Crafting Independence – Beer

CRAFTING

INDEPENDENCE

Meet the breweries dedicated to crafting beer their own way. From Beechworth in north-east Victoria to Baskerville in WA, we meet the couples, friends and families dedicated to turning their love of beer into a lifelong passion by supporting independence and their local community.

BREWERS BALTER TO THEIR OWN BEAT

The boys at Balter believe in enjoying life to the full. Founded by six Aussie blokes and a yank, the philosophy here is that the beer is designed to bring people together and should accompany the best moments in life.

The story wasn’t always filled with joy, though. The idea for the brewery actually came at a time of real hardship for two of the Aussie owners. Australian pro-surfers, Bede Durbidge and Mick Fanning, had been respectively struggling with a severely broken pelvis and the death of a beloved brother when Durbridge decided he wanted to commit to opening his own brewery. Roping in surfer friends Joel Parkinson and Josh Kerr, the four then set about to get back on their feet and pursue their other pipe(line) dream.

With this background, it’s clear that each beer is brewed with real care and love for the art, using only the very best ingredients and opting for techniques that focus on creating the best taste possible, rather than pumping out the batches. They offer a range of taste profiles to suit a variety of palates, but, according to Balter’s website, all are made with the same mentality: that a beer needs to be, “approachable, thoughtful and value character over currency.”

Behind these beaut brews is Scotty Hargrave, Balter’s master brewer. As a former concreter, Scotty believes in hard work and integrity - qualities he puts into his beer. Hargrave was also the brewer that brought the XPA style, or ‘Extra Pale Ale’ to the forefront, which continues to be its flagship brew. The Alt Brown Ale, Pilsner and IPA round out the core range.

The brewery itself is open to the public on Fridays and weekends and encourages fans of the beers to come along with friends and taste their favourite brews, straight from the source.

BALTER BREWING COMPANY 14 Traders Way, Currumbin, QLD 4223 (07) 5525 6916

YO HO HO AND A CAN OF BEER

Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewing was established in 2014 when two brewers and best mates, Jack Cameron and Red Proudfoot, along with Jack’s dad Mick, set out to become one of only three national breweries in South Australia. Both Jack and Red honed their craft first with BrewDog in the UK, while Mick has plenty of experience in the beer industry, with a number of years in the US under his belt, looking after the importation and sales for Coopers and BrewDog.

Pirate Life has a family quality to it, the trio of founders being father and son duo Jack and Mick Cameron and close friend Red, who you could say is a part of the family.

Pirate Life initially started with a core range of three beers that has now expanded to eight. It is also one of the first Aussie breweries to package its beers in can only, believing it’s the best vessel to house beer, given the ability to keep out air and light and cool quickly, ensuring the freshness of the beer.

Pirate Life is known for hop driven beers as one of the first on the market to make a full flavoured mid-strength IPA, Throwback, as well as the famed 8.8% IIPA. The brewery also recently collaborated with San Diego based brewery Ballast Point, forming what they call a transpacific partnership to produce a Strong Pale Ale - a brew made with US, NZ and Australian hops and finished with finger limes and coriander.

The facilities at Pirate Life operate out of the brewery store, with two taps and all of the core range available in cans to try. The brewery offers tours daily at 2pm and tours all day on Saturdays. Flights of all eight beers are available, and tours are $15, which includes a complimentary can of beer. The tap selection is often something new, unique and only available in a keg, and when that isn’t available, the team will tap the newest keg to make sure you get to try the freshest beer available.

PIRATE LIFE BREWING 89 South Rd, Hindmarsh, SA 5007 (08) 8340 1447

STONE, WOOD AND WATER: THE ELEMENTS OF GOOD BREWING

Most likely you will know this Byron Bay-based brewery from its flagship beer, Pacific Ale, a beer created by ramping up the galaxy hops, providing a fruity and floral aroma, perfect for quenching your thirst on those warm days (or if you live in Byron Bay, almost every day).

Stone & Wood Brewing Company was established in 2008 and followed with the opening of a second brewery in Murwillumbah in 2014 to meet growing demand. The highly acclaimed Pacific Ale is brewed using all Australian barley, wheat and galaxy hops and is joined in the core range by the Garden Ale, Green Coast Lager and Jasper Ale.

Stone & Wood co-owner and brewer, Brad Rogers, honed his craft with Carlton & United Breweries, including a stint in Fiji at Carlton Brewery before taking the reigns as brewer for Matilda Bay Brewing Co. When Roger’s made the decision to set up his own brewery, it couldn’t have come at a better time, with brewers Jamie Cook and Ross Jurisich - who had worked alongside Rogers at Matilda Bay – also deciding to come on board as a trio to establish the award-winning brewery.

The brewery is proud to be a 100 per cent independent and regional brewer, investing heavily in the local community to build a new brewery, rather than outsourcing the growth. Stone & Wood employ locals and uses local suppliers where possible. With the two brewing facilities located on the NSW Northern Rivers, the brewery embraces its home and surroundings.

The Byron Bay tasting room allows the brewery to produce limited releases and welcome people to try the handcrafted beer.

STONE & WOOD 4 Boronia Pl, Byron Bay, NSW 2481 (02) 6685 5173

HOPPING TO THE NEXT BEST VINTAGE

Endeavour was the first brewery to introduce vintage to its beers, not only in name. It was launched by Ben Kooyman, a man of the industry since 2006; corporate guy Dan Hastings; and winemaker and brewer Andy Stewart, who together realised that they could create better-tasting beers by selecting the ingredients from the regions that experience the best vintage each year.

Like wine, this means the recipes vary slightly depending on the barley and hops sourced from the season. Their first commercial beers were released in August 2010 and the range today includes the Harvest Blonde; Growers Bright Ale, Pale Ale and Golden Ale; and the Reserve Pale Ale and Amber Ale.

In 2016 saw the launch of Endeavour Tap Rooms. The team, joined forces with AppleJack group to open their very own brewery, bar and restaurant in Sydney. Endeavour Tap Rooms, located in the heart of The Rocks, follows the brand’s philosophies of using all-Australian, seasonally harvested ingredients with no preservatives.

The menu boasts a variety of smoked produce from the land and the sea all designed to share, and accompanied with seasonal sides, salads and veg. Complete with a brewhouse adjacent, the Tap Rooms house several beers on tap, which consists of Endeavour beers that are brewed on-site, plus rotating guest taps, as well as a seasonal cocktails and NSW wines on tap. The Tap Rooms are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, and features both indoor and outdoor seating, making it an ideal place for dinner and drinks, a quick after work bevvy or an afternoon tipple and share plates.

ENDEAVOUR TAP ROOMS 39-43 Argyle Street, The Rocks, NSW 2000 Tel: 1300 289 233

SMALL TOWN, BIG (TASTING) BREWS

The small town of Beechworth in north-east Victoria is home to two must-visit attractions - the famed Beechworth Bakery and Bridge Road Brewers.

The latter was founded on the passion of husband and wife duo, Ben Kraus and Maria Frischmann. A winemaker by trade, Kraus fell in love with beer during a short stint in Austria working at Tiroler Bier in-between skiing the slopes. A life-changing experience, Kraus became a brewer in one fell swoop and when he returned to Australia, he conceived the idea of Bridge Road Brewers.

Staunchly Beechworth, the brewery has given the town national and international exposure, as well as employing 20 people from the local community. In addition, Bridge Road Brewers supports the community by sponsoring local sports clubs and schools, as well as ongoing fundraising contributions, cementing its importance to the Beechworth area.

The flagship beer is the Beechworth Pale Ale, which accounts for more than half of what the brewery produces. For something unique, try one from Bridge Road’s Mayday Hills series; the beers are fermented in traditional wooden foeder tanks and get their name from the brewers’ township and surrounding region.

Kraus says, “We prefer to create beer from scratch, using our own production equipment on our own site in our hometown of Beechworth. It’s our passion, not a hobby or a chance to make a quick buck.”

When you make your way to Bridge Road, you’ll be greeted by 20 taps, with between 12-16 of those dedicated to Bridge Road Brews made right there at the brewery. The 150-year-old coach house that encapsulates the brewery is coupled with a pizza-centric menu and a familyfriendly beer garden perfect for those warm weather afternoons.

BRIDGE ROAD BREWERS Old Coach House Brewers Lane, 50 Ford St, Beechworth, VIC 3747 (03) 5728 2703