White Bay Beer Co opens during COVID

from Drinks Trade | Jun/Jul 2020

New products and releases tasted and recommended by the Tasting Panel

White Bay Beer Co.

LAUNCHING A BRAND, PLANNED OR NOT, DURING A GLOBAL FINANCIAL DOWNTURN, TAKES A STRONG WILL, FAITH IN YOUR PRODUCT (OR SERVICE), AND A SINGLE-MINDED DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED. IT ALSO HELPS TO KEEP LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.

White Bay Beer Co is the creation of four mates that love brewing: Tim Fishwick (Balter, Rocks Brewing and Little Creatures), Adam Trippe-Smith (Konvoy, and McLaren Vale Brewing), Tim Condon (The Cricketers Arms) and head brewer Dennis De Boer (formally of Modus Brewing). Dennis is joined by Jess Walker, one of the first brewers at Pirate Life. It’s an all-star team, living the dream. That is, until a global pandemic turns up in the first week of production. But that’s where the power of positive thinking comes in.

“If we’d launched a few weeks earlier, we would have been sitting on keg beer with no one to sell them too,” said Tim Fishwick, heading up sales of White Bay beer. “While the pandemic changed things, we were able to decide to go into cans and start offering it to locals. And we’re working hard to meet demand.”

And it very much feels like White Bay Beer Co is producing beers that are going to become a part of Balmain’s fabric as the brewery opened its doors for locals to get freshly brewed beers to take home during isolation.

The team has managed to sign distribution deals with Vintage Cellars (35 stores locally) in just a few weeks after opening their doors and have now followed up with distribution in BWS locally (65 stores) of its Sunny Pale Ale.

“For an unproven brand that is pretty damned exciting for us,” Fishwick said. “The time we were given by COVID gave us the opportunity to have conversations that we weren’t going to have for months. We’re taking every opportunity to look after (our locals) because we think, long-term, they’ll look after us back. But we’ve had conversations with the wider retail market, and now we’ll also concentrate on supporting new distribution channels and manage our stock to make sure we don’t let them down”.

Drinks Trade stopped by the brewery to get some cans off the line and put them on the tasting bench, and this is what we found. Three cracking beers, our favourite being the IPA. Delicious.

TASTING NOTES

WHITE BAY UNION LAGER Style: Lager Package: Can 355ml ABV: 4.7% Glass: Pilsner Food Match: Seafood marinara. Appearance: Cloudy unfiltered lager with a good strong white head. Dark straw colour. Aroma: Good clean malt, with a light grassy hope note. Palate: Clean, nice pale malt notes. Finish: Refreshing and well balanced. Cracking lager. Will fly. WHITE BAY SUNNY Style: Pale Ale Package: Can ABV: 4.5% Glass: Tulip Food Match: Spicy lamb skewers Appearance: Cloudy, good foamy head. Hay colour. Aroma: Hoppy aroma, described as “hoppy blonde” by the brewer. Good green grassy hop. Light malt note. Palate: Easy drinking style - well balanced. Texturally, there’s a slight oily hop note. Delicious. Finish: Dry finish. Leaves you wanting more. WHITE BAY CREATURES OF HABIT Style: IPA Package: Can 440ml ABV: 6.6% Glass: Tulip Food Match: Pork belly Appearance: Hazy gold. Good carbonation and head stability. Hay gold. Aroma: Oily hop aroma, Palate: Great middle palate. A citrus, grapefruit note, and orange peel. Some light malt layering. Finish: Made to drink - the palate extends well. The pick of the three beers for us. Holds it’s alcohol well for a 6.6% beer.