Having just returned from the Ballarat Winterlude Beer Festival, and a couple of months ago wrapped up at GABS I thought we should share some picks and rave about some of the highlights.
Highlight 1 – our Barrel Aged Brett Beer
From our very first batch of Blonde, we’ve had Barrels on our mind. Back in November 2015 we put 200 litres of our first batch of Blonde into an Oak Barrel sourced from a friendly local winery, and inoculated the beer with our favourite funky yeast Brettanomyces. We then did it again with the second batch of Blonde.
Come May 2016 we kegged that bad boy as our GABS festival beer. The flavour was awesome. So different to the Blonde that went into the barrel, it came out dry and a little bit Bretty. Yum.
Post GABS the Melbourne bar market was flooded with exciting one off brews. So we decided to put a venting device on our Brett kegs and keep them for a rainy (or cold) day.
And there comes the Ballarat Winterlude Festival. A few days out we tasted our Barrel Aged Brett Beer and found in the 2 months since GABS Brett had been quietly working away. And we were pleased. The beer was even yummier than at GABS with the Brett character shining through even more.
Highlight 2- The people you meet
We had a great time meeting lots of fun people looking to taste delicious beers and also hanging out with the rad guys and gals in the industry. It’s great to encounter the whole gamut of tastes, and try to pick which beer people will love the most.
Highlight 3 – Fun events
Ben and Aaron had a great time talking in the Beer events. Both times the focus was on the Brett Beer. It was great to share details about the processes and our inspirations.
Highlight 4 – Our steampunk tap system
Aaron’s idea to repurpose an old air compressor found in the factory that will become our Cellar Door was a stroke of genius. Together Aaron & Ben turned it into the coolest, sexiest (possibly heaviest) festival tap system going round. It certainly provides a great talking point at festivals.
Highlight 5 – On the news
Ben was interviewed by Win Ballarat TV news, aired on 25/7/16 during the Ballarat Winterlude Beer Festival – we haven’t seen it, so if anyone has a recording, we’d love to lay a hand on it.
We also got our mugs in the Ballarat Courier Newspaper – pic 1 & 22 http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4049114/ballarat-winterlude-beer-festival/
