongong with Resin Brewing which sits inside the newly renovated Bulli Railway Guest House. Once derelict, this historic building on the train line dates back to 1887. Resin Brewing bought the Railway Guest House site in 2017 and they spent two long years transforming the crumbling building into the microbrewery and brewpub that exists now. The gastro-brewpub offers hand crafted local beers and a food menu to match.
Just a short trip down the road and you will arrive at Reub Goldberg Brewing where it’s not just the name that sets it apart. Reub’s ethos is that “A beer should be drunk in the shadow of the brewery in which it was made”. Their goal is to provide quality, fresh beer in the most sustainable way possible. It’s a small brewery with a hyperlocal focus – providing just enough great beer to service the thirst of the local area and of course a few visitors to the region as well. They don’t currently package their beers but offer a fresh growler takeaway service.
Head down the freeway and in the shadow of the iconic Buddhist Nan Tien Temple, you will find Grassy Knoll Brewing and Bulli Brewing sharing a space in a quiet industrial area. These 2 breweries compliment each other with Bulli brewing big West Coast IPA’s, Belgian Beers, Red and Black IPA’s, whilst Jeffrey Argent from Grassy Knoll tends to brew more East Coast and Hazy styles of beer.
Moving on you will discover South Yeast Brewing in an industrial estate just North of Nowra. Run by local brothers Joey and Simon Panucci who are both accomplished musicians and now brewers, they can often been found jamming with other musos in the venue for a lazy Sunday Session.
The popular seaside town of Huskisson is the next stop where you will find Jervis Bay Brewing who have been around since 2019. The relaxed vibe of the venue reflects the laid back lifestyle of Husky, but they do take their beers seriously winning 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze medals at the 2021 Australian International Beer Awards.
A bit further South and you will come across Camelrock Brewery which is actually located in Wallaga Lake Holiday Park just North of Bermagui. Camel Rock Bar & Grill was the first Brewery on the Sapphire Coast and they claim to be the first Micro-Brewery built in a Holiday Park anywhere in the world. The grill features American influenced burgers, ribs to complement their beers.
The last stop is Longstocking, in Pambula, just a few minutes south of Merimbula. The brewery is part the Oaklands complex which includes a nursery, café, art gallery, petting zoo and event centre so there is something for everyone. From the green space inside, to the deck or in the beer garden, you can enjoy fresh local oysters, woodfired pizzas and Live music. Long Stocking brew classic styles like Pilsners, Irish Stout and Red Ales.
The Trail covers 370kms, 8 breweries and over 70 beers and with more breweries opening along the South Coast soon, this trail is sure you be one for Craft Beer lovers to travel. Remember the South Coast Ale Trail is not a destination, it’s a journey !
A revival of the Breheny family brewing in Australia.
With new breweries constantly opening across Australia it’s hard to keep up with them all, so you tend to look out for ones that stick out. When you see a post about a beer company claiming to be from “The most influential family in Australian brewing history”, that does prick your attention. That is exactly what happened when I heard about Breheny Bros Breweries.
A quick online search turned up the website which touted claims such as “18 Breheny men working in dozens of breweries from 1850 – 1950.” Now this isn’t your usual back story for a new brewery where “3 mates quit their jobs in IT to follow their passion for beer” and launched their new Brewery called “Bro, Bro and Bro Co”. (Credit for that name goes to Tiff an Linds from Crack the Ceiling Podcast). This is a serious back story that claims that Breheny Bros are Brewing Royalty and that was something I needed to find out more about.
You can watch my interview with James Breheny, Managing Director of Breheny Bros Brewries or keep reading.
The website was quite informative with detailed stories about the families brewing history and their involvement with several major breweries including Abbotsford and Geelong which both ended up being owned by CUB. The history spanned over 100 years and there were still Breheny decedents working in the brewing industry today, most notably at Grand Ridge Brewing in Victoria. It became quickly apparent that this was no marketing hype, but a genuine story about a family that made significant input into the Australian brewing industry.
As much as I love my beer history, I also wanted to know more about the beer and again, the website provided plenty of detail. There were numerous “old labels” of beers with “classic” style names like Sparkling Bitter, Royal Lager, Queensland Bitter, and Superior Stout. Of course I had to put my style Nazism aside knowing full well that the BJCP style guidelines didn’t exist in the 1850’s so the real question was, “How can they brew beers that were as authentic as the labels?”
Then I read “Descendants of the original Breheny brothers discovered the original Breheny Bros Breweries recipe books from the 1920s “. Imagine the excitement of coming across a recipe book of beers over 100 years old. My head started spinning, first thinking about holding a significant piece of history and then dreaming about what that beer would taste like.
That’s where James Breheny found himself in 2021 in the middle of covid, when his cousin John Breheny lent him one of the original beer recipe books used at the family Breheny Brothers breweries. James was subsequently lent further copies of family beer recipe books by other family members and he understood how rare these were based on his 25 year career at CUB. James is a 3rd generation Breheny and now Managing Director of Breheny Bros Brewing.
In my interview with James I asked him what the strategy was moving forward for BBB. Where they going to keep releasing “new” beers based on old recipes? Were they looking for National Distribution? Are they looking to collaborate with CUB, or do they have a buyout strategy over the longer term?
He said they may look at their own brewery at one stage but for now they were happy with their arrangement with Burnley Brewing. One thing was clear, that the Breheny name was their greatest asset and what ever happened, they wouldn’t be selling that.
So at this point you might be saying, “Cool story bro’ but what about the beers?
Here is my take on the beers that I sampled.
Non Alch- Original name – NON-INTOXICATING
Non-alcoholic beers have come a long way even in the last 3 years. Initially they just tasted like watered down versions of full flavour beers, but modern brewers have done wonders and some of them have so much flavour and mouthfeel, they would be hard to pick in a blind tasting against full strength beers.
But imagine trying to brew a non-alc beer in the 1920’s. Who would attempt that, and why?
Well as for the “why”. The temperance movement started in 1830s in Australia and early closing pubs were first introduced in South Australia in 1916. This lead to what was called the 6 o’clock swill where patrons would grab as many beers as they could, and down them before being kicked out on the streets. Whilst this might have been the motivation to produce non-alcholic beer at the time, it still would have been a brave brewer who attempted to brew one, and even more challenging, the skills to brew one. That’s what makes this, at least in my mind, one of the best NA beers I have ever tasted.
Considering this is the original recipe, my first whiff transported me back to the 1920’s with the aroma of sticky carpet and sweet. That is not a bad thing, because that sticky carpet aroma comes from lots of beer spilt on it, and it’s probably fermenting down there. Which leads to the next aroma. Wort! Yes it smells look a brewery or brew day, with that sweet wort filling the room. It was so noticeable that once again, I felt like I was transported to the brewery where it was being made.
With my mind wandering and my nasal receptors firing messages to my brain, I tucked in and got the full experience and I was hooked. This was like no other NA beer that I had tried, and I loved it. You could taste the history, you could taste the wort, and you got a flavour experience like no other.
As for the other beers, some times I like to talk about my tasting experience with a beer, sometimes I like to let the brewer do the talking. In this case, I will leave to the brewer because I think they nail it.
Sparkling Bitter tasting notes
● Bitter is the perfect knock off beer.
● Smooth/soft with a balance of esters, hops, malts and yeast. Quite complex flavours for a simple beer, allowing the drinker to find something new with each sip.
● This beer is made for the drinker to sit on and relax.
● Moderate hop bitterness is balanced with bready malt sweetness and light yeasty esters.
● Yeast esters are low, however most noticeable is sulfur and a light apple/pear.
No diacetyl is to be present.
● The drinkability of this beer must be high.
● As light and bright as possible without filtration.
● Important that this beer presents a firm foam.
Tasting notes
● Sweet/bready Australian malts.
● Hints of floral hops and yeast esters.
● Smooth bitterness.
● Medium bodied.
● High drinkability and sessionable.
Quick Summary
Is the Breheny family ““The most influential family in Australian brewing history?”
It is a claim that could be well and truly made considering their contribution to so many different breweries. The only other one that would come close is the Coopers Family which have been continuously brewing since 1862 with 6 generations of brewers.
Where is the beer being brewed and who is brewing it?
Burnley Brewing – Brewer Michael Stanzel
Where did the recipes come from?
Descendants of the original Breheny brothers discovered the original Breheny Bros Breweries recipe books from the 1920s. They are brewin the beers today from those recipes which are over 100 years old.
What do the beers taste like?
I believe that taste just like they were intended to taste like, over 100 years ago by Breheny Brewers, and that’s enough for me, BUT, on top of that, I do really like them.
You can watch my interview with James Breheny here or visit their website for more information.
What is the difference between a Stout and a Porter?
It’s often said that not all Porters are Stout, but all Stout’s are Porters. Confused? Well most people are, so like all good stories, let’s start at the beginning, and have a look in to some history.
History of Stouts and Porters
- Porters emerged from England in the18th century
- Porter – Mixed drinks – invented by a barman in the pub, made by blending lighter, hoppier beers, with older aged ales
- The name originated due to its popularity with street and river porters. (workers)
- The popularity of porter was significant, and it became the first beer style to be brewed across the world
- During the Industrial Revolution, low-cost brown malt was arriving in London from Hertfordshire and was quickly adopted as the standard malt.
- With the hydrometer, brewmasters at the time discovered that their inexpensive base brown malt was mediocre at best in terms of sugar yield, so they began adding slightly higher priced pale malt into their grist
- The move towards pale malt at the end of the eighteenth century, however, led to a great disparity in beer colour, so brewers began experimenting with the addition of burnt sugar. Not only did this alter the flavour of the beer, it was also considered illegal by the English government due to the perceived evasion to the malt tax. In 1816, the use of caramel colouring was banned by Parliament.
- Brewers started brewing with Increased alcohol content, and thus the stout was born. That’s right, all a stout technically is, is a stronger – or stouter – version of a porter.
- Names developed like “extra porter”, “double porter”, and “stout porter”.
- The stout really took off when a brand named Guinness became a household
- Guinness Extra Stout was originally called “Extra Superior Porter” and was only given the name “Extra Stout” in 1840.
Differences - Porters use malted barley and stouts are primarily made from unmalted roasted barley, which is where the coffee flavour most people associate with stout comes from.
- Guinness is made using roasted barley, flaked barley, and pale malt, but other breweries don’t necessarily use roasted barley; they can use chocolate or other dark and specialty malts.
Style Variations (BJCP 2015)
13C. English Porter – ABV: 4.0 – 5.4%
Simply called “Porter” in Britain, the name “English Porter” is used to differentiate it from other porters described in these guidelines. Overall Impression: A moderate-strength brown beer with a restrained roasty character and bitterness. May have a range of roasted flavours, generally without burnt qualities, and often has a chocolate-caramel-malty profile.
Became a highly-popular, widely-exported style in the 1800s before declining around WWI and disappearing in the 1950s. It was re-introduced in the mid-1970s with the start of the craft beer era.
Differs from an American Porter in that it usually has softer, sweeter and more caramelly flavours, lower gravities, and usually less alcohol; the American Porter will also typically have more of a hop character.
Irish Beers
While now termed Irish Stout, it was originally called Dry Stout and it came about from attempts to dodge the malt tax bill in eighteenth century London. As unmalted barley was not taxed the same as malt, brewers began using more in the grist. Still used in modern recipes, this raw, unmalted barley lends a sharp coffee bitterness and a creamy mouthfeel.
15B. Irish Stout (Or Dry Stout) ABV: 4.0 – 4.5%
Examples – Ohara’s and Guinness Draught
Overall Impression: A black beer with a pronounced roasted flavour, often similar to coffee. The balance can range from fairly even to quite bitter, with the more balanced versions having a little malty sweetness and the bitter versions being quite dry. Draught versions typically are creamy from a nitro pour, but bottled versions will not have this dispense-derived character. The roasted flavour can be dry and coffee-like to somewhat chocolaty. medium-low to no fruitiness, and medium to no hop flavour (often earthy)
Appearance: Jet black to very deep brown with garnet highlights in colour. According to Guinness, “Guinness beer may appear black, but it is actually a very dark shade of ruby.”
15C. Irish Extra Stout ABV: 5.5 – 6.5%
Appearance: Jet black. Opaque. A thick, creamy, tan head is characteristic.
Style Comparison: Midway between an Irish Stout and a Foreign Extra Stout in strength and flavour intensity, although with a similar balance.
DARK BRITISH BEER
16A. Sweet Stout (Milk Stout) – ABV: 4.0 – 6.0%
History: An English style of stout developed in the early 1900s. Historically known as “Milk” or “Cream” stouts, legally this designation is no longer permitted in England (but is acceptable elsewhere). The “milk” name is derived from the use of lactose, or milk sugar, as a sweetener. Originally marketed as a tonic for invalids and nursing mothers.
16B. Oatmeal Stout – ABV: 4.2 – 5.9%
History: A variant of nourishing or invalid stouts of the late 1800s using oatmeal in the grist, similar to the development of sweet stout that used lactose.
Most are like a cross between an Irish Extra Stout and a Sweet Stout with oatmeal added. Several variations exist, with the sweeter versions more like a Sweet Stout with oatmeal instead of lactose, and the drier versions more like a more nutty, flavourful Irish Extra Stout. Both tend to emphasize the body and mouthfeel
16C. Tropical Stout – ABV 5.5 – 8.0%
Overall Impression: A very dark, sweet, fruity, moderately strong ale with smooth roasty flavours without a burnt harshness.
16D Foreign Extra Stout – ABV: 6.3 – 8.0%
Originally, this style was a strong stout and was considered a luxury item. Once copious amounts of Extra Stout began being exported to British territories at high rates, it garnered the name Foreign Stout.
History: Stronger stouts brewed for the export market today, but with a history stretching back to the 18th and 19th centuries when they were more heavily-hopped versions of stronger export stouts.
Style Comparison: Similar in balance to an Irish Extra Stout, but with more alcohol. Not as big or intense as a Russian Imperial Stout. Lacking the strong bitterness and high late hops of American Stouts. Similar gravity as Tropical Stout, but with a drier finish, higher bitterness, and less esters
AMERICAN PORTER AND STOUT
These beers all evolved from their English namesakes to be wholly transformed by American craft brewers. Generally, these styles are bigger, stronger, more roast-forward, and more hop-centric than their Anglo cousins. These styles are grouped together due to a similar shared history and flavour profile.
20A. American Porter ABV: 4.8 – 6.5%
A stronger, more aggressive version of pre-prohibition porters and/or English porters developed in the modern craft beer era.
Style Comparison: More bitter and often stronger with more dark malt qualities and dryness than English Porters or Pre-Prohibition Porters. Less strong and assertive than American Stouts.
20B. American Stout – ABV: 5.0 – 7.0%
Overall Impression: A fairly strong, highly roasted, bitter, hoppy dark stout. Has the body and dark flavours typical of stouts with a more aggressive American hop character and bitterness.
History: A modern craft beer and homebrew style that applied an aggressive American hoping regime to a strong traditional English or Irish stout. The homebrew version was previously known as West Coast Stout, which is a common naming scheme for a more highly-hopped beer.
Style Comparison: Like a hoppy, bitter, strongly roasted Extra or Export Stout. Much more roast and body than a Black IPA. Bigger, stronger versions belong in the Russian Imperial Stout style. Stronger and more assertive, particularly in the dark malt/grain additions and hop character, than American Porte
20C. Imperial Stout – ABV: 8.0 – 12.0%
While stronger than Extra Stout, the term “Imperial” came about in the eighteenth century due to this style’s popularity with the Russian monarchy.
Overall Impression: An intensely-flavoured, big, dark ale with a wide range of flavour balances and regional interpretations. Roasty-burnt malt with deep dark or dried fruit flavours, and a warming, bittersweet finish. Despite the intense flavours, the components need to meld together to create a complex, harmonious beer, not a hot mess.
Flavour: Rich, deep, complex and frequently quite intense, with variable amounts of roasted malt/grains, maltiness, fruity esters, hop bitterness and flavour, and alcohol.
History: A style with a long, although not necessarily continuous, heritage. Traces roots to strong English porters brewed for export in the 1700s, and said to have been popular with the Russian Imperial Court. After the Napoleonic wars interrupted trade, these beers were increasingly sold in England. The style eventually all but died out, until being popularly embraced in the modern craft beer era, both in England as a revival and in the United States as a reinterpretation or re-imagination by extending the style with American characteristics.
Summary
The lines are extremely blurred between these styles, especially due to the variations of the names, mainly the use of the term “Stout Porter” which just refereed to the higher alcohol content.
It appears that most styles are derived from the original English Porter which became the first beer style to be brewed across the world. London-type porters often use brown malt as a characteristic flavour and should create a flavour without burnt qualities.
The Irish adaptions of the Stout display a unique “dry” characteristic, and the iconic Guinness brand creates it’s own version, which breaks the mould of Stouts by using roasted barley, flaked barley, and pale malt, when other breweries don’t commonly use roasted barley in Stouts.
The Sweet (Milk) and Oatmeal stouts have were created to entice people to drinking “healthier” versions, although that health advantages are unlikely, but modern craft brewers use these versions to create a point of difference and attract new drinkers to the style.
The American variations, seem to be just brasher versions of the styles, with more hops and higher ABV’s. Even here the ABV in the guidelines overlap a lot with the American Porter ranging from 4.8 – 6.5% and the American Stout ranging from 5.0-7.0%. The Imperial Stout (or common term RIS) just indicate a higher ABV again, although they tend to have more complex flavours.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what it’s called, a Porter, a Robust Porter, a Stout Porter, and Imperial Stout or a Russian Imperial Stout, they are all just names. What matters is how you enjoy them.
References
BJCP Guidelines
https://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf
https://www.porchdrinking.com/articles/2016/02/29/beerology-the-history-of-stouts/
You can also read more about it from Black Hops here
https://blackhops.com.au/stout-vs-porter/
GrowlerWerks uKeg’s and Fresh Beer
Let’s be honest with ourselves, beer is best served fresh, the grace period varies between styles but once a beer is tapped, packaged or leaves a brewery you can rest assured that the brewer has done everything in their power to create and deliver to you the best version of their original vision possible. So it makes sense that in order to experience the beer as the brewer intended, we would want to get out hands on it as soon as possible and have it treated with the care that it deserves to give it the greatest chance of arriving on your tongue in the best condition it can be.
Largely, this process is out of our hands as consumers, but we can also take responsibility, by staying up to date with when new batches and sourcing from the breweries themselves and constantly checking in at your local bottle shops and venues. This can take considerable effort depending on your location, available time and resources, so when we do acquire these wonderfully hand crafted creations we also need to protect them as best we can.
Some of the biggest threats to beer are oxygen, light and heat. With traditional brown glass growlers you fill the bottle straight from the tap and seal the lid, which is a good way to transport that fresh beer back home. The problem here is though you have introduced oxygen which allows bacteria to start developing and Co2 begins to be released leaving the beer flatter than intended. Even counter pressure filled growlers only delay this issue until the growler is opened, and with brown glass you prevent light UV light from entering the bottle, but in doing so attract more heat.
Unless you have grabbed yourself a GrowlerWerks uKeg that tackles all the issues mentioned above keeping your precious cargo, fresh and carbonated for up to two weeks. GrowlerWerks uKeg uses Co2 Cartridges and a double walled, vacuum insulated stainless steel body which will help protect your beer from light intrusion and also help keep your beer cold for hours during transport.
We Love Craft Beer stock the full range of GrowlerWerks uKeg ‘s including the uKeg64 and uKeg128 in 3 different colours, plus a range of refills and accessories in our online shop. The growler itself is durable and has a tap handle for easy dispensing so your only real issue now is where to fill up!
Where you can fill your GrowlerWerks Ukeg:
Beer Barrel Growler Station – 3 Regent Street, Chippendale.
Located a short walk from Central Station in Sydney, Beer Barrel Growler Station is situated in an understated, modest shopfront. But behind the glass doors, between the walls of growlers lies a selection of 18 different local and international beers.
Craft Cartel / Wenty North Liquor – Shop 13/26 Emma Cres, Constitution Hill.
Craft Cartel Liquor opened its doors in Sydney in 1998 and began developing a craft beer range nine years ago. They now have over 700 craft beers in store and online. New beers land daily at the Constitution Hill bottle shop which features a growler station with four rotating taps. Free craft beer tastings hosted by special guest brewers also take place in store most Fridays from 3pm to 7pm, so you can try them before you buy them!
Bondi Beach Cellars – 50 Hall Street, Bondi
We aussies love our sun and our sand, we don’t mind a beer either! So what better place to have your growler filled than just a few hundred meters of one of Australia’s most iconic beaches. Grab a fill up from one of their 3 regularly rotated taps and head on out for a day in the surf!
The Beach Club Collaroy – 1058 Pittwater Road, Collaroy Beach
The Beach Club Collaroy, located overlooking the beach at Collaroy has some of the best views of the coast extending from the Central Coast to Long Beach. “Australia’s #1 Craft Beer Club” as voted by Beer & Brewer Magazine for their huge range of 24 taps of mostly craft beer. Fridays between 10am and 10pm members can grab $15 growler fills of selected craft beers on tap!
Bucket Boys – Ground Floor, 300 Illawarra Road, Marrickville.
Bucket Boys blur the lines between brewery, bottle shop, and bar. This collaborative effort has seen exponential growth since its doors opened in 2016 and quickly established itself as one of marrickvilles major attractions. Sporting 11 taps upstairs in the bar and 4 downstairs at the growler station in the bottle shop as well as rotating over 1000 beers in their online store and fridges!
Beer Cartel – Unit 9, 87 Reserve Road, Artarmon.
Beer Cartel is another one of Sydney’s impressively stocked craft beer bottleshops, with over 1,000 beers from Australia & overseas. As well as a great range of bottled craft beer they do growlers (and squealers), a tasting room and a monthly beer club, plus fantastic beer gifts and beer glasses. Their growler station currently has 4 taps and a constantly rotating range
Club Rivers – The Malt Barrel – 32 Littleton Street Riverwood
The Malt Barrel bar sits as the center piece of the newly renovated club. With a selection of 6 taps, the team at the Malt Barrel continually seek to tap some of the countries best and most sort after releases. With deals for club members making them one of the cheapest venues to fill your growler.
The Oak Barrel – 152 Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
The Oak Barrel is one of Australia’s oldest bottle shops. Independent since 1956, the Oak Barrel has stayed ahead of the curb with its outstanding range of small producer and natural wine, single malt whisky, craft beer and spirits. While the Oak Barrel only have 1 tap for growler fills they make the most of them by always having an interesting choice. Members discounts available for growler fills too.
You can also fill your growler at one of many of Sydneys craft breweries:
- The Grifter Brewing Company – 1/391-397 Enmore Road, Marrickville.
- Sauce Brewing Co. – 1a Mitchell St, Marrickville.
- Young Henrys – 76 Wilford Street, Newtown.
- Willie the Boatman – suite 202/ 75 Mary St, Saint Peters.
- Rocks Brewing Company – 160 Bourke Rd, Alexandria.
- Nomad Brewing Co. – 5 Sydenham Road, Brookvale.
- Staves Brewery – 4-8 Grose Street, Glebe.
- Endeavour Tap Rooms Sydney – 39-43 Argyle Street, Sydney.
- Yulli’s Brews – 75A Burrows Road, Alexandria.
- Frenchies Bistro and Brewery – 6/61 Mentmore avenue, The Cannery, Rosebery.
- Wildflower Brewing & Blending – 11-13 Brompton St, Marrickville.
- Stockade Brew Co – 25 Cadogan St, Marrickville.
- One Drop Brewing Co. – 5 Erith St, Botany.
- Sunday Road Brewing – 147 Bath Rd, Kirrawee.
- Sydney Brewery – 28 Albion Stret, Surry Hills.
- Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel – 19 Kent Street, The Rocks.
- Wayward Brewing Company – Unit 1-3 Gehrig Lane, Camperdown.
- Modus Operandi Brewing Co. – 14 Harkeith Street, Mona Vale.
- Batch Brewing Company – 44 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville.
- Dad & Dave’s Brewing – 2/1 Chard Road, Brookvale.
- Hairyman Brewery – Unit 10, 12-14 Northumberland Road, Caringbah.
- Shark Island Brewing Company – Unit 8/29-33 Waratah St, Kirrawee.
- Ekim Brewing Co. – 11/1 Marina Cl, Mount Kuring-Ga.
- Basement Brewhouse – Bankstown Sports – 8 Greenfield Parade, Bankstown.
- Riverside Brewing Company – 2 North Rocks Road, North Parramatta.
- Akasha Brewing Company – 10A Spencer Street, Five Dock.
- Casey’s Beer – 4/53 -55 Regentville Rd, Jamisontown.
- Rusty Penny Brewing Co – 5/4 Dean Place, Penrith.
By Adrian Marcatili – Adrian is a long time craft beer enthusiast and the Sydney Ambassador for We Love Craft Beer Australia.
When is a “style” not a style? When it’s a NEIPA!
2018 will be remembered as the year of the Haze Craze here in Australia with the explosion in popularity of the New England IPA (NEIPA). Brewers were pumping out new versions of the style weekly, with beer lovers lapping up the “juicy” style and brewers pushing the boundaries to make them juicier and hazier than the rest. But where did this all begin?
History of the style
Well you can trace the styles origin back to 2003 to an IPA called the Heady Topper, brewed by The Alchemist brewery in Vermont, a small state in the New England region of north-eastern United States, from which it draws it name.
Head brewer John Kimmich, experimented with an IPA recipe, deciding not to filter nor pasteurise the beer – both common methods used to extend a beer’s shelf life.
In this article published on Thrill List he is quoted as saying “I’ve always brewed beers to be the way I wanted them to taste. Haze is not the goal, it’s a by-product. You’d be amazed at how many years we had to defend those beers against people that would just trash us. For 10 years, we had to educate beer consumers that a hazy beer is not a bad thing. Of course now I feel like it’s totally been run in the opposite direction.”
The Haze Craze changed all of that and brewers indulged the haze to the point that you couldn’t see through some beers, but it wasn’t the haze that consumers were craving, it was the juiciness that came from some of the beers.
You see before the NEIPA came along, the trend in IPA’s was toward aggressive bitterness like those common in West Coast IPAs. It was a race to oblivion with brewers creating beers with an IBU of a 100 or more, which frankly didn’t leave anywhere to go with your palate. That’s why this new softer, fruiter style was allowed to emerge and grab it’s place as a new world IPA.
As this type of beer gained popularity, it begun to be identified by the geographical location from which it came, earning it the name New England IPA, which started to appear commonly in the US from about 2011. The name started to appear on brewers labelling, but despite its growing popularity, the main associations and bodies that control the Craft Beer industry had still not recognised it as a style.
In fact at this point, the NEIPA was still seen to be a variation of the American IPA, but the NEIPA deemphasized the hop bitterness, which was a key trait of the American version and the cloudiness or haze didn’t really sit well under the American IPA style either, so something had to give.
2018 – A Style is Born
In this article published on CraftBeer.com on March 20, 2018 called “A beerstyle is born” They announced that the official birth of the “style”
The Brewers Association, publishers of CraftBeer.com and the trade organization to protect and promote small brewers, has released its 2018 Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines. The release includes a trio of beer styles identified in the guidelines and Brewers Association competitions as “Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale,” “Juicy or Hazy IPA” and “Juicy or Hazy Double IPA.” These styles represent what some beer geeks and brewers popularly refer to as New England IPAs or Hazy IPAs.”
Initially, the Style Guidelines Committee had not considered three separate styles when considering the new style.
What we discovered and verified was that there was a wide range of alcohol content for what was being perceived in the public as just one style,” explains style guide developer, Charlie Papazian. “After evaluating appearance, aroma, bitterness, hop characters, mouthfeel and overall balance these beers gave a consistent impression that helped frame the Brewers Association’s inaugural guidelines for three styles of Juicy or Hazy ales.”
New Styles Emerge – Hazy and Juicy
With the emergence of these new styles, the names Hazy or Juicy replaced the geographical name of the beer, with the styles now clearly defined. No longer a version of the American IPA, these new styles adopted the name of the key elements that defined the style, which was the Juicy Fruitiness and the Hazed colour. At last the style could be clearly identified.
The Style Guidelines
There are a number of bodies that represent the (Craft) Beer industry both in the US and here in Australia with the main ones being
1. (American) Brewers Association (BA)
2. Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP)
3. (Australian) Independent Brewers Association (IBA)
Below are a list of their guidelines for the styles and the date they were recognised
Brewers Association 2018 Beer Style Guidelines
February 28, 2018 – The Brewers Association is recognised at the peak body for American Brewers
You can see thee full style guidelines set here
Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale
Color: Straw to deep gold
Clarity: Low to very high degree of cloudiness is typical of these beers. Starch, yeast, hop, protein and/or other compounds contribute to a wide range of hazy appearance within this category.
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low to low-medium malt aroma and flavor may be present
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Medium-high to very high hop aroma and flavor are present, with attributes typical of hops from any origin.
Perceived Bitterness: Low to medium. Perceived impression of bitterness is soft and well-integrated into overall balance, and may differ significantly from measured or calculated IBU levels.
Fermentation Characteristics: Low to medium fruity-estery aroma and flavor may be present, but are usually overwhelmed by hop fruitiness. Diacetyl should not be perceived.
Body: Medium-low to medium-high. Perceived silky or full mouthfeel may contribute to overall flavor profile.
Additional Notes: Grist may include a small amount of oat, wheat or other adjuncts to promote haziness. Descriptors such as “juicy” are often used to describe the taste and aroma hop-derived attributes present in these beers.
Original Gravity (°Plato)1.044-1.050 (11-12.4 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato)1.008-1.014 (2.1-3.6 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume)3.5%-4.3% (4.4%-5.4%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU)30-50; may differ from perceived bitterness • Color SRM (EBC)4-7 (8-14 EBC)
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale
Color: Straw to deep gold
Clarity: Low to very high degree of cloudiness is typical of these beers. Starch, yeast, hop, protein and/or other compounds contribute to a wide range of hazy appearance within this category.|
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low to low-medium malt aroma and flavor may be present
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Medium-high to very high hop aroma and flavor are present, with attributes typical of hops from any origin
Perceived Bitterness: Medium-low to medium
Fermentation Characteristics: Low to medium fruity-estery aroma and flavor may be present, but are usually overwhelmed by hop fruitiness. Diacetyl should not be perceived.
Body: Medium-low to medium-high. Perceived silky or full mouthfeel may contribute to overall flavor profile.
Additional Notes: Grist may include a small amount of oat, wheat or other adjuncts to promote haziness. Descriptors such as “juicy” are often used to describe the taste and aroma hop-derived attributes present in these beers.
Original Gravity (°Plato)1.060-1.070 (14.7-17.1 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato)1.008-1.016 (2.0-4.1 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume)5.5%-8.5% (6.9%-10.6%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU)50-70 • Color SRM (EBC)4-7 (8-14 EBC)
Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP)
The BCJP is recognised at the peak body for American Home Brewers and their guidelines are designed to oversee entries in sanctioned Home Brewing competitions. The last set of guidelines were released in 2015 Beer but on February 21, 2018 the BJCP announced.
The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has identified and defined four new provisional styles. These provisional style definitions address additional styles that have emerged since the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines were introduced.
Provisional styles are drafts created in between producing new sets of official style guidelines, but they may be used by competitions as official styles. Competitions should allow for these styles to be mentioned in the comment field and judges should reference the style definitions during judging.
One of the four provisional styles was announced as Style 21B – Speciality IPA: New England IPA. Interestingly BJCP still recoginse this as a sub style of the American IPA
Style 21B – Speciality IPA: New England IPA
Overall Impression
An American IPA with intense fruit flavors and aromas, a soft body, and smooth mouthfeel, and often opaque with substantial haze. Less perceived bitterness than traditional IPAs but always massively hop forward. This emphasis on late hopping, especially dry hopping, with hops with tropical fruit qualities lends the specific ‘juicy’ character for which this style is known.
Aroma
Intense hop aroma, typically with fruity qualities (stone fruit, tropical fruit, and citrus are most commonly present) reflective of newer American and New World hop varieties without being grassy or herbaceous. Clean, neutral malt in the background, potentially with a light bready sweetness without caramel or toast. Absence of any malt character is a fault. Neutral to fruity fermentation character that is well-integrated with the hops. A creamy, buttery, or acidic aroma is inappropriate. Any perceived alcohol character should be restrained and never hot.
Appearance
Color ranges from straw to yellow, sometimes with an orange hue. Hazy, often opaque, clarity; should not be cloudy or murky. The opacity can add a ‘shine’ to the beer and make the color seem darker. Any visible floating particulates (hop matter, yeast clumps, etc.) are a fault. Medium to rocky meringue white head with high to very high retention.
Flavor
The hop flavor is high to very high, and reflects the same characteristics as the aroma (emphasis on fruit, with ripe tropical fruit, stone fruit, and citrus being most common). The perceived bitterness can be somewhat low to medium-high, often being masked by the body and finish of the beer. The hop character in the aftertaste should not be sharp or harsh. Low to medium malt flavor, generally neutral, sometimes having a bready, grainy, lightly sweet flavor. Noticeable toast or caramel flavors are a flaw. Fermentation character is neutral to fruity, but as with the aroma, supportive of the hops. Off-dry to medium finish. Creamy, starchy, or sugary-sweet flavors are inappropriate, although a high ester level and lower bitterness may give the impression of up to moderate sweetness. A moderate, supportive alcohol character is acceptable but should never be hot or dominating.
Mouthfeel
Medium to medium-full body with a smooth character. No harsh, hop-derived astringency. Alcohol warmth may be present in stronger versions, but should never be hot. Medium carbonation is standard. The beer should not have a creamy or viscous mouthfeel, an acidic twang, or a raw starch texture.
Comments
The style is still evolving, but this style is essentially a smoother, hazier, juicier American IPA. In this context, ‘juicy’ refers to a mental impression of fruit juice or eating fresh, fully ripe fruit. Heavy examples suggestive of milkshakes, creamsicles, or fruit smoothies are beyond this range; IPAs should always be drinkable. Haziness comes from the dry hopping regime, not suspended yeast, starch haze, set pectins, or other techniques; a hazy shine is desirable, not a cloudy, murky mess.
History
A modern craft beer style originating in the New England region of the United States. Alchemist Heady Topper is believed to be the original example and inspiration for many other interpretations that grew in popularity in the early to mid-2010s. Brewers are continuing to innovate and evolve the style, with the style trending towards a less bitter presentation to the point of making a mockery of the term “IPA”.
Characteristic Ingredients
Similar to many newer American IPAs but often with more oats or wheat in the grist, and less caramel or specialty malts. Restricted hop choice to American or New World varieties with a tropical fruit, stone fruit, or citrus character. Neutral to estery yeast strain. Water ranges from balanced between sulfate and chloride to using more chlorides. Heavily dry-hopped, partly during active fermentation, using a variety of hopping doses and temperatures to emphasis hop depth of aroma and flavor over bitterness. Biotransformation of hop oils during fermentation may add to the fruit character.
Style Comparison
Compared to American IPA, New England IPA has a fuller, softer mouthfeel, a more fruit-forward late hop expression, a more restrained perceived bitterness balance, and a hazier appearance. Many modern American IPAs are fruity and somewhat hazy; if they have a dry, crisp finish, at most medium body, and high perceived bitterness, these examples should be entered as American IPAs. Noticeable additions of fruit, lactose, or other materials to increase the fruity, smooth character should be entered in another category defined by the additive (e.g., Fruit Beer, Specialty Beer).
Vital Statistics
IBU 25 – 60
SRM 3 – 7
OG 1.060 – 1.085
FG 1.010 – 1.015
ABV 6% – 9%
Commercial Examples
Hill Farmstead Susan, Other Half Green Diamonds Double IPA, Tired Hands Alien Church, Tree House Julius, Trillium Congress Street, WeldWerks Juicy Bits
(Australian) Independent Brewers Association (IBA)
Meanwhile in Australia, in March 2, 2018 Brews News announced in this article
__________________________________________________________
The New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA) has been introduced to the style guidelines for AIBA 2018
The Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) has introduced a New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA) subclass to this year’s style guidelines. http://brewcon.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/5970-IBA-2018-BREW-CON-Style-Guidelines-v5-060418.pdf
But AIBA is still ahead of the curve in creating style guidelines for a beer that has its origins in the United States, but has not yet found its way into the Brewers Association’s guidelines.
How other Platforms treat the style
Rate Beer is the worlds biggest beer rating site. The site lumps all of the names together, simply categorising them as IPA/Hazy/New England
Untapped which is the biggest beer rating app in the world still shows it as New England IPA but also has a category called Milkshake IPA’s which is an even newer version of the style. Milkshake IPAs are described as those brewed with lactose — are becoming distinct from versions brewed with oats, or versions that achieve their appearance through extravagant levels of dry-hopping.
Wikipedia has failed to keep up with the craze and doesn’t refer to the style at all, although it does refer to sub categories of IPA’s
Summary
So in summary, whilst there is evidence that this type of beer dates back to 2003, the name New England IPA was just a name that identified where it’s origin was from, and it wasn’t until early 2018 that the “style” was actually born. Given that the (American) Brewers Association are the most respected world wide body when it comes to beer styles, their recognition of the style and their guidelines are the ones which are most commonly accepted. Going forward that means the styles will now be known as
- Hazy or Juicy Pale Ales
- Hazy or Juicy IPA’s of
- Hazy or Juicy Double or Imperial IPA’
The (Australian ) Independent Brewers Association (IBA) have already accepted and included these guidelines in their documentation, and it appears the BJCP are still the only body that recognises the NEIPA as a subcategory of the American IPA. I expect that might change before the next set of guidelines are updated.
So get ready to enjoy your Hazy or Juicy Beers !
Cheers
Update January 2022.
On 29 December 2021 the BJCP released their updated guidelines for 2021.
The new guidelines recognises the style as Hazy IPA and notes it is “Also known as New England IPA or NEIPA“
21C. Hazy IPA
Overall Impression: An American IPA with intense fruit flavors and aromas, a soft body, smooth mouthfeel, and often
opaque with substantial haze. Less perceived bitterness than traditional IPAs but always massively hop-forward.
Aroma: Intense hop aroma, with stone fruit, tropical fruit, citrus, or other fruity qualities; not grassy or herbal. Clean,
neutral, grainy, or lightly bready malt in the background; no caramel or toast. Absence of any malt character is a fault.
Neutral to fruity fermentation character. Esters from yeast and hops should not clash. A creamy, buttery, or acidic aroma is inappropriate. Light alcohol aroma optional.
Appearance: Color ranging from straw to very light amber, sometimes with an orange hue. Hazy, often opaque, clarity;
should not be cloudy or murky. The opacity can add a ‘shine’ to the beer and make the color seem darker. Any visible floating hop matter, yeast clumps, or other particulates is a fault. Medium to rocky, meringue-like white head with high to very high retention.
Flavor: High to very high fruity hop flavor, same descriptors as aroma. Low to medium malt flavor, same descriptors as
aroma. Low to medium-high perceived bitterness, often masked by the fuller body and soft, off-dry to medium finish.
The hop character in the aftertaste should not be sharp or harsh. Neutral to fruity fermentation profile, supportive of the hops. Should not be sweet, although high ester levels and lower bitterness may sometimes give that impression. Background alcohol flavor optional.
Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Smooth. No harshness. Light warmth optional.
The beer should not have a creamy or viscous mouthfeel, an acidic twang, or a raw starch texture.
Comments: Also known as New England IPA or NEIPA. An emphasis on late hopping, especially dry-hopping, with hops with tropical fruit qualities lends the ‘juicy’ character for which this style is known. Heavy examples suggestive of milkshakes, creamsicles, or fruit smoothies are outside this style; IPAs should always be drinkable. Haziness comes from dry-hopping, not suspended yeast, starch haze, or other techniques; a hazy shine is desirable, not a cloudy, murky mess.
History: A modern craft beer style originating in the New England region of the United States as an American IPA
variant. Alchemist Heady Topper is believed to be the original inspiration as the style grew in popularity during the 2010s. The style continues to evolve, including a trend towards lower bitterness and using the style as the base for other additions.
Characteristic Ingredients: Grist like an American IPA, but with more flaked grains and less caramel or specialty malts.
American or New World hops with fruity characteristics. Neutral to estery yeast. Balanced to chloride-rich water.
Heavily dry-hopped, partly during active fermentation, using a variety of hopping doses and temperatures to emphasis depth of hop aroma and flavor over bitterness. Biotransformation of hop oils during fermentation adds to the depth and fruit complexity.
Style Comparison: Has a fuller, softer mouthfeel, a more fruit-forward late hop expression, a more restrained perceived
bitterness balance, and a hazier appearance than American IPA. Many modern American IPAs are fruity and somewhat
hazy; examples with a dry, crisp finish, at most medium body, and high perceived bitterness should be entered as 21A
American IPA. Noticeable additions of fruit, lactose, vanilla, etc. to increase the fruity, smooth character should be entered in a specialty category defined by the additives (e.g., 29A Fruit Beer, 29C Specialty Fruit Beer, 30D Specialty Spice Beer).
Vital Statistics: OG: 1.060 – 1.085
IBUs: 25 – 60 FG: 1.010 – 1.015
SRM: 3 – 7 ABV: 6.0 – 9.0%
Commercial Examples: Belching Beaver Hazers Gonna Haze, Hill Farmstead Susan, Other Half Green Diamonds
Double IPA, Pinthouse Electric Jellyfish, Tree House Julius, Trillium Congress Street, WeldWerks Juicy Bits
Update BA Guidelines January 2022
There are now 4 different categories for this style
- Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale – 4.4%-5.4% ABV
- Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale – 5.6% – 7% ABV
- Juicy or Hazy Indian Pale Ale – 6.3%-7.5% ABV
- Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ale 7.6-10.6 ABV
Meet the Brewer – Little Creatures Brewing
Welcome to the first of our blogs where we Meet a Brewer and talk to them about their craft.
In this blog, we are talking with Russ Gosling, the Head Brewer at Little Creatures in Fremantle. Before we talk about beer, we wanted to find out a bit more about Russ.
Russ has been with LC since 2005 and is originally from the UK. His friends in marketing often describe him as a traditional Craft Brewer – this is a gibe with regard to his predisposition for established beer styles. In his opinion it’s not possible to go past a great Pilsner and we would have to agree with him on that one.
Russ went to Brewing School at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. He’s a fiery redhead who loathes modern technology but loves drinking beer, reading books and watching his beloved Leicester City play.
OK, enough about Russ, let’s talk about beer. We asked our WLCB members to provide us with some questions to ask him
Kurt Pinckham asked
How did you get into brewing?
Before I moved to Australia I went to Brewing School (how goods that!) at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh. I then joined the Little Creatures business in 2005. My partner and I arrived in Perth with a backpack each and a laptop – we had no work and knew nobody! It was an adventure. It was nice to leave the UK behind, having been marred by a landscape of rationalisation and resulting redundancies – being made redundant three times before the age of 30 will make you pack your bags and pick up sticks.
How much freedom do you have while brewing to experiment?
All the freedom in the World considering cost and plant restrictions – we experiment with a view to ensure it’s scalable.
Who is your favourite brewer?
That would be Miles Jenner – the last gentleman of British Brewing – who was my first mentor when I commenced my Brewing career at Harvey & Son’s in Lewes in 1997. He is one of our industries greatest ambassadors and a most distinguished fellow indeed.
Who would you like to do a collaboration with?
Well I’d really like to visit the Rothaus Brewery in the German Black Forest: perhaps they’d appreciate an Aussie take on the Zapfle?
Phil Jefferson questions were.
Besides your brewery which is your favourite?
My favourite Brewery is the Forst Brewery in Merano – stunning architecture, excellent beer, wonderful hospitality; coupled with the beautiful South Tyrol.
What are the best and worst things about brewing?
The best is the sociability that brewing provides: it brings People together. The worst is infected beer: the Dark Arts are a constant frustration!
What is the most exotic additive to one of your beers?
For us its Malt, Hops, Water and Yeast – we don’t deviate too much from tradition. We do add Orange and Lemon peel to Elsie though.
Do you drink commercial beers?
Yes I have been to Bali. I drink all beer – there is a beer for every occasion.
How important is marketing to a beer that you have created? This includes bottle/can size, shape, art design, advertising, etc.’
Extremely important – but we can’t tell the marketers!
How important are water profiles?
Extremely important – you knew that right?
Which hop is your favourite?
Anything Hallertauer.
If you were to brew a Smash what would it be?
A Pilsner with Magnum.
Is Australian brewing up there with the best?
Yes but we still need to continue to improve – let’s not believe our own bullshit and maintain progress.
Binalong Brewer asked
Do you love brewing today as much as you did when you first entered the industry?
Even more I think as it still employs me!
David Micthell just has 1 question too
What is Little Creatures doing to encourage brewer experimentation and being creative? Kind of like how 4 Pines releases every now and again a Keller door beer.
We regularly produce Seasonal Limited Release beers, such as the recently introduced Extra Pale Ale. Our seasonal release beers started out as a fun way for the Little Creatures brewers to experiment and evolve through experimenting with different ingredients, styles and flavours based on seasons and trends and give our customers something a little different.
Last year and just in time for WA Beer Week 2017, the femanle brewers at Creatures created Anna Pavlovah Golden Ale – fruity elements of this beer are derived from the hops used at 4 different stages of the process – Liberty (floral) for bittering in the Kettle, Riwaka (Tropical/Passionfruit) in the Whirlpool for aroma, Nelson Sauvin (Lycee/Mango) as whole cones in the Hopback, for further aroma, and Galaxy used for Dry Hopping post-fermentation for an added punch of passionfruit.
On the palate, the addition of Cara malt has given the beer its golden colour, Belgian Candi Sugar, Oats and vanilla further add to the illusion of creamy sweetness.
We Love Craft Beer would like to thank Russ from Little Creatures for his time and also Baden Parker-Brown from Res Publica for helping us put this together.
We hope to bring you more Meet the Brewer blogs to you soon.
Ryefield Hops
It’s pretty exciting when you hear that there is a new Hops farm in operation just up the road from you. That’s how I felt last year when I heard about Ryefield Hops starting production in Bemboka which is in the Bega Valley, on the lower side of Brown Mountain, Cooma and the Snowy Mountains.
When I tried to get in contact with them last year, all I had was a surname and the town, which is pretty much all you need in the county. I looked up the surname in the White Pages (online) and found a few people with the same surname in Bemboka, so I just rang one of them. Turns out it was one of the owners cousins, small town!
It was Spring time so Karen told me the bines were only small, but to touch base again in the New Year which I did. As I was heading from my home town of Merimbula up to Jindabyne for the Kosciuszko Craft Beer Festival, I had to drive through Bemboka anyway, so I arranged a visit.
The instructions were pretty simple which involved a cattle grid and dirt road. The only problem was that my Limited Edition Craig Lowndes Commodore with low profile tyres and even lower clearance didn’t like the cattle grid or the dirt road, but I managed to get my ride there in one piece.
Straight away the hop bines are obvious, growing up the metal trellises and swinging in the breeze. Karen’s husband, Morgan, was there to meet me and show me around. Dressed in khaki and with an Akubra hat on, Morgan was the quintessential farmer, although he wasn’t breeding cattle, he was growing hops. The farm is a family farm and it has been in the family for generations and previously used for dairy, but these days things are changing.
Morgan, Karen and her sister, Jade went into Hops farming in 2016. Jade has a background in Environmental Management and permaculture and has been brewing for the past couple of years, whilst Morgan is a boilermaker by trade so created the hops trellis himself. They planted a small crop of Chinook, Cascade, Fuggle and Hallertau hops in 2016 and Morgan says they learnt a lot in that year. In 2017 they increased the size of their crop 6 fold and added 10 additional rows as well as growing an additional variety, Saaz.
When I visited in February Morgan was getting everything prepared to start harvest the following day. The bines were all full of flowers and they were expecting to harvest a couple of hundred kilos of hops over the next week. Amazingly majority of the crop had already been presold which makes for a very promising future, especially when there is a worldwide shortage of hops and brewers are looking to secure themselves shipments. In fact talking to some brewers at the Kosciuszko Festival I heard that they had to place orders 2-3 years in advance, which makes planning quite tricky to say the least.
The other thing that brewers are searching for is to be able to get their ingredients hyper local, which builds on that “localvore” idea. Whatever the case I think there will be plenty more demand for Ryefield Hops in the future and it will be great to see how they “grow” and manage demand for their products.
Thanks to Morgan and Karen for hosting me. For more information, visit their website. www.ryefieldhops.com
Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival
We Love Craft Beer will be attending the Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival on Saturday 24 March. The Festival will be staged in the gardens of the heritage Mercure Canberra in Braddon and will feature breweries from across Australia along with live bands, food, entertainment and a wide range of kids’ activities.
We Love Craft Beer will have a stand at the Festival too, so you will be able to come and meet us, get some merchandise, play in our live Trivia contest and go in the draw to win some beer from the Beer Crate.
Over 200 beers and ciders will be available for tasting and visitors will be able to take part in beer/cider food matching sessions, hear guest speakers, and meet the brewers.
Canberra’s rapidly emerging brewing scene is reflected in the presence of Bent Spoke Brewing Co, Captial Brewing Co, Jono’s Jerky and others, while interstate exhibitors include many of Australia’s most renowned breweries such as Sydney Brewery, Endeavour Beer, Pirate Life, Stone Dog Meadery, Akasha Brewing, Young Henrys, HopDog Beer Works, Mountain Goat Beer, Goose Island Brewery and James Squire. Specialist cideries such as Nightingale Bros Alpine Cider and Willie Smith’s Cider will exhibit their range of ciders.
For more info, visit the website. http://www.canberrabeerfest.com.au/
Tickets are now available for $15 pre-purchase (via Moshtix) or $22 at the door (a booking fee applies).
http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/2018-canberra-craft-beer-cider-festival/100596
Marketing in the Craft Beer Industry
Do you own a Brewery or Craft Beer venue? Are you running a Craft Beer Festival or selling products in the industry? What ever you are doing, the Craft Beer Industry is a specialised industry and it requires specialised marketing.
We Love Craft Beer provides a range of marketing services to the Craft Beer industry through our website, social media channels and in conjunction with our own Digital Marketing Agency Solutions 4 Biz.
So no matter what business you are running, or what your needs are, we can help market your business. Below are some of the ways we can help you.
Access to the We Love Craft Beer Network
We can provide you with direct access to over 14,000 Craft Beer Lovers through a range of channels and marketing including
- Organic and Paid post across social media
- Mentions by Social Influencers
- Banner Ads on our web site
- Inclusions in Email Newsletters
- Involvement in Competitions and Promotions
- Press releases and content writing
- Reviews, Blogging and Vlogging
Our Digital Marketing Agency can provide a full range of professional Marketing services including
- Digital Analytics
- Web development and management
- Logos and Branding
- Organic and paid Social media Marketing
- Email marketing
- SEO and Google Adwords
- Content writing (Blogging and Press Releases)
- Video Production
- Marketing plans
- Market research
- Online Polls and Surveys
We also offer the following specialised services for individual businesses
Breweries
- Brewery Reviews
- Promotional Products and Merchandising
- Listing on our Find Beer App
- Distribution and Agency agreements
- Set up and management of Ale Trails
Craft Beer Venues
- Promotion of Tap Take overs and special events
- Promotional Products and Merchandising
- Listing on our Find Beer App
Craft Beer Retailers
- Adding to our Member Discount Program
- Listing on our Find Beer App
Craft Beer Festivals
- Promotional Products and Merchandising
- Professional Video production for promotional purposes either before or at the event
- Incentives to our members to attend (discounts etc)
- Competitions and promotions in the lead up to the event
- Tour groups to the event (subject to numbers and lead time)
- Live Vlogging services at the Festival
- Sale of tickets through our web site and social media channels
Not every business is big enough to employee their own in house marketing person, and whilst you might know a lot about brewing or running a venue, you are probably not an expert in marketing. Well never fear, we can help you.
Our Business and Marketing consultant can help you with all of your marketing needs, and we can be available as much or as little as you need.
We already work with a number of (non competing) clients in the Craft Beer industry and have loads of experience. So if you are looking to build or grow your business and you need some help with your marketing, contact us today.
Stone and Wood Brewing
On 6 September I visited Stone & Wood Brewing in Byron Bay, New South Wales. It is a great brewery and bar in the industrial area outside of town.
The beers that I sampled were:
- Green Coast, 4.7% abv, this is a straw coloured Helles style lager with a subtle malt aroma. It has a lovely sweet malt taste and then a clean, crisp finish. Very good.
- Cloud Catcher, 5.5% abv, this is an Australian style Pale Ale with a golden colour and a nice tropical fruit aroma. It has lovely tropical fruit flavours of passionfruit and melon before transitioning smoothly into a gentle hop bitter finish.
- Jasper Ale, 5.4% abv, this is an amber coloured ale with a sweet malt and tropical fruit aroma. It is well balanced with a sweet malt initial flavour and then a good citrus fruitiness on a mild bitterness. Very nice!
- Forefathers, 5.6% abv, this is an English style Pale Ale that is golden in colour with a subtle sweet malt aroma. It has a lovely, complex malt initial taste and then transitions smoothly into a gentle hop bitter finish. Enjoyable!
- Sambo’s Dubbel Down, 7.3% abv, this is a Belgian style Ale that has a hazy amber colour and a strong malt aroma. It has a wonderful, smooth, buttery mouth feel and a complex sweet malt flavour. This is very true to the style and a really wonderful beer!!
- Garden Ale, 3.5% abv, this is a golden coloured ale with a subtle floral aroma. It has a nice balanced flavour of malt and fruit on a mild bitterness. Very sessionable and easy drinking.
- Pacific Ale, 4.4% abv, this is the mainstay beer of the brewery, it is a hazy straw colour and a subtle tropical fruit aroma. It has a wonderful flavour of tropical fruit that flows easily into a mild bitterness on the finish. A great beer!
- East Coast Citrus IPA, 6.2% abv, this is a collaborative brew with other AIBA winners. It has a cloudy straw colour and a sweet passionfruit and tropical fruit aroma. The taste is one of strong stone fruit and then a generous, lingering hop bitter finish. Quite wonderful!
The Stone and Wood Brewery are doing wonderful things and producing some fantastic beers. I would really like to thank Cale for his hospitality and enthusiasm, he made a good afternoon great. This is a brewery that is well worth visiting!
Brewery Reviews
Our resident Brewery Reviewer Paul Cooke is traveling around Australia visiting breweries and tasting beer. It is hard job, but of course someone has to do it. Paul provides some general information about the brewery and also reviews a range of their beers, whilst his wife Laura captures the location in images.
If like most people, you can’t make it to all these breweries, at least you can live vicariously through them and enjoy reading all about the amazing array of breweries that we have in Australia.
To date they has visited over 100 breweries and you can see a map of all the breweries they have visited here. You can of course can read all their reviews here and make sure you follow on Facebook to see all the latest reviews,
Craft Beer Venue Finder Competition
We Love Craft Beer and Brewer Direct are on a mission to find EVERY Craft Beer venue in Australia.
Why? Because we want to make sure that every single one of them can be found in our Craft Beer Finder App. We already have over 550 but we know there are plenty more out there and we want you to help us find them.
Your Mission should you chose to accept it, is to send us a list of any venues that are NOT already in our Craft Beer 
Finder. Here is what to do
1. Visit our Craft Beer Finder
2. Do a search for your Craft Beer venues in your area
3. If you know of any that we have missed, email them to us
4. For EVERY venue that you email us, that is not already in the finder, you will receive 1 entry into our competition
The person who sends us the most venues will win a Brewer Direct 12 pack of Sailors Grave Beer valued at $73
Conditions of Entry. Your email address will be added to our database and you will receive some special offers on craft beer. Competition closes 31 August. Winner announced Friday 1 September 2017.
What is your LEAST favourite style of beer?
We asked our Members “What is your LEAST favourite style of beer?”
Some of the results were a bit surprising, but here is what they said.
- American Lager
- Saison
- Sours
- Kolsch
- IPA
Our poll was taken on 11 May 2017. You can see all of results or vote by clicking here
What‘s going to be Hot and What’s Not in 2017.
With the voting well underway to determine the Hottest 100 Australian Craft beers for 2016, it is a good time to reflect on some of the trends of the past year.
The 2015 list contained a large percentage of Pale Ales and IPA’s including 9 out of the top 10, the other one being a Kolsch. Of the 9, only 2 of those were darker, 1 being Modus Operandi’s Former Red Tennant IPA, and the other being Feral’s Karma Citra Black IPA.
With the exception of a couple of Stouts, the top 40 beers of 2015 were nearly all Pales or IPA’s and you had to get down to position 42 to find something a bit different with a Sirène Brewing – Praline Belgian Specialty Ale.
So what is going to change with the top 100 for 2016? Well probably not a lot actually. We will no doubt see more of the same with some of the popular IPA’s from Pirate Life and Feral continuing to take out top spots, followed by a barrage of contenders from brewers like PACT, Green Beacon, Bentspoke, Balter, Black Dog, Newstead, Akasha and Modus Operandi.
So that is what HAS been hot in 2016, but what about 2017? Well this is what I am hoping for.
Hopefully we have seen the peak of IPA’s in Australia and we will start to see some more variety from brewers in 2017. Why I hear you ask? Well basically because I am over them. I think we have all had a love affair with a good IPA over the past few years, but every time we found ourselves enjoying one, there was another one on the shelf, waiting to be drunk. After a while, the singles weren’t enough so we started moving to the Double IPA’s and that is where the real fun began. BIG citrusy flavours, smoky texture and hops coming out of our ears. You started with 40 IBU’s, and quickly skipped to 60 or 70, and before you know it, you are looking for 100+ which is basically like sucking on a bud of resin from the hop plant. But once you get to that level, what now? You can’t go back, because the nice sweet IPA with 40 IBU’s just don’t cut it any more. That’s because with these beers, bigger and bolder is the way to go and because HOPS is the only flavour in the beer. They don’t have any other layers, it’s just HOP THE HELL out of it and see how far you can take it.
So what would I like to see on the Hot List for 2017? Well that’s easy. Let’s start with the styles. Red Ales, Brown Ales, Pilsners, Lagers, Saisons, Sours and Speciality Beers. Why these styles? Well with most of them (except lagers) they have a number of layers going on. They are complex, with multiple flavours attacking your senses. They are often more malt driven, than hop driven and each flavour has something to offer, rather than one BIG hop bill, taking centre stage. Here are just a few beers that fit this bill and I would like to see more of in 2017.
5 Barrels Imperial Stout – Aged in Shiraz Barrels for 4 months, this Stout takes on the flavour of the Shiraz so much, you sometimes forget you are drinking beer and the after taste has you believing you just finished of a glass of red. It’s simply amazing.
Dainton Red Eye Rye – Like a sweet temptress this red head seduces you with her velvet tongue. As she passes your lips she slips down your throat and warms your heart, leaving you entwined in her love, wanting more. Much more.
Hop Dog Beer Works – A feast of Stevens White Stout. Well it’s not really white, it’s Amber, but it certainly is a feast. A feast on the senses with your mouth and nose convinced your drinking a stout and your eyes telling you that you’re drinking an Amber. It’s not just a novelty beer though, it’s a damn tasty one,
Mornington Brown – This English style Brown Ale has more layers than an eighties punk rock hair do. It’s got toffee, raisins, chocolate and nuts and they all seem to unfold one at a time. The mouthfeel is sublime and you feel like you are eating your way through a meal, rather than drinking it.
Lobethal Crème Brulee – This relatively unknown brewer, punches out some great beers, but this one takes the cake, or the dessert (beer) to be more precise. If you have ever had a Crème Brulee you will remember how you can savour the Vanilla bean flavours for ages after you have finished your sweet, and this beer leaves you feeling the same way. Dessert beers have their place, so they are not a lawnmower beer, but after a nice dinner, they go down a treat.
Tumut River Brewing Co – Blowering Blonde. Normally I wouldn’t give much attention to a Blonde (beer that is) but this one is special. It’s an absolutely smashable beer, but one that’s full of flavour and so refreshing, it would be hard to stop at 1 or 7. This Blonde certainly has more fun !
Bacchus Brewing – Anyone that knows Bacchus knows that it would be impossible to single out just one of Ross’s beers, so I won’t even try. All I can say is that we just want to see more of his incredulous creations, pushing the boundaries in every direction. More Bacchus in 2017 !
Two Birds – Taco and Sunset Ale – Both these beers are unique and needed to be included in the same way that Jane and Danielle need to be included. Not because they are women, but because they brew great beer. The Taco delivers exactly on it’s promise and has to be one of the best wheat beers ever produced in this country and the Sunset Ale is another multi layered malt beer, that goes down like a sunset, anytime.
Shenangians Malt Assault – As the description says, Sick of being blown away by hop bombs? Fight back with a Malt Assault.” This is the malt equivalent of a Double IPA and is like dunking Malt biscuits on your beer.
Other brewers to watch out for in 2017,
Cupitt’s in Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast. Known mainly for their wines, Cupitt’s have started brewing some beers and they are surprisingly good. Their Pale Ale (yes I know another Pale) is very tasty and the Belgian is very worthy of it’s heritage.
Bentspoke are expanding their operations and have opened a cannery to support their brewpub in Canberra. Richard has been pushing the boundaries in a number of areas including the Cluster 18 IPA with 18% ABV. Talk about chewing on resin.
PACT – Another Canberra brewer making a name for himself is Kevin Hingston. Now I know I have talked down the IPA’s and Pale Ales but if you are going to make a Pale Ale, make it like the Mount Tennant Pale Ale, one of the most refreshing Pales you could ever set your hands on. His Brown is pretty damn good too.
To be honest, I am only scratching the surface here because there are so many good breweries opening up. I just hope that 2017 brings some more variety and we start to see some of these other styles get the same sort of recognition, that the Pales and IPA’s do. There will always be a place for them, but there should also be some room for the malt driven beers, because they add so much
Converting VB Drinkers to Craft Beer
VB drinkers are probably the last people that you would expect to like Craft Beer, but guess what? Some of them actually like it !
Meet Craig Windred. He is a genuine Aussie Bloke who is a factory work and hails from the Central Coast in NSW . Up until about 8 months ago Craig was a VB drinker, but then one of our members Daniel Pankhurst introduced him to Craft Beer.
I meet Craig at one of our recent Meetups in Sydney for Craft Beer Week and we got talking. Out of the 20 or so people that were there, most of them were Craft Beer “nuts” like myself and whilst I really enjoy talking about beer with these people, I just loved listening to Craig talk about his (short) beer journey.
I asked him about some of the beers he had tried and he said ” I tried that Hop Hog, that’s not bad and the Nail Stout was pretty good”. He went on to mention an amazing range of beers which spanned across a surprisingly wide range of styles. He must have rattled of about 20 of my favourite beers from great Aussie brewers like the Bridge Road Pale Ale, Big Shed F-Yeah, Pirate Life IIPA, Riverside 777, Feral Karma Citra and even some from new comer berwers like Akasha. What was even better, was that he had also started sharing them with his dad, who had also been a VB drinker most of his life, and his dad had taken a liking to them as well.
Quite apart from this great range of beers that he had been trying, he had gathered some great knowledge about beer along the way, often dropping casual remarks like “That stout was good, but it got better as it warmed up.” He could identify flavours that he liked in beers like “coffee and chocolate” or “citrusy tastes” in hop heavy beers. Now to most of us Craft Beer lovers, this is all common knowledge but to hear this guy talking about craft beer like a pro, was amazing considering his short journey and where he had come from.
It was really exciting to hear his enthusiasm and I wanted to video him, but I probably would have spent a lot of time editing out all the F Bombs and other banter we were having. The best part of it was it reminded me why I started this group and it wasn’t just to talk to other “beer nerds” like myself. It was to help other people discover that there is something better out there than what they are drinking and to help educate them about Craft Beer. As we all know, it’s a journey and that journey has to start with an introduction, and as Craft Beer lovers we all should be trying to introduce new people to the journey.
Of course we don’t want to go to far and become the Craft Beer Wanker that won’t shut up about it and tells everyone he meets, that VB is shit, or Corona is “cats piss” (even if it is). You need to take a more subtle approach and introduce them to it gradually. Don’t start them of with a RIS, get them to try a Gateway Beer like a Pale Ale or Wheat Beer and let them work up to it from there. If they don’t like strong hops flavours, give them a Lager or a Malty Brown, or if they are a coffee lover maybe give them a Porter to try after dinner. The main thing here is we need to remember to keep encouraging them to experiment, because they aren’t going to like every beer they try.
As you know there are plenty of Beer Festivals on around the country and these are great places to take newbies, because they can try a wide variety of beers, in smaller quantities, which make sense especially if you don’t like them. One such festival is the Bitter and Twisted festival in Maitland and in the lead up to this, The Commercial Hotel pub manager Matt Dickman, conducted an experiment with 2 other VB loving larrikins at the Morpeth Brewery. So what happened? Well watch and see, but all I can say is that I hope these guys are talking like Craig in 8 months too. Hopefully we can convert all the VB drinkers to Craft, one lost soul at a time.
Cheers in Beer !
Canberra Beer Day Out and More
4 – 6 November 2016
Canberra is the place to be ! That is not something you expect to hear every day, but on this weekend in November it will be. You will visit some of Canberra’s best breweries and visit Canberra’s biggest beer festival, the Beer Day Out. How does this sound for a jam packed weekend of Craft Beer?
Friday 4th – Our adventure departs from Sydney at 9am and gets into Canberra around midday. For guests not taking up the Boot’s n’ All package ( below) we will leave you at the hotel and see you after the afternoon’s tour. For everyone else it’s onto Zeirholz Brewery in time for lunch, a quick tour and a few beers from Canberra’s original German brewery. From here we head to the Wig and Pen for a look around and a selection of beers with a chance to try some traditional ales (cask conditioned and hand-pumped).
Time for a quick regroup before heading out for dinner and beers at Bentspoke one of Canberra’s newest and funkiest brewpubs. With 18 beers on tap you are sure to find something you like here and the food is a real bonus. That’s day one down with 3 breweries already under your belt.
Saturday 5th – This morning will be a late start before we head to one of Canberra’s Best Bottle shops, Plonk to check out their range. Then off to lunch and beers at The Durham
before heading to the Beer Day Out, Canberra’s biggest beer festival. With over 20 Brewers you are sure to find some tasty brews to try. It’s a big day, so you might like a quick recharge before we head out for the BDO After Party. The pillows will be soft tonight !
Sunday 6th – Grab some breaky before heading off to the grand opening of the Bentspoke Cannery. After a quick tour we start the trip home via Goulburn and a quick visit to the Stonedog Meadery and then back to Sydney around 3pm.
That’s a lot of Breweries and Beers to pack into one weekend, but someone has to do it.
Canberra Beer Day Out Tour Inclusions.
- All transfers to and from Sydney and around Canberra
- Your very own Tour Guide and Beer Expert
- 2 nights share accommodation at the Premier Apartments at Belconnen
- 2 breakfasts
- Entry into the Beer Day Out
- Entry to the BDO After Party
- Visit to Plonk
- Visit to the Grand Opening of Bentspoke Cannery
That’s the ultimate Canberra Craft Beer experience for just $499 per person
Note: If you are a We Love Craft Beer Member (and why wouldn’t you be) you get this for just $399. Contact us for your Discount Code before booking)
Add the Boots ‘n All Package.
If you are the sort of person that likes everything included so you don’t have to worry about anything, then add the Boots ‘n All package. This will cover you for
- Lunch, Tour and Beers at Zierholz
- Tour and Beers at Wig and Pen
- Dinner and Beers at Benstpoke
- $25 worth of credits at Beer Day Out
- Tour and drinks at Stonedog Meadery
- Some cool Merchandise
Get your Boots ‘n All package for $195
What’s not included? Anything not listed above.
Booking Details: Due to transport and logistics we have a minimum number of 8 and a maximum of 12 people so it is first in best dressed.
An Important Note – We Love Craft Beer and Dave’s practice the Responsible Service of Alcohol and provide Craft Beer Discovery Travel experiences aimed at appreciation, education and fun. Our travel experiences are NOT substitutes for end of season footy trips or bucks parties. We expect that people behave responsibly and respect all those around them. So if you’re up for exploring Craft Beer with a group of like-minded people then our travel experiences are for you.
Newcastle Steel City Beer Tour
Departs 2-4 September 2016
Friday – Our adventure starts off at the Rocks Brewing Co in Sydney. We suggest you arrive in time to grab some lunch and a quite frothy. Here you will be met by your awesome beer guides for the weekend and they will get you sorted and arrange for your luggage to be loaded on the bus.
Dave’s bus departs at 2pm as we head North towards the Viking destination of Ekim Brewing. Grab yourself an After Battle Pale Ale or Berserker and meet the man behind Ekim, Mike Jorgenson. After a couple of hours pillaging, we head further North and arrive at our digs for the night, Warners at the Bay Hotel. Tonight we head into Foghorn Brewhouse for dinner and beers then grab some z’s to get ready for tomorrow’s beer festival.
Saturday – Enjoy a sleep in or grab some coffee and breaky, because it’s a lazy start. Today we head to Bottle-O at Lambton for their 5th Annual Beer Festival. The event features beers from over 30 brewers, food, live entertainment, lucky door prizes and more! Entry to the festival and 15 tastings are included in your tour price, so we’ve got you covered. Tonight, you will be free to explore the Newcastle beer scene. We will get you into town so you can wander between the great Craft Beer venues including The Grain Store , Hop Factory , The Happy Wombat, The Lucky Hotel or The Blind Monk before heading back to Warners
Sunday – Rise up and grab breakfast before we check out from Warners and head south to Six String Brewing. Don’t forget to grab some takeaways from the bottle shop. After checking out Six String, a few lazy Sunday beers we’ll head down the road to Block n’ Tackle where you will get another tour and grab another paddle. After a great weekend of Craft Beer Discovery with friends, it’s time to head for home with a drop off at the Rock Brewing Co. around 5pm.
Sound good? So what’s the deal?
Craft Beer Travel
Here is what you get.
- All transfers in Modern Minibus
- Your own Beer Gurus from Dave’s and We Love Craft Beer
- 2 night (twin share) accommodation at Warners
- Tours and Tasting at 3 breweries, Ekim, Six String and Block n’ Tackle
- Entry to the Bootle-O Lambton Beer Festival and 15 tasters
- Some freebies and cool merch
What’s the damage? Well the regular price is $495 per person, but as a We Love Craft Beer member, you are entitled to a whopping $100 discount, so sign up for Membership now and save $100 straight away.
What’s not included? Anything not listed above, which is basically meals and drinks.
Booking Details: Due to transport and logistics we have a minimum number of 8 and a maximum of 12 people so it is first in best dressed.
An Important Note – We Love Craft Beer and Dave’s practice the Responsible Service of Alcohol and provide Craft Beer Discovery Travel experiences aimed at appreciation, education and fun. Our travel experiences are NOT substitutes for end of season footy trips or bucks parties. We expect that people behave responsibly and respect all those around them. So if you’re up for exploring Craft Beer with a group of like-minded people then our travel experiences are for you.
Smoking meat on your BBQ
Greetings Beer and BBQ lovers.
One of the great food and beer pairings is a great smoked beer along with some great smoky flavoured BBQ meat, such as beef, lamb or pork.The flavour imparted into food while cooking over wood, charcoal or BBQ brickettes just can’t be beat over the same thing done on a gas or electric BBQ. Thing is, the majority of people in Australia own and use a gas BBQ, so how can you impart that same smoky flavor into your food when you cook with gas?
There are actually a few different methods you can use, and all pretty cheap and simple. Here are some of them.
- Buy a metal smoker box. Many BBQ shops and hardware stores sell smoker boxes that you can fill with wood chips, wood pellets or even wood saw dust. These small rectangular boxes have holes through them to let air flow in, the box heats up and smolders the wood so it starts to smoke. These do a reasonable job but you really need to pack them full for them to work effectively.
- The cheapest and simplest way is to get a piece of aluminum foil, place your wood chips in it, wrap it into a pouch shape and using a sharp knife, stab some holes in it and place this directly above your gas burner on the grate somewhere. It will smolder nicely and add smoke to the food.
- You can buy wood chunks and place them on the grill next to your food. There is a bit of trial and error here to get them in a good spot on the grill grate so they smolder nicely without catching fire, but it’s an easy one to try
So these are the easiest way to smoke food without having a charcoal BBQ. Of course these still don’t beat what a proper charcoal BBQ can do, so why not give these techniques a go and maybe think about investing in one?
Cheers! – Hoops