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42 CIDER

CIDER Harvest Report - Part II

Harvest Report - Part II

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2013 APPLE AND PEAR HARVEST REPORT

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across Australia, as surplus fruit is being mopped up by new cider producers.

The fruit we pack into our children’s lunch boxes each day, or what we scoff down at morning tea is what cider producers call ‘desserts’ or ‘eating’ apples. Dessert apples for example, are your everyday, reliable fruit which often have nice apple flavours with good levels of acidity and taste scrumptious.

The most common varieties used in cider consist of Pink Lady, Jonathon, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Sundowner, Red Delicious and Breaburn.

These varieties all have ranging levels of sweetness, richness and acidity which are sought after by Cider Makers. Australia’s cooler apple growing regions like Batlow, Adelaide Hills and Huon Valley are proudly full to the brim with these delicious spheres of goodness. The resultant ciders made with dessert fruit are often quite floral, very fresh and crisp, primary fruit focused with piercing structural acidity.

However, these apples do have their weaknesses which are no secret amongst the cider making community. They lack the essential textural component of tannin, are

TS AZ TE C STA 8:05:51 PM 22/11/2013

PART II

6 FREE DOS EQUIS LAGER OFFER 10 2013 B&B AWARDS RESULTS 36 FESTIVE BEERS 42 PART 2 OF OUR HARVEST REPORT 46 0.0% ABV BEERS 56 CANAL BOATS, UK 60 BEER TOUR OF USA 64 A WEEKEND IN WA 70 TOURING THE BLACK DOG BREWERY 80 47 BEERS, CIDERS & WHISKIES TASTED

James Adams delves further into the world of apples and pears, for the second part of our report into the 2013 harvest.

Company (SA), Napoleone Cider Co (VIC), St Ronan’s Cider (VIC), Spreyton Cider Co (TAS), Lost Pippin Cider (TAS) and Batlow Cider (NSW).

There is a change in the wind in Australian cider, and it comes in the form of a much smaller, very tannic and higher in sugar apple.

These apples, generally labelled ‘traditional cider apples’, and are most commonly found in ciders from the West of England, North West France and Germany.

often thinner in palate weight and lack fruit depth. Essentially, these apples are arguably not well suited to true cider making, with more developed styles harder to master. Some commercial producers using dessert apple and pear to great effect are The Hills Cider

planting an orchard or through a specialist grower.Current regional leaders in these traditional varieties are Harcourt and Orange, due to their favourable climate and location.

Drew Henry from Henry of Harcourt, and James Kendell from Small Acres Cyder

FRESH FRUIT

Cider first and foremost is made with freshly grown apples and/or pears. This essential link between real fruit and final beverage is the foundation for real cider. In Australia, the apples and pears you regularly see lined up in a supermarket are in fact, the same apples used to make a large collection of Australian cider.

The fruit has been grown in an orchard by more often than not a generational grower, and has endured all the rigours of the growing season – discussed in Part 1. Cider is becoming somewhat a blessing in disguise for growers

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Hills Cider (SA) Processing Facility - picked, checked and ready to be made into juice and then cider.

Redwood Cider Co (Richmond, NZ) - Old Mout and Monteith’s Cider production facility.

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have been successfully using these apples for a number of years. Kendell believes cider is about “balance”, and compared to cider apples, desserts lack complexity, texture and balance.

Tasmania is fast catching up with large plantings currently underway, with perfect soils and a cooler climate ideal for growing.

The ciders produced are often much richer, more complex, more textural and have a deeper depth of flavour, as apposed to their dessert apple counterparts.

Vintage, scrumpy and bottled conditioned ciders all are made far more superiorly with these apples. These are true cider apples, solely intended to make cider, and cider only. They are often inedible off the tree, due to their high levels of tannin and bitterness. Over the next five years, cider made with traditional cider fruit will become more readily available and sort after in Australia. Some commercial producers using cider apple fruit effectively in Australia consist of: Lobo (SA), Thorogoods (SA), Henry of Harcourt (VIC), Daylesford Cider Company (VIC), Bress (VIC), Seven Oaks Cider (VIC), Small Acres (NSW) and Red Sails (TAS).

The difference between dessert apple cider and traditional apple cider is like chalk and cheese. The differences in style are at opposite ends of the cider scale, and this relates to pears too. When it comes to pear cider or ‘perry’ as it’s traditionally known, Australia has embraced it with open arms. To traditionalist, the term pear cider is a somewhat derogatory term which lowers the historic reputation of traditionally made perry.

So much so that the UK independent consumer organisation CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), rejects the term pear cider as an alternate label for perry. Traditionally made perry is made with perry pears, such as Gin, Moorcroft, Yellow Huffcap and Red Longdon. They are extremely high in tannins and acid and are quite rare in Australia with some plantings in Harcourt and Tasmania.

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42 HARVEST REPORT PT 2 Part two of our revealing look at the Australian orchards that produce the fruit we’re all loving in our ciders, as the weather warms up.

46 ZERO ALCOHOL

Depending on who you speak to, alcohol-free beer is either a waste of time and fridge space, or a viable healthy alternative. Stefanie Collins investigates the established European trend that is creating its own niche in Australia.

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36 FESTIVE BEERS

Pete Brown and Neil Miller take a look at the long and glorious history of Festive Beers - just in time for the silly season, too!

NEW BREEDS

The earliest reference to a cider apple can be dated back to the 13th century, and the variety cited is still bearing fruit today! These historic apples are split into classifications of acid and tannin balance and consist of: sweet, bittersweet, sharp and bittersharp. Each class can be blended together to create a superior and balanced cider.

Unusual names of Kingston Black, Dabinett, Michelin, Somerset Red Streak, Frequin Rouge, Clozette, Brown Snout and Improved Foxwhelp are examples of these true cider apples. Australian producers are beginning to source these apples, by either

THE EARLIEST REFERENCE TO A CIDER APPLE CAN BE DATED BACK TO THE 13TH CENTURY. ”

T

o refresh our memories, Part 1 of the 2013 Apple and Pear Harvest Report (Beer and Brewer, Issue 26) presented a detailed account of the growing season across Australia and New Zealand. It highlighted how crucial environmental and physiological factors sharply influence a resultant crop.

What was concluded is that the 2013 season was overall very promising, with great fruit quality produced, with higher than average yields. Part 2 of the Harvest Report will now delve into the styles of apples and pears grown, and how their individual characteristics produce different styles of cider we see today.

Factors of region, apple selection, production techniques and skilful cider making all combine to produce a glass of fresh apple or pear cider. What this final instalment will set out to achieve, is lay down piece by piece why an apple or pear picked from a tree, becomes the cider we love to consume on a hot summers day.

The noble art of driving a tractor through an orchard.

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Beer & Brewer does the unthinkable, and looks at zero-strength beers.

Why do they exist, and are they any good?

BEER TALK TRAVELLER GOURMET

THE FRIDGE

B & B Awards & Conference 2013 wrap up, and more.

Ian Kingham’s best brews for you to try as things heat up this summer.

AND 10NEWS AWARDS

22 B&B UPDATE

CANAL 56 UK BOAT TRIP

We set the Editor of The Shout, James Atkinson, loose on the canals of Britian.

74 SUMMER RECIPES

Get stuck into these amazing creations with beer matches from Australia, NZ & imports.

IN THE BEER & 60 BEER US OF A 78 FOOD MATCHING 30PROFILE WEEKEND 64 AWAY AZTEC BEER & 32CIDER STATS 34COLLECTORS & CLUBS 68 BREWERY DIRECTORY BREWERY STYLE 70 TOUR 36NOTES Everything you need to know about your world of beer.

MICROBREWERY

Paul Golland sets his sights on the craft beers in three iconic US cities.

Getting down and dirty with the crew from Bootleg (WA).

A look at the magic of Perth and Fremantle, WA.

A cheeky Rauch Cheese recipe from the geniuses in the kitchen at The Monk Brewery, Western Australia’s worst-kept secret.

GOURMET

Feature Venue Recipe

ON THE PLATE AND IN THE GL ASS It sounds simple enough – a Rauch Cheese But there’s more Platter. to this dish from WA’s The Brewery & Kitchen Monk than meets the eye.

We meet a couple of hardcore beer lovers from NSW.

A

s with most things The Monk Brewerythat the team from & Kitchen in Fremantle, special about the there’s something a bit dish we’re featuring issue. No strangers in this to the idea of experimentin with the beers they g comes out of the brew and the food that kitchen, The Monk turns out some regularly real proven to be very head-turners that have The Rauch Cheesepopular with the punters. and while it might Platter is one such dish – arguably one of sound fairly simplistic, it’s the best marriages food we’ve ever of beer and tried.

RAUCH CHEESE

BEER MATCHES The Monk (WA) Rauch Beer Invercargill (NZ) Smokin’ Bishop Beer Here (Denmark) - Rauchbier Weed - Smoked Wheat

PLATE

RAUCH CHEESE

INGREDIENTS: 250 gm good quality local cheddar 125 ml Rauch beer Dijon mustard Celery salt

A look at the history of Festive Beers, and why we still drink them today.

METHOD: 1. Grate cheddar, place half in food then turn on slowly processer cheese bit by bit. add rauch and remaining 2. Add mustard and into logs and place celery salt to taste, then roll in fridge to set.

Meet the team from Black Dog Brewing, a rising force in craft.

BEERGUETTES

INGREDIENTS: 1kg flour, strong bakers flour 14gr yeast 14gr salt 200gr mother dough

/ old dough 0.6 litres beer. (cold cold prove or room to warm, allow for time, strong flavoured temp, we like to use a ale).

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METHOD: BACON 1. Add water in mixing bowl and INGREDIENTS: yeast mix. add flour and 2 kg chunk of pork 2. Mix on low belly for 10-12 minutes 250 gm salt and elastic. till smooth 160 gm sugar 3. Allowing dough to mix for 3-4 1 chilli add salt and old minutes then dough.

1 tblsp fennel seeds 4. Remove from bowl, cover on 1 tblsp paprika for 20 minutes a clean bench or 1 allspice crushed 5. Cut into 300 until it has doubled in size. gr 4 tblsp caramunich 6. Prove covered, portions and roll into balls.

5 black peppercornsmalt milled doubled in size. for 20 minutes or until Knock down and 7. Lay on lined shape. baking sheets and METHOD: until doubled in prove covered size.

1. Rub mix over 8. Dust with flour, pork in airtight container belly liberally then place 1 steam burst for slash and bake at 180oC with for 5 days.

10 2. After 3 days vent closed. Then minutes with the steam add strong flavoured 375 ml of beer, again a a further 20 min. open steam vent and bake for ale would work (when you are 3. Remove from best. home have a small doing this at brine then roast bowl of water rack at 150oC till in on of your oven to core temp reaches oven give of some steamin the bottom o 4. In an old pot after 20 min). place some alfoil 70 C. then remove smoking mixture, then a 9. Remove from oven, cool on racks grain, 1 part new The Monk uses: 2 parts spent single layer. in a woodchips can grain 1 part rice but rice, tea, all be used.

5. Smoke belly till smokiness. Then it reaches your desired cool and slice thinly till crispy. and cook Kitchen Suggestion: eggs and jalapenos This is also great with for those slightly mornings!!!! fuzzy

10 FOR 80 TOP SUMMER

81 NEW RELEASES

New beers and ciders to hit our shores from Australia, New Zealand around the world.

83 EDITOR’S PICK

A farewell effort from outgoing Editor Stef, who once again braved the fridge to find her favourite beers.

84 TASTING NOTES

Want a handle on how things taste? Our expert panel spills the beans on a bunch of new brews, ciders and whiskies.

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3

BEER TALK Style Notes

As we trundle towards Christmas and the inevitable ‘silly season’ shenanigans, Pete Brown steps back to take a look at seasonal and festive beers – where they’ve come from, and what we might expect in the future.

F

or me, it began with Christmas, and a beer that seemed to suggest Willie Wonka had transferred his expertise from chocolate to brewing.

Back in the days before the craft beer revolution, way back in the early noughties when I first started writing about beer, there wasn’t much that made you sit up and say, ‘Wow, I never knew beer could taste like that.’

Beer was great, but it conformed to a few familiar styles. Then one dark day I spotted Young’s Christmas Pudding Ale. I don’t like Christmas pudding much, but I thought I’d give it a try, thinking it might be a good accompaniment to post-turkey stodge.

What I didn’t expect was a beer that tasted exactly like Christmas pudding: rich and warming, a hit of rum, dollops of raisins and sultanas, and then spices opening out – hints of marzipan, coconut, ginger. At that point, it was the most complex beer I had ever tasted. You could have been forgiven for pouring cream or brandy butter on it. (Later, I learned that drinkers centuries before me pretty much did that with similar beers.)

Since I started writing about beer, Christmas dinner has become a time to break out the dusty bottles from the furthest reaches of the cellar, to try the Santa-illustrated bottles I was sent a year ago and see how they have aged. Am I simply being duped by marketing, or am I partaking of a centuries-old tradition?

The answer is a bit of both.

Seasonal beers have become a mainstay of the craft beer calendar. Brewers such as Sam Adams in the US and Greene King or Shepherd Neame in the UK have expanded their seasonal ranges to a different beer each month. Styles such as Winter Warmer and Pumpkin Ale have become established worldwide. The number of beers with names like ‘Bad Elf’, or ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ proliferate every year. It’s an easy way to create novelty and variety in a market that is hooked on looking for what’s new.

But seasonality has always been of crucial importance to beer.

The world’s main brewing nations – Britain, Germany, Belgium and later the US – all occupy temperate regions that experience four different seasons. Before handy innovations

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such as refrigeration and long distance transport, brewing was closely tied to the time of year. March and October were considered the best times to brew, with October probably carrying it thanks to fresh harvests just behind and a long, cool period of perfect fermentation conditions ahead.

Some of our favourite beer styles began as seasonals. India Pale Ale is generally accepted to have grown out of old English October ales.

These were brewed in the autumn with a huge concentration of malt to give the yeast lots to work at, creating beers that were commonly around 10% ABV. They would ferment until the cold put the yeast to sleep, then wake again in the spring, and ferment again over the summer.

The youngest would be pronounced ready the following September, but it was common to age them for up to three years.

With proximity to the harvest, autumn produced a wealth of other seasonal beers.

Oktoberfest Märzen, traditionally brewed in the spring and stored cool over the summer, may be the beers most commonly associated with the season, but while the world descends on Bavaria to gorge on lager and pretzels, brewers elsewhere are having one of their busiest times of the year.

‘Harvest Ale’is one of many seasonal beer styles that is not a style at all, but a loose collection of beers bound together by the calendar. Head to the US, and a Harvest Ale such as that produced by Sierra Nevada will usually be a ‘wet hop’ or ‘fresh hop’ beer.

Hops are unbelievably delicate: the optimal window for harvesting them is hours wide, and as soon as they’re harvested, they start to oxidise, losing their volatile oils. The drying process that preserves hops long enough for them to be used by brewers concentrates some

BEER TALK Style Notes

aromas but destroys others. If they can be used within an hour or two of harvesting, these fresh hops give a much more delicate, subtle and multi-faceted flavour to the beer.

This means you can only make fresh hop beers in hop harvesting regions. In the UK, they’re a growing attraction for brewers near the hop gardens of Kent and Hereford.

Brewing gets under way while the hops are being picked, so ideally the copper comes to the boil just as the harvest arrives at the door.

In a country that’s fallen in love with the heady, concentrated aromas of New Zealand and North American hops, fresh hop beers have given a huge boost to the native hop industry.

difficult to thrive in the New World the fat, fleshy pumpkin became a substitute for almost everything, as one 1643 song celebrates: Instead of pottage and puddings and custards and pies, Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies; With a tongue-in-cheek spirit of forbearance, the song goes on to reveal pumpkin beer was also commonplace: For we can make liquor, to sweeten our lips, Of pumpkins and parsnips and walnut-tree chips.

IN THIS, THEY RECALL THE OLD WASSAILING TRADITION OF CUPS AND PUNCHES, POSSETS AND SYLLABUBS.” But in the UK, these beers aren’t called harvest beers. The term was already taken by something quite different.

In 1986 Giles Dennis, head brewer at J W Lees in Manchester, discussed with his malt supplier an idea to celebrate that year’s barley harvest. He decided to create a high gravity beer to showcase the new season’s malt and hops, and J W Lees Harvest Ale (11.5% ABV) was born.

It’s been brewed every year since, is exported around the world, and resells secondhand for astronomical prices. It’s inspired so many brewers around the world to try something similar that it has spawned its own new style.

But autumn gets more crowded still.

While most seasonal beers have European roots, Pumpkin Ale gives America a beer all of its own. Pumpkins are indigenous to North America and weren’t known anywhere else until the seventeenth century. With grain and other plants from Europe finding it

A recipe from the eighteenth century suggests Pumpkin Ale was made in a similar fashion to cider (another hugely popular drink in America at this time) with the pumpkin’s flesh being crushed before juice was extracted and fermented. When America finally made crops such as barley and wheat work on a broad basis, Pumpkin Ale declined and became seen as rustic and old-fashioned.

But it experienced a revival in the twentieth century as something that would normally be pumpkin-flavoured rather than having the plant as the main source of the mash – more pumpkin pie than pumpkin in a glass. These Pumpkin Ales are often spiced with ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon or allspice, redolent of the fall.

Of course, the pumpkin’s greatest achievement is that it has become the global face of Halloween – another perfect excuse for a beer. In Britain, Halloween is now the year’s third-biggest retail event after Christmas and Easter. Hobgoblin beer, first brewed in 1986, is perfect for the season with its ruby colour and rich body. Eight years ago it declared itself ‘the unofficial beer of Halloween’, fitting more through its cheeky Dungeons & Dragons themed branding than anything else. The association has proven stunningly popular for a brand that has become one of the UK’s bestselling ales.

As soon as Halloween is over, people start looking to Christmas. Festive Ales and Winter Warmers may not have a tightly-defined style, but in general they tend to be strong and sweet, based

on Old Ale, Strong Ale or Barley Wine. They are often flavoured with herbs, fruits and spices.

In this, they recall the old wassailing tradition of cups and punches, possets and syllabubs. One typical Victorian ale posset consisted of milk, bread, egg yolk, butter, nutmeg and sugar blended and mixed with hot ale. And we think extreme beer is a recent phenomenon.

The tradition of brewing strong beers for Christmas goes back further than most. The Vikings were at it with Julöl, a strong beer with which the gods were toasted at Jül, or Yule.

Even after Christianity reached Scandinavia, it was a legal requirement that each peasant household had to brew a strong Yule beer, with penalties for any that didn’t comply. Songs celebrating strong Christmas beers in the UK

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37

TRAVELLER Weekend Away

PERTH, CAPITAL OF THE CRAFT BEER STATE Perth might be the world’s most isolated capital, but from isolation comes a pioneering spirit. Make a pilgrimage to the breweries that started a nationwide craft-beer revolution, then check out the operations that are blazing a new trail to the top.

By Anthony Williams and Jeremy Sambrooks.

The Sail & Anc

hor, WA

B

eer lovers in the west are particularly proud of the (occasionally disputed) fact that Fremantle is the birthplace of Australian craft brewing. Brewers tell stories about formative beer experiences at the Sail & Anchor pub-brewery, where the Matilda Bay Brewing Company – and the once-pioneering Redback Wheat Beerr – was born in the mid 1980s.

Another generation of craft-beer devotees was born when Little Creatures Brewing opened its doors in late 2000, and since then, the Perth and Freo area has turned into a powerhouse of craft brewing.

FISHING BOATS,, CHIPS AND FRESH HOPS

For beer-loving first-time visitors to Perth’s port city, all roads lead to the expansive, multifaceted beer destination that is Little Creatures Brewery. The venue’s original brewery, bar and restaurant is perfectly positioned

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on the edge of Fishing Boat Harbour, and has been a magnet for tourists and locals alike.

Of course, the massive success of Little Creatures Pale Ale has led to a more-than-alittle expansion, with a loft bar and whole new brewery built around that original ‘shed’. The brewery’s flagship American-style Pale Ale has been joined by a core range of widely available bottled beers, but there’s something very Freo about drinking a fresh Little Creatures at the source.

that are now contract-brewed at Gage Roads.

Just across the road is The Monk Brewery & Kitchen, whose craft beers have been warmly welcomed by punters and judges alike.

Brewer Paul Wyman is particularly proud of

CAFFEINE HITS AND CRAFT BEER SHIPS

The bustling, cosmopolitan vibe of the South Terrace ‘Cappucino Strip’ on a Sunday afternoon is classic Freo, with a melting pot of cultures contributing to the area’s many cafes and restaurants. The historic Fremantle Markets, part of the Freo way-of-life since 1897, are here too – and right next door is the Sail & Anchor.

In the past few years, the Sail has taken its role as an ambassador for good beer to new heights. Since the in-house brewery was retired in 2010, The Sail has become a multi-tap craft beer destination. The hotel’s 43 taps serve up a regularly changing line-up of quality, oftenlocal brews, including a number of house beers

The lure of the tasting paddle at the Sail & Anchor...

TRAVELLER XXXXX Weekend Away xxxxxxxxx

Inside the Sail & Anchor, WA.

his IPA – known as The Chief – which won the trophy for Best Ale Draught at the 2012 Perth Royal Beer Show and, more recently, came runner-up for Best Australian Beer at the 2013 Beer & Brewer People’s Choice Awards. In addition to the IPA, The Monk’s list of house brews includes a Kolsch, (Belgian-style) Wheat Beer, Pale Ale, Porter and a Mild (mid-strength lager). A switched-on kitchen provides perfect food matches for those beers, and an expansive outdoor terrace takes full advantage of WA’s mostly agreeable weather.

The Norfolk Hotel adds 22 taps – mostly craft – to the range of South Terrace beer options and regularly hosts free beer events, such as Brewers BBQs and tap takeovers.

Nearby, The Freo Doctor bottleshop stocks an extensive range of bottled Australian and international specialty brews.

Elsewhere in Fremantle, the original Clancy’s Fish Pub is arguably Australia’s first craft beer bar, pioneering the promotion and education of WA craft beer to its clientele since 2001. Over on the beach in North Fremantle, you’ll find the Blacksalt Brewery, a selfdescribed ‘nano-brewery’ operating out of the Salt on the Beach bar. Here you can enjoy ales which take inspiration from German brewing traditions, including a Kolsch, Altbier, Dunkelweizen and a Hefeweizen.

In early 2011, the Mash Brewing Company established the Mash Brasserie in Rockingham, about 30km south of Freo. The full tavern and beer-matched menu add to the appeal of Mash’s second coastal outpost. Staying coastal but heading north, seafood and craft beer has become a favoured combination at City Beach, where the Clancy’s Fish Pub team opened their third venue.

Mullaloo and the Hillarys Boat Harbour are also popular beach destinations, but it’s the northern end of the city’s coastal strip that holds particular appeal for craft beer seekers. Here, at the Mindarie Marina, you’ll find the Indian Ocean Brewing Company and its quality brews. Brewer Dave Brough’s range includes a Lager, White Cap (Witbier), Big Red (American Amber) and a number of seasonal brews. At the 2013 Perth Royal Beer Show, Indi’s brews netted a gold medal, three silvers and a bronze as well as the trophy for Best WA Brewery.

ELSEWHERE IN PERTH…

Just off the Kwinana freeway, 20 minutes south of the Perth CBD is a must-visit beer destination – The Quarie Bar and Brasserie.

Managed by the recently crowned Beertender of the Year, Matt Marinich, The Quarie boasts one of the country’s finest bottled beer lists as well as their own house brew, Quarie Ale. In the suburb of Bassendean is Brewcorp – a new 50-hectolitre brew-house co-owned by Nail Brewing Company and Feral Brewing Company. Strictly a production brewery and not open to the public, the substantial brewhouse is now responsible for the brewing of all Feral’s core-range beers, with the much smaller Swan Valley brewpub now used for sour and barrel-aged brews.

Nail’s owner and brewer John Stallwood uses the Bassendean brewery to produce his award-winning ales, including an Australian-

John Stallwood, Nail Brewing Co.

style Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, hoppy Summer Ale and the mighty Clout Stout (recently awarded the only gold medal at the Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show). After operating as a gypsy brewer for the best part of a decade, Stallwood is finally able to produce his brews in greater quantities, allowing him to distribute Nail goodness in bottles and kegs around the country.

With Czech-born master brewer Jan Bruckner at the helm, the Last Drop Brewery has been supplying first-class lagers, wheat beers and seasonal ales to a number of Perth venues since 1992. The Elizabethan Village Pub, next door to the brewery in semi-rural Bedfordale, is one place to sample those brews with lunch or dinner; Canning Vale’s Last Drop Brewery Restaurant is another.

A TOAST TO THE WEST COAST

Just beyond Fremantle’s city limits, the Billabong and Gage Roads breweries produce bottled and kegged craft beer that you might well find in some of the other licensed premises mentioned here. The latter is purely a commercial brewery, while Billabong also operates as a Brew-Your-Own and Microbrewery business. Gage’s range includes the Gage Pils 3.5 (mid-strength), Gage Premium Lager, Wahoo Premium Ale, Atomic Pale Ale and Sleeping Giant India Pale Ale.

The Billabong Brewing team.

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TRAVELLER Brewery xxxxxxxxx Tour

BLACK DOG BREWERY We love unique things – especially if they include beer. Which is why the Black Dog Brewery is an absolute cracker, because it’s the only one in Australia where the brewer is also the head winemaker.

By Gregor Stronach.

T

he Black Dog Brewery is, if you’ll pardon the pun, just a pup – barely two years old, but already making a name for itself in the craft beer scene. And its success is due largely to a couple of major factors.

First and foremost is the passion that brewer James Booth has brought to the operation. A winemaker by trade, James was on the hunt for

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a way to diversify his winery, Taminik Cellars which occupies a beautiful tract of land near Glenrowan, in northeast Victoria. As a keen homebrewer, it seemed like a logical step to branch out into larger-scale brewing.

The second element behind this brewery’s success was the collaborative effort between James and the team at FB*PROPAK –

There’s a certain amount of cross-over in the skills James uses in both his brewing, and his winemaking. “I’ve done a bit of experimenting with fermentation in oak,” he says. “And I’m always trying something new, like using a bit of wine yeast, and other things like that.”

It’s not easy to juggle the combined duties of winemaker and brewer, but James seems happy

LAZY DOG HAS BEEN BREWED SPECIFICALLY AS A GOOD, SESSIONABLE BREW.” particularly the input from Deo Lule, himself a master brewer and one of the most knowledgeable guys in the country when it comes to brewery setup and expansion.

Deo explains “It’s important that we understand where the brewer is heading, as well as where they have come from. Working closely with James, gave me a great understanding of how he operates, therefore making it easier to consult with for the best results now and in the longer term. It’s stunning equipment, and the first of its kind in Australia”.

James kicked off the brewing side of the operation on a fairly small scale. “I started on a pilot brewhouse, that was capable of putting out 75 litres per batch for the lower gravity beers, like the Golden and the Ale,” he says. “From there, we moved to a 10 hec plant from Italy, which is working really well. It’s a big step up, pushing through 20 kegs at a time when we were used to doing one or two.”

“This plant FB*PROPAK developed for James allows for flexibility in beer styles – particularly important for James’ philosophy on experimentation with styles,” Deo says.

So far, Black Dog’s range consists of four core offerings. The ‘entry level’ Lazy Dog has been brewed specifically as a good, sessionable brew. “The people in our neck of the woods are used to drinking Carlton Draught on tap, so we’ve developed this one so that it doesn’t have a huge impact of flavour,” James says.

The other core beers are the Howling Pale Ale, the Leader of the Pack IPA and the Dead Dog Stout. James augments the core range with a wide selection of seasonal and limited edition brews, including Imperial Stout and Saison.

“We’ve done a number of seasonal beers so far,” James says. “The Saison was a bit different, as I started growing my own hops too so that one just had homegrown Cascade in it.”

enough wearing both hats. “It’s just another thing to keep me busy,” he says, “but when people are enjoying your beers, and you’re getting good praise for it... that does keep me motivated.” James doesn’t give tours of his brewery to the general public, but there is a cellar door to come and sample his beers and wines - and there’s a good chance you’ll get to meet cheeky little Macca, whose face adorns the labels of the Black Dog beer range.

Black Dog Brewing 339 Booth Road Taminick, VIC, 3675 www.blackdogbrewery.com.au www.fbpropak.com

GOURMET Summer Recipes

BEER MATCHES Matilda Bay (Vic) Alpha Pale Ale McCashin’s (NZ) Rochdale Cider Fuller’s (UK) London Pride Pale Ale

Main ROAST SUCKLING PIG SHOULDER SERVES 4-5 INGREDIENTS 1 suckling pig shoulder 1 clove of garlic 1 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 20gms of fresh ginger 50gms of butter ¼ bunch sage Murray River pink salt 15mls olive oil

METHOD 1. In a pestle and mortar put the sage leaves (keeping the stalks for later).

2. Grind until sage breaks down to a green fine salt.

3. Stir through some pink salt, but keep in flakes.

4. Dry roast cinnamon and star anise to release maximum flavour.

5. On a double layer of foil place the aromats, ginger, crushed garlic (just squash with the palm of your hand) butter and sage stalks.

6. Put Pork shoulder on top and roll up the edges of foil to protect the meat leaving all the skin exposed.

7. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sage salt.

8. Place shoulder on a wire rack on a tray and put in a hot oven for about 30 mins till the skin goes golden and crispy.

9. Reduce oven temperature to about 130oC and slow roast for about 3 hours until meat is tender and can easily pull off the bone.

10. Let cool for about 30 mins in foil before serving to avoid meat drying out.

11. Serve with apple sauce and your choice of vegetables.

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THEXXXXX FRIDGE Tasting xxxxxxxxx Notes

Australian Beer >>

BRIDGE ROAD BREWERS GALAXY SINGLE HOP IPA, 4.8% ABV, 330ML BOTTLE

JAMES SQUIRE THE CONSTABLE COPPER ALE 3.4% ABV, 345ML BOTTLE

CASCADE PREMIUM LAGER 4.5% ABV 375ML BOTTLE

From the Bridge Road Brewers series of single hop brews, Galaxy IPA is definitely worth a try. A big, bold hop hit, this IPA stands behind it's style with conviction. The foam sits firmly on top of the beer not showing any indication it's going to settle quickly. With each sip comes the distinctive tropical fruit nose, slightly resinous, bold bitterness that is balanced by a moderate malt sweetness on the mid palate. The foam clings to the glass after every sip right to the end. Style: IPA. Glass: Spiegelau IPA glass, stemmed tulip.

Food match: Rare BBQ meat.

Web: www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au

A great example of an English Ordinary Bitter this beer starts with an enticing deep amber, copper colour. A fine foam sits atop the beer and dissipates slowly. The aroma is typical of crystal Munich malt with sweet toffee notes and firm malt mid palate. It has a subtle burnt jam sweetness and full bodied palate that is balanced by a short bitterness. The fruity notes of Galaxy hops are more pronounced than the subtle yet detectable melon and herbal notes of the Super Alpha, Fuggle hops. A great mid strength offering. Style: English Copper Ale. Glass: Pint.

Food match: Chunky meat & flaky pastry pie.

Web: www.jamessquire.com.au

This is a new Cascade brew in a new ‘old’ bottle creating a very different look and taste compared to the recent past. The change to the old style brown bottle creates a very 1920’s retro look. A gentle hoppy aroma wafts from the glass and on first sip the beer has a mild malt taste with a medium body in tune with the 4.5% alcohol. The hops arrive quickly and are moderately spicy with a complexity free of harshness. The beer is balanced leaving an impression of a quietly malty, mildly bodied beer enhanced by spicy hops. Style: Lager. Glass: Pilsner Food match: Seafood dumplings with soy sauce and chili.

Website: www.casecadebrewery.com.au .

METAL HEAD ROBUST PORTER 6.0% ABV 500ML BOTTLE

O’BRIEN GLUTEN FREE BROWN ALE 4.5% ABV 330ML BOTTLE

LITTLE CREATURES IPA 6.4% ABV, 330ML BOTTLE

Brewed in Geelong this robust beer is intensely malty. The six malted grain types used to brew this beer are first noticed in the caramel coloured foam and the malty, biscuity aroma. The dark brown cloudy Porter furthers the malt story on the palate with weetbix, chocolate biscuits, licorice and alcohol nuances vying for attention. The high carbonation gives a prickly bite however all fall in behind the bold presence of a good dose of hops that provide the counterbalance in this beer.

Style: Porter. Glass: Pint. Food match: Spiced sausages, mustard and roast potatoes.

Website: www.southernbay.com.au

This millet and sorghum based Ale has a coppery brown hue and a caramel coloured foam. The foam is generous and the aroma too. Grain characters dominate the aroma and biscuity toffee notes set the scene for the taste that follows. The ale is of medium to light body and the smooth biscuity toasty characters that bloom mid palate integrate well with a moderate bitterness that provides a smooth bitter finish. This ale can be enjoyed as a cold refresher or served a little warmer to amplify the malty flavours. Style: Brown Ale. Glass: Handled mug. Food match: Beef, onion and mushroom casserole.

Website: www.rebellionbrewing.com.au

A step up from their well renowned and respected Little Creatures Pale Ale, IPA offers a bigger, more brash flavour. Upon pouring the beer sits well in the right glass where the aroma is allowed to evolve and the beer temperature is kept cool. A definite note of citrus hops is followed by an ever subtle hint of roast. A sweet malty mid palate balances definite bitterness, yet not the expected lingering finish. The higher alcohol adds body and palate weight although the anticipation of a little more intensity in the bitterness isn't fulfilled. Overall, a great example of the style. Style: IPA. Glass: Tulip.

Food match: Slow roasted pork shoulder.

Web: www.littlecreatures.com.au

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THE FRIDGE Tasting Notes New Zealand Beer >>

HOPWIRED IPA - 8 WIRED 7.3% ABV 500ML BOTTLE

EPIC LAGER 5% ABV 330ML BOTTLE

MOA BLANC EVOLUTION 6.2% ABV 330ML BOTTLE

Claiming to be the first India Pale Ale to be made (& bottled) with NZ grown pale ale malt and 100% unique NZ hops this is an IPA to be reckoned with. Fruit salad, melon like and passionfruit hop notes start an explosion on the palate. An initial fresh, grassy hop character transitions to a more resinous mid palate, softened by a sweet, caramelised malt flavour. The bitterness lingers without being astringent. Hard to believe the intensity is around 70IBU, but the malt charge definitely balances that.

Style: NZ IPA. Glass: Tulip. Food match: Bratwurst, sauerkraut & cheese roll.

Web: www.8wired.co.nz

Luke Nicholas and the story of Epic is a well known one in New Zealand. One of the true leaders and innovators in the New Zealand Industry, Nicholas has created a beer, in a stable of big hoppy beers, that holds it’s own as a fragrant, flavourful lager. Pale gold with a subdued head, the citric and pear character comes through. With great malt balance the lingering bitterness is crisp and clean with a hint of menthol.

Style: Lager Glass: Pilsner Food Match: Pan-fried haloumi Web: www.epicbeer.com

The Moa range is extensive and this Blenheim Brewery, in the Marlborough Wine region has produced one of the most outstanding Witbiers to be produced in New Zealand.

With impressive cork and cage packaging, the beer is indeed, the complete package.

An opaque, pale golden hue with a lovely tight white head the beer has dominant citric and spicy coriander aromatics. The beer is highly carbonated and the prickly spiciness lifts the beer to a whole new level. With an excellent warming, crisp dry finish, this is one of the best Witbiers you will ever have. Style: Witbier. Glass: Pilsner. Food Match: Seared prawns. Web: www.moabeer.com

BACH BREWING HOPSMACKER PALE ALE 5.8% ABV 500ML BOTTLE

TUATARA APA (AOTEAROA PALE ALE) 5.8% ABV 500 ML BOTTLE

EMERSON’S PILSNER 4.9% ABV 500 ML BOTTLE

Bach Brewing is the brainchild of returning Kiwi Craig Cooper to New Zealand. A Bach is a traditional kiwi beach holiday home, pronounced “batch”. Brewed in Auckland the Hopsmaker, as the name suggests, is full of hops. It pours with a lovely thick white head and presents a dark golden colour. The hops positively leap out of the glass with citric, kiwifruit hops notes reminiscent of a hop sack. Nice malt sweetness, excellent balance with a crisp lingering bitterness.

Style: Pale Ale Glass: Pint Food Match: Stilton cheese Web: www.bachbrewing.co.nz.

Carl Vasta and the Tuatara team are making big inroads into the New Zealand market. The Tutara brand has received a huge makeover with some extremely special bottles that are an absolute winner. The beer itself has a large white fluffy head with a nice consistent haze and a dark, orange colour. As you would expect with a Kiwi Pale Ale there is aroma in spades, citric, grassy and herbaceous. A good toffee like malt character and a crisp, clean, lingering bitterness delivers on the promise the aroma sets up.

Style: Kiwi Pale Ale. Glass: Pint.

Food Match: Aged Cheddar.

Web: www.tuatarabrewing.co.nz

Richard Emerson’s Dunedin brewery has built a long standing reputation on consistency and quality. Always a go-to beer, his Pilsner is amongst some of the best in the world. A recent sale of the brewery has not detracted from this quality. This Pilsner positively sings in the glass, a lovely white head with passion fruit, peaches and tropical fruit in the aroma Edith Piaf would be proud. With a good slightly biscuity malt character, and a smooth crisp finish the beer has exceptional balance.

It is a great example of a quality, well made beer. Style: Pilsner. Glass: Stemmed Pilsner Food Match: Salt’n’pepper calamari.

Web: www.emersons.co.nz

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85

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HOMEBREW Cloning

TIM THOMAS EVIL MASTER OF HOPS AND METAL Beer and metal fan Tim Thomas, turns down the volume at HopDog BeerWorks, and takes time out to catch up with Beer & Brewer.

WHAT STARTED YOUR LOVE OF BREWING?

I got the brewing bug at Uni when a bunch of us in first-year bought a homebrew kit. They gave up after the first couple of attempts, and I stuck with it throughout the six years of my three-year degree. I scored a few amateur awards, and then took on my first position as brewer at the Lord Nelson in late 2001.

HOW DID YOU COME TO START HOPDOG?

After leaving (FIBC) and seeing a gap in the South Coast market for craft beer, we set up HopDog as a means to pushing the craft beer envelope in a sea-change setting and taking on the wine market.

HOW HAS HOPDOG EVOLVED SINCE IT FIRST BEGAN?

I wouldn’t exactly say “evolved”, more like Valmorphinised or grown into our gangly teen selves. We kicked off with some pretty

interesting beers that later became staples to our idiom of who we see HopDog as, and where we stand as an artisan hop fuelled brewery. We no longer aim at a lowest common denominator (as we had with one of our previous beers), and prefer to lead than follow.

RECIPE 8

ALL HALLOWED ALE – ALL-GRAIN

YOUR BEER NAMES OFTEN REFLECT YOUR MUSICAL TASTE – HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE STRONG BRANDING IN THE BEER MARKET?

Brewing parameters: OG: 1.065 FG: 1.008 ABV: 7.3% Volume: 25L Colour: 25.87 EBC Bitterness: 37 IBUs

HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO BREW A HALLOWEEN-THEMED BEER?

INGREDIENTS 5.68kg Barrett Burston Ale Malt 0.75kg Weyermann Munich TYPE I 0.05kg Weyermann Melanoidin Malt 0.6kg Roast Pumpkin 0.5kg Dark Brown Sugar - added during boil 20g Chinook (13.0%) - boiled 60 mins 0.7g Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) - boiled 15 mins 25g (50.0%) NZ Motueka (5.9%) - added at flame out 5g Coriander crushed - added at flame out 5g Nutmeg (ground) - added at flame out 5g Cinnamon (ground) – added at flame out WYeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes™

Strong branding? What’s that? We take our beers seriously and that’s normally where it ends, naming is secondary, and the only branding we can see apart from our green caps, is that we don’t have a cookie cutter device.

Each beer that we brew is stand alone, and each beer deserves it’s own brand if you like. As for the music… Metal, rock n roll, thrash, and a bit of swampy Southern Groove are always welcome at HopDog (playing DOWN and Anthrax right now), as long as Mrs HD isn’t in control of the stereo…

From Dogfish Head brewing in the US. I’d read about their Pumpkin Ale, and thought I’d give it a crack when I was brewing at FIBC. The first version was an American-styled Brown, then when we opened HopDog, and people asked “are you doing an Oktoberfest beer?” we said “no, we don’t brew nancy lager”, and decided to up the ante on the pumpkin style by going Belgian. This year is our third vintage of the All Hallowed Ale, and I think it’s our best yet.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR HOPDOG? Music, beer, couch…

Tim Thomas living the dream!

barrels. Also we’ve planted hops at home, so expect some one off hop Harvest Ales too.

We’d like to maybe even throw down the gauntlet to see who can brew the highest % ABV beer in Oz too… maybe…

The endless possibilities excite me. From here we’re kicking out our Christmas beer soon, a new Summer Ale – something a bit sour – and playing around with nasty Brettanomyces in the brewery too – 100% extended ferment in

METHOD 1. Roast pumpkins with skin on until caramelised, add these to the mash with grains.

2. Mash for 45 to 60 mins at 68oC with 18 L of foundation water.

Soundtrack: DOWN, VI Part I. 3. Run off and sparge with 13 L of water at 80oC. Add brown sugar in at first wort to kettle.

Soundtrack: QUEENS OF THE STONEAGE, … Like Clockwork.

4. Boil for an hour, adding hops at times given.

Cool and ferment at 24oC for massive amounts of esters and funk. Bottle or keg, preferably naturally carbed, leave to condition for 2 weeks, then consume!

Soundtrack: ANTHRAX, Worship Music – especially “Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t”.

MUST HAVE MUSIC 10

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