Category Archives: Beer

Wig and Pen brews Canberra centenary ale

6 March 2013Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Canberra’s centenary celebrations kicked off early at the Wig and Pen. In January, the popular Civic brewpub released Centenary Ale, brewed from malted barley, raw wheat, oats and cane sugar.

Brewer Richard Watkins says this recipe – in tandem with fairly high fermentation temperatures – reflects brewing ingredients and styles of a century ago, before refrigeration reached today’s sophistication.

“Four Seasons Ale” might suit as an alternative name as Watkins intends tweaking the style during the year. The current, light-lemon coloured, summer brew will give way to autumn leaf colours and richer malt; then beef up to pudding-like richness in winter; take on hoppy floral character in spring; then finish back on the original summer ale.

They’ll be gradual changes, he says, as he subtly alters each of the 26 brews planned for 2013.

Wig and Pen Centenary Ale half-pint $6The Wig’s carbonated, unfiltered beer presents with a cloudy, light-lemon colour and dense, pure-white head. The aroma’s intensely fruity and pleasantly seasoned with spicy hops. The lively palate, fresh as bread from the oven, refreshes and thrills with its brisk acidity – a complex but easy drinking ale.

Brew pubs not so new

27 February 2013BeerChris Shanahan

In brewsnews.com.au beer historian Brett J Stubbs reminds us of the long history of brewpubs in Australia.

Stubbs writes, “it is a little appreciated fact that they were commonplace in the Australian colonies in the nineteenth century, as they were then in the United Kingdom”.

When the first fleet sailed into to Sydney Cover, stubs says, 27,000 brewing victuallers produced 43 per cent of British beer, “and nearly half of all publicans brewed their own beer”.

Brewpubs persisted longer in the UK than they did in Australia, with 4,500 still in existence in 1900 and four limping through to the 1970s when the Campaign for Real Ale sparked a resurgence.

To this campaign, says Stubbs, “we owe the revival of the concept in Australia”, noting the late Geoffrey Scharer’s George IV at Picton (1987) and Phil Sexton’s Sail and Anchor at Fremantle (1984).

Tetchy times

20 February 2013BeerChris Shanahan

In late January and early February beer blogs and online publications lit up with indignation. A January press release from the The Byron Bay Brewing Co had announced the release of a bottled version of Byron Bay Pale Lager. The release said the brew had previously been available only on tap at the brewery in Byron Bay.

The annoyance in some quarters arose because neither the press release nor the packaging mentioned that CUB brewed the packaged version under licence at Warner Bay, on the NSW Central Coast.

There’s nothing wrong with brewing and bottling beer under licence. But shouldn’t the parties involved reveal this to consumers. This was reminiscent of a similar omission when Woolworths’ released its Sail and Anchor Beer last year. Those beers were brewed at Gage Roads, but the release material talked of the historic, but defunct, Sail and Anchor brewery.

Coles climbs on craft beer wagon

13 February 2013BeerChris Shanahan

Woolworths introduced petrol discounts; Coles followed. In November, Woolworths launched Sail and Anchor beer; in January, Coles followed with Steamrail Brewing Co.

The shift from exclusive beer brands (brands they control in Australia, but don’t own) to brands they actually own shows just how important the premium beer market is to Australia’s biggest liquor retailers.

It’s important, too, to Australia’s brewers. They must look on with some concern as their biggest off-licence customers increasingly become their competitors.

Woolworths in particular would be of concern as its stake in Gage Road Brewing, where they brew Sail and Anchor beer, makes it a producer as well as marketer.

While consolidation of retailing seems at times a bad thing, it can also be seen as a necessary evil to offset the power of the two dominant, internationally owned brewers.

Cooper laughs all the way to the bank

6 February 2013BeerChris Shanahan

As the traditional beer market struggles and the premium end expands, privately owned Adelaide Brewer, Coopers, sits in the sweet spot.

In January, Managing Director Dr Tim Cooper said the company’s after tax profit rose to a record $27.2 million in 2012, “up 18% on the $23 million in 2010–11”.

Cooper also announced a $20 million expansion program for this year, to meet growing demand for its own products and to brew under contract for Sapporo and Carlsberg.

Cooper said beer sales to December 2013 were up 13.6 per cent on 2011 – attributing half of the increase from sales of Sapporo, Carlsberg and Kronenbourg.

Coopers claims to be the biggest Australian owned brewery with a market share of four per cent. But that status seems likely to be challenged when Coca Cola Amatil returns to Australia’s beer market in 2014.

Beer and cider in Coca-Cola Amatil’s sights

23 January 2013BeerChris Shanahan

You can almost feel Coca-Cola Amatil straining at the leash to get back into the blossoming premium beer and cider markets. On December 16, the company’s restraint agreement with SABMiller (owner of Fosters) expires.

When CCA sold its stake in Pacific Beverages to SAB Miller, it agreed to remain out of the Australia beer and cider markets. But CCA made no secret of its intention to return to the market and announced several major liquor acquisitions following its agreement with SABMiller.

CCA acquired Foster’s Group Pacific Limited (renamed Paradise Beverages (Fiji) Limited, owner of a Fiji brewery; entered into a joint venture with the Casella family to brew beer in Griffith, NSW; and recently won the rights to distribute Rekorderlig cider in Australia from 1 January 2014 (number one brand by value in the off-license market, says CCA).

Against the grain

16 January 2013BeerChris Shanahan

Grape and grain don’t always mix well commercially. Just look, for example, at the vast capital destruction following Foster’s acquisition of Southcorp Wines. But in Griffith – one of Australia’s biggest wine-producing regions – two wineries turned successfully to brewing on vastly different scales.

The De Bortoli family quietly makes and distributes three beers (including two reviewed today) from its William Bull Brewing Company.

But the neighbouring Casella family, maker of Yellow Tail wine, plans a far bigger push into the beer market. The company launched its Arvo brand earlier in the year, saying at the time it aimed for a five per cent slice of the local market.

Shortly afterwards, Coca-Cola Amatil said it was lending $46 million to Casella’s Australian Beer Company to expand production. The loan will convert to equity at the end of 2013. CCA boss, Terry Davis, says he has15 per cent of the premium beer market in sight.

Chinese drinking more beer than Americans

5 December 2012BeerChris Shanahan

China now consumes more beer than the United States according to 1001beersteins.com – 28,640 megalitres a year, compared to America’s 23,974.

Australia doesn’t rank in the top 10 in total consumption. But at 104.7 litres, we still hold fifth position on a per capita basis – way behind front running Czech Republic on 158.6 litres per person. Second, third and fourth positions go to Ireland, Germany and Austria respectively. And the United Kingdom, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg and the United States occupy sixth to tenth places.

The world’s biggest brewer, ABInBev sells 18 per cent by volume of the world’s beer, followed by SAB Miller (owner since 2011 of Fosters) with 14 per cent share, Heineken on nine per cent and Carlsberg with five per cent.

China is the fastest growing beer market at 39.7 per cent, followed by Brazil (third biggest in total consumption) at 8.3 per cent.

Smoke and mirrors for Sail and Anchor beer launch

21 November 2012Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

A press release launching four Sail and Anchor beers, says, “the heritage listed Sail and Anchor Hotel in Fremantle was one of Australia’s first pub breweries”. But the smoke-and-mirrors press release tells us little about Sail and Anchor beers.

For starters the beers aren’t brewed there and the brand’s connection with the famous pub seems tenuous at best. It’s just a brand to be distributed exclusively through Woolworths’ liquor outlets – Woolworths Liquor, Safeway Liquor, BWS and Dan Murphy – and available on tap at hotels in the Woolworths’ controlled ALH Group. The Sail and Anchor Hotel is one of these.

The beers are made by Bill Hoedemaker at Gage Road Brewing Co Ltd. Woolworths is its biggest shareholder (23 per cent) and largest customer.

All of this is perfectly legitimate and good for competition in the beer market. But why not treat us as adults and tell the whole story?

Sail and Anchor Cat’s Shank Kolsch 330ml 4-pack $14
Kolsch originates in Cologne – a mild, bright refreshing beer straddling the boundary between ale and lager. Cat’s Shank’s pale lemon colour, zesty, medium-bodied palate and refreshing, mildly bitter palate do the job nicely – a decent beer at a reasonable price. May be subject to discounting among the Woolies’ retail brands, so watch out.

Sail and Anchor Boa’s Bind Amber Ale 330ml 4-pack $14
At five per cent alcohol, Boa’s Bind is the strongest of the new Sail and Anchor range. The medium amber colour seems to fit the rich but dry palate with its slightly bitter, roasted malt flavour. The latter dovetails pleasantly with the assertive hops bitterness that further dries out the finish.

Stone & Wood partners buy back the farm

14 November 2012BeerChris Shanahan

On October 30, three partners in Byron Bay’s Stone and Wood Brewery announced a buy-back of shares from minority shareholder, Little World Beverages Pty Ltd.

Publicly listed Little World Beverages, owner of Little Creatures Brewery (Fremantle) and White Rabbit Brewery (Yarra Valley) took a 20 per cent stake in Stone and Wood in 2009, the year after Brad Rogers, Jamie Cook and Ross Jurisich founded it.

Rogers, Cook and Jurisich decided to buy back the farm after Lion (a subsidiary of Japan’s Kirin) moved from a minority stake to full ownership of Little World Beverages, in June this year.

That the three partners hold high ambitions for Stone and Wood, show in this year ‘s doubling of production capacity to a million litres and the introduction of a third beer, Jasper Ale, to its permanent range, alongside Pacific Ale and Lager.