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DECEMBER 15, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Cheers to Romsey By Jessica Micallef Ben Holmes and Shannon Wright have a thirst to bring beer back to Romsey. The Romsey residents launched their own locally-brewed beer, Daily Lager, last month in a bid to put the town back on the map for it’s beers and famous pub scene. The small country town was left without a pub for the first time in 150 years when the Romsey Hotel closed in 2017. The hotel has remained vacant since, and Ben said locals were desperate for a restored social scene.
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one of the only towns in Australia that doesn’t have a pub - Ben Holmes
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“Romsey was a town that at one stage had 18 pubs and was the stop-off point for the goldmines in Bendigo,” he said. “Romsey used to be quite a mecca for beers and breweries so it was sad when the last pub closed. The town wants something, it needs something. We are one of the only towns in Australia that doesn’t have a pub so there is certainly a demand.” Ben and Shannon set about creating Daily Lager, a “clean, crisp lager”, that is exclusive to the Macedon Ranges and regional Victoria. They have partnered with Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend to brew what they describe as a perfect beer that pays respect to Romsey. “We wanted something that sold as a daily beer, nothing special, nothing too fancy and very much an Aussie beer so the word ‘daily’ was already floating around,” Ben said. “There’s a bridge in Romsey called Daly’s Bridge and that’s where we got the imagery location which we incorporated into outr
Shannon Wright and Ben Holmes have a goal to bring beer back to Romsey. (Damjan Janevski) 223170_05
artwork. “We are also only selling to regional areas. With COVID-19, we thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just sell in the region to help people get jobs and bring people back to the area.
“We released it and within 48 hours our supply level had sold out. We didn’t expect it to sell so well but we are glad it has.” Ben and Shannon hope to one day own their own brewing company or open a pub. For
now, they’re happy to be providing locals in a town with no pub, a drink that is unique to the region. “People travel to the Yarra Valley for wine and we want to make something special about travelling to the Macedon Ranges.”
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