Grand finals, brewery visits and October fest

On Friday, September 13th, Rocky Ridge Brewery celebrated the launch of their brand-new Brunswick Brewery. This incredible space is a haven for craft beer lovers, boasting a staggering 32 taps. It’s the kind of spot you could visit five or six times a week and still never sip the same beer twice—an absolute gem in Melbourne’s thriving beer scene!

I had a fantastic time catching up with some of the industry’s best. It was great to chat with Callum from Kaiju, Eden from Rocky Ridge, David from the Coolroom Podcast, James and Will from The Crafty Pint, Sam and Dale from Bintani, Phil from HPA (who threw me off with his new beard!), and of course, Dermott and Jordan from BeerCo. The beer lineup was, as expected, on point—each brew a treat for the taste buds.

If you’re in Melbourne, do yourself a favor and head over to Brunswick Brewery at 130 Barkly St, Brunswick VIC 3057. It’s easy to get to, and with such a variety on tap, there’s always something new to discover.

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In other news, we’ve just finished installing a new AC/heating system in our labs, making our incubation room much more economical and environmentally friendly—a big win for sustainability in our workspace! This also allows us to expand our yeast propagation at the first stage of the production process. Once we get the wort production and propagation connected we will start pumping out more strains. Fingers crossed we have it all humming before Christmas.

As a proud resident of Melbourne’s inner north, I was firmly backing the Brisbane Lions (formerly Fitzroy Lions) during the AFL Grand Final long weekend. While I didn’t score a ticket to the game, it was still fantastic to see them put up such a great fight. I was a little conflicted as the Sydney Swans have a great partnership with White Bay brewing and the 150th Anniversary Lager (https://whitebay.beer/products/swans-150th-extra-pale-lager) which has our yeast powering this brew. Paddy and Emma (now at Shining Peak Brewing in NZ)  have done a great job on this one grab some if you get a chance. On Grand final day, I had the pleasure of spending the day down at Salt Brewing Co. in Aireys Inlet, nestled along Victoria’s stunning surf coast.

Austin, the Head Brewer, gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of their setup and shared some of the exciting projects they’ve got in the pipeline. If you’re ever in the area, Salt Brewing is a must-visit! They’ve got an incredible selection of beers, top-notch food, and plenty of space for kids and dogs to run wild—it’s a real hidden gem.

And speaking of exciting projects, stay tuned! We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes, and there are some fantastic new products in the works that I can’t wait to share with you. Keep your eyes peeled for what’s coming next!

Pro-brew Community

For our Probrewers, we are running a special for the month of October, we are dropping a Free T-shirt in every order of 2 or more liters of yeast. Please let us know your T-Shirt size when you order.

Homebrew Community

A huge shout out to the organizers of the 2024 NSW State Amateur Brewing Championships. By all accounts they put on a great competition and lots of fun was had by all. A big thank you to all the homebrewers that participated in this well run competition and A special congratulations to David Pontin who won the Wheat & Rye Ale category which was sponsored by Bluestone yeast. Honorable mentions to Julian Chan and Sebastian Pilz who place second and third respectively. Check out all the results on the competition Facebook page (link below).

We are sponsoring an event to celebrate 10 years of the Merri Mashers Homebrew club! Make sure you come on down to @tallboyandmoose fun and Beer! We hope to see you there!

2024 NSW State Amateur Brewing Championships Results

Oktoberfest with Merri Mashers Homebrew Club

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