DO YOU KNOW YOUR BEER? WHEN YOU’RE TALK ING ABOUT PAIR ING FOOD AND BEVERAGES UP, SOME THING S JUST GO PERFEC TLY TOG ETHE R.
BEER AND BACON: Matt Kirkegaard from BeerMatt will be bringing a craft beer stall to BaconFest. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
FROM milk and cookies to wine and cheese, there are a lot of well-known pairings that you’re probably familiar with. But when it comes to BaconFest, Matt Kirkegaard, owner of the Brisbane-based craft beer company BeerMatt, believes nothing goes together better than beer and bacon. And with this philosophy, he’ll be bringing a selection of craft beer with flavours suited to bacon, that will be available for tasting at his craft beer tent. Mr Kirkegaard said you can expect some rauch beer, German wheat beer, and more. “When you think about good beers to go with bacon, you can’t go past the classic German beers, as they love pork, sausages and bacon. It all works well together,” he said. Mr Kirkegaard said for those who don’t know, rauch beer is basically a smoked beer, which can take similar notes to smoked bacon. “It takes on some of those characters, especially if the wood
they use is the same that they smoke the bacon over,” he said. “The similarity makes it a beautiful pairing, and as it’s quite an intense beer flavour, it really works with something as strong-tasting as bacon.” Mr Kirkegaard said he loved the concept of BaconFest, as it celebrates the move towards championing local produce. “You can really see the roles small producers play in the community at these types of events, and that’s the type of shift we’ve seen in the beer industry for over 10 years,” he said. “Drinkers have moved from choosing large, commercial brands, to looking at brewers that are smaller and in the local community.” Mr Kirkegaard said it was changing the way we consume our drinks. “Once upon a time we drank more beer without much thought, but I feel now people are putting much more time into enjoying the experience,” he said.
HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE BURNETT TOURISM WITH BEER THE South Burnett region is known for some great produce. From our pork industry, to peanuts and wine, our fantastic agricultural base has created many different jobs from all across the region. But Matt Kirkegaard, the creator of craft beer brewery business BeerMatt, believes that Kingaroy might also be a great destination for beer, too. “Craft beer started in the major cities, but because tastes are changing universally, we are starting to see regions develop their own breweries,” he said. “By bringing craft beer to BaconFest, it shows that Kingaroy’s tastes are also changing.” Mr Kirkegaard said the Sunshine Coast has thrived with 14 different breweries in its area, as well as seeing breweries in Toowoomba, Cairns, Rockhampton and Townsville. “My hope is that by bringing a wider variety of beers to Kingaroy during food festivals like BaconFest, we’d see a Kingaroy brewery spring up in the future,” he said. “Beer can be made anywhere. You can get Darling Downs
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Matt Kirkegaard believes a brewery would be a bonus for our region. PHOTO: PATRICK WOODS
barley malt and have your very own Kingaroy made beer.” According to Mr Kirkegaard, bringing a brewery to town will also bring a lot of jobs. “There were some figures released recently that if you buy a beer from a major brewery like XXXX, to make one million litres, it takes one third of a person’s job because of their factory equipment,” he said. “For a smaller craft brewery, it employs up to 30 to 40 people to make the same amount. That could be at least 30 jobs for those interested in the Kingaroy area.” Mr Kirkegaard also said because of the grey nomad phenomenon, people have an increased interest in travelling to tourist destinations. “Open breweries are great for smaller regions, as they become a tourism landmark.”