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CONTENTS
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34
Autumn 2019
FEATURES 22 Sour Beers Luke Robertson delves into the endlessly inventive world of sour beers and goses as they continue to inspire and intrigue us
28 Glassware Our Tasting Panel always provides a glass recommendation because the shape of the glass has such an important effect on the taste of the beer. Tam Allenby investigates this further
34 A Day in the Life Ever wondered what a brewer’s standard day looks like? Check this out and wonder no further
HOMEBREWER 64 Welcome 65 Letters 66 Q&A John Palmer continues to expand upon his answers about water
68 Jake Brew Log Jake Brandish takes a look at sour beers with Otherside Brewing
70 ANHC Pairing Dinner Chris Thomas takes us through the pairing dinner at the Australian National Homebrew Conference
36 Hop Harvest The rockstar of the brewing world is a trend-driver, but what does it take to create the perfect hop? Charlie Whitting takes a peek into the hop growers’ world
42 Regional Breweries The urban breweries have had their say, but what of those bringing beer to the regional craft enthusiast? In the first installment of this series, we travel to the Victoria’s High Country
48 Dog Friendly Breweries We explore Australian breweries that also welcome our furry friends
58 Delivery and Freshness A beer’s quality is not just down to the people who make it. Every step of its journey from fermenter to mouth can put it at risk
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72 Recipes Andrew Childs explains the recipe behind Behemoth Brewing Company’s Freedom APA
73 Gladfield Gladfield looks to create a redder
red ale
74 Old Homebrew mags Chris Thomas delves back into his archive of old homebrewing books and magazines in part 2
79 Coopers Coopers go wild with a recipe for Anarchy IPA
80 Level Up Building beer – What are the steps involved in designing your own beer?
“You’re always doing a couple of things at once and managing your time”
– Ashley Hazell, head of brewing at Colonial Leisure Group
48
36
REGULARS 6 The Brew The biggest events of the autumn
8 News All the latest news from the brewing world
14 World News 16 Bits and Bobs 18 New Venues 82 Entertaining – Food Celebrate the cuisine of Australia with the Australian Heritage Cookbook
86 Tasting Notes This autumn, the panel has turned their expert palates to pale ales, as well as a host of new beers from craft breweries across Australia and New Zealand
96 Directory 98 A Pint With… Richard Watkins and Tracy Margrain, founders of BentSpoke
“IT GETS DOWN TO A MICROSCOPIC LEVEL. HOW DOES A HOP GROWING IN A DIFFERENT CONDITION ACTUALLY PRODUCE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A CERTAIN TERPENE OR AN OIL?” – JUSTIN FOX, BINTANI
42
28
AUTUMN 2019 5
SOUR BEERS
Sour beer is looking mighty
sweet
LUKE ROBERTSON DISCOVERS HOW SOUR BEERS HAVE GONE FROM A NICHE PRODUCT THROUGH TO AN ESSENTIAL PART OF A BREWERY’S PORTFOLIO AND A PLAYGROUND FOR CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
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Image credit: Scott Geilston
SOUR BEERS
I
n 2019 it seems like every brewery is including at least one ‘sour’ beer in its line up. However, five or six years ago they were barely seen in Australia.
With their sudden popularity, we decided to ask some brewers why they make the styles and how they
Sour Beer Terminology
create them. There are a number of methods used to create sour beers, and there are a number of beers considered to be sour beer, versus traditional ales and lagers. From Berliner weisse and gose, which take less than a
The wood-fired brewing kettle at Robe Town Brewery
couple of weeks to make, to barrelaged and wild-fermented wild ales and lambic-style beers that may take years.
Kettle sour: Using lactobacillus cultures to sour the mash, before it is boiled.
Currumbin Valley Brewing in Queensland opened its doors late last year. While it launched with a more traditional offering – a pale ale – its second beer was a Mango Sour with Lemon Myrtle. It uses lactobacillus culture to create sour flavours before the beer is boiled to kill off the bacteria while keeping its flavour. It’s what’s known as a ‘kettle sour’. Co-founder Pete Wheldon says the plan for the brewery over the
Low tech brewing: an oak barrel mash tun at Robe Town
coming years is to have three distinct groups of beer. The first
been called a gimmick or a fad
group will be hoppy, but “clean”
in some beer circles, he firmly
(unsoured) beers. The second will
believes they have a place in the
with lots of great food, and really nice
be kettle sours, and the final group
wider drinking palate.
venues for people to go out,” he says.
will be barrel-aged and soured
“I see them as a palate cleanser,
unusual and diverse offerings. “We’re pretty lucky in Wollongong
“Venues were always on board with
over time. The move from brewing
or a resetter. Like having a sorbet
the concept and punters were pretty
nomadically at other people’s
in between courses during a meal. I
keen on them as well.”
breweries to a farm-based brewery
don’t see them as a flippant trend –
“We’ve got a pretty adventurous
has sparked the team to explore
they’ve made their mark and they’ll
bunch down here, and we’ve seen a
more farmhouse traditions using
continue to do so.”
lot of sours being brewed in the States
fruit and herbs available at the
Almost 1,000 km south of
and people keep an eye on what’s
farm. Wheldon believes sour styles
Currumbin Valley is Wollongong
going on around the world, so when
are well suited to the climate in his
brewery Five Barrels. At the end
they pop up here people are pretty
brewery’s part of the world.
of last year, it released four kettle
keen to give them a go as well.”
“The subtropical climate really
sours, and four barrel-aged sours.
lends itself to those beers,” he says.
Philip O’Shea, owner and brewer,
and he says he has already refilled
“I know in Brisbane our beers are
says the styles have always been
the barrels for future releases.
selling really well. The Gold Coast
on the cards for Five Barrels. The
has a way to go but it feels like it’s
barrel-aged releases have been in
picking up.”
the works for two years, and O’Shea
MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SOUR A BEER
says he’s lucky to have a brewery in
One of the more esoteric breweries
an area where drinkers are open to
in Australia is Robe Town Brewery
Wheldon thinks that the styles are also here to stay. While it has
Sour mash: Letting the grain naturally sour with no intervention before it is boiled, killing the bacteria.
Mixed fermentation: A mixture of techniques, that usually include natural wild fermentation after the beer is boiled, alongside more traditional yeast sources or kettle souring. Wild fermentation: Letting the elements and bacteria have free rein over the beer. Koelschip/ coolship: A wide open shallow vat, used to cool the beer after it is boiled, and often used to encourage particular types bacteria and yeast to congregate.
The releases have been a success
AUTUMN 2019 23
HOP HARVEST
Shoots for the stars HOPS ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT INGREDIENT IN BREWING, WITH MANY VARIETIES NOW HOUSEHOLD NAMES. CHARLIE WHITTING INVESTIGATES WHAT GOES INTO THE HOP GROWING PROCESS
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HOP HARVEST
A
s I sit writing this feature, the hop harvest season in Australia is just about to begin. Over the next months, hop growers across
the country will be checking their hops with fingers, noses, eyes and ears to determine whether they’re ready for picking. First year hops will likely be picked by hand, while older plants will have their bines cut down two to three feet above the ground. Certain crops will have thrived, others will have suffered through extreme weather conditions, disease or infestations. Some hops will have been grown to meet trenddriven demands, others as part of decadeslong experiments to cross breed and create new varieties. Some will prove unpalatable to modern tastes, some might be the next bright young thing that will dominate hoppy beers for the next 12 months. But while this period is one of frenetic activity, the year leading up to it will have seen enormous amounts of work going on behind the scenes. “As with any agricultural crop, the year of a hop grower is dictated by the conditions of the growing season,” says Owen Johnston, sales and marketing manager at Hop Products Australia. “But hops are a perennial crop, which means they live in the ground year round and grow on an annual cycle. This cycle consists of nine stages of principal growth: sprouting; leaf development; formation of side shoots; elongation of bines; inflorescence emergence; flowering; development of cones; maturity of cones; and senescence (entry into dormancy).” Hop Products Australia, which recently planted the first 50 hectares at its new farm in Victoria’s Buffalo River Valley as part of a $35 million expansion project, is aiming to increase its total hop production by 50% over six years, as demand for hops continues to grow in the brewing world.
CREATING THE NEXT ‘BIG’ HOP The long-term planning of hop growing stands in stark relief to the craft brewing world, where new styles are appearing every year. Hop growers are continuously experimenting and looking to create new hops, but it is a decades-long process, full of trial and error as they seek a balance between commercial viability, resistance to disease and flavour. In the eyes of Jon Burridge, Bintani harvester (Credit: Brewers Supply Group (BSG) INC.)
AUTUMN 2019 37
REGIONAL BREWERIES
Heading to the High Country IN THE FIRST OF OUR REGIONAL BREWERIES SERIES, WE HEAD TO THE HIGH COUNTRY TO TALK TO THE BREWERS CHANGING LIVES IN NORTH EAST VICTORIA
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REGIONAL BREWERIES
T
he state capitals are awash with craft breweries visited and beloved by the thousands, if not millions who live there. But there is so much happening beyond the urban sprawl. Away from the major hubs and population
clusters, craft breweries across Australia have been providing jobs, investment and increasingly tourism to their area and their local communities, not to mention fresh beer! We at Beer & Brewer want to celebrate these areas and, as such, have launched our Regional Breweries Series, which will run in every issue this year. For our inaugural feature, we are in Victoria’s High Country and its environs, three hours’ drive north east of Melbourne near the NSW border. Also serviced by Albury Airport, this was gold rush country a century ago and the hideout of bushranger Ned Kelly. Here you will find historic towns and awe-inspiring views amid Victoria’s highest mountains and largest lakes. Riddled with hiking, driving, cycling and running trails, the High Country also offers watersports in summer and skiing in winter. This is the place to find high quality food, wine and increasingly beer – which is what we’re here for! The local population is well served by a fraternity of breweries who are seeking not only to bring the region to the rest of Australia, but also bring the rest of Australia to the High Country. So, why have the local brewers chosen this part of the country to open their breweries?
A RURAL AFFAIR Many of the brewers in the High Country were born or bred here, while others came seeking an escape from urban life in Melbourne. But none have anything other than love for the calmer but no less breathtaking lifestyle available in the hills. Ben Kraus returned from Melbourne to his parents’ home in Beechworth with his wife Maria and all their life savings in 2004 to set up Bridge Road Brewers in their garage. He’s not looked back since. “There are no traffic lights in Beechworth, everything we need in day-to-day life is within a five-minute drive or a 10-minute walk,” he says. “We have a beautiful town with a great hospitality offering, a large lake 500m from the brewery, the ski fields one and a half hours away, and I have more options to ride a bike than I have time to do so.” This part of the world is considerably agricultural, which is great news for brewers looking for malted barley and hops straight from source. In an age when the provenance of ingredients is placed on a pedestal, being able to visit the fields where your brewing ingredients are growing is not just a marketing bonus, it’s an incredibly opportunity to forge relationships and get what you need right where it’s grown. “We are lucky to establish good relationships with
Breweries in the High Country and beyond Bandicoot Brewing 100 Northern Hwy, Echuca VIC 3564 Black Dog Brewery 339 Booth Rd, Taminick VIC 3675 Billson’s Brewery 29 Last St, Beechworth VIC 3747 Blizzard Brewing Company LOT 5 Cattle Pen Dr, Dinner Plain VIC 3898 Bridge Road Brewers 50 Ford St, Beechworth VIC 3747 Bright Brewery 121 Great Alpine Rd, Bright VIC 3741 Buffalo Brewery Boorhaman Hotel, Boorhaman VIC 3678 Byramine Homestead and Brewery 1436 Murray Valley Hwy, Burramine VIC 3730 Cheeky Peak Brewery 1/67 Wigg St, Wodonga VIC 3690 King River Brewing 4515 Wangaratta-Whitfield Rd, Whitfield VIC 3733 Malt Shed Brewery 8/10 Tone Rd, Wangaratta VIC 3677 Mitta Mitta Brewing 1639 Mitta N Rd, Mitta Mitta VIC 3701 Mt Hotham Brewery 1 Great Alpine Rd, Hotham Heights VIC 3741 Rutherglen Brewery 121C Main St, Rutherglen VIC 3685 Social Bandit Brewing Co 223 Mt Buller Rd, Mansfield VIC 3722 Sweetwater Brewing Company 211 Kiewa Valley Highway, Tawonga South VIC 3698 Thirsty Crow 153 Fitzmaurice St, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Tooborac Hotel and Brewery 5115 Northern Hwy, Tooborac VIC 3522 Two Pot Brewing Co 30 High St, Yackandandah VIC 3749 Wrong Side Brewing 5953 Eildon-Jamieson Rd, Jamieson VIC 3723
local suppliers and when it comes to wet hop or hop
AUTUMN 2019 43
DELIVERY AND FRESHNESS
Fresh is best!
IT’S NOT JUST THE BREWER WHO DETERMINES HOW A BEER WILL TASTE. CHARLIE WHITTING TRACES HOW BEER CAN BE LOOKED AFTER AT EVERY STEP OF ITS JOURNEY FROM BREW TO YOU
58 www.beerandbrewer.com
DELIVERY AND FRESHNESS
M
ost beers, unlike their counterparts in the wine and spirit worlds, are not meant for ageing. True
there are stouts and sours that will mature and develop over months or years if stored properly. However, the overwhelming demand is for hoppier beers, and these have a limited shelf life before those hop flavours fade and the taste deteriorates, with on-trend NEIPAs at particular risk. Additionally, in an age that celebrates beers without chemicals and preservatives, shelf lives can drop even further, although there are now calls from some in the industry to consider pasteurisation for the sake of exports and consistency. So how can craft brewers seek to continue their expansion across Australia and beyond while still maintaining the integrity and quality of the product once it leaves the brewery floor?
TRANSPORTATION For any brewer looking to get their beers beyond their local neighbourhood the sheer
Pouring fresh beer at Akasha
“TREAT YOUR BEER LIKE MILK – PROPER TRANSPORT, STORAGE TEMPERATURES AND ROTATION OF STOCK.” – JOEL BERESFORD, THE DUTCH TRADING COMPANY
geographical challenge can be overwhelming. Bernd Pazold, manager of alcohol import and distribution company Beach Avenue Wholesalers, cites the need for “multiple branches in different states” to maintain control. Coupled with Australia’s famous heat, these distances mean that delivering beer in its freshest format is a considerable challenge. Refrigerated transport is possible, but it can be prohibitively expensive. “It’s expensive to run refrigeration within the vehicle and the warehouse,” says David Sadler, client manager at Peter Sadler Removals and Logistics, which warehouses and transports beer. “You lose vehicle space capacity and weight capacity. Alcohol logistics is difficult whether it’s being delivered ambient or refrigerated. Add into this traffic congestion via population growth, chain of responsibility imperatives, etc. and it becomes a highly specialised skill to be able to achieve delivery in full and on time across multiple drops and SKUs for multiple organisations.” Andy Harris, owner of Motus Transport, a beer and cider warehouse and transport company, works to keep beer on the road as little as possible. He uses insulated trucks instead of refrigerated ones, allowing him to deliver more beers with each trip from
Global Brands Liquor loading a truck
AUTUMN 2019 59
FEATURE
74  Home Brewer
FEATURE
Old beer mags IN THE LATE 80S AND EARLY 90S THERE WAS A MINI-BOOM OF BEER MAGAZINES IN AUSTRALIA. THE COUNT WENT FROM ZERO TO THREE IN A MATTER OF YEARS. CHRIS THOMAS LOOKS BACK AT THE CONTENT, THE IDENTITIES AND THE BEER OF THE TIME
R
Colorado IPA – Concentrate Recipe This is our interpretation of Charlie Papazian’s Colorado India Pale Ale from 1989, as published in Australian Beer Magazine Number 1. He described his version as having “A caramel-like smoothness that is pungently balanced with the addition of extra hops in the boil. A wonderfully assertive pale ale.”
Expected Brew Figures OG: 1.056 FG: 1.012 ABV: 5.8% IBU: 23 Volume: 15 litres
Ingredients 3.2kg Light Dry Malt Extract (LDME)
ecently I came across
and Victoria Bitter. Market share around the
some old Australian beer
country was dominated even more so then than
900g Crystal malt (cracked)
magazines at a swap meet.
now by CUB 48.3%; Bond Brewing 42%; South
85g Fuggles hops
I didn’t bother negotiating
Australian Brewing 6.1%; Tasmanian Brewing
28g Cascade hops
on a price – I paid what
2.1% and Coopers 1.1%. Imports and boutiques
was asked and tucked them
made up just 0.4% of the market!
2 x Safale US-05 yeast
under my arm. A flick through showed me how
Power’s Bitter also launched around this
much has changed and how much has stayed
time, much to the satisfaction of Queenslanders
the same in the beer industry of Australia.
who felt betrayed by the Bond Corporation
There were three magazines and to the
for taking the brewing of their beloved XXXX
best knowledge of one of the key figures of
interstate. Interestingly, Power Brewing
the time, Willie Simpson, all co-existed for a
Company built the brewery in Yatala (QLD),
period of time.
which was subsequently taken over by CUB.
Those who have maintained an interest in
Issue two of The Great Australian Beer Guide
the industry over the past few decades, will
found editor Willie Simpson hosting an
undoubtedly remember The Great Australian
esteemed panel including Chuck Hahn as they
Beer Guide, Australian Home Brewer and
tasted their way through Australia’s lagers. I’d
Australian Beer.
challenge anyone to find a less rewarding task.
The late 80s and early 90s were an interesting
Victoria Bitter and Crown Lager shared the
time in the Australian beer scene. John Elliot
honours. VB was described as having “Strong
(CUB) and Alan Bond (Bond Brewing) were
yeasty nose, malty character, slightly perfumey,
battling it out for territory in the commercial
sweet finish, clean, medium bitterness”. Swan
lager world, Foster’s Lager was Australia’s
Premium was just a point off in third place and
best selling beer with a massive 16.2% of the
was adjudged to have a “Greenish hue, resinous
national market, Phil Sexton’s Matilda Bay was
nose, buttery, low bitterness, slight caramel
creating a buzz off the back of Red Back (when
flavour, sweet, fatty acids”.
was the last time you had one?!), ‘boutique
Dry lagers were also coming into vogue, with
breweries’ of varying quality were opening and
offerings from Castlemaine, Grolsch, Tooheys
closing and European beers such as Stella Artois
and Swan. This is a trend that never really
and Heineken were arriving on our shores.
went away, rather it just gets re-badged every
Unsurprisingly, excise tax was a topic of fierce debate then as it still is now!
few years. Hahn Super Dry, Tooheys Extra Dry and of course Carlton Dry are mainstays on our market now.
THE BIG BREWERIES It was a time when the three best selling beers in
BOUTIQUE BREWERIES
Australia were Foster’s Lager, Carlton Draught
Perhaps the most interesting article in the
Method 1. Steep the crystal malt at 70°C for 30 minutes in 6 litres of water 2. Strain the grain and transfer the liquid to a larger pot 3. Add half of the LDME as you bring the liquid to the boil 4. At the beginning of the 60 minute boil, add 70g of Fuggles hops 5. With 20 minutes remaining in the boil, add the remainder of the LDME and stir in 6. With 15 minutes remaining add 15g Fuggles hops 7. With 2 minutes remaining add 28g Cascade hops 8. In your sterilised fermenter have 9 litres of very cold water 9. Strain liquid from the pot (wort) into your fermenter and put the lid on. 10. When the fermenter temperature is 18-20°C, pitch both packs of yeast 11. Ferment at 18-20°C for 7-10 days. Fermentation is complete when the gravity is at or near 1.012 and is consistent over consecutive days 12. Bottle or keg as normal and enjoy your late 80s IPA!
AUTUMN 2019 75
BREWING EQUIPMENT
BREWING EQUIPMENT
Treat it right BUYING BREWING EQUIPMENT IS A MAJOR INVESTMENT, BUT THE WAY YOU LOOK AFTER IT AND USE IT WILL HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF BEER YOU PRODUCE AND THE LIFESPAN OF THAT KIT
M
y father was a sheep farmer in south Wales for a time and one of the things that drove him mad was the habit some farmers had of leaving their machinery – tractors, spreaders, bailers – outside in all weathers at the mercy of the elements. Farming equipment will set you back a pretty penny, but if it’s left out to rust in the Rhondda rain it will cost you even more in time
and money. The same rules apply to brewing equipment. Any piece of kit will give you better results and for longer if you use and care for it correctly. In our Brewing Equipment Part 1 feature (issue 45) we explored what to look for when purchasing brewery equipment and setting up your brewery. In this second part, we will examine what it takes to get the most out of that kit in the subsequent years.
GETTING STARTED
ALL THE BEST BITS FROM THE ANHC (see page 74) >>> * Additional costs apply for New Zealand.
INCLUDING
Looking after your equipment begins before it has even arrived at your brewery. You might be eagerly waiting for that fully laden truck to arrive laden, but you need to
have a plan in place right from the get-go, or you will be tinkering even more than usual. Preparation is key, especially before your first brew. Your primary aim should be to get to know your brewery, and that means learning to walk before you start running or making your craziest batch. “Good results come from continuous improvement – the process of commissioning, test brewing and production brewing can be undertaken with this mindset,” says Julian Sanders, founder of Spark Breweries and Distilleries. “Small adjustments should never finish. Although you should be prepared to dump your first batch, there is no reason that you should need to with an appropriate setup, cleaning and commissioning process. Plan for your first batch to be good, and the worst batch that you’ll ever brew.” It is more than likely that this won’t be the first brewing equipment that you
ISSUE 47 SUMMER 2018
have used, but it is important to remember that this is the first$9.95 time (NZ you’ve PRICE $11.95) used this particular system, with all its idiosyncrasies and different requirements. It is
ALL THE BEST BITS FROM THE ANHC (see page 74) >>>
unlikely that you’ll be able to simply replicate exactly what you’ve been doing on
* Additional costs apply for New Zealand.
FRESH BLOOD
previous systems. You need to take things slowly, test them out, and work out what
INCLUDING
the equipment is telling you.
“We still don’t know if 67°C on our mash tun is 67°C, but we know the attenuation
Australia’s it will give us at the end, so it doesn’t really matter,” saysDiscover Rhys Lopez, brewer at newest breweries Otherside Brewing. “It takes a couple of batches of the same beer to really figure 36
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Why less is more
FRESH BLOOD
BALTER’S
Discover Australia’s newest breweries
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Why less is more
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Scott Hargrave soars in 2019 Beer & Brewer Awards
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