Beer & Brewer 50 Spring 2019 Teaser

HOW CRAFT CIDER IS SAVING THE CATEGORY. See page 34 INCLUDING

ISSUE 50 SPRING 2019 PRICE $9.95 (NZ $11.95)

t s e B wpubs e r B WHO’S TOPPED THE LIST?

BEERS & CIDERS

REVIEWED

HOW TO BREW…

KOMBUCHA TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED BREWING

BUT WHAT’S NEXT?

IPA

THE STYLE THAT NEVER STAYS STILL

WWW.BEERANDBREWER.COM

PLUS! GROWING YOUR BREWERY | TASMANIAN BREWERIES | HOPS, HOPS, HOPS!

CONTENTS

inside...

Spring 2019

64 “As we grow our capacity we have always invested in our capability at the same time”

FEATURES 16 Evolving IPAs Luke Robertson takes a look at the incredible and incredibly varied world of IPAs

20 Top 50 Brewpubs Our judging panel has trawled Australia to bring you the best brewpubs for food, service, community engagement, interiors and beer gardens

28 Technology How technology has changed the face of brewing and continues to do so

34 Cider Tam Allenby explores how craft cider is flying the flag for the category in Australia

42 Kombucha The secondary fermentation of kombucha has come to Australia

44 Regional Breweries Series On our third regional instalment, we take you on a trip around the island of Tasmania

64 Growing Your Brewery Looking to take your brewery to the next level? Check out the different ways you can do it

4 www.beerandbrewer.com

– Jamie Cook.

HOMEBREWER 48 Welcome 49 Letters 50 Q&A 42 Jake’s Brew Log Jake Brandish tries his hand at brewing IPAs

54 Hops Homebrewer chats to two of Australia’s leading hop suppliers

56 GABS Chris Thomas continues his quest to brew GABS beers

60 Recipes Brewing recipes from Gladfield

62 Level Up Spinning around with the whirlpool

54

20

REGULARS 6 The Brew

The best spring events for your diary

8

News

All the latest from BrewCon 2019 and more

10 World News 12 Bits and Bobs 14 New Venues 72 Tasting Notes This spring, our esteemed tasting panel worked their way through a range of beers from all across Australia, with a seasonal focus on lagers

80 Directory 82 A Pint With

BrewDog’s Martin Dickie

Check out our Top 50 Brewpubs 32

16

44

Spring 2019  5

IPAS

16  www.beerandbrewer.com

IPAS

Fresh

ideas

THE IPA HAS BECOME A MAINSTAY IN ALMOST EVERY BREWERY’S RANGE. BUT, AS LUKE ROBERTSON DISCOVERS, ITS GROWING APPEAL IS BUILT AROUND CONSTANT EVOLUTION AND CHANGE

I

ndia Pale Ale just doesn’t

quite well at the Nest, and that our

20s for most IPA yeast), and much

stop. The big flavoured

[trade] customers were enjoying

faster than more common yeast.

style has evolved from a

them, which must mean people

hoppy UK pale ale in the

were drinking them.”

1800s to an Americaninfluenced juggernaut

On the other side of Australia, near

“It’s not radically different to Saccharomyces yeast in the end product,” señor brewer Adrian

Fremantle, Gage Roads has taken a

McNulty says (his title is Spanish

in recent years. The evolution

more radical approach, splitting off

for a reason known only to the

continues, with brewers embracing

its Atomic Pale Ale into an entirely

Moon Dog team). “It’s more in the

new hazy and low bitterness

new Atomic brand. It launched with

processing side that things are a little

versions influenced by the

an IPA and a IIPA to go alongside

different. It does have a slightly more

breweries of New England in the

its Pale Ale. Gage Roads head of

orange ester character to it.”

north east of the USA.

marketing Miles Hull explains that

The beer isn’t the only thing

While all these three breweries

the team wanted the freedom to

have all been tweaking IPA in

evolving, as breweries try to navigate

explore the world of hoppier beers

their core line-ups in different

the rapidly changing market by

away from the main brand. That

ways, Range Brewing in Brisbane

shuffling line-ups, creating new

meant giving it a unique look as well.

launched last year with a different

brands, and trying to carve out their own space in the world of IPA. It’s causing established breweries

“We wanted something different to Gage Roads,” Hull says. “We developed it internally

approach, co-founder Matt McIver tells Beer and Brewer: “We don’t brew a core range beer;

to rethink their approach. Recently,

among our team and our in-

we have some core styles that we

Melbourne’s Two Birds brewed

house graphic team. We wanted

stick to. We change our IPAs and our

its last batch of Golden Ale, the

something using the Atomic name

pale ales and our double IPAs with

beer that they launched with back

and to be quite striking.”

each batch. The point of this is kind

in 2012. It was replaced in the brewery’s core line-up with an IPA.

Back in Melbourne, Moon Dog

of twofold: we want to be brewing

Brewing quietly discontinued its

exciting beer all the time, and we

Sun Cat IPA after only a year in the

want to be selling fresh beer and

Golden, and seeing that decreasing

marketplace, and replaced it with

have people know they are drinking

in popularity, we feel like IPA is

a new series of beers, all IPAs, that

fresh beer. One way to do that is to

more in line with what people are

will explore the different variations

change them all the time.”

drinking,” says co-founder Jayne

of the style. So far, the releases

Lewis. In the leadup, Two Birds

have been a mixture of US West

LOCALITY AND FRAGILITY

made IPAs in small batches and

Coast and East Coast styles, as well

The big problem with IPAs is for a

one-offs, trialling them over the

as experimenting with Kveik yeast

style that was born out of exporting

bar at its taproom The Nest.

– a farmhouse yeast from Norway

to foreign markets (brewing

that is gaining favour with brewers

literature at the time of its invention

releases to really scratch that itch,

around the world. It ferments hot

advised that when sending beer over

and we noticed they were doing

(39°C, versus high teens or low

the oceans that more hops would

“Looking at something like

“We kept making them in limited

Aussie pride One of the first IPAs of the modern era was Bridgeport IPA out of Portland.

While breweries like Anchor and Sierra Nevada had been showcasing American hop aroma in their beers, neither had slapped the IPA label on. There may have been some brewpubs offering IPAs on tap, but Bridgeport were the first to make it a focus for a brand. The creator?

Australian brewer and winemaker Phil Sexton who was an executive and brewmaster at Gambrinus, the parent company for Bridgeport. He’s also co-founded (among other things) Matilda Bay and Little Creatures. Onya Phil.

Spring 2019 17

TECHNOLOGY

Game changers ADVANCES IN BREWING TECHNOLOGY HAVE IMPROVED ACCURACY, CONSISTENCY AND EASE OF USE FOR BREWERS

I

nnovation is a word that crops

provide co-gen recovery. Modern day systems

contribute, or delving into the DNA of your

up a lot in brewing circles. New

can be recipe-driven by tablets, connected

yeast strains.

ingredients, new styles and new

and controlled online. Full brewing expertise,

recipes all require pioneering

along with quality control and consistency,

practices has been technology that has

thought from brewers. The same

is no longer prohibited by access to big

allowed us to better understand what is

has been happening behind the

budgets. Innovation in brewing technologies

actually happening during the brewing

scenes of brewing as well, with equipment

has played a critical role in making brewing

process (we still only know about 70% really),”

manufacturers changing the way we brew in

accessible in all beer consuming markets.”

says Neal Cameron, director of Institute of

countless ways over the years.

“Much of the advancement in brewing

Beer. “Microscopes and stains that allow us

ACCURACY AND CONSISTENCY

determine yeast populations and their health;

incremental rather than revolutionary. A

The brewing process has never been fixed

propagation and DNA techniques to determine

new gadget is introduced to make one facet

in time; it has been constantly evolving and

yeast strains and competing organisms such

of the brewing process easier, more accurate,

improving as brewers try to understand

as bacteria; and sophisticated analytical

less fiddly. It’s trialled and improved and

what’s the chemistry, biology and magic that

tools like UV & NIR spectroscopy, DNA

then, slowly but surely this new device is

happens inside those fermenters in order to

identification and gas chromatography that

welcomed by pro brewers, before it becomes

have greater control over the finished product.

help us identify both good and bad attributes

affordable and ultimately indispensable

One of the most desired results for any brewer

of a beer. That said, a well-trained human

across the entire brewing sector. Perhaps the

is a consistent product that looks, smells and

olfactory system is probably still the most

most important trend in brewing has been

tastes the same every time. In order to achieve

sophisticated and comprehensive tool we

the growing affordability and availability of

this, accurate measurements are required to

know of for this purpose.”

these technologies.

measure what you’re doing. Most breweries

Technology improvements are largely

“Today micro-scaled brewhouses have all the technologies of super brewery plants,” says Paul Baggio, managing director of the

As well as being able to monitor what is

these days would feel underequipped without

happening in the brewing process, digital

a lab to test and measure results.

technology has enabled brewers to collate

These analytical tools allow brewers to

all that information into measurable and

Beverage Food Group. “Reversable lauter

better identify problems with a beer and

understandable blocks of information. Being

rakes that make graining out simpler,

make amends before too much damage is

able to easily and efficiently understand what

safer and less labour intensive; convection

done or beer is wasted. But they are also

is happening has not only allowed brewers to

heating over multiple mash tun zones with

allowing us to better understand the core

make the alterations necessary to improve

step controls, along with VSD drive pumps,

brewing ingredients – whether it’s exploring

the finished product, it’s also been critical to

heat recovery mash and kettle systems that

the different oils in hops and what they

streamlining breweries as a business, finding

28 www.beerandbrewer.com

TECHNOLOGY

way to cut costs in an industry where margins are getting ever tighter.

New technology hasn’t just allowed brewers to identify and monitor what’s happening, it also gives them ways to alter the process and improve the finished product. Technologies such as centrifuges have allowed even small scale brewers to filter their beers more effectively, while improvements in canning lines have reduced the risk of oxidation.

“Innovations in the can packaging space have enabled counter pressure technology to be accessible and gain favour over the older more clunky purge fill can packaging, providing DO (dissolved oxygen) levels measured in low parts per billion as compared to the comparatively high levels of DO provided by gravity purge systems,” says Baggio.

AUTOMATION Brewing is hard work, with plenty of time-consuming and demanding physical labour involved. But advances in remote access technology and automation have allowed brewers to have more control over the process whatever the time and wherever they are, resulting in fewer avoidable mistakes and less overall stress.

Combined with increasingly accurate monitoring systems, brewers can now know exactly what’s happening at all times and take immediate steps to rectify errors and make alterations.

“Many brewers will appreciate the anxiety that can engulf their time away from the brewery,” says Warren Bradford, director at Deacam Pty Ltd. “Things like

BentSpoke uses different technology for their 360 cans

Advances in brewing technology “As a home brewer I’d say small-scale automation equipment,” says Cornel Ianculovici, head brewer at Shambles Brewery. “As a professional brewer I’d say our counterpressure canning equipment.”

“It’s been the advent of brewing software and cloud computing that allows remote management of breweries,” says Neal Cameron, director of The Institute of Beer. “I look after two breweries this way, and can interrogate brewing data, fermentation process, sensory and QC information without being anywhere near the brewery.”

“I am playing with lots of automated computer-controlled brewing systems at the moment and some of the integration into brewing software is allowing an almost ‘set and forget’ experience,” says Gary Staples, direcotr of Newera Brewing. “It may not be every one’s idea of brewing, but if I can get something that will do a lot of the boring stuff for me like cleaning, I will be pretty excited.”

“Separation technology has gone to next level allowing accessibility to the smaller brewers,” says Richard Watkins, co-founder of BentSpoke Brewing. “Brewhouse and cellar control systems are becoming easier to integrate with existing systems.

Chemical cleaners and sanitisers are becoming less corrosive rendering them much safer to use in a brewery.”

Digital Deacam monitors allow for accurate assessments

chiller faults and power outages are constant concerns for brewers. Technology has enabled centralised control for a fully connected brewery, remote access into the brew controls coupled with remote alarming has given brewers back their weekends.

Of course, when it comes to these technological advances, there is a fine line between making things more manageable and making the whole process so easy that brewers feel that they’re scarcely brewing any more.

However, the use of apps, smart phones and tablets is now largely accepted as essential, allowing brewers to access, assess, plan and record every aspect of the brewing process. This has also allowed brewers to brew more often, meaning that even with a smaller brewery footprint, they can continue to pump out more beer more consistently and to a higher standard.

“Fermecraft can make it possible for small craft breweries to manufacture their product with the same precision and repeatability normally found in breweries 100 times their size,” says Bradford. “We have been able to capture every piece of data surrounding a brew batch and provide certainty of product quality.”

Spring 2019 29

ALCOHOLIC KOMBUCHA

“ALL THE CRAFT BEER PLACES IN CALIFORNIA HAVE A KOMBUCHA ON TAP”

BREWING

kombucha?

IT’S A TREND THAT’S TAKEN OFF IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS NOW ARRIVING ON AUSTRALIAN SHORES – MAKING ALCOHOLIC KOMBUCHA THROUGH SECONDARY FERMENTATION

K

ombucha has been one

(in California),” says Nick Cogger, founder

of the great success

of K.Booch, an alcoholic kombucha based

about adding another drink to their list, it is

stories of recent years.

in Torquay, Victoria. “Every bottle shop in

important to dwell on the microbiology for a

Growing from an

California will have one or two alcoholic

moment. To make kombucha with secondary

obscure, health product

kombuchas. All the craft beer places in

fermentation, it is currently necessary to use

to an everyday purchase

California have a kombucha on tap. They’re

Acetabacter, a bacteria that eats ethanol – not

in supermarkets everywhere, it has continued

leading the charge. The market is being led

ideal in a standard brewery. Cogger found an

to evolve for different drinking occasions.

by JuneShine and Boochcraft, both out of

abandoned brewery near Torquay in which to

Alcoholic kombucha was the drink’s next

San Diego.

ferment his kombucha, so there’s no chance of

iteration, but it relied on spirits for its

“Women are jumping into that category.

However, before brewers get too excited

any beers being infected. That said, given the

ABV, whether it is added by producers or

we’re in the RTD fridge but we think that

current craze for microfauna in craft brewing,

consumers. However, there are now people

customers from cider and from white wine

perhaps some brave soul will give it a try.

who are bringing brewing into the equation.

and gin and tonic, Aperol spritz would come

To make any kombucha requires a primary fermentation phase, meaning that most

into that market.”

So what is the process of secondary

“Craft brewers are trailblazers in every sense,” says Cogger. “You have to have something innovative so I do think that

kombuchas have a very small amount of

fermentation and is it something that craft

brewers will be looking at it. They’re already

alcohol in it. However, through secondary

brewers and homebrewers alike could get

using lacto distillase in some of their sours

fermentation, an alcoholic kombucha

into? Cogger explains what happens at

and stuff like that.”

is possible. This trend has been largely

K.Booch.

confined to the United States, specifically

“The first brew cycle is 28-30 days. They

At present, alcoholic kombucha is classified (and taxed) as an RTD, which hits

California, but it is making waves here

vary depending on how the sugar drops.

the price point and perception, but Cogger

in Australia, albeit it at a lower 4 percent

And then it’s 14-20 days for that secondary

believes that as a brewed product, it has its

ABV, compared to the 6-8 percent that the

fermentation. It’s really acidic because

place with the craft beer world. He hopes that

American market demands.

different things are fighting for different

eventually the laws will be altered to reflect

yeast strains, so we have to pitch a different

this given the potential popularity of the

type of yeast to increase the ABV.”

drink.

“I think I found about 12 companies doing (secondary fermented) kombucha

42 www.beerandbrewer.com

ADVERTORIAL

MEET THE KOM-BREWER THROUGH SECONDARY FERMENTATION, K.BOOCH HAS PRODUCED A NEW ALCOHOLIC KOMBUCHA FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET. WE TALK TO FOUNDER NICK COGGER ABOUT THE PROCESS

Q: WHAT IS K.BOOCH? WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND IT? Last year (2018), I saw kombucha and started drinking a lot myself.

Nick Cogger, founder of K. Booch

I went from drinking kombucha at breakfast to drinking it in the afternoon, in the sun with gin. This spurred a thought that I might be able to secondary ferment the ‘Booch’, so I dusted off my old brewing books and developed a proprietary technique over the summer of 2018/2019 to secondary ferment kombucha.

Q: HOW DO YOU MAKE K.BOOCH? We start off with tea and sugar, and we blend that together. We then

“WE’RE CREATING AN ENTIRE CATEGORY WHICH FIVE YEARS DOWN THE TRACK WILL BE IN MOST BOTTLE SHOPS”

do a first fermentation with what’s called a ‘mother’ or a Scoby, which is a mix of yeast and bacteria. The Scoby feeds on the sugar and nutrients from the tea, creating a vinegary and tart drink full of nutrients and beneficial acids.

Once we’ve done that, we strip out the original mother and yeast, and re-pitch with a fresh strain of yeast and some dextrose to create an alcoholic kombucha. This process is quite difficult as there are so many factors that are inhibiting the process. Once we have fermented to our desired alcohol level, we blend it with various different juices and extracts to create a more palatable flavour profile. The finished product sits at 4% ABV.

Q: WHAT FLAVOURS DO YOU HAVE? The Pineapple & Watermelon, that’s an entry level kombucha for us – super easy drinking flavour. Rosé & Berry is that ‘frosé’ vibe, so rosé, raspberry and strawberry. Blood Orange is sour and tart. And then a

coast of Australia towards the end of this year, so we’ll be able to run a

Ginger & Lime, with heavy ginger and fresh lime.

core range and trial some different products as well.

Q: WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT K.BOOCH?

We’re going to use that for festivals and events, then later in the year

I think that main selling point for us it’s a transparent labelled product.

we will make them available to the off-premise market. And we’re

People know what they’re drinking and it has a flavour profile that’s

going on tap in my venue (Frontbeach Taphouse), and later in the year

appealing. It’s a new category. A new category gives venues something

we’ll start looking at growing our on-premise presence.

We’re in 330ml bottles. We’ll be in cans in the next two months.

to talk about, something new, something to market. products that they know and trust. We are currently being ranged in

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR SECONDARY FERMENTED KOMBUCHA?

the RTD fridge, but it’s our opinion that as we are a fermented product

We’re creating an entire category which five years down the track will

we are more like a ginger beer or cider, even a craft beer.

be in most bottle shops with a variety of alcoholic kombuchas, and we

Consumers at the moment are drinking less; they’re drinking better

expect to be at least the size of 10% of the cider market within three

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS FOR K.BOOCH?

years. That’s where I think the category can go just through the growth

We’ll have a native Australian release heading into summer using

in the supermarkets with the non-alcoholic varieties and also just

native Australian fruit and botanicals. And then we will be looking at

seeing the strength of it over in California with the alcoholic version.

doing some higher ABV stuff. We haven’t had a full summer with this

We want to be the captain of industry for the alcoholic kombucha

range yet so we’ll just push through this range for the summer and

market. We want to build the category as much for us, but we do

then we’ll do those seasonal ones. That will be trialled out through our

need other people in the category creating a secondary fermented

taproom program where we’ll be popping up a taproom along the east

product that builds the category in general.

Spring 2019 43

FEATURE

GABS Brewing IN RESPONSE TO READER FEEDBACK FROM OUR RESTRAINED LOOK AT CREATIVE BREWING LAST ISSUE, WE TAKE A MORE ADVENTUROUS APPROACH AND SIT DOWN WITH SOME OF OUR HEROES FROM GABS 2019

S

o…. it turns out that while

brewers pine for the creativity they enjoyed

with Mik Halse (Hawkers Brewery) and we

many of you enjoyed the

in their homebrew days.

ended up muling beer from Vermont down

slightly more conservative

Planning, designing and executing a beer

to New Jersey. As part of this massive side

approach to creativity

for GABS opens that opportunity again.

trade I ended up with a couple of cans of this

covered in our last issue,

And inspiration for these beers finds

French Toast-y IPA from a small brewery

just as many of you are

everyone differently.

up that way,” explains Justin Corbitt, head

frothing for the more ambitious approach adopted by the commercial breweries at the Great Australian Beer Spectapular (GABS).

In response we’ve been in touch with

Take Dave Ward, head brewer and director at Aether Brewing in Queensland.

“A couple of years back we were at GABS

brewer at Deeds in Melbourne.

“It was tasty, but it wasn’t hazy, less boozy, and the bitterness was a bit higher.

Melbourne, we had given the festival a good

I always had that flavour in the back of my

the breweries who designed some of the

nudge on the Friday afternoon and evening

mind and figured if we changed all the things

most interesting, ambitious and creative

plus went out to a few amazing venues that

I mentioned, it could be lot of fun.”

concoctions from GABS 2019.

night. Needless to say, we were more than a bit worse for wear on the Saturday.

INSPIRATION

“So there we were, on our stand and all

The end result was Deeds’ Naked Brunch, a French toast-inspired hazy double IPA. More innocuously, the seasoned GABS

While being a commercial brewer might

I could think about was coffee and Bloody

champions at Big Shed were inspired by a

seem like a sexy occupation, the reality is

Marys to get me through, neither of which

brewing podcast.

that it is not. Beyond cleaning, which is as

were close by and so the idea was born to

time consuming as any task in the brewery,

make a GABS beer that doubled as a helper

the brewery one day, they were talking about

knocking out batch after batch of core

for those who sampled just a few too many

how brewers get inspiration for pastry stouts.

beers would be a close second in the

beers the day before.”

The brewer said, ‘think of your favourite

monotony stakes.

While having a core beer that keeps a brewery profitable is highly desirable, many

56 Home Brewer

The team at Deeds found their inspiration all the way on the other side of the world.

“Two years ago I was in the US for the CBC

“Listening to a US podcast on the way to

dessert and then try to make a beer inspired by that dessert,” says Peter Barclay, brewery operations manager at Big Shed Brewing.

FEATURE

“I started to go through all the popular

and after a few phone calls and interesting

US-style sweet treats and resigned myself

conversations we had everything we

to the fact that they would have been done

needed to put this beer together.”

before. So then I thought, what is a classic

Big Shed Brewing Concern, on the other

Australian sweet treat… Tim Tams came

hand, had ongoing conversations about

straight to mind.”

what the final product should taste like.

The outcome was another cracking,

“During the beer’s design there was some

albeit somewhat polarising, brew from the

debate as to whether the beer should taste

lads at Big Shed Brewing Concern in the

like a Tim Tam or be the beer to slam with

form of the Tim Tam Slam sweet stout.

a Tim Tam,” explains Bradley from Big Shed.

DESIGN

Tim Tam, the key is to break down the

Being inspired or having a concept is one

flavour components and apply them to

thing. Being able to break the flavours down

the beer. There are plenty of ingredients

and then put them back together to reach

available to the brewer that can mimic the

the desired result is a whole ‘nother thing.

flavour of sweet treats, for example biscuit,

“Most of us are pretty familiar with a

“Coming up with a concept is the easy part, making it into something that is both drinkable and resembles what the

caramel, chocolate and toffee specialty malts, lactose, cocoa powder and coffee.”

“The GABS beer was effectively a

beer says it is, is the difficult part,” says

coffee milk stout, perfect for a Tim Tam

Ward from Aether Brewing.

accompaniment.”

“Once we decided that this was the

Aether: Bloody Mary IPA – All Grain Feeling a bit dusty? Then we’ve got the cure.

Tomato red pour, with aromas of celery, cucumber, and hop botanicals, this is rich, juicy and is a vibrant vege hit with lingering bitterness and chilli spice.

Expected Brew Figures OG: 1.084 FG: 1.020 ABV: 8.5% IBU: 35 Volume: 23 litres

Ingredients 7.4kg Pale malt 1.1kg Pale Wheat malt 455g Flaked oats 350g Maltodextrin 36g Galaxy hops

beer for this year, it was researching

ARE YOU HAVING FUN?

ingredients to see how they would impact

Making a beer for GABS should all be

the beer, keeping any that contained fat

about fun. While there is undoubted

far away and as little residual sugars as

pressure to deliver, the process itself is

Safale US-05 yeast

possible. We managed to track down some

exciting and takes brewers away from the

30ml Worcestershire sauce

very good ingredients that were suited

daily routine of cleaning and brewing.

30ml Fat free Sriracha Sauce – 30ml (more if spice is your game)

36g Azacca hops 36g Mosaic hops

3 litres Tomato puree 18g Celery salt 180ml Lime juice (UHT) 2 pkts Lallemand London Ale yeast (Safale US05 if you can’t access London Ale yeast)

Method 1. Mash malts at 68°C for 60 minutes 2. Bring to the boil for 60 minutes 3. At flameout Add maltodextrin and 18g of each Galaxy, Azacca and Mosaic hops then whirlpool for 5 minutes.

4. Add tomato puree and Sriracha sauce and whirlpool for a further 5 minutes 5. Allow to settle, chill to 18-20°C and transfer to fermenter 6. Pitch yeast and ferment at 18°C for first 72 hours, then raise to 25°C 7. Once gravity reaches 1.030, dry hop with 18g of each Galaxy, Azacca and Mosaic hops, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and lime juice 8. Once terminal gravity reached, crash chill and rack before bottling or kegging 9. Allow to condition for a few weeks, but drink fresh with celery and fresh cracked pepper!

Spring 2019 57

GROWING YOUR BREWERY

Bright Tank Brewing Co was installed by Spark Brewing and Distilling

64  www.beerandbrewer.com

GROWING YOUR BREWERY

Taking the NEXT step AS CRAFT BEERS CONTINUE TO GROW IN POPULARITY, SOME BREWERIES HAVE FELT THE NEED TO EXPAND. CHARLIE WHITTING FINDS OUT HOW THEY ARE GROWING

C

raft beer is a booming industry. A new

consider when beginning a brewery (such as glycol,

brewery opens in Australia almost

power, gas, steam boiler, air compressor, CIP, trade

every week, while many brands have

waste, etc) are already in place, which allows for the

now become household names. That

budget to be more focused on the capital spend. Other

success breeds extra demand, demand

than cost, these elements also require a significant

that one’s initial brewing capacity will

amount of engineering, as well as things such as

struggle and ultimately fail to meet. In fact, trying to meet

council planning, permits and approvals. Not having

demand on existing kit actually runs the risk of lowered

to go through all of that a second time around will not

standards through longer hours and reduced care. The

only impact positively on cashflow, but also on time.”

logical next step for successful breweries is expansion.

This can be a daunting step, psychologically, logistically and financially, you name it. It could involve leaving your spiritual home in order to move into a bigger one, it relies on your newly grown supply to still

Rob Fowler, sales manager at East Coast Steam, also recommends taking a look at your existing equipment to see if more can be gotten out of it.

“For a boiler or steam input, cook or brew times are important, so if your boiler is at capacity then you will

foster the necessary demand, and there will be significant costs involved. But should it all come together successfully, then brewers, investors and customers will all be better off for it.

CHOOSING THE CORRECT APPROACH Unless they intend to contract another brewery to make their additional beers, breweries can

need more area for a new boiler,

“AS WE GROW OUR CAPACITY WE HAVE ALWAYS INVESTED IN OUR CAPABILITY AT THE SAME TIME” – JAMIE COOK.

increase their brewing capacity

but if you work smarter you can get more from an existing boiler,” he says. “The infrastructure that is in place for one boiler can usually support a second boiler with small adjustments to the system; a new or from scratch set-up will need you to repeat everything again or have a mirrored system.”

Whichever route you choose to go down, Julian Sanders, managing

in three ways – expanding the existing site, moving to

director of Spark Breweries and Distilleries, believes that

a bigger site or building a second brewery. Each have

an ambitious approach is the best way to do it. One large

their advantages and drawbacks and it is important

growth (whether into another space or overflowing next

to recognise which works best for you. Staying put

door) will reduce the likelihood of having to find room

means that you need to work within the limitations of

for yet another expansion a little way down the line.

the existing or neighbouring space, but you will still be

Better to do things once and properly.

able to retain the local links and connections that have

“The incremental price of doubling a tank’s volume

brought you this far. You will also, most likely, get to

is about 25 percent, so it is much less expensive to buy

use your existing infrastructure. Moving out presents

a larger system initially than it is to grow an undersized

the challenge of building another brewery from scratch,

one later,” he explains. “Spark systems include involve

with all the costs, challenges and extra purchases

double batch fermenters and hot and cold liquor tanks for

involved. Paul Baggio, managing director of FB*PROPAK,

this reason – people are glad in their second summer. It

advocates an expansion on one’s existing site.

is well worth checking to ensure solid headroom – look

“All of the auxiliary services that people often don’t

for 25 percent in a fermenter and 40 percent for a kettle.

Spring 2019 65

BREWING EQUIPMENT

BREWING EQUIPMENT

Treat it right BUYING BREWING EQUIPMENT IS A MAJOR INVESTMENT, BUT THE WAY YOU LOOK AFTER IT AND USE IT WILL HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF BEER YOU PRODUCE AND THE LIFESPAN OF THAT KIT

M

y father was a sheep farmer in south Wales for a time and one of the things that drove him mad was the habit some farmers had of leaving their machinery – tractors, spreaders, bailers – outside in all weathers at the mercy of the elements. Farming equipment will set you back a pretty penny, but if it’s left out to rust in the Rhondda rain it will cost you even more in time

and money. The same rules apply to brewing equipment. Any piece of kit will give you better results and for longer if you use and care for it correctly.

In our Brewing Equipment Part 1 feature (issue 45) we explored what to look for when purchasing brewery equipment and setting up your brewery. In this second part, we will examine what it takes to get the most out of that kit in the subsequent years.

GETTING STARTED

ALL THE BEST BITS FROM THE ANHC (see page 74) >>> * Additional costs apply for New Zealand.

INCLUDING

Looking after your equipment begins before it has even arrived at your brewery. You might be eagerly waiting for that fully laden truck to arrive laden, but you need to

have a plan in place right from the get-go, or you will be tinkering even more than usual. Preparation is key, especially before your first brew. Your primary aim should be to get to know your brewery, and that means learning to walk before you start running or making your craziest batch.

“Good results come from continuous improvement – the process of commissioning, test brewing and production brewing can be undertaken with this mindset,” says Julian Sanders, founder of Spark Breweries and Distilleries. “Small adjustments should never finish. Although you should be prepared to dump your first batch, there is no reason that you should need to with an appropriate setup, cleaning and commissioning process. Plan for your first batch to be good, and the worst batch that you’ll ever brew.”

It is more than likely that this won’t be the first brewing equipment that you

ISSUE 47 SUMMER 2018

have used, but it is important to remember that this is the first$9.95 time (NZ you’ve PRICE $11.95) used this particular system, with all its idiosyncrasies and different requirements. It is

ALL THE BEST BITS FROM THE ANHC (see page 74) >>>

unlikely that you’ll be able to simply replicate exactly what you’ve been doing on

* Additional costs apply for New Zealand.

FRESH BLOOD

previous systems. You need to take things slowly, test them out, and work out what

INCLUDING

the equipment is telling you.

“We still don’t know if 67°C on our mash tun is 67°C, but we know the attenuation

Australia’s it will give us at the end, so it doesn’t really matter,” saysDiscover Rhys Lopez, brewer at newest breweries Otherside Brewing. “It takes a couple of batches of the same beer to really figure 36

www.beerandbrewer.com

ISSUE 47 SUMMER 2018 PRICE $9.95 (NZ $11.95)

St Andrews Brewery with FBPROPAK

SESSION BEERS

SUMMER 2018

37

Why less is more

FRESH BLOOD

BALTER’S

Discover Australia’s newest breweries

SESSION BEERS

BEST

Why less is more

BALTER’S

BEST

Scott Hargrave soars in 2019 Beer & Brewer Awards

Scott Hargrave soars in 2019 Beer & Brewer Awards ISSN 1834-5115

0 4

BEERS

TASTED

ISSN 1834-5115 9

0 4

771834 511048

WWW.BEERANDBREWER.COM

PLUS! ARE YOU USING YOUR KIT RIGHT? | HOW CANS KEEP GETTING BETTER | A PINT WITH… LAGUNITAS

BEERS

TASTED

9

771834 511048

WWW.BEERANDBREWER.COM

PLUS! ARE YOU USING YOUR KIT RIGHT? | HOW CANS KEEP GETTING BETTER | A PINT WITH… LAGUNITAS

BEER & BREWER PRINT + DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION BUNDLE Subscribe now from only $34.99 (inc GST)* Receive hard copies of our magazine delivered to your door PLUS digital editions of our magazine delivered to your inbox so you can read Beer & Brewer any time anywhere!

1 Years (4 Issues) - $34.99 2 Years (8 Issues) - $62.99 3 Years (12 Issues) - $89.99

TO SUBSCRIBE VISIT shop.beerandbrewer.com

*Rates quoted for Australian subscribers, additional costs apply for New Zealand and Rest of World.