Event details, notes on the Brisbane beer scene and beer in general...
I have no idea exactly what is being said here, but you get the gist pretty clearly...and it's some pretty amazing web-trickery at the same time... Click this link
Type your first name on the first line Type your second name on the second line Skip your e-mail address. Click on 'Vizualizar' and watch what happens
A quick heads up about a new brewery soon to open in Byron Bay. Stone & Wood is the latest venture by Brad Rogers who was Matilda Bay's head brewer until March this year. Brad has brewed at Sanctuary Cove and Fiji for CUB and this will be his first independent project. He is a top notch brewer who showed that craft brewing was possible even in a huge operation like Fosters.
He is joined by Ross Jurasich, also formerly of Matilda Bay where he was responsible for sales in Queensland, and also Jamie Cook from DIG Marketing in Melbourne - also with an impressive resume in beer and beer marketing. All-in-all it's a brewery start-up with an impressive provenance.
The guys aren't giving too much away about the beers to expect as yet, but they are focusing on draught beer for on-premise sales. The new custom-built brewery is still on a ship headed for our shores, due for installation early September - so all going to plan Brad reckons we'll be able to try the beers by about late October.
I'll keep you posted, in the meantime you can keep up to date on the Stone & Wood blog here.
Incidentally, this is Byron Bay's only brewery. The Byron Bay Ale that you may have tried isn't brewed in Byron Bay, rather is a contract-brewed beer brewed at Australian Independent Brewers. Not that this should concern you. There's nothing wrong with contract-brewed beers, in fact there are some very good ones. The fact that they're not based in Byron Bay does concern some though.
Perhaps more confusing is that Byron Bay Ale is a lager...even winning a Bronze Medal at this year's Sydney Royal Show's beer competition in the Golden Lager class.
Anyway, enough digression from Stone & Wood...looking forward to trying some real Byron Bay beers soon.
Burleigh Brewing Company, brewers of the Duke range, have just launched the first of their new Limited Release series.
The Burleigh Hefeweizen is a German-style wheat beer. And, unlike the three regular beers in the Duke range, this one is going to be allowed to travel to bottle shops beyond 'Duke Land'.*
Already available at selected outlets on tap, look out for the packaged product to reach the shelves in mid-late August.
Hefeweizens are traditionally a summer beer and, according to the Burleigh Brewing crew, the Burleigh Hefeweizen is about as close as you will ever get to finding summer in a bottle.
Road tested at the recent International Brewers Day event in Brisbane, the hefeweizen was very well received and was one of the most popular of the night.
If you're having trouble getting your hands on a Burleigh Hefeweizen, contact the brewery at info@burleighbrewing.com or on 07 5593 6000 and they'll steer you in the right direction.
*Burleigh is a bit of an anomaly for a brewery of their size. They have set a limited distribution area for their beer with brewer Brennan Fielding wanting to ensure that his beer is delivered as fresh as possible. Brennan won't deliver further north than Hervey Bay or further south than Coffs Harbour and ensures that so long as it is in his control the beer stays refrigerated, not warehoused.
Brisbane has long lagged behind the rest of Australia in term of craft beer, but fortunately that is changing. Not only are the breweries starting to open, but they're also staging plenty of events. There are a couple of great beer events coming up around the South East in the next week. You can keep up-to-date with more beer events by following the events link to the right. I will endeavour to keep it up to date with events Australia wide, but the magazine is also a great place to stay informed about beer events in Australia and New Zealand.
This Friday (18th) has been declared International Brewers Day. You can find out more here and here. In Brisbane we're celebrating with the local craft brewers.
In addition to being at the International Brewers Day party in Brisbane, Burleigh Brewing Company is also hosting lunch on Friday in conjunction with Pointbreak Bar and Grill. The beer appreciation lunch will feature three courses designed by Pointbreak head chef Andy Hastings and Brewmaster Brennan to compliment four Burleigh Brewing Co Brews.
The lunch will also be the official Gold Coast launch of Burleigh Brewing Co's first seasonal beer, the Burleigh Hefeweizen.
Brennan describes the Hefewizen as, "an elegant beer with a delightful fruit character. Hefeweizens are not aged for very long and are designed to be consumed at the peak of freshness. They are traditionally a summer beer, but since it's always summer on the Gold Coast, now is a perfect time to brew one."
On arrival at the luncheon, guests will enjoy a Duke mid-strength with a range of appetizers, followed by a sumptuous 3 course lunch with each course matched to a Duke beer and desert matched to the new Hefeweizen.
Bookings: Phone Pointbreak on 07 5535 0822.
On 18th & 19th July Northern Rivers Brewing Co. are also holding a winter banquet. The five-course feast matched to Northern Rivers beers will be held at Cafe One One One in Byron Bay and cost $59pp. Booking 02 6680 7388.
