AS I stated in my previous article, the next few weeks of This week in Beer… will focus on the big players, and the not so big players, of Beer Day Out and the Canberra Beer Week. Beer Day Out, held at the former transport depot in Kingston on November 8 is the date when Australia’s best breweries make their way to Canberra to showcase their wares to the crafty (and in a lot of cases, not so crafty) public. One such brewery attending the festivities will be Bridge Road Brewers.
Bridge Road Brewers is one of the bigger players in the small but growing craft beer scene. More and more you can see their products invading shelves in the big bottle shops, as well as in several bars across the ACT, including the George Harcourt Inn, the Rum Bar and Honkytonks. Bridge Road Brewers is the brainchild of Australian craft beer icon Ben Kraus, who has been brewing great beer for over 10 years.
Bridge Road Brewers lays claim to being one Victoria’s premier microbreweries, brewing out of a well-manicured operation in Beechworth in the Victorian high-country. From their location in Beechworth, not only do they produce all their beer, but they also bottle and keg it on site and have a fantastic restaurant, serving up great beer matching nosh from their dedicated pizzeria.
It’s fair to say that for many, the Bling IPA is the most iconic Bridge Road Brewers drop. With a huge malty backbone, it also has a bunch of Aussie and US hops thrown in to create a wonderfully balanced beer, ideal with a spicy curry or pepperoni laden pizza.
Bridge Road Brewers are also renowned for their Beer School Hop Pack. With these, they have created four India Pale Ale style beers with identical malt characteristics, but using four different types of Australian hops, from the fruity galaxy hop (think Stone & Wood Pacific Ale) to the Little Creatures Pale Ale style Victoria’s Secret hop, as well as Ella and Summer Hops. This concept by Bridge Road Brewers really is beer school and helps drinkers decide which hops they prefer most.
In the 2013 Local Taphouse Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers, Bridge Road Brewers came through with seven beers on the list, the most out of any brewery in Australia. This included one beer in the top 10, the elusive Aurora Borealis, a 14.9% ABV barrel aged beer, made in conjunction with Norwegian brewer Nogne O.
Bridge Road Brewers will play a huge part at the Beer Day Out and understandably, their lines will no doubt be large. But I guarantee that they’ll be worth the wait. If you don’t have the time or the patience to wait for their beers however, or for some ungodly reason you won’t be at the Beer Day Out (you better have a damn good excuse), they will be part of a tap takeover for the week following Beer Day Out at Northside’s very own English style pub, the George Harcourt Inn.
To find out more information about Canberra Beer Day Out and craft beer week, check out the beer day out website at www.beerdayout.com.au
What’s impressing me?
- Beer Day Out’s lineup – I went through it in last week’s article, but breweries from Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland as well as New Zealand, USA, Belgium and UK makes for a really exciting afternoon.
- Hotel Hotel Monster Kitchen and bar – Ok, so the food was great, but I’m no food critic so don’t listen to me about that. However, I was really impressed with this venue’s small yet crafty beer list with beers by Moo Brew, Stone & Wood and several other interesting breweries.
Adrian Moran has been pouring beers for over nine years and runs a podcast devoted to craft beer
Twitter: @ausbeerjourney
Website: www.ausbeerjourney.wordpress.com
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