Ed Charles quenches his beer thirst in wine country
April 07, 2007
AFTER a hard day of wine touring, there’s nothing like a cleansing ale. Happily, in the past few years microbreweries have started popping up in Australia’s many wonderful wine regions. The notion of running a small beer-brewing business has attracted refugees from the wine world as well as others from fields as diverse as advertising and banking, all of whom share the dream of a less stressful, hop-filled life.
Most microbreweries are tiny operations either run by mates or husband-and-wife teams. They offer tastings of (mostly) unconditioned yeasty beers and a selection of hearty food (think pies made with dark ales).
Tom Brown was the first to seek a beer change when he established the Bootleg Brewery in Western Australia’s Margaret River in 1994. There are now enough microbreweries in the region to warrant a tour, including the new Cowaramup Brewery run by beer nut Jeremy Good.
The beers most commonly produced at these places are English-style pale ales and India pale ales. But wine drinkers are rapidly finding a taste for wheat beers, or Hefeweizen, which have a sweet, malty flavour rather than a predominantly bitter hop taste. Here are some of the best microbreweries to try.
BINTARA, RUTHERGLEN, VICTORIA
Established in 2003, this microbrewery has recently moved from the old Seppelt winery in the town centre to a site on the highway between Albury-Wodonga and Rutherglen. It is open seven days for breakfast and lunch in the 35-seat restaurant. Owner Michael Murtagh, a local winemaking personality, says his pilsner is a good palate cleanser. His Crystal Wheat beer cuts through spices such as coriander and chilli. Fraser Road. (02) 6032 7517; www.bintarabrewery.com.au
BLUE TONGUE BREWERY, HUNTER VALLEY, NSW
Established in 2003, Blue Tongue is part of the Hunter Resort that brother-and-sister team Philip Hele and Karina Barry bought in 1991. There is no brewery tour but you can get into the spirit in the funky cafe and bar. Try pizza, pies, caesar salads or fish and chips. Decide on your favourite beer with a tasting paddle of four beers for $7.50, or six for $10. On returning the paddle you get a free middy. Worth a try is the alcoholic ginger beer, nothing like the shop-sold sweet concoctions by virtue of its 4 per cent alcohol content and green ginger infusion. Accommodation and fine dining are available on the site, which includes a popular winery. Hunter Resort, Hermitage Road, Pokolbin. (02) 4998 7777; www.hunterresort.com.
BOOTLEG BREWERY, MARGARET RIVER, WA
Set on 30ha beside a lake, the Bootleg Brewery was established as a retirement project for owner Tom Brown and boasts of being “an oasis of beer in a desert of wine”. The brewery serves simple food such as steak sandwiches and platters, as well as a remarkable pale ale with a malt finish and a lemon bitterness. A full range of seven beers can be tried for $10. Corner Johnson and Pusey roads, Willyabrup. (08) 9755 6300; www.bootlegbrewery.com.au.
BRIDGE ROAD BREWERS, BEECHWORTH, VICTORIA
This brewery, established in 2005, has recently moved to an old brick coach-house with exposed roof trusses. It has a beer garden and once a month hosts an open-air cinema session. The food ranges from local marinated olives and homemade pretzels to a beef-and-mushroom pie made with Bridge Road porter. Brewer Ben Kraus reckons his American-style heavily hopped pale ale will refresh the palate after a morning spent tasting the local wines. The Bavarian Wheat Ale is also popular, while the elegantly labelled Chevalier Biere de Garde comes in a sparkling-wine style bottle. Panswells Old Coach House, Ford Street, Beechworth. (03) 5728 2703; www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au.
COWARAMUP BREWERY, MARGARET RIVER, WA
Established in December 2006, this is Margaret River’s new kid on the block. Set in a purpose-built, rammed-earth building, the brewery blends with the rural setting and local wineries. A tasting of four beers is offered for $8 or a single glass for $2. Food comes in the form of platters, pizzas and steak sandwiches. Brewer Jeremy Good says his pilsner is an ideal palate-cleanser but reckons the Hefeweizen will eventually become his most popular drop. Both the special pale ale and Indian pale ale are made to closely guarded English recipes. North Treeton Road, Cowaramup. (08) 9755 5822.
HARGREAVES HILL, YARRA VALLEY, VICTORIA
This is one for determined travellers prepared to make an appointment with an award-winning microbrewery expected to open full-time later this year. Brewer Simon Walkenhurst worked as a winemaker locally and discovered English and Belgian ales on honeymoon in Europe. He returned realising there was a market in the Yarra Valley and established the brewery in September 2004. “We’ve got some of Australia’s best wine here, (so) why shouldn’t we also have great beer?” he says. He describes his pale ale, winner of a silver medal at last year’s Australian International Beer Awards, as having a slightly bitter flavour and caramel finish. The Hefeweizen is popular with wine drinkers who aren’t fans of the hoppy flavours of beer. Bed and breakfast accommodation is available at the brewery’s home. Brockspur Farm, 57 Harvey Creek Rd, Steels Creek. (03) 5965 2227; www.hargreaveshill.com.au.
LOBETHAL BIERHAUS, ADELAIDE HILLS, SA
Operating from what were the Onkaparinga Woollen Mills, Lobethal opens this weekend. Part-owner Alastair Turnbull plans to have four beers available on tap, plus seasonal brews. The restaurant offers hearty food using local produce and matches it with beer. As a palate-cleanser he recommends the hoppy India pale ale. The Red Truck Ale is named after the brew-house mascot, a 1941 Chevrolet. 3a Main St, Lobethal. (08) 8389 5570; www.bierhaus.com.au.
RED HILL BREWERY, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VICTORIA
Owners Karen and David Golding developed a taste for boutique beers while travelling through Europe and founded this brewery in April 2005. Hops are grown on site and inside the brewing shed is the copper-clad brewery. The hearty food on offer includes pies, soups and ploughman’s lunches made from fresh local ingredients. The Golden Ale is light and hoppy. The brewery’s Scotch Ale won a gold medal in its class at the Australian International Beer Awards last year. 88 Shoreham Rd, Red Hill South. (03) 59892959; www.redhillbrewery.com.au.