Our Craft Brewer Partners

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Enter the category for this item: Australian

2014 sees Experienceit introduce the first of its Australian brewers to it portfolio, and like our International range, we don't just select any beer to be added to our portfolio. We have spent a lot of time searching out exceptional beers and brewers that share our passion. Our intent has been to select only those beers that demonstrate and represent the highest quality Australia has to offer and beers that we feel compliment and ever expanding international portfolio and that deliver a true experience. Our aim is to be a full service partner to both brewers and retailers and ensure we provide you with the best possible selection to fill your shelves. Expect to see our range expand as we grow our local focus and local support for the craft beer revolution.

Our Australian Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Nomad Brewing Company

“Nomad” a member of a community of people who move from one
place to another,
A fitting name for a brewery formed by a number of partners who
are nomads in the beer community.
This new brewery has started it’s journey in the Australian craft
beer scene, and over the next 6 months you will see the evolution of
a combined dream to become an established brewer and an active
partner in the development of craft beer in Australia.

Who are Nomads?
We are a collective group of partners who have spent many years wandering
the globe in search of, or making great beers. Aussie’s and Italians, a combination
of shared passions and complimenting skills that come together to
establish a solid brand and to deliver what we hope will be a unique and engaging
experience for the Australian drinkers. The Aussie hop heads at Experience
it Johnny and Kerrie, have joined forces with Leonardo Di Vincenzo,
the master behind Italy’s leading craft brewery, Birra Del Borgo, and Paolo
Bertani, to create “Nomad Brewery”.
Nomad is not about Di Vincenzo brewing his Birra Del Borgo beers in Australia.
Nomad will have its own identity, own head brewer, and own unique beers that
will combine Leo’s sensory experiences of Australia and his wealth of brewing
expertise to create beer that are sure to excite the Australian beer drinker.
PRESS//RELEASE

The journey so far...
Our journey started many months ago when an “off the cuff” comment turned
into a real idea. Leo’s new-found love for Australia and our combined desire
to become involved in the emerging craft beer scene turned these comments
into reality.
Reality is we now have our brewery venue established on Sydney’s Northern
Beaches (Brookvale) and our brand new brewhouse is due to land and be installed
in March.
Our head brewer Brooks Caretta has joined the group having spent many
years wandering the globe in true Nomad style, working as the head brewer
first for the Birreria project at Eataly New York and more recently (2012) for
the opening of the same project at Eataly Rome.
The journey for us has just begun, but as any good nomad we look forward to
the adventures the future has in store and the long journey ahead.

In the coming months we plan to establish a unique community program that
will allow other Nomad’s to join us on our adventures by becoming a Nomad
member, and offering unique opportunities to get involved with our journey.
Stay tuned for further details.

Website: Nomads brewing Company

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Blackman’s

TBA

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Doctors Orders

The Doctor is in the house, and he says, enjoy great beer!. One of our favourite Australian brewers, graces our range with his amazing selection of unique beers. Each month something new, and each month better than the last. Look out for his regular monthly offerings through the Trade Zone.

Doctor’s Orders Brewing is all about special thought provoking and inspirational beers released seasonally, with availability across Australia currently on draft (including growler fills at specialty liquor stores) and 500mL bottles. The ethos is simple, produce beers that are intriguing based on emerging, historical and/or rare styles often with a twist but always with balance that enables you to have more than one.

Our mid seasonal beers are smaller draft only batch brews designed to be much bolder in flavour and style. They are only available at our regular craftier venues and when the keg(s) empty it’s gone.

Doctor’s Orders is affectionately referred to as a cuckoo brewer. The analogy with a cuckoo is that we don’t have our own brewery (cuckoos take over other birds nests to lay their eggs). We take over our mates breweries to personally produce our beers. We also personally develop, market and sell each beer.

Currently we are brewing out of four Sydney breweries; the Australian Brewery (Rouse Hill), Rocks Brewing (Alexandria), Young Henry’s (Newtown) and Nomad Brewing Co (Brookvale).

Enter the category for this item: Danish

There is more than one great Danish brewer! In our never ending quest for great International craft beer we are very proud to add to our range a fantastic brewer that for years has been closely associated with Mikkeller (and still is). From 2013 our aim is to bring this brewer out from the shadow of Mikkeller and give it a life of its own in Australia.

Our Danish Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: To Øl …. "Two beers"

The story In 2005 Tobias Emil Jensen and Tore Gynther were sitting at their old college talking to their teacher Mikkel Borg Bjergsø (Mikkeller) about it being a shame, that most Danish breweries was scrambling to describe how their beers had been brewed for over 100 years, rather than focusing on the actual taste and content of the beer (as if a stale lager ever has become less nauseous by the fact that it has been brewed for over 100 years!?) The three of them agreed that the only way to ensure the quality was to brew the beers themselves. So they did. Soon they were allowed to borrow the schools’ kitchen during the schools’ closing hours and they began to brew. This meant however that most of the brews were made between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am on weekdays, which resulted in some hard school days for both the two pupils and their teacher, but the hunt for quality and potent beers had begun and a concept of never making compromises with the quality was founded.
Later Mikkel started the brewery Mikkeller, which has garnered wide international recognition, while Tobias and Tore continued to craft brew until they in 2010 found that their brewery To Øl (Danish for Two Beers) was now ripe to make its first commercial brew. The word spread fast and as Mikkel heard his old students plans, he insisted on making a collaborative brew between Mikkeller and To Øl, which became the first beer to release from To Øl – Overall IIPA. Ever since then To Øl has continued to brew beers that pushes the boundaries of beers. The approach is to always use the best raw materials, never make compromises with the taste, don’t follow fashion or certain styles and always have an open mind.
Despite the short lifetime of To Øl, the brewery has already gained a huge amount of positive attention in craft beer societies around the world for their non-compromises made with the quality brewing style, and they are now exporting to over 20 different countries including Chile, Mexico, USA, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, France, UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Australia.
The Brewery Let’s get this straight – They are what’s called a gypsy brewery (or Pirate/Nomad/Contract/Gold Digger Brewery). This means that we don’t own our own brewing equipment, but brew at other breweries instead. We do this because we think it is the absolute best way to ensure the highest quality, the widest variety and continually being able to reinvent ourself and the beers we brew. At the same time it is a way to make brewing social. Instead of turning grey by the fermenters, we want to meet and talk to people all around the world. We are gypsies and we are proud of it.
So in short: If you want to visit our brewery, then it is not because they are un-polite snobs that they say no.
The beer To Øl wishes to make potent beers, packed with flavour and character. Beer, which you do not forget easily (unless you just had too many). We make beers with an edge and with a drive and prefers quality way before quantity. We love session beers, we love complex beasty beers. In short, we want to make the best beers in the world. Period.
The Vision When they started the brewery, they took some time to emphasise the main visions for the brewery. They simplified the brewery this way – They want to:
Give beer some youth – They don’t want to hear about hundred year old breweries. Age only withers; it does not improve the recipe. They are not attempting to copy old beer from old breweries, instead they do contemporary beer and believe that you are never better than your last brew. They would instantly trash a beer if it turned obsolete or blunt. Meanwhile the general beverage for young people is syrup-sweet fruit alcohol beverages and apparently they add the ingredient “ice cold” to the beer. No! – They believe that young people want a good potent beer (At least they do…)
Stay away from supermarkets – If being in a supermarket means, that they have to make compromises with the quality of the ingredients that they use, then they rather stop brewing beers. Have a drive and edge – Their goal is to provoke and push the boundaries for the very perception of beer. Meanwhile they just want to have fun doing it. They never forget that they are making beer and not politics!
Let the beer carry the message – but it’s fun to provoke, inspire and communicate through different kinds of media. But in the end, the quality of the beer should be the best story, nothing else.

Available from Jan 2013. Pre-orders coming soon!

Tore & Tobias. Owners, brew masters, artists, gypsy's and just a little crazy!

Not your average brewers!, Expect something a little left of centre!

Enter the category for this item: English

While our focus is and always will be beers from our adopted home of Italy, we also have a passion for good quality beers from around the world, and over the next 12 months aim to expand our international ale offerings, to include the best examples of craft beer from other international markets. Like our Italian range, delivered to you in the best condition and with the respect they deserve! And yes we know English beers can be boring and lacking in taste with old daggy bottles, but as we have found thats not always the case (taste that is :-))..Our first 2 English offerings are 2 excellent examples and highly rated craft brewers that have set a standard that puts them on par with other international offerings

Our English Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Moor Beer Company

So what do you get when you put a Californian in the UK looking for a life change? Moor beer speaks for itself, with a great blending of English traditions and international styles plus an attitude that matches our own passion. I know your asking California to UK…why? well you can ask him that question :)
These are anything but traditional ales. Lots of taste, lots of flavour and a refreshing change to the standard traditional styles that so many brewers focus on in the UK.
Started in 1996 on a former dairy farm in the Levels and Moors area of Somerset. Brewing started originally on a 5 barrel plant, with beers designed to reflect the local heritage. They gained in popularity and began to notch up quite a few awards. One of our most celebrated beer, Old Freddy Walker, went on to win CAMRA’s Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 2004. Other beers, such as Revival and JJJ IPA, continue to win regular awards at SIBA and CAMRA beer festivals.
The brewery became a bit of a victim of its own success and temporarily contracted out brewing. In January 2007 the brewery was relaunched and expanded to 10 barrels when Justin and Maryann Hawke took over the company. They worked (and continue to work!) tirelessly with their small team to restore the reputation of the brewery to the status it richly deserves. With award winning branding, some of the highest rated beers in the world, and huge international demand, the brewery was expanded again in 2011 to a 20 UK barrel brew length, and a bottling line was installed.
Although lacking a West Country or pommie accent, Justin brings a passion for beer and the local area, as well as a tendency towards fusing the wonders of real ale with the aggressively flavoured beers of his native California, creating his own unique and sort after style. Since taking over brewing, Justin has radically improved the quality and flavour of the old beers while adding many new beers to the core range and producing a number of interesting speciality beers, (including the very hard to get JJJ triple IPA which we are determined to get down under). His reputation and awards have grown rapidly, resulting in Moor Beer now being regarded as one of the top breweries in the UK.

Justin and the companies passion!
Moor Beer Company brings you something different – a company dedicated to quality products, service to the community and social responsibility. They are not publicly traded and leave their accountability to the people that matter – Their customers, employees, suppliers and families. We are this very proud at Experienceit to have been lucky enough to secure this great range of beers and finally introduce them to the Australian craft drinker.
They strive to produce strongly flavoured beers of exceptional character. All the beers are brewed using only natural ingredients. They put a lot into the beers by using the finest malt, hops, yeast and water – but don’t take anything out. All the beers are unfiltered so they retain the yeast that is so vital to producing exceptional flavour, as well as providing vitamins. They are also the leaders of Britain’s unfined ‘natural’ beer movement (see details on their web page)

YOU SHOULD NEVER DRINK ALONE ! - Beer is to be shared and as such Moor has even sourced a special 660ml bottle (with great labels) for exactly that reason. 1 bottle between 2, perfect ! "so drink Moor Beer"
Range will be released available in 660ml and 30 litre Ecokegs (product details to follow)

Available in our core range

Johnny & Justin

Capo "BB" - Kerrie :-)

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Thornbridge

Thornbridge branded beers were first brewed in early 2005 after the establishment of a 10 barrel brewery in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall.
Our initial focus was on a range of cask beers that used traditional recipes but provided a modern twist through the use of a wide range of hops, malts and the innovation and passion of the brewing team. After winning a succession of awards ( we have now won over 350 national and international awards) a new, state of the art, brewery and bottling line was opened at Bakewell in September 2009 to meet with demand and increase our range
of beers.

From the beginning at Thornbridge we knew that excellence and quality of process and product would be paramount to our success and delighting drinkers. Our vision was to create beers that would make us one of the leading new breweries in the UK. The adoption of the Innovation, Passion and Knowledge strap line for the brewery was a statement of our brewery’s culture about how we would approach our day to day business.

Thornbridge now operates from two brewery sites.

Our original Hall brewery highlights the traditional infusion mash ale system whereas the contemporary Riverside in Bakewell highlights our ability to innovate through technology. The Hall is about experimentation and barrel-ageing and creating premium bottled products. Riverside is innovation, allowing us to attain perfection through fantastic brewing, quality control and packaging of our beers in cask, keg and bottle.

We enjoy making our beers and have a lot of fun doing so. We do hope you enjoy drinking them!

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Buxton Brewery

Like most of our beer adventures and selections for our range, they start with a tasting, and this one thanks to our English Uncle. We often head to England for the traditional Christmas with family. It's at these family Christmas events that we are often introduced to some of the real local pleasures of the UK. The first was our Uncle re-introducing Johnny to Scotch of the 20 year old variety, and the 2nd was great beer, or Real Ale. This uncle knew Johnny loved craft beer so his Christmas present last year was a box of Real Ales. In that box was Buxton, So from that present and the first tasting, Johnny had a mission, to get Buxton into the Roman Empire.

Widely recognised as one of the most innovative and exciting craft breweries in the UK, Buxton Brewery began brewing in 2010 and is based in the famous Spa town in Derbyshire’s Peak District, establishing itself as world-class craft brewery with a growing reputation for producing flavourful, aromatic and high quality craft beers.
The brewery produces batches of around 800 litres of beer at a time, with a capacity of 45 barrels per week, and has a portfolio of seventeen distinct core beers, and a broad range of seasonal and special reserve beers. They have also just announced their first ever collaboration brew with Liberty Brewing Company from NZ, to be released in 2013. The beers range from their tasty and aromatic 3.6% Pale Ale, ‘Moor Top’ all the way up to their sublime 9.5% Russian Imperial Stout ‘Tsar’. The brewers’ favourite style is India Pale Ale, of which they brew five variations, and if you follow Rate Beer you'll see that they don't get much better than these, with all of them rated in the 90's with most above 98. We've tried a broad selection of them and can assure you these beers are extremely good, bursting with flavour, and will not disappoint!
This will be the first time the beers have officially made it to Oz and we aim to bring a mix of both Kegs and Bottles. Availability is not huge so we are working closely with Buxton to get the best mix of product in our first shipment. All going to plan Buxton will be hitting our shores in March 2013.

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Magic Rock

Ever since we shifted our focus from pure Italian to International craft beers, we have been chasing Magic Rock to secure their beers for Australia. Rated as one of the leading brewers consistently in the UK it was not easy to convince them. The guys are all great and Richard the driving force has an obvious passion for his product and for the end consumer.
Richard has made a decision not to export his beers outside of Europe as he wants his fans to enjoy the beer as fresh as possible and he was not happy with the long journey to the colonies :-). We respect this and understand the reasons why, but!
There was an exception. Black beers which are not reliant on hops for their flavours and which are designed to be aged. So we persisted.
It took a flight to Barcelona Beer festival in Spain to cross paths with Richard, listen to him speak, have a few beers and then convince him to let us play with his dark beers. By the end of the day we had worn him down ;-) and I think just to get rid of me he said yes. Pays to be an annoying Aussie some times :-)

So from late July Australia will finally get to sample a range of Magic Rock dark beers from draught. All amazing beers and all rated well into the 90's on rate beer. This is not second prize!, this is first prize for winter drinking and we are delighted to be given the chance to partner with a true brewing legend from England.

So more about the brewery…
Magic Rock Brewing Co. is the result of three peoples passion for beer. Brothers Richard and Jonny Burhouse* aided by head brewer Stuart Ross were inspired to start the brewery by their love of great beer and the burgeoning U.S craft beer scene in particular. Driven by a desire to bring exciting characterful beers to their local market and beyond, brewing commenced mid 2011. *Jonny sold the majority of his shareholding to Richard in late 2011. Initial reaction to the beers exceeded expectations and a fantastic first 6 months culminated in the brewery being named ’2nd best new brewery in the world 2012′ on the independent ratings site Rate Beer. To meet demand capacity was increased twice in the first year with additional 16bbl fermenting vessels added in October 2011 and again in January 2012.
Due to the strength of demand for keg products from both home and abroad two 6bbl conditioning tanks were also modified to meet demand. Two more 16bbl dual fermenting/conditioning tanks were added early 2013 to take total weekly production to around 45bbl a week.
Scott Calverley joined the brewery as assistant brewer in October 2011, Nigel Gledhill as drayman in
April 2012 and Giada Maria Simioni as assistant brewer/quality control in November 2012.
At Magic Rock they are committed to making a full range of modern, flavourful, hop forward & ‘big’ beers using the best available ingredients and techniques for drinkers unwilling to compromise on flavour. This uncompromising attitude runs through all their beers, where they seek flavour and complexity whilst striving for balance and drink-ability.
They intend to deliver a taste experience to their customers which is magically removed from the mundane. To excite and enthrall and to educate people to the flavour possibilities of beer. They understand that you don’t have time for bland, flavourless beers because neither have we.
Their beers are available in cask and keg because they think that different dispense suits different beers. They also bottle their beers because they like drinking them at home.

They make beer the same but different, conjured for flavour; beer which will inspire and delight but above all taste great.
about_us

Stuart, Richard & Johnny in Barcelona

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Beavertown

Beavertown

Another brewery to make the Rate Beer 2013 best new brewers awards and this time from the heart of London. We've been speaking to Beavertown for some time and made the trip over the pond to visit and spend some time with the boys from this very edgy and very cool new brewery literally setup in a kitchen. We visited them 3 weeks before the new brewery opened so got to see there original kitchen brewery and storage area. Brewing at its best using the material and ingredients you have available to you on a small scale that allows for great experimentation.

We love it when you can also attach some great stories to beer. Logan was introduced to beer by his dad while being dragged around English pubs when he was young following his dad after work. The experience rubbed off and his love of beer was born and after trying his had in a band he decided he wanted to follow his passion for beer and joined forces with another passionate beer lover from the US.

Beavertown was set up in December 2011 by Logan Plant and Byron Knight in the kitchen of Duke's Brew and Que, in De Beauvoir, Hackney, London. The brew house, situated opposite the two Smokers of the BBQ restaurant, runs at 4BBL per brew (650 litres - 1150 pints).

BEAVERTOWN WAS THE OLD COCKNEY NAME GIVEN TO THE HISTORIC DE BEAUVOIR AREA, FAMED ACROSS VICTORIAN LONDON FOR ITS RICH CHARACTERS AND INFINITE REVELRY.

Brewing is at Beavertowns original brewery was not as simple straight forward as you'd imaging. They brewed the beer on site at Duke's opposite the Smokers (right in the kitchen of the restaurant), pass it through the Para-flow in the cellar, up into the back of the Beaver Wagon and into a 1000Ltr sanitized Bag. Schlep the wort across De Beauvoir to our all Fermenting, bottling, kegging and casking "Lock-Up" where they pitch the yeast, sit back and crack a brew. It's a pretty normal brew day.....right?!?

If your ever in London a visit to Dukes and the potential to meet the guys behind Beavertown and try the beers is a must. Just ask Tin Tin?

Excepted to be available around August

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Siren

Yet another recommendation and another trip across the pond to visit what we feel are the worlds best brewers. The Boys at Magic Rock recommended Siren well before they got awarded their Best New Brewer award, and it was this recommendation that lead to a road trip that would lead us to not only securing Siren, but 4 oner Great UK brewers. The trip was worth it to sample some amazing fresh beers that are helping push the UK back to the top of the craft beer tree.

About Siren:
Great beer is such a diverse landscape, whether it is encapsulating the best a pale ale or light refreshing pilsner can be, or experimenting with high alcohol flavours trying to capture something new, balanced and drinkable, there is something for everyone, every mood, every day.
Our desire is to constantly discover ways to excite curiosity and share our knowledge of our craft. In so doing we believe that beer can be enjoyed in the same way as wine drinkers enjoy the finest wines

To us at Siren, we see great beer as many see fine wines. In a great beer there is Allure – something that draws you in, is it the aroma? the look? Or just the thought about what awaits in that sparkling glass in front of you. Siren Craft Brew want you to look at beer in the same way. Yes it can be that perfect thirst quencher on a hot summers days, yes it can be the perfect drink to mark the end of a busy week. But look closer, smell closer, there is more. Much more.

To make the finest beers it makes sense to use the best ingredients possible. To us it also makes sense to craft the recipe around the flavour, aroma and taste we want. – Our beers can have 8 times the ingredients of mass produced beer, but to us its worth it. Take our Breakfast Stout for instance, we felt that to get the complexity of flavour we were looking for we needed to work with a specialist in their field to pick the right coffee, the right quantity and used in the right way. In this endeavour the cost of our coffee costs more than many breweries spend on hops in a hoppy beer. But is it worth it…absolutely

To build an artisanal product you have to approach it in the right way. Every stage in the brewing process is carefully thought through to ensure that we get the product we want at the end. The brewing process hasn’t changed in hundreds of years, but as industrialisation has sped many things up, to us we take things slower. The beer will be ready when its ready, not because it needs to get out of the door.

Well that’s for you to tell us, and certainly the feedback has been excellent. We aim to make beers that are enjoyable, cover a wide range of needs from being accessible to the truly unique and occassionaly challenging, but each has a purpose, personality and ultimately draws you in to want to try more.

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Weird Beard

Voted as one of the top new brewers in the world for 2013 by Rate Beer, it was a real treat to meet the crew behind the beard and taste the beers, and even more of a delight to find they wanted to work with us. So we are growing our beards, and stock is ordered and this great brewer will be hitting Oz shores from June 2014

"No gimmicks, no crap and never knowingly under hopped. Just great hand-crafted beer brewed in West London"

WHO ARE WEIRD BEARD BREW CO.
Weird Beard Brew Co are two award-winning homebrewers wanting to take their passion for drinking and creating great hand-crafted beers out of the kitchen and beyond the garage.

After winning prizes in homebrew competitions at both the local and national level, coupled with great feedback from fellow beer geeks, Gregg and Bryan made the decision to take this passion to the next level and go pro.

No gimmicks, no crap and never knowingly under hopped. Just great hand-crafted beer brewed in West London with the best ingredients, knowledge, and respect for process, and a little insanity.

But why stop there? We don’t believe in being stereotyped. We love upfront in-your-face hop focused beers, but are we only going to brew these? Hell no! We love beer, and we will brew whatever we want, whenever it suits us.

At Weird Beard we aim to continue making experimental, no-holds-barred beers that we feel excited about and we want to drink.

Inspired by the American and burgeoning British craft beer movement, along with great music, exquisite food, epic beards, and the outstanding beer community in our hometown of London, Weird Beard Brew Co will not compromise on anything to bring the best flavours to the beer, whether it is the roasted specialty grains in a stout or the newest hops in an IPA. We create beers that push the boundaries of style, forcing the consumer to stop and think about the drink in front of them, to confront the misconceptions of what ale and beer should or can be, and who drinks it?

And before you ask, yes, Gregg and Bryan do sport some very impressive facial hair. Here at Weird Beard Brew Co we are all about the beards, but not so much the sandals. We are passionate about good beer, no matter where it comes from or how it is dispensed. You will find us in bottle shops, on cask in real ale pubs and in the best London beer bars on keg.

Weird Beard Brew Co is a full on, no compromise brewery, brewing great tasting and genre-busting beers...hold on to your taste buds and come along for the ride!

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Burning Sky

Another Magic Rock recommendation and another stop on our Roadtrip. Talk about farm house, well it does not get much more farm than this place, and under the direction of a true brewing master with a long history at Dark Star and you have a fantastic venue to create fantastic beers with a great brewer

Burning Sky Brewery was conceived and set up by Mark as a long term project and my last brewery build (hopefully). Tom was onboard from an early stage, helping with trial brews. Paula joined when we had some beer to sell & does the sensible stuff.
Here, nestled at the base of the South Downs in an old Sussex Barn that has been refurbished to a high standard, we can let our imaginations run wild. The landscape and provenance of our location was a major factor in the brewery’s set up.
The crux of the brewery is to brew the beers that excite us, without compromise in terms of ingredient costs and time – that all too often overlooked ingredient in beer. Whether it’s a fresh hoppy pale, or a oak aged beer – they are all considered and cared for beers that we want to drink.
We have started work on an extensive ageing program – not tempted by short cuts, we are far more interested in tradition and the slow-working yeasts that bring complexities and depths of flavour to the beers. It is not envisaged that the full extent of Burning Sky will be apparent for another 2 or 3 years, when these slow beers are ready and we can fully embark on our blending schedule.
Currently we have the ability to be ageing up to 14,500 litres of beer in a mixture of 225 litre oak barriques & 2500 litre oak foudres. The character of each barrel and beer will develop over time leading us on an exciting journey, where the beer guides us and we work with it, learning from it.

Enter the category for this item: Wales

What on earth do the Welsh know about craft brewing you might say!, never had a Welsh craft beer?, well your missing out! We love a bit of cross boarder rivalry like Qld and NSW and Australia and our other unknown state NZ, and now Wales verse England, bring it on we say. Our aim is to find the best beers no matter from what country and give the the same attention to detail and respect that we give all our beers. In our ongoing research we are discovering a new revolution taking place in Wales. So try for yourself.

Our Welsh Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Tiny Rebel

Tiny Rebel

The best part about our job is the constant hunt for the perfect beer "Big Wednesday".. Our research takes all around the world sampling and searching reference sites for new and exciting brews. Recently we came across Tiny Rebel. Now Wales is not known as a classic brewing country in itself but like other European countries it is experiencing a revolution in beer.
In the 2012 Rate Beer awards Tiny Rebel was awarded one of the best new brewers in the world and best in Wales. On further research we found a very edgy brand with a great line-up of classic American style beers brewed with Welsh passion, and a family affair.

In their own words:

"Every true visionary was a Rebel. Rebels make things happen, they make things change"
At Tiny Rebel they are no different. Producing both retro and modern beers that are full of rebellion.

Brewing is their passion and they aim to constantly experiment and innovate with a purpose and a clear vision.

They feel they have a little more imagination that most and are not afraid to use it and show it in their beers.

So rebel and "defy your senses, rebel against yourself"

Available from June 2013. Pre-orders coming soon! (kegs only)

Enter the category for this item: Italian

Our core focus and hence our name started as Italian and has expanded from that passion. Unbeknown to most people Italy has a rapidly growing and high quality craft brew industry, which has created its own unique style through blending global styles and local traditions. What makes Italian craft brew especially good is the quality of the ingredients (alpine water and the use of fresh local ingredients in unique beers) and the passion that goes into the production. As a guide to the quality of the beer and Italians lust for quality, most of the 750ml bottles will sell for more than a good bottle of wine, retailing for between €10 and €14 per bottle. ($13-$18) and in Australian current equivalent craft beers from Italy retail for $28-$30+

While you will see and hear familiar terms like Belgium or German style ales, IPA, Lager etc, we can guarantee the beers we have selected have all put their own unique style to the old traditions and created a truly Italian beer for all to enjoy.

Described by many as only second to the Americans when it comes to cutting edge beers, the Italians really deliver a high quality product full of that great Italian passion. If you love beer then your missing something if you've never had a true Italian craft!

Our Italian Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Birra Del Borgo

We are very excited to be introducing to Australia what is arguably Italy’s premier craft brewery “Birra Del Borgo”. Literally translated “Beer of the village”. Situated in the Lazio region of Italy in a small town called Borgorose roughly 1 hour from Rome. A member of the Slow Food organization, and followers of their principles to good food production. Started in 2005 by owner and now brewing legend Leonardo Di Vincenzo, it has quickly developed into Italy’s premium craft brewery, known for its fantastic range of diverse beers. If Italian brewing had a royal family, then Leo the master behind Birra Del Borgo, would be the king.

Along with the likes of Baladin from the Piemonte, the 2 have pioneered and led the booming craft beer movement, establishing themselves as the leaders and local legends in beer development, through exploring new styles and creating their own trends. Both pride themselves on blending traditional styles like Belgium Ales, IPA’s, etc. with their own experimental approach to creating new sensations and using fresh local ingredients to heighten the flavor and deliver a truly unique Italian beer. In the recent 2011 Slow Food Beer guide Birra Del Borgo’s lowest rated beer achieved a 4 star rating while it collected the highest rating for 6 of its beers, unbeaten by any other brewery.

Expect to see a constantly changing range of seasonal and experimental beers, plus collaborations with brewing Rockstars from the US (Dogfish Head) and the UK (Brew dogs) and many others.

Their monthly Bizzaro beer release has also proven to be one of our most popular monthly additions with customers pre-ordering most of the stock each month before it arrives. Keep an eye on our web-site for details.

Our lead brewer and one of our best, expect to be satisfied!

Website

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Lambrate

There title banner above says it all. started as one of Italy's original brewpubs and real brewing legends on the Italian craft beer scene. Unlike many other brewers in Italy Lambrate has remained focused purely on its home market and area of Milano with very little international distribution. They price themselves on the connection with their drinker and their brewpub is famous across Italy for its atmosphere and the great beers.

We've been talking to Lambrate for over 12 months and finally as of 2013 the beers will start to flow. Initially in limited bottle supplies to be followed by draught alter 2013. A very exciting and very edgy addition to our range which will bring back many a memory for the Aussie tourist that has sampled these beers in Milan

History - In 1996 when the first beer was drawn in Lambrate Brewery there were 3 business partners. They produced 2 beers using the brewing system of 150 l and the pub was open every other day. Today there are 5 business partners and dozens of people working there, 18 beers brewed and the equipments with the output capacity of 2000 l per batch. Everyone of their top staff members: Alessandra, Fabio, Paolo, Davide and Giampaolo has their own mission to accomplish in the Brewpub – in the office, in the kitchen, in the pub and in the brewery. Lambrate Brewery is recognised as a national reference point: the quality of beers is impeccable, the high level cuisine goes way beyond a standard pub, the way clients are served makes everyone come back and wait for a perfect draught beer. The success of the brewery, apart from the Pub, lies in the fact that the most part of the produced beer is bottled and sold to other pubs, in both, bottles and kegs. The passion and eagerness of this group will take you to a new and unforgettable experience.

In Lambrate Brewery they have always produced raw, unpasteurized and preservative-free beers. What makes them so special and what gives them an original taste and personality are not only the best quality ingredients we use that is water, malt, hops, yeast, but also an awful lot of passion, attention and creativity. The love for beer, willingness to experiment and determination have led us to create new recipes, discover new blends and consequently to improve the quality of our beer year after year. It was not simply by chance that the part of Milan, Lambrate quarter, has become our base and a starting point for our careers. "We were born here, we grew up in an atmosphere of a close and true relationship with our territory and thanks to the Brewery we have asserted ourselves". This type of closeness makes us also believe in the importance and authenticity of direct relationships between a producer and a buyer; in Lambrate Brewery we use a simplified supply chain so that anybody who wants to acquire our beer can come directly to us and cut out the middleman.

If you ever visit Italy and Rome please make sure Lambrate's brewpub is on your to-do list.

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Brewery - Brewfist

An exciting new brewery started by a bunch of young guys with a passion for beer. Located between Parma and Milan in the small town of Codogno. Pietro one of the leading players, cut his their teeth working for the legendary Fullers in the UK, Returning home to Italy a number of years ago to follow his passion for the amber liquid and to help in the drive to create a new Italian craft beer revolution. With Andrea his partner a passionate brewer that worked with Pietro at another brewery before launching out on their own, they have set a high standard that delivers a unique and satisfying drinking experience.
They have managed to deliver their own unique style to the Italian craft brewing scene and in just over 2 years of operations have already developed a collaboration beer "Caterpillar with legendary gypsy brewer "Beer Here".

Their slogan "More beer, more people" gives you a hint to their focus and passion combined with edgy artwork and bottle graphics make this both a real pleasure to drink and a highly attractive product to grace any bar fridge or shop shelf.

If starting and running a brewery is not enough, in March 2012, they opened their now brew pub and they have a number of new brews in the pipeline so we are expecting big things from

Website

24k - Golden Ale 4.6%
Burocracy - India Pale Ale 6%
Fear - Milk Chocolate Stout 5.2%
Jale - Extra Special Bitter 5.6%
Spaceman - India Pale Ale - 7%
Caterpillar - American Pale Ale 5.8% (Gypsy Brew in collaboration with "Beer Here"

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Birrificio Del Ducato

Beginning in 2007, Ducato Microbrewery is today one of Italy's most awarded Italian breweries. It is located in Roncole Verdi, a small village in the Parma region, birth place of the world renowned composer Giuseppe Verdi and also home land of the famed Parma ham (Prosciutto) and fizzy wines such as Lambrusco and Malvasia. A land portraying a history of daily sacrifices and great passion. Holding a BA in Food Science and Technology and a past as home brewer, Giovanni Campari is the radical and visionary Brewmaster. Manuel Piccoli is the brewery’s executive entrepreneurial mind with a precise vision for growth and development. Thanks to their skills and commitment, Ducato performance in national and international beer awards speaks for itself to the quality of their product. It is currently exporting more than 15% of its production to the US, Canada, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Japan, seeing a 80% constant growth rate in its total annual volume of business. And now G'day down under!
As a leading figure in the Italian craft brewers association Giovanni is sure to be a partner that will help develop a strong brand in Australia.

Awards include:
In 2008 Verdi Imperial Stout ranked first at the “European Beer Start” in Germany marking the first time in history an Italian artisan beer has ever won an international contest.
In 2009, Nuova Mattina (the American version of New Morning) was listed as one of the world’s top 25 beers in both “Draft” and “The Wine Enthusiast” magazines.
In 2010, VIA EMILIA won the silver medal at the “World Beer Cup”, the world’s most renowned beer competition held in the USA biannually. Also, The International Beer Challenge in London awarded the Black Jack Verdi Imperial Stout with 2 gold medals. Sally Brown “Baracco” won 2 silver and a bronze. Although it had only been 3 years since production first began, all Ducato’s beers received awards.

In Italy they were crowned “Brewery of the year 2010” and went on winning 4 medals, with VIA EMILA receiving a gold at the European Beer Star in Nurnberg, Germany.
In 2011 Ducato was once again crowned “Brewery of the Year” being the first brewery ever to be awarded twice in a row in Italy. It also won 7 medals at the European Beer Star's with Beersel Morning and Sally Brown receiving a gold award each.

So watch out for this range on pre-sale for August and experience first hand the quality and style of Ducato!

Enter the name for this tabbed section: LoverBeer

Loverbeer was a brewery we had known for a while and to be honest had overlooked a number of times. In the early days sour beers did not excite us but the more we became involved in the industry and the more our tastes evolved the more our interest in sour beers grew.
Loverbeer is actually the last name of head brewer "lover" (great name). They are known across Italy and Europe as a master brewer of small batch sour beers that follow tradition and give the Belgium's a run for their money. A small scale brewer with lots of passion and an attention to detail that few others can master. With a beautiful selection of beers that really highlight the best of their styles and show the diverse nature of the evolving Italian beer scene.

So the Story goes:
Legend has it that in a faraway place, in a time which now has no memory, a young monaco Trappist managed to escape the siege of the monastery where he had lived ever since. He wandered the lands and countries hitherto unknown to him, and along the way he came upon a comely maiden who joined him on the journey.

One night the monaco saw in a dream his grandfather - "Take with you the girl," she said, "and make it your bride. I entrust you for life. "

Upon awakening, interpreting that dream as a divine message, the young man decided without hesitation to abandon the habit and marry the girl.

After a long wandering the two decided to settle in a small village in the region of Calvados and the people there, intrigued, asked them who they were and where they came from.

The young man said he had been a laborer, and so took the name of The ouvrier that in his native language meant precisely the worker. But he decided to devote the rest of his life to do something that gave him immense satisfaction: beer.

Many years later, one of his descendants had to flee again from the latest war and moved to Italy, in the beautiful hills of Roero, where his surname was Italianate in Loverier.

A few generations later, here I LoverBeer are to pick up the long brewing heritage ...

Their love for beer originated at the beginning of the new millennium when, as a birthday gift, he received his first fermenter. From now on he became a drinker more alert and began to experiment in the art homebrewing.

To his great satisfaction the experiments produced at home gathered broad consensus, not just among friends and occasional consumers but also among industry experts. A few years later Kuaska, considered the most experienced Italian and Belgian reviewer for years and careful promoter of Italian craft beer in the world, she called him one of the best Italian homebrewers, encouraging Lover to enter the professional world.

"All this food is my passion, to the point that I decided to turn this activity into a trade, while remaining true to what in recent years has characterized my beers: the search for a quality product that will combine the tradition of the most authentic beer styles with the land where I was born and lived."

Experience sour beer Italian style!

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Ducato

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Extraomnes

We came across these guys at one of the regular Milano craft beer festival and from the first sip we got hooked, with a particularly good coffee stout called “Donker”. They went on to win best beer at show for their "Zest" beer. With a line up of beers that is exceptional with not one disappointing us during our tasting sessions. We expect to see and hear more from these guys as they get known, and we aim to help their cause and have quickly added them to our range. Situated in the North of Italy in the Lombardia, up past Malpensa Airport on the way to the lakes. Simply put, they love beer. They hold great respect for global traditions and style and have embraced all that the global world of craft can offer. Taking global styles and blending them with local traditions and their own passion to create a style of beer that is a standout amongst beers. With a head brewer nick named Skiggy (don’t ask) and their tag line "Need More Dog" basically says it all (if you’re a Simpsons fan you should understand ), they have an edge and a style that will take these guys to the top of the tree and we are very pleased that we have the opportunity to help develop this business from the ground level. You’ll be amazed at the amazing flavours they have created through no additional additives, except for the coffee stout which has been created using fresh coffee, care of their owner which also has a major coffee roasting business. Its not the cheapest range in our selection but its is worth a try and it delivers unique beers and a very pleasurable experience. Not to be missed!
Website

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Opperbacco

When Leo from Birra Del Borgo recommends a beer, you take notice. So on one trip to the BdB brewery we asked for his recommendations on new beers, and without hesitation he said "Opperbacco". Then during Birra Del Borgo's birthday celebration party we had the chance to meet the brewer behind Opperbacco, Luigi Recchiuti, and grab some samples, the result wow, we have to have them in our range!

Forget set styles, forget rigid tradition, forget bland….this brewery breaks all the rules and delivers what is an exceptional range of very drinkable and very unique beers. Blending Saison's with IPA's, Tiple's with IPA's, super hopped 400+ IBU beers, and more. We are still trying to find a beer we don't like in their range. To top this off their packaging is awesome with textured labels, names like "tripping flowers", stylish bottles in both 330ml and 750ml format and you have both a beer with a fantastic taste and an attractive consumer appeal.

We talk passion throughout our entire website, but Luigi truly demonstrates that in his approach and his beers. With a degree in agricultural science and part of the faculty of the University of Bologna. He wanted to find an avenue to express his passion for sciences and creativity. Something that would allow to express himself and reach as many people as possible. The solution, setup your own micro brewery, starting with small micro brews and growing into a full scale craft brewery. With support of his wife Ariana (and his co-worker in the business) and his assistant master brewer Marco, they have developed a fresh and exciting range of beers that are already establishing a name for quality and experimentation.

Luigi's aim is to be creating and deliver something unique, and he delivers.

Located 45 minutes from Birra Del Borgo in the Contrada Casarino di Notaresco

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Toccalmatto

The Italian Freak Show Brewery!

Beer Toccalmatto began producing beer in Fidenza (Parma Region) in October 2008 with an initial 500 litre facility. The culmination of a dream for founder and passionate brewer Bruno Carillo. A passion for English and Belgium tradition and focus on new world American brewing with lots of Hops and big flavours. Passion, creativity and a desire to brew and sell the best possible beer that can be brewed. Don't expect the average from this brewer. From our own tastings we have found lots of great experimentation, big beers full of lots of flavours. Even their golden ales deliver a massive dose of flavour. On our first tasting we knew we had to represent Toccalmatto in Australia. With a quick review of the ratings on Rate Beer and other sites, we clearly saw that it wasn't just us that thought their beers tasted great, with a host of very high scores across the range, including: No.1 rated globally – Stray Dog No Rules Bitter 99/100 Black IPA and a top 5 Italian beer Bruno also likes to stir the pot and is not afraid to push he’s beers to the next level of experimentation. Every month he does a range of 1 shot brews available only in kegs. He refers to himself as the” Freak Show”. This is one range that may not be the cheapest but is guaranteed to deliver and to satisfy!

Enter the category for this item: American

The US has been leading the craft beer revolution for many years in both style and experimentation. A constantly evolving and developing industry forecast to double in the coming years. While there are 1000's of brewers, many brew a style that is good but not great. Our aim like all our markets, is to find the best examples of brewers and beers that are continually evolving and pushing the boundaries. We don't hunt the good, we hunt the exceptional. Our latest expansion will see a selected range of very special US craft brewers join our portfolio and the Roman Empire from 2013. These include Six Point from Brooklyn, Clown Shoes from Boston, Brash and the very experimental Jester King from Texas and the masters at Jolly Pumpkin, plus a few more surprises along the way

Stay tuned for details on our web…Coming soon.

Our American Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Clown Shoes

We've known Clown Shoes beer for some time and the few we had tried we loved. As with all our beer adventures the 1st point of call was to arrange a visit and head up to see them, have a beer and discuss getting some of their beers down-under. Clown Shoes had been in Oz before but the journey it had taken to get here, and the landed price was a little crazy. It had all gone from Boston to Denmark and then on another ship to Oz (unbeknown to the brewer). So in short if you've had a Clown Shoes in Australia then forget it, as its not tasting as good as it should! So now that is about to change as the Romans have their hands on it :-)

Located about 45 minutes out of central Boston, they are a sort of Gypsy brewer, although they have a bit more of a partnership with their brewing company "Mercury" which also brews the local Ipswich craft beer. So its not like the Scandinavian Gypsy's we all know and love, they are at the brewery daily and take an active role in the day to day brewing and management of their beers and the head brewer has input into the recipes and their development.

The name Clown Shoes? Its apparently a long story but the condensed version is, A group of mates submitted the name to a Beer Advocate contest that was being held in Boston as part of a local craft beer show. The contest was to name a new Dogfish Head beer that had been especially brewed. That contest resulted in the new beer from DFH being called "Wrath of Pecant". To the disgust of the mates, the name they thought was a shoe in, did not even crack the top 5. This burned them up and while driving one day the epiphany came to creator Gregg Berman: "I can make my own Clown Shoes beer".

In no way did he expect to create a brand, the thought was a one off batch of beer for fun to be enjoyed between his mates, and thats it. But the first beer tasted great and everyone was excited and wanted more. So why not give them what they want!.

Clown Shoes was born as a brand and has come to mean a lot to Gregg on a lot of levels. Clowns are questionable, but the shoes make you laugh. They remind you about humanity and to find humour in life. Their mission now is to produce the beer without pretension while being free and a little crazy.

In a short space of time they have done a great job with a line-up of beers which Rate Beer consistently rates in the high 90's. A broad mix of styles and lots of experimentation goes into their creation.

Our tasting session in Boston was fantastic, with the first stop being the Sunset grill with over 125 beers on taps and 100's of bottles. A full selection of Clown Shoes and other great beers to try. The guys are great and love their beer and Matt, who made me feel right at home, is a man that really knows his beer and even has a title to prove it.

These are great beers and will finally be enjoyed in oz in their best condition. expected availability is end of Q1 2013
'Clown Shoes website

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Brash

So in our range we have an American that moved to England to brew great beers, so we thought there needed to be some balance. Hence we now have a Pommie that has moved from England to Texas. Now this is one brewer that we have not yet visited in person but we have tried their beers, and he's also a bit of a Gypsy. They are very closely associated with Clown Shoes and due to the very restrictive laws in Texas they actually brew the beers at Mercury along side Clown Shoes. What I can tell you though are these beers are crazy, and bloody good!

So the story goes that after being exiled from their home state of Texas because of archaic three tier alcohol sales laws, they found a home and much nicer weather in Ipswich Massachusetts. There they have been able to share their passion for craft in the form of what they aim to be perfect examples of both traditional and non traditional styles.

Their range is still small but growing, but we have tried them all and the Bollocks stands out and really shows you that these guys aren't playing around. Early Rate Beer scores are also very strong and we expect some big things from this smaller edgy brewer.

As with most brewers that beers like this, you have the beard! and they are just a little left of centre…but hey we love that.

Pictures tell a thousand words… Say no more!

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Stone Brewing Co.

When we first started our distribution business we had no idea that one day it would lead to us representing one of the worlds top brewers. Our first introduction to Stone was actually through Dogfish head. During a visit to Dogfish, (which just happened to be week before CBC), Sam suggested we attend a Stone and Dogfish event that was happening as part of CBC. So without any second thought, off we went. Its took us another 3 years from that date to finally get to the point that we are now extremely proud to count Stone as one of our core brewery partners.

headquartered in Escondido Calirfornia USA, it is the largest brewery in Southern California. As of 2012, it was the 10th largest craft brewery in the Unites States and 17th largest brewery overall, based on sales volume.[3]
Established in 1996, the brewery's first beer was Stone Pale Ale. Most of their beers are characteristic of west-coast craft brews, meaning that they have a high hop content. Compared to the macro-produced lagers, many Stone brews feature alcohol percentages that are well above average. The alcohol-by-volume content of Stone brews ranges from 4.2% to 13%.
Stone Brewing is rated as a "world class brewery" by the two largest beer enthusiast websites, Rate Beer and Beer Advocate. Stone Brewing has been voted by the readers of Beer Advocate as the #1 "All Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth.

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Jester King

On our never ending search to find truly unique and fantastic examples of global craft, we came across a brewery that embodies what craft beer should be, uncompromising, creative and full of passion…Jester King. We had the pleasure of spending a full day at the brewery with the team behind the beers, Ron and Brothers Jeff and Michael the original brains behind the venture. When you hear the word farmhouse brewery, you can't imagine how amazing this brewery is, with a setting that is fantastic and full of atmosphere surrounded by farmland that reminded us of being back home in Oz. The brewery itself is in an old machine shed that they found in another part of the country. They disassembled it and transported it back to Austin to establish their brewery, and trust me, this is a real shed, with no flashy interior (its awesome!) Described by one reviewer as "a mix of rustic charm and industrial minimalism"

Our day turned into a night with a full list of very enjoyable beers and a pizza cooked on-site in another of the old shed that they have turned into a function area and small pizza shop and bar for visitors to enjoy (operated by the landlords of the property they rent).Pizza was great, and the beers….wow! Not all the beers will be to everyones liking, but thats the point!, These guys don't make beers for the masses, they make the beers they love and enjoy themselves and beers that a true lover of craft beer will appreciate. They make beers that push boundaries and deliver a unique experience. And that's what we love!

If you ever get to Austin Texas, then you must do 2 things, 1. head to Rainey Street in the heart of town for a selection of old historic bungalow style houses turned into bars with hundreds of beers on tap (the best bar strip we have ever seen) and 2. the absolute highlight!, a trip to Jester king on a Saturday morning from 1 for tastings and a good feed at the pizza oven. $10 for a glass and 6-8 different beers to try.

Located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Jester King Craft Brewery is an authentic farmhouse brewery committed to making artisan ales of great depth and character. Like the small, farmhouse breweries that inspired them, they seek to embrace nature and local terroir in our brewing, giving their beers a true sense of place. They draw water from a well at the brewery to make their beer and at times call upon naturally occurring yeast from the Texas Hill Country to shape their unique flavours. They use as many organic ingredients as possible with the majority of their beer being USDA Certified Organic. If you want a beer made quickly then your also in the wrong place!, they don't rush beer to market, but instead allow it to mature naturally – often in oak barrels – prior to re-fermentation in the bottle, cask, or keg.

All round this was one of our most pleasurable brewery experiences we have ever had. The guys made us feel extremely welcome and the long trip from our home in Italy was worth it just to see for ourselves this truly amazing brewery.

Availability: As we said, this is not a mass production brewer. These beers are special and take time to make. Don't expect these beers in our range every month. They are special in every sense and will only be available on limited supply, so when you see them, don't waste time, pre-order straight away! First shipment is still to be confirmed so stay tuned..
Jester King web site

Johnny with Ron, Jeff and Michael (right to left)

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Deschutes

If you’re a fan of US craft beers then you’ll know of this iconic brewer. One of the founding fathers of the US craft beer movement in what some would say is the heartland of US craft beer , Oregon. Like we do with all of our brewers, we made the trip to Bend to visit and share a beer. Not only was Bend an amazing adventure playground set in picture postcard surrounds, but the team was incredibly welcoming and wanted to show how committed they are to support the Australia market. With a great selection of beers and a great story behind it, these beers will be a permanent part of our core range.

Gary Fish established The Deschutes Brewery & Public House in beautiful Bend Oregon, in 1998. Set in picture postcard surrounds and overlooking the wild and scenic Deschutes River, this is a must on any brewery tour of the area. Gary quickly created a reputation for the highest quality and adventurous beers that have gone on to create an award-winning lineup that continues to expand. Initially started as a brew pub selling 310 barrels in its first year and rapidly securing a loyal and ever demanding fan base that wanted their beers outside of Bend. By 1992 production had jumped to 3954 barrels. Unable to keep up with the demand from their original facility, the brewhouse moved out of the pub and into an expanded 16,000-square foot new production brewery, which opened in 1993, with a maximum capacity of 50-barrel batches. The original brewpub brew house remained, and is used to this day to experiment, and create new beers that are first tested in their brewpub venue before making the transition to the main brewhouse. Recently the production brew house has further expanded, which means Australia can now get some of their beers , in 2012 they expanded the facility by 627 m2 , allowing for an additional 105,000 barrels to be brewed every year supported by 2 production brew houses. In 2013 they added new fermenting tanks and a long list of new equipment designed to limit the impact on the environment and ensure maximum quality of their beers. As well as their original Bend Brewpub, they also have a brewpub in Portland which opened in 2008 brewing fresh beers on premises This is an exciting new addition to our US line-up and with the support of Deschutes will become an Australian favourite over the coming years

Website: Deschutes

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Sixpoint

We first cam across Sixpoint while standing in the bar of Wholefoods on New Yorks Columbus Circle. Standing looking at the tap list, these very cool cans jumped out at us from the fridges behind the bar and we had to try them. With a selection in hand we carried them back home for some tasting and some research. The result, well, we loved them, and wanted them in our range, with Resin becoming one of our all time favourites. The next trip back we arranged to head out to Redhook in Brooklyn and meet the master. It didn't go to well, and modern communication let us down, after waiting for 4 hours outside a locked brewhouse and then missing each other, we finally got to meet Shane and do a quick 10 minute tour before rushing to the airport. Next trip we came well prepared, and this time took our time and spent a few evenings with a few of the team. So its taken a while but finally we reached the point that beer is confirmed, and this great brewery and its beers will now be represented in Australia.

While some historical records indicate Sixpoint Brewery was founded in 2004, the real birth of Sixpoint begins at the dawn of civilization. That is when the earliest societies began cultivating cereal grains to make fermented beverages, and the desire for excellence in the craft of brewing was forged. Even during the earliest civilizations, rich iconography had adorned various brewing vessels, and pictographs depicting the craft of brewing were rife with symbolism. One symbol has transcended and survived throughout the ages - the Sixpoint Brewers' star.

bw_door

The idea of "Sixpoint" as a code of brewing has resiliently persevered over centuries of rapid human development. But it has not been a journey without struggle or conflict. The symbol was very prominent during the medieval period and up until the early 1900s, but its popularity and visibility started to wane within the last century. After 1950, Sixpoint was nearly snuffed out and one of the cornerstone crafts of our civilization was nearly extinguished. Was Sixpoint dead, or just dormant?
The shimmering light of the Brewer's star started to shine once again in 2004 with its reincarnation as "Sixpoint Craft Ales." This is when the Sixpoint Brew Crew not only resurrected the Sixpoint Brewers' Star, but also breathed life into a patchwork of brewing equipment within an 800 square foot garage in a then-dilapidated neighborhood of Brooklyn, NYC called Red Hook. The original creations of Sixpoint Craft Ales were a mash-up of professional brewing experiences, global brewery influences, and unbridled homebrew proliferation. Out of this modest maritime enclave hundreds of delicious craft brews were concocted and disseminated, and the star had been reborn.
The reincarnated star proved to have an attractive radiance. The historical traditions of craftsmanship that had been coursing through the veins of others also drew them to Sixpoint. Within years, a team of Sixpoint Brewers and Staff had gathered underneath the Sixpoint star, not knowing how they arrived there, but knowing they must keep the Sixpoint tradition alive.

Website: Sixpoint

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Prairie Artisan Ales

Our research into new beers never stops and in the course of this we started seeing lots of tweets and ratings news about this cool new Farmhouse brewer coming out of Oklahoma. A couple of months after first looking into them we sent them a message and thankfully they really wanted to get their beers down to Australia. Then not long after all of a sudden we started seeing them doing collaborations with a number of our Italian brewers. So about the company

Welcome to the world of Prairie Artisan Ales.
A company started by two brothers, and in their words, they didn’t start it due to a lack of good beer, or whatever people like to say in this part of their website. They wanted to do something that was awesome. They had the talent, and most importantly the years of experience needed to get it done. So they did it. They funded the company on their own, and only want to work with people that care about beer, super good beer. Their goal is to show people what is possible when you start with “step one”.

Now for those of our customers that love Jester King, then you will love these beers. Like Jester king they love to barrel age and experiment with the farmhouse style that has become so popular in the US. If you checkout their beer scores on Rate Beer, you'll see they are pretty dam good at it as well with a couple of perfect scores. Rather than have a large core monthly range expect to see monthly seasonals and limited releases that will be available while stocks last only.

Unfortunately like a lot of the great American brewers, their beers have been brought in on the grey market via lazy importers that can't source them or go to the effort to get them direct, but as people know thats not our style. After a lot of emails and calls, we finally have the green light to get stock and from March 2014 this great range of beers which will hopefully grace our shores on a regular basis direct from the brewer. Available in both 30 litre ecokegs and bottles.

Website: Prairie Artisan Ales

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Victory

Victory was one of the first US brewers we approached when we started our business, but at that time they had another distributor. Never one to give up hope, the opportunity came along to re-start discussions after their initial distribution partner closed up shop and never did anything significant with the brand. After a number of phone calls and emails with a few knock-backs , we decided to make the trip and meet face to face and beg for a chance to play :-)

And that trip paid off, with both a great tasting session and then the ok lets do it!, so finally we can work with one of the US brands we have admired for some time and work closely with them to launch this brand properly into the Australian market and support it as a long term part of our core range.

About Victory:

Based on the East Coast of the Unites States and consistently voted as one of the top 100 brewers in the world (Rate Beer), and recognised as one of America's leading brewers.

The story of Victory Brewing Company starts on a school bus in 1973 when fifth-graders Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski stepped aboard, on their way to a new school. The two became fast friends and remained so, even as they grew up and went to college on opposite coasts.

Just months out of college, Bill’s appreciation of good beer and access to his father’s home brewing equipment inspired him to explore the hobby. That same year (1985), Bill gave Ron a home brewing kit as a Christmas gift. With that, both Bill and Ron developed their love of the craft, and a friendly rivalry grew between the two. The good-natured competition pushed Bill and Ron to become accomplished home brewers, and as they both grew disillusioned with their jobs in the corporate world they realized their combined skill and love of brewing could pave the path to successful careers as brewers.
Ron left his job as a financial analyst and started an apprenticeship at Baltimore Brewing Company (BBC), working under a Dutch-born and German-trained brewer named Theo DeGroen. After working there for nearly a year, Ron had the necessary prerequisites to move on to study at the Technical University of Munich at Weihenstephan.
Immediately upon Ron’s departure, Bill took over his emptied role in Baltimore. While Ron was enhancing his German brewing knowledge, Bill was expanding the line of beers produced at the BBC to include several German specialty beers, many of which went on to win multiple awards at the Great American Beer Festival. After his time at BBC, Bill completed his brewing studies by traveling to Munich, Germany to attend Doemens Institute.
After Ron’s year of education in Munich, he returned stateside and took a role at Old Dominion Brewing Company in Virginia. Over the course of four year as the brewmaster there, he helped to increase production from 1,500 barrels annually to nearly 15,000.
With knowledge, experience and a love of quality beer in place, Bill and Ron decided they were ready to open their own brewery near where they first met in Pennsylvania.
Victory Brewing Company opened its doors to the public on Feb. 15, 1996. What was once a Pepperidge Farm factory became home to a 144-seat restaurant, 70-foot-long bar and a full-scale brewery. In its first year, Victory Brewing Company brewed 1,725 barrels of beer.
Since then, Victory has increased the size of the restaurant to 300 seats. The brewery has also expanded, producing 93,196 barrels of beer in 2012. As loyal craft beer drinkers continue to show their dedication to flavorful, quality beer, Victory plans to continue its own growth. Onward to Victory!

Enter the category for this item: Belgium

So we know Belgium is one of the spiritual heartlands of beer, but we always struggled to find one we liked. Finally after a summer long weekend trip to an Italian beer festival in the countryside, we found 2. Both highly recommended by our current brewers. They made the trip over the mountains to take part in the festival and both wanted to have their beers down under. The first of these will land from Feb 2014 and the 2nd will follow shortly after. Classic Belgium, exceptional and true to style.

Our Belgian Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: De Glazen Toren

Its been a while coming but as of Feb 2014 we finally have a Belgium brewer in our range. We initially didn't want to follow the trend of other importers and chase the Belgium beers as we wanted to showcase the best of the new world markets. But the more we appreciate beer the more we wanted to add in some examples of beers from every core beer drinking market. After a long search we finally came across De Glazen Toren at a beer festival in Italy during the summer of 2013. A recommendation by one of our Italian brewers, a few sample beers and a chat later and off we go with our newest brewer. A great range of classic Belgium styles made by a true master
The new brewery De Glazen Toren officially opened on 11th November 2004, but there had been a long previous history. In 1988 Jef Van den Steen from Erpe-Mere and Dirk De Pauw from Aalst discovered they had a common passion : BEER They met at the town hall of Erpe-Mere : Jef, master in mathematics, was an alderman there and Dirk, master in law, was the newly appointed town clerk. Together they started experimenting as hobby brewers in a kettle of 50 litres, but they soon realised that more know-how was needed in order to brew good beer. A sound theoretical knowledge was a necessity. The two enrolled for a three-year training course (1991-1994) “Brewery, Malting and Fermentation industry” at the CTL Institute in Gent.
Now being qualified brewmasters - both had graduated summa cum laude – the quality of their experimental brews improved in a spectacular way. They started dreaming aloud of a brewery of their own. But between dream and deed there were practical objections : the necessary equipment and a suitable location.

Master-250

After a long search the basis of the installation was found and bought in Galmaarden where brewery Meesters had closed its doors. Then they started to look for an industrial building in Aalst, but eventually the installation was set up in a newly built property at the Glazentorenweg in Erpe-Mere (hence the name of the brewery) In the fall of 2002 Dirk and Jef were joined by Mark De Neef, head librarian in Aalst and master in Dutch and English languages. On 1st January 2004 the three started a limited liability company. The arrival of the third partner brought more scope to the brewery. The installation was completed and with the necessary excise duty licenses in the pocket the first beer flowed from the 5hl installation in August 2004. Brewery DE GLAZEN TOREN was born.
The first beer of the brewery “Saison d’Erpe Mere” was soon followed by the tripel “Ondineke”. As the success of the beers was growing, increasing the productivity became a must, especially when the export to the USA started, later followed by orders from Japan. If the growing brewery wanted to keep pace with demand and sales the brewing equipment of 5hl was totally insufficient. In the meantime a winterscotch “Canaster” and a 4 grains double white beer “Jan de Lichte” had been added to the assortment. In the course of 2006 the complete infrastructure of the brewery was renewed. New cilindro-conic yeast tanks of 22 hl and a new warm room were installed. A brandnew German brewhouse with a capacity of 25hl per brew which became operational on 15th January 2007completed the brewing expansion. Now filling kegs of 20 litres is being considered and worked on.

Website: De Glazen Toren

Enter the name for this tabbed section: De Ranke

The brewery was founded in 1994 by Nino Bacelle under his own name. In the beginning we had only one ale, the Guldenberg, named after the Guldenberg Abbey in Wevelgem, where beer was brewed in the past. With a history in the beer world (since 1930 the Bacelle - Noffels family was active in beer commerce and as a lemonade producer), Nino had started experimenting with brewing ale in 1981. After an education as brewer at the CTL in Ghent in the mid eighties, he kept experimenting and in the nineties he thought his time had come (and his ale was good enough) to commercialize his ale. After a decent study of the possibilities to start his own brewery, he decided to start with brewing in a existing brewery. The good thing about this formula is that it’s possible to brew profitable without big investments. The Deca brewery is Woesten was chosen to do this and in the first year 9000 litres of Guldenberg were brewed.

Mid nineties Nino got to know Guido Devos trough the beer tasters association HOP. Guido is a founding member of HOP and had been active as an amateur brewer for years. In 1996 they decide to bundle their powers. “Brewery Nino Bacelle” becomes a BVBA of which o both own a fifty percent share and is now called “Brewery De Ranke”. The name came from the hop ranks and has been chosen because we are convinced that hops are the most important ingredient in our ales. Since then 5 new ales have been created: Père Noël, a Christmas ale; XX Bitter, the most bitter ale in Belgium and the ale that gave our brewery it’s reputation; Kriek De Ranke, a natural fruit ale; Cuvee De Ranke, an ale of mixed origin with Lambic and the Noir De Dottignies, a dark ale.

After 11 years of brewing at the Deca brewery a totally new brewery was started in Dottignies in the province of Hainaut. In 2008 about 2000 Hl (200.000l) of ale was produced of which 60% is being exported to the US, India, Japan and in Europe to The Netherlands, Great – Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Austria & France.

Enter the category for this item: French

French and beer? Our aim has always been to become European specialists and we have hunted far and wide for a great French beer to add to our range. The problem has always been that we felt let down by many of the beers that we sampled and that they did not offer a unique and awesome experience, that was worth the effort and cost to get it to Oz. Well now that has changed. The revolution continues to spread across Europe and we have finally found beers worthy of our range that are exceptional and offer a taste experience.

Our French Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Craig Allan

The story We can hear you saying French!, great craft beer! "Craig Allan" is that French?.Ok so we must confess, Craig is obviously not French, his a Scotsman that lost his way and ended up across the channel (for love we think:-), but hey he lives in France, his family is French, and Rate Beer classes his beers as French so we will to :-)Actually Rate Beer in the 2012 awards, listed him as the best brewer in France. Technically Craig is currently a Gypsy brewer but he has plans and will soon have his own brewery in the heart of France that he can call his and play and brew to his hearts content.Now unfortunately we have yet to visit in person but Craig kindly sent us his beer to try and wow, very delicate and very well balanced beers. Fantastic food beers and their black Saison is amazing.
Some information on Craig in his own words:

Decades of consolidation and rationalisation in the brewing industry led in many countries to beer being regarded as the poor relation to wine, a drink to slake a thirst and nothing more.
The craft brewing movement that took roots in the seventies was a reaction to the dismal choice available to consumers, particularly in the UK and the USA...

...Today the emergence of a vibrant brewing scene and beer culture has transformed the beer landscape. In America the choice available is truly bewildering and even some countries without a strong, traditional brewing heritage, like Italy, have an impressive new generation of brewers and bars specialised to sell their wares...

Craig graduated in Malting, Brewing and Distilling science in Edinburgh, Scotland and has since spent the last ten years brewing beer in various Scottish microbreweries, selecting and selling malt whisky for an independent whisky bottler and, just for good measure, working in vineyards and wineries in the Côte d'Or in Burgundy.

These various experiences have allowed him to put into practice his knowledge and to learn different techniques and philosophies....

...Despite the burgeoning craft brewing scene in Britain the heavy weight of centuries of tradition has limited creativity and imposed constraints on what can be brewed in the UK. Frustrated with the inability to brew the beers he himself wanted to drink there was only one thing for it - Craig needed to set up on his own.

Inspired by the flair and experimentation of some of the great American craft brewers (and an increasing number of European brewers) Craig Allan wants to brew beers packed with the flavour and aroma of the finest, freshest ingredients and to introduce to as many people the myriad possibilities craft brewing can offer.

Great craft beer is equal to fine wine - what better a place to prove it than in France!

Website: Craig Allan

Enter the category for this item: New Zealand

Our Kiwi Brewer Partners

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Tuatara

The first N.Z. brewery to join our portfolio, and its a cracker!

IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN
We’re not sure what the optimum number of breweries in a country of four million should be, but we’re pretty sure that the correct answer is not “two”. Yet for more years than our uncles can count that’s exactly how many there were in New Zealand. It took ‘til the late 1990s for the beer revolution memo to get circulated, but soon enough new breweries were popping up like mushrooms. Not the kind of outfits that make green bottle happy juice for the 19th hole, but a community of real brewers recognised for bringing flavour and individuality to the world’s pre-eminent refreshment.
KNOCK US UP A BEER WOULD YOU CARL?
One of those breweries began as a backyard operation in the hills above Waikanae. It was founded by Carl Vasta, an engineer with the tastebuds of a wine critic. There’s a degree of loose talk in New Zealand about “kiwi ingenuity”, most of it from people who’d struggle to change a tyre, but Carl is the living, breathing epitome of that noble philosophy. If he needed a shed or a bottler or a tank, he’d just go ahead and build one. Before too long, he’d managed to brew a superb range of ales, porters and pilsners for his friends under the name Tuatara.
IT’S PRONOUNCED TOO-AH-TAR-RAH
The tuatara is unique to New Zealand. Aotearoa is still a bit wet behind the ears nation-state wise, but not the tuatara. It’s a bona fide living fossil, a creature that changes its underpants once every 200 years and only ever watches TV One. Known formally as Sphenodon punctatus, this reptile is so old it’s officially not even a lizard. It’s the last of its order, with ancestors that used to smoke behind the bike sheds with stegosaurus 200 million years ago. In gratitude for the loan of the little guy’s name, we sponsor him at Wellington’s Zealandia conservation centre.
LEVERAGING DELIVERABLES AND SO FORTH
To say that Tuatara Brewery has taken off in the last few years is an understatement. Heck, we’ve been propelled into orbit. The local demand for good beer is insatiable, and with volumes running at about a million litres a year we’ve become one of the leading lights in the craft industry. It probably helps that we’re based in Wellington where beer appreciation is not so much a cult as a full-blown religion. (The legendary Malthouse in Courtenay Place functions as the high altar.) Today you’ll find Tuatara all over the country, even in the local supermarket, as well as at selected spots around the world.
A BREWING PHILOSOPHY SIMPLE ENOUGH TO WORK.
The Tuatara brewing scheme is not difficult for the uninitiated to grasp. We brew true to style, so wherever possible we go direct to the source and use the ingredients that have made that style famous. It says Bohemian Pilsner on the bottle not because it reads poetry and plays the bongos but because that’s where the yeast is from. Likewise for our Belgian ales.CIDER:

Website: Tuatara

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Townshends

When ones of New Zealand’s most creative and most respected brewers drops you a line with a recommendation, you take note. Stu from Yeastie Boys gave us the tip about these guys, so without delay we jumped on the opportunity to represent this fantastic little NZ brewery.

Founded in 2005 by Martin Townshend, this genuine real ale brewery is based in the leafy green heart of the nations hop growing region.

As well as Nelson hops, Townshend's also has access to an aquifier of ancient water to brew with, drawn up from the Motueka aquifer.
These two ingredients, together with a passion for brewing using traditional methods, have seen the Brewery jump to prominence, winning awards and accolades from the NZ Brewing industry. The Company philosophy is simple. Get the best ingredients, treat them with respect and you'll produce a great product. Martin is a strong advocate of the natural fermentation process, “we brew the way people have done for centuries, we don't 'soda stream' the bubbles back into our brews like most breweries. Our brews have the depth of flavour that only comes from natural fermentation. You just don't get that in processed beer – even the so called natural ones.”

“I actually really believe people are tired of the marketing being more important than the beer. Even in the years we have been brewing I have noticed the change. People are interested in tasting the beer, matching it with their meal, knowing where it is from.”
NZchampion-brewer

The Brewery

The 1100 litre Townshend Brewery produces a variety of ales, lager and farmhouse cider. Tradition is the theme in recipe formulation and hearty malt flavours are balanced with characteristic hop tones.

All beer begins with the water source. The water used in all Townshend ales is drawn from the Motueka aquifer
It has always been a brewing truth that different water sources are better suited to different beer styles. The unique waters of Ireland, for example, are an intrinsic part of the brewing of stout just as the water of Munich is perfect for the creation of the light coloured lagers that the region is famous for.

Enter the name for this tabbed section: Zeffer Cider

OUR JOURNEY BEGAN ON SAM’S PARENTS FARM IN 2009 WHEN SAM DECIDED TO TRY HIS WINE-MAKING HAND AT MAKING CIDER. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH WE KNEW THE STYLE OF CIDER WE LIKED BEST. NOT JUST ANY OLD ‘MADE FROM CONCENTRATE’ CIDER, WE WANTED TO MAKE REAL CIDER FROM REAL FRUIT WITH PATIENCE, CRAFT AND QUALITY.
We knew that the final product would taste its best if we started with the best ingredients so we scoured the country to find specific apple and pear varieties from orchards around New Zealand.
After long wintery nights crushing, an exploding fruit press, experimental brews and many hours spent hand bottling we had
our first batch ready for release in the Spring of 2009. We sold it exclusively through our local Matakana Farmers market and were rewarded with great feedback, eager buyers and steady growth which ultimately allowed us to build our own cidery. And, while we are now the proud owners of a shiny new fruit press we remain faithful to our simple vision and ethos of making cider that we are both proud to put our name on and love to drink.
Our ciders are fermented in small batches and made with minimal intervention that allows the natural flavours and true character to shine without the use of any artificial colours or sweeteners. We love what we do and we love that we get to share it with you.

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