Chris Shanahan: Byron Bay’s Stone & Wood beer released

If you’re headed up the NSW north coast this summer, keep an eye out for the new Stone & Wood Draught Ale in pubs around Byron Bay. This is the first batch of beer from the new brewery set up in Byron by industry veterans Brad Rogers, Ross Jurisich and Jamie Cook.

I’ve not tried the beer, but given Brand Rogers’ distinguished brewing background, it’s likely to be outstanding. Brad’s been in the game a long time, most recently at the Foster’s owned Matilda Bay.
Brad headed the brewing team. And as well as overseeing production of larger-scale products like Redback, he developed numerous, brilliant, small-production specialties – such as Alpha Pale Ale and Naked Ale (for Chloe’s bar at Young & Jackson’s hotel, Melbourne) at the company’s microbrewery in Dandenong.

Because they’re distributing only locally, the Stone & Wood Ale goes straight from vat to keg without filtration or pasteurisation. And that means drinkers can experience the full, ultra-fresh flavour that only brewers usually experience – assuming fast stock turnover.

Wood & Stone Draught Ale is currently available at The Rails and Great Northern Hotels, Byron Bay, Bangalow Hotel and the Pacific Hotel, Yamba.