Beer & Brewer Autumn 2023 Teaser

“The Inner West Ale Trail has become a true destination.”

WHEAT BEERS

More than wheats the eye

MANY AUSTRALIAN BEER DRINKERS MAY CONSIDER THE “WHEAT BEER” HAS HAD A CHEQUERED PAST, BUT OVER THE YEARS MANY LOCAL BREWERS HAVE CREATED ONES OF REAL DISTINCTION. FROM A LATE 80S INCEPTION TO A MODERN-DAY RESURGENCE, WHEAT-CENTRIC BEERS ARE ALIVE AND WELL WITHIN OUR SHORES WHERE AN ARRAY OF STYLE VARIATIONS ARE BEING BREWED IN PARALLEL WITH THE EVER-ADJUSTING TASTES OF BEER DRINKERS.

BY JONO OUTRED

For many, the wheat beer category is one that captures just a couple of beer styles, typically defined by a heavy dose of wheat malt. But in reality the “wheat beer” umbrella includes a broader family of styles where over a dozen differing beers reside. From ancient styles through to modern interpretations, and beers from across the globe, the world of wheat beer is surprisingly vast and intensely diverse.

The likelihood is, if you’re an enthusiastic beer drinker, you’ve tried a wheat beer from an Australian brewery, even if you were totally unaware you were doing so as the scope can include the likes of gose, Berliner weisse, hefeweizen, table beer, lambic and the recently emerging “Aussie wheat ale”. Without even diving into the slew of modern IPAs using wheat for hazy attributes, the world of wheat beer has plenty to offer in the way of variety.

Australian brewers have a long history producing quality wheat beers which weren’t boxed into the “limited” or “seasonal” realm either, but year-round offerings that were happily consumed by the masses. Today, some of these beers still exist and have been elevated to icon status while modern brewers are finding plenty of scope within the wheat beer genre to produce high quality, repeatable ones for current palates.

A LONG HISTORY

In 2023, wheat beers – or at least ones that explicitly explain so on the label – are scantily dispersed among the colourful array of commercial and craft beers on offer to consumers through bottle shops and tap points across the country. Despite their apparent scarcity, wheat-based beers are alive and well within craft and their existence has been one of note since Australia’s alternative beer industry found its footing in the late 1980s.

The early years of what would become Australian “craft” were dominated by just a few prominent beer labels, brewed by smaller “boutique” breweries who had the gall to push back against the light lager status quo and brew beers that piqued the interest of a more discerning drinker. One of those, Redback – a German-style wheat beer – reached great heights and is still brewed today, albeit an updated version, by Matilda Bay under the watchful eye of original founder and creator Phil Sexton.

Phil explained that Redback arrived as a welcome change for Australian consumers.

“Redback was the brand that started it all in 1987. At the time it presented as a fuller, sweeter, less bitter and fruitier beer and an exciting alternative to mainstream options. Since the creation of Redback, there’s been a plethora of different craft styles that have filled the gap that Redback once did. Consumers now have an endless choice.”

Off the back of Redback’s success, numerous other brewers latched onto the idea that a wheat beer could grab the attention of Australian beer drinkers. Feral Brewery (Feral White), Hargreaves Hill (Hefeweizen) and White Rabbit (White Ale) are just a few examples of brewers who were early adopters of the style in Australia. Then, almost as quick as they emerged Down Under, the interest in these wheat-heavy styles declined and whilst some of these beers still exist, admittedly sales are low compared to the more in vogue styles of today.

Phil believes the natural evolution of the wheat beer here, where it’s morphed into new interpretations, has kept it alive and well, albeit stealthily so.

“Over the last couple of decades, wheat beer in Australia has evolved from extreme Bavarian styles to much finer styles. (For example, Stone & Wood’s) Pacific Ale is a successful local application of using wheat to

produce a more approachable beer with wide appeal. We refined our own Redback recipe in recent times. This evolution is at the core of what craft beer is: it’s about constantly making it better, and taking your consumers on a journey with you.”

Brody Watts, head brewer at Perth’s Seasonal Brewing Co, agreed with Phil, that wheat beers are still with us, but in different interpretations among the slew of newly popular styles.

“Over the past 20 years, the availability of beer styles has exploded from both craft and commercial breweries. The advent of low bitterness and fruity styles (hazy pales, NEIPAs etc) have perhaps eaten into the wheat beer market. A hefeweizen or witbier does share a lot of those properties, however, with the recent popularity of sour beers like gose and Berliner weisse, there’s a new generation of consumers experiencing and enjoying wheat beers.”

Australian made wheat beers have had decades of consumer attention, development and innovation and the category is truly one of the most enduring when you look at the ways in which wheat is used by brewers today, and the modern styles that are created. Over the years popularity of certain styles has waned, but wheat beers now have a whole new set of sub-styles that are well suited to Australian consumers and climates.

“We need to continue to brew wheat beers that work in our Australian climate, and define an Australian style,” Phil Sexton, Matilda Bay

The

BREWING EQUIPMENT

GETTING HOLD OF RELIABLE, PRO BREWING EQUIPMENT AND PUTTING IT IN PLACE ISN’T AS DIFFICULT AS IT USED TO BE, DUE IN NO SMALL PART TO ADVANCEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE SUPPLIERS AND TECHNICIANS. ADAM CARSWELL HAS TRACKED DOWN SOME OF THE BEST BREWERY TOOLS IN THE BUSINESS AND THE SAVVY PEOPLE WHO DEAL IN THEM.

From holding hands with tiny inner-city shopfront tap houses to maintaining decades-long working relationships with the bigger players, Australia’s brewery and brewery equipment designers, builders and suppliers have remained a critical intermediary between a budding brewer’s mere dreams, and their first magnificent pour.

Thanks to a bunch of technology and a wealth of innovative design, the opportunity to achieve said dreams is now available to a wider group than ever. In fact, the barriers to entry have diminished so substantially that, as you’ll see, it’s almost anyone’s game (remembering that the proof will always be in the tasting!).

Add to that the oft-mentioned praise given to the pre-install, follow up and after-sales guidance of said suppliers, the path to brewing greatness has never been as smooth.

Let’s take a look at some of the technology involved in recent local brewery builds and upgrades, plus the brewers and suppliers behind them.

Putting

craft beer on the map

THE INNER WEST ALE TRAIL PROJECT CELEBRATES THE 13 INDEPENDENT CRAFT BREWERIES WHO MADE (AND MAKE) THEIR NECK OF THE WOODS ARGUABLY THE CRAFT BEER CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA. IN THE FIRST OF WHAT WILL BE A CONTINUING SERIES AROUND AUSTRALIA, NEMESIA DALE-CULLY PROVIDES A DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ONE OF THE EMERALD CITY’S BEST DESTINATIONS.

The Inner West Ale Trail is a Sydney institution. So much so Albo even name dropped it in his Christmas message to his constituents! People come from all over Sydney and the world to visit Marrickville – the craft beer capital of Australia (if you ask me!). But the Inner West Ale Trail is not just Marrickville – it spans from Petersham all the way to Rozelle – with 13 stops along the way – and even a tour operator to get you there and back again.

The trail has seen a number of iterations since its inception. The original was the brainchild of Batch Brewing co-founder Andrew Fineran in 2017 when it had just six stops. But more recently, the idea got picked up by artist and proud Inner Westie Peita Blythe and taken digital. In 2021, the reimagined Inner West Ale Trail was launched by the Inner West Brewery Association (IWBA), Inner West Council and Peita who approached the IWBA in 2019 and pitched the idea of designing a map for the Ale Trail.

“I wanted to celebrate the Inner West, to really encourage people to explore and see what it has to offer,” she said.

Together they secured a My Community Project grant from the NSW Government and with this investment the

Trail has had the ability to grow from a static map to an interactive project that offers a range of methods of engagement.

Mike Clarke, head of the IWBA and owner of Ale Trail location Sauce Brewing said: “The Inner West Ale Trail has become a true destination. It brings people into the area and our taprooms. They come for one but visit several. So, we are all, in a way, feeding and promoting each other’s businesses.”

The project has received support from Marrickville mayor Darcy Byrne, as well as several local elected members with Jo Haylen, member for Summer Hill, calling it “a great business resource to help Inner Westies shop and drink local”.

Today the trail includes 13 independent breweries, a tour company and 11 supporter venues. Alongside Peita’s original map design, there’s a website by Vanessa Brewster featuring an interactive map by Cartisan, printed paper maps and floor decals marking the trail all over the Inner West. The next step is a mural on the corner of Edgeware and Enmore Roads, a great spot for reaching the masses because, as Peita mused, “all Inner Westies will know, you get stuck there in traffic so often!”.

“I wanted to celebrate the Inner West, to really encourage people to explore and see what it has to offer,”

Peita Blythe (on the right with website designer Vanessa Brewster)

And, that’s a wrap

BY ANHC CEO ANDY DAVISON

It all came and went in a flash. One moment we’re thinking “will it even get up and running”, let alone get people in the one place, and the next we’d packed it all up, gone our separate ways and wondered if it had even really happened at all.

I’m talking, of course, about the 2022 Australian National Homebrewing Conference (ANHC). Back in 2007, a group of stalwart brewers sat around a table at the Bells Hotel to discuss a pipe dream: imagine being able to get our homebrewing cousins all in the same room from around the country with some of the world’s best home (and commercial) brewers to talk about our favourite drink on the planet. And six great conferences later it all came to a crashing halt in 2020 with COVID. Fortunately, the team picked up the challenge (as they always do), but this time with some new faces to help reboot the nation’s biggest celebration of all things homebrewing.

Last year’s conference saw us appropriately focus on the themes of provenance and change. Provenance, because if COVID taught us anything it was to be respectful of where our ingredients come from. No one brought that message home as strongly as Stu Whytcross from Voyager Craft Malt, as he talked about boutique malting and got us all excited about the idea of sourcing grain from small scale farmers as an option. And to the side, we had Giuseppe Nasti from the Healthy Nasti Kitchen showing us

all how to make the perfect sourdough loaf using grains from small scale farmers to create loaves that bring the smell of a fresh mash into the kitchen every morning for breakfast!

And then change because what hasn’t changed around us? The range of equipment homebrewers can access is growing every day and in the four year hiatus between conferences our wonderful sponsors (including Grain and Grape, KegLand and Newera Brewing) showed us all the new bling we’d missed out on (I don’t think I’ll forget the line of people desperately trying to land a Rapt Pill hydrometer into a fermenter for a while).

Over the two days an amazing array of presenters kept us informed and entertained, with Brandon Jones and Scott Janish headlining the show from the US with some fascinating discussions about managing the complexity of wild beers through to understanding (and perhaps appreciating) the challenges that go into producing hazy IPAs. Our old friend Chris White was also in the house, this time schooling us on how to get a great low alcohol fermentation working.

And that was only the start of it all. There were all the great beers, a sensational homebrew pairing dinner and an outrageous (as always) turnout for Club Night. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to bring ANHC back to life.

And we couldn’t have done it all without the generous contributions from our sponsors and the blood (literally in some cases), sweat (always literally) and tears (of joy) from our passionate team of volunteers, without whom ANHC would not exist. If you’re ever in a pub with one of them, give them a hug and shout them a beer, because they really do deserve it!

And now, believe it or not, we are already back at it, getting ready to put on another spectacular event for you all in 2024. Just get ready for some changes… we have some new faces on board to craft an ANHC like you’ve never seen. Break out that old piggy bank and start saving those pennies, because this one’s going to be HUGE!

The Brew Review

After Australian lagers stole headlines towards the end of last year we felt it was high time we saw for ourselves just what the bottom fermenting landscape looks like at the start of a new year. And what we’ve found, after making lagers our seasonal focus style for this issue, is, for one, there’s plenty out there but more importantly some of such high quality that the category’s recent revival should no doubt continue apace right across the country. From Japanese rice versions to traditional Czech pilsners, we guarantee there’s an Australian craft lager with your name on it in the following pages. We also know that the likes of hazy beers aren’t giving up their mantle to lagers just yet, so we’ve dived into plenty of other styles from across the spectrum too! If you’re a brewery not receiving our invite email to partake in our tastings but would like to, email us at info@beerandbrewer.com

The Panel

Jono Outred, WA

Based in Margaret River, Jono is a beer writer that predominantly covers the South West of WA. He’s been involved in the state’s beer industry in various capacities since 2011.

David Ward, ACT

Head of sales for BentSpoke Brewing Co and with over 10 years’ experience working in the craft beer industry, David is constantly on the lookout for new beers to try and trends to watch.

Tina Panoutsos, VIC

One of Australia’s leading beer judges, Tina is a beer sensory expert with over 30 years’ experience in the brewing industry in roles across technical and commercial functions.

Tiffany Waldron, VIC

A Certified Cicerone®, National Beer Brands Manager for Beer Fans and Pink Boots Australia President, Tiffany is focused on making changes in the world of beer through education and furthering beer culture beyond standard boundaries.

Tom Pigott, NSW

The bar manager at Sydney’s Batch Brewing who used to run Uncle Hops in Newtown, Tom is also one of the hosts of the Pixels & Pints podcast.

Scott Hargrave, NSW/QLD

Scott is Balter Brewing’s multi-award winning head brewer and a regular on some of Australia’s and the world’s most prestigious judging panels including the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup

Josh Quantrill, NSW

Josh is a Certified Cicerone® currently working at 4 Pines Brewing who has extensive experience in the beer industry in the UK and Australia.

Ian Kingham, NSW

That Beer Bloke, Ian’s decorated beer career has included judging at Australia’s best competitions while he’s currently the Sydney Royal’s Chair of Judges.

Michael Capaldo, NSW

National sales manager at Hop Products Australia, Michael is a qualified and experienced brewer and an accomplished beer judge (GABS, World Beer Cup, Indies, AIBA etc).

Jamie Webb-Smith, NSW

Previously a brewer at The Australian Brewery, Jamie is currently head brewer at Yulli’s Brews in Sydney. He’s a home brewer turned pro, who completed the NSW TAFE micro-brewing course.

Benji Bowman, NSW

With six years of industry experience in Australian craft beer and cider, Benji is now the state sales manager at Local Drinks Collective, working to increase the footprint and awareness of independent liquor in Australia.

Jake Brandish, WA

Beer & Brewer’s HomeBrewer

Editor, Jake has a post-grad Dip in Brewing, is a BJCP judge, has brewed commercially and is an all round beer geek.

Adam Carswell,

VIC

Based in Bendigo, Adam’s been the proprietor of the award-winning Cambrian Hotel for almost a decade. He’s a passionate advocate of independent beer and traditional pub culture.

Mark Dowell,

ACT

A beer broker for BentSpoke with a background in liquor retail, Mark is always trying new beers while appreciating the classics that brought us here

What’s our Seasonal Focus? Lagers

Craig Butcher, SA

Based in the Barossa Valley, Craig has 20-plus years’ experience in the liquor industry including winery cellarhand, tastings and sales, newbie homebrewer and beer-mad bottleshop guy.

Liam Pereira, NSW

Liam is the group venue manager for Sydney’s Batch Brewing Co. A Certified Cicerone® and BJCP judge, he was previously general manager of Sydney Beer Week.

Evan Belogiannis, NSW

Evan has been brewing beer at Frenchies Bistro & Brewery for over two years. He’s on a never-ending quest to find and brew the crispiest, tastiest lagers.

Vincent de Soyres, NSW

As co-owner and head brewer at Frenchies Bistro & Brewery, Vince develops award winning brews that extend beyond the limits of traditional beer categories and styles.

Joe Cook, SA

Founder of Beer Fans, Joe is a Certified Cicerone® beer server and beverage entrepreneur who lives with Coeliac Disease, giving him a unique perspective on the world of gluten free beers.

Not all submissions to our tasting panel are featured in the following pages. This could be because of space restrictions, that we already reviewed it in the recent past or the product did not meet our panel’s requirements. We’re not in the business of running any one down, and if there is a chance to speak with a brewery about issues that may have arisen during a tasting, then we will endeavour to pass that information on in the interest of transparency.

Panel’s Top Picks

Stomping Ground

Czech Pils

ABV: 5.1%

Style: Czech Pilsner

A superb example of style which hits all the notes you want, with noble hop spice, clean and vibrant malt flavour, a bitter forward finish and a mouthfeel that is full yet soft. Bright in clarity and gold with a persistent dense white head, earthy and floral hop spice aromas lead with a clean yeast undertone. Malt flavours of soft and fresh white bread are followed by the same hop spice on the aroma, finishing with a medium high intensity hop bitterness that doesn’t dominate the flavours before it. Full in body but with a soft pillowy mouthfeel and a balanced medium low carbonation.

Glass: Pint mug

Food: Grilled sausages stompingground.beer

Hop Nation

Rattenhund

ABV: 4.8%

Style: Traditional Pilsner

Pours a slightly hazy, yellow straw colour with a simply brilliant nose of classic woody, spicy, slightly earthy notes, with a touch of white peach to round it out. The Saaz and Spalt hops shine very well here while the body is ultra smooth yet finishing with a clean bitter tone. A beautiful lager that is refreshing, complex and very well balanced.

Glass: Tulip

Food: Barbequed fish hopnation.com.au

Burleigh Brewing

Burleigh Sublime

ABV: 4.6%

Style: Mexican Lager

“The beer of your corn chip dreams” Burleigh say and they’d be right! Pale straw in colour with brilliant clarity and a thick lacing white head, aroma delivers lime rind with a malt presence ahead of a clean malty profile with low bitterness and lime notes to finish. Boasting a moderate body with a very dry finish and carbonation at the higher end of the scale, this is super enjoyable and refreshing where balance is on point and the lime chimes in perfectly for a warm weather smasher.

Glass: From the bottle

Food: Nachos burleighbrewing.com.au

Rocky Ridge

Crispy Concords

ABV: 5.0%

Style: NZ Pilsner

Landing at a modest ABV and featuring organic Motueka hops, German specialty malts and a clean lager yeast, this dabbles in IPA territory with its vibrant hop character and a clean but piercing bitterness. A clean ferment, where minimal ester is present, helps to amplify gentle but pervasive hop notes on top of a light but bready body.

Glass: Pilsner

Food: Hard cheese, soft bread rockyridgebrewing.com.au

SEAS ONAL FOCUS

SEAS ONAL FOCUS

SEAS ONAL FOCUS

SEAS ONAL FOCUS