Australian Craft Beer Guide: What Is Brewing Down under Is A Hell Of A Lot Better Than Fosters!

By Writing Community Member Bob Gorman

Good things may come from above, but good craft beer comes from “down under.” The craft beer scene began some 30 years ago in Australia, growing right under the nose of the dominating brands. Small breweries, inspired by North American businesses and ingenuity, began creating unique tastes and flavors. After recognizing the success these small breweries were having in the market, companies like Carlton and United Breweries and Lion Nathan started buying and renaming them. Universities also began offering first one week, then one year, brewing and malting courses, complete with 6hl DME brewhouses to facilitate training.

Before long, festivals and competitions had started. The Australian International Beer Awards is the second largest craft beer competition in the world, and has been a source of inspiration for smaller events like the Sydney Royal Beer Competition and the Perth Royal Beer Show. Today, craft beers are only becoming more popular. Larger breweries, now with space to spare, are renting out their extra rooms and equipment so that smaller breweries can have a chance. Below are a few of the beers and breweries that are making their names known.

Cavalier Brewing – The Cavalier Courage Beer
Run by three friends who began their success in a shed in Pascoe Vale, Cavalier Brewing now runs out of a self-designed and state-of-the-art brewery. They do a limited release beer nearly every month.

The Cavalier Courage Beer is a 4.5% ABV blonde ale, brewed with summer Saaz hops. It has a fruity and bitter taste, angled to get you through hot summers. This beer was designed in conjunction with Ian Davis to raise funds and create awareness for Motor Neuron Disease. The team even banded together to design the label for the Cavalier Courage, which features the Greek myth of Sisyphus.

Colonial Brewing Company – The Colonial Draught – Kolsch Ale Beer
Colonial Brewing Company is located in scenic Margaret River. They create their beers to have a fresh and natural taste, pairing it with their beautiful surrounding. 

The Colonial Draught – Kolsch Ale Beer is break from the traditional glass bottled beverage. Having finished their own canning machine late in 2014, Colonial Brewing Company is able to, as they say, “shield the precious contents from heat, oxygen, and light.” This beer is worth protecting, and has a distinct crispness that is preceded by a light lemony and bready flavor. 

Neighborhood Brew Brewery – Neighborhood Red Wheat Lager
Known for its distinct flavors, Neighborhood Brew is a small nano-brewery. Their Neighborhood Red Wheat Lager produces a deep amber color, darker than a typical lager. It has an inoffensive flavor and light airy head, with crispness toward the end. This lager comes with notes of sweetness and toasted malt.

Riverside Brewery – Riverside 69 Summer Ale Beer
Based in Western Sydney, Riverside Brewery creates beers that are packed with flavor and free of additives and preservatives. 

The Riverside 69 Summer Ale has bold fruity flavors and a sweet golden hue that rests under a 1 finger white head. The nose consists of tangerine, passion fruit, marmalade, pepper, and wood. It has a light taste designed to pair with summer temperatures and boasts flavors of pine needles, eucalyptus, and herbal hops. This ale is 4.6% ABV.

Murray’s Brewing Co. – The Angry Man
This brewery has been around since 2006 and proudly holds the title of Australia’s Brewer of the Year. Murray’s is 100% Australian owned and run, with much of production carried out by their brewers.

The Angry Man is a classic US Pale Ale. It has a mix of Australian, English, and German malts with a liberal serving of US Centennial and NZ Motueka hops. It is a well-balanced beer with biscuit/toffee flavors and a full body.

The best place to experiment with all these and other Australian artworks is Beer Cartel online store, a top outlet for Aussie craft beer. It’s an ideal opportunity to dive into Australian craft beer society, on the grounds that the quality and differing qualities of mixes on tap is extraordinary and enhancing by the month. 

This is an extremely energizing period, and craft beer consumers going by Australia ought to investigate the neighborhood mixes accessible. Australia has a strong and intriguing brew scene of its own, saturated with convention and development. Give it a shot!