The Tasting Team coordinates tasting staff in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide & Perth.

We are currently looking for Craft Beer fanatics, who have a real passion for Craft Beer and the Brewing Process.

We currently run tastings for companies such as Little Creatures, James Squire and Matso’s Brewery.

Your role is to run tastings at liquor stores & pubs in and around Sydney showcasing a range of Craft Beers. You will be providing free samples as well as educating the public on new and exciting products.

Tastings run for 3 hours on Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 3-8pm.

You MUST be available to work Friday, with the possibility of also a Saturday, but candidates that are available for both are preferred.

Staff will be paid $100 per 3 hour tasting session. (ie.$33.33 per hour).

We are looking for people who have a real passion for Craft Beer, combined with a little background knowledge. Successful applicants will be given a full training session on the beers, combined with on the job training from the product representatives. However, we already expect you to be familiar with different craft beers and brands.

If you would like to apply please complete the following by Friday, 21st June:

Email apply@thetastingteam.com.au with the following:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, including:

• Why you would be the best candidate for this job or a story of your favourite craft beer (ie. I am a Little Creatures fanatic, I absolutely love the uniqueness of Matso’s Mango Beer, I have the gift of the gab, enjoy talking & this job would be perfect for my uni schedule, etc.)
• Relevant experience applicable to this job
• Include 2 references
• A copy of your RSA certificate
• A photo of yourself

Successful applicants will receive an email to schedule an interview.

This is a great opportunity to join an exciting and motivated team, that is passionate about Craft Beers, while also given the chance to earn that extra bit of spending money and having a job that they love doing.

So if you think you have what it takes, please ensure you send in your email by Friday the 21st June– so do it now!

Jemma Buckley — Staff Coordinator, The Tasting Team 0409 649 500.

www.thetastingteam.com.au

Like the small brewery excise rebate scheme, the wine equalisation tax was a consequence of the introduction of the goods and services tax (GST) in 2000. Immediately prior to the GST, wine was subject to a wholesale sales tax of 41 per cent. The wholesale sales tax on wine was ‘replaced’ by the GST, but, the 10 per cent GST being much less than the WST, the new WET, at 29 per cent, was introduced to make up the difference; to ensure that the retail price of wine, and most importantly taxation receipts, did not fall. Hence ‘equalisation’.

One important thing that initially was overlooked in the transition from WST to GST + WET was the 15 per cent rebate that small winemakers already received under the existing tax system for wine sold through the cellar door, and by mail order, and wine used for promotions and tastings. This oversight was corrected, after much debate and complaint, and with the support of the Democrats; when the A New Tax System (Wine Equalisation Tax) Act 1999 was passed, it provided for a rebate of WET for the first $300,000 of cellar door sales and those other items already mentioned.

Four years later, in an uncharacteristic act of generosity towards an alcoholic beverage industry, the federal government replaced the cellar door rebate with a general rebate of the 29 per cent WET on ALL domestic sales by Australian wine producers, up to an annual limit of $290,000 each, corresponding to a value of wine sales of $1 million. This limit has since grown incrementally to $500,000, corresponding to annual sales of more than $1.7 million. As treasurer Peter Costello explained when he introduced the measure in 2004, it was designed to support small producers with domestic sales.

The wine producer rebate effectively exempted nine out of ten Australian producers from the WET, returning them to the tax-free status that ALL Australian wine producers had once enjoyed. The rebate cost the government dearly; for example, about $230 million in 2009-10, compared to total revenue from WET that year of $720 million. In other words, taking into account the amount rebated, the average WET paid by wine producers in 2009-10 was only about 22 per cent, rather than the nominal rate of 29 per cent. This might not sound like a large difference, but the point is that the vast majority of producers fall under the threshold so effectively pay no WET.

Until 1984, wine had been mostly exempt from the excise duties that for around a century had consistently applied to beer in Australia. In that year, noticing the marked shift away from the consumption of heavily taxed beer, and towards un-taxed wine, new treasurer Paul Keating announced that a sales tax of 10 per cent would be applied to wine and cider from August 1984.

Keating’s August 1986 budget raised the rate to 20 per cent, then in 1993, by which time the treasurer had become the prime-minister, it was raised again, to 31 per cent. Howls of protest against the latter increase, from the industry and from the opposition parties, led to an agreement being framed in October 1993 under which the new rate was quickly reduced to 22 per cent, and an inquiry into the wine industry was conducted. The terms of reference of the inquiry included the development potential of the industry, and the most appropriate form and level of wine taxation. Meanwhile, the WST was raised to 24 per cent in 1994 and 26 per cent in 1995.

The final increase, to 41 per cent, occurred in 1997 as a result of the landmark High Court case that declared state government franchise fees (sales taxes) to be unconstitutional. The loss of state revenue thus threatened was avoided by an arrangement whereby the Commonwealth collected the tax, amounting to 15 per cent, and handed it back to the states. This new arrangement did not increase the overall rate of taxation, it just changed the manner of collection of a part of it. It was the exemption from this state tax for cellar door sales and some other things that formed the basis of the initial WET rebate in 2000.

To say that wine had been mostly exempt from taxation until 1984 invites the question of when and how it had not been. Tax was first imposed on Australian wine in 1930 as part of a general sales tax of 2.5 per cent introduced that year. Noticing that beer was among the various items exempted from the sales tax, the wine makers pressed the government to be given similar tax-exempt status. Perhaps they did not understand that beer was exempted only because it was already subject to the excise, which wine was not. Nevertheless, Canberra was easily persuaded, and in 1931 ‘Australian wine’ was added to the schedule of exempt items.

It was several decades before another tax was imposed on Australian wine. The federal budget in 1970 contained a proposal to place a ‘moderate’ excise of 50 cents per gallon on ‘locally produced grape wine’. This was done partly because of the rising consumption of wine, and the evident profitability of the industry, and partly in fairness to consumers of other heavily taxed alcoholic beverages, notably beer.

This proposal also included an increase of 50 cents per gallon in the customs duty on imported wine, to level the playing field, and a very generous exemption for wine produced at home for private use, up to 400 gallons (about 1,800 litres) annually. At that time, note well, it was illegal in Australia to make any amount of beer at home for private consumption. In a further concession to the wine industry, the excise previously applied to spirits used to fortify wine was to be removed.

The excise on wine was implemented through the Excise Tariff Act of 1970. Metrication altered the rate to 11 cents per litre early in 1972, then later the same year the government once again succumbed to the effective lobbying of the wine industry and agreed to reduce the rate of excise by half, to five-and-a-half cents per litre. This reduction was implemented later in 1972.

In December 1972, a Labor government came to power in Australia, for the first time since the late 1940s. One of the incoming government’s first actions was to remove the excise on wine. This was done immediately through provisions in the excise by-laws, then formalised later by the Excise Tariff Act of 1973. Only some minor categories of artificially sweetened wines remained subject to the excise. The Labor government’s position on this matter had been foreshadowed during debate on the excise reduction in 1972 when Al Grassby, member for the important wine-producing Riverina electorate, sought to have the tax removed altogether.

The new government was keenly aware of the double standard implicit in the elimination of the excise on wine while beer remained heavily taxed, and in the fact that the home manufacture of beer was illegal while making wine for private use was not. In 1973, therefore, it passed legislation to exempt from excise any beer produced for ‘non-commercial purposes’, thus making home-brewing legal for the first time since Federation.

The burgeoning wine industry eventually became too big a temptation for the tax collectors, and could no longer be resisted. It remained tax-free only until another newly-elected Labor government made it subject to a 10 per cent wholesale sales tax in 1984. In a submission to Cabinet in 1983, Keating had recommended the imposition of a sales tax on wine and cider at the rate of 7.5 per cent, but a decision was deferred until the 1984 budget. The matter was urgent, in the treasurer’s opinion, because the states, which were developing ‘a good eye for fiscal gaps’, were expected to ‘move in’ and impose their own taxes on wine.

A consequence of the way in which wine is presently taxed in Australia, on its wholesale value rather than it alcohol content, is that the tax applies disproportionately to expensive ‘premium’ wine over less expensive products, such as cask wine. This means that the cheapest way to buy beverage alcohol in this country at present is in the form of inferior wine, and the most expensive way is in the form of spirits and high-priced bottled wine. Beer, the beverage of moderation, sits somewhere in between.

The WET rebate causes further distortions, some intended and some not. The rebate was designed to assist small producers by shielding them from the tax, but it applies to only a proportion of the WET paid by large producers. Consequently, an expensive wine made by a large producer attracts a higher tax per ‘standard drink’ than a similar wine made by a small producer. This fosters small-scale production, and supports some wineries that would otherwise be uneconomic.

History shows that the present complicated, incoherent and anomaly-ridden system of taxing alcoholic beverages in Australia has developed over many years, as the result of a long succession of ad-hoc decisions. It has become particularly confused in recent decades as wine has been added to the revenue mix, and as the methods of applying excise to beer have been modified to encourage the consumption of low-alcohol forms. If the system has one consistent feature, it is the historically favoured treatment of wine over beer, most evident today in the bizarre double standard that allows a small winery to receive a rebate of the first $500,000 of WET paid, whereas only $30,000 excise is returned to a small brewery. The underlying prejudice against beer in Australia is deeply ingrained, and will not be easily resolved.

1) It has halved the membership fee for nano breweries, from $500 to $250 and lowered the upper volume limit from 99 999 litres per annum to 49 999 litres p.a. to make it easier for the smallest breweries to join.

2) Where previously the jump from Microbrewer to Regional Brewery would have meant a fee increase from $1000 to $5000 the CBIA has now introduced a tiered system so that it goes from $1000 to $3000 and then to $5000. Similarly under the previous system when a brewery went from Regional to National they went from $5000 to $10 000 per annum. The CBIA has put in another tier so it now goes from $5000 to $7000 to $10 000. The production levels for these tiers are listed below.

3) There has been an increase in the upper limit for a single member to 40 million litres per annum to take account of Lion’s acquisition of Little World Beverages. The CBIA Constitution allows for only one vote per entity so the upper limit had to be increased to accommodate this and to allow for growth.

Non brewers can also join the association with Enthusiast Membership available.

More details below.

(Disclaimer: Australian Brews News editor, Matt Kirkegaard, holds an unpaid position on the CBIA Consumer Awareness and Education Committee)

Media Release

The Craft Beer Industry Association announces new membership categories.

With the end of the financial year approaching the Board of the Craft Beer Industry Association has announced a revamp of its membership categories for full brewer members for the 2013/14 membership period.

“The CBIA Board has received a lot of feedback from the craft beer industry over the last 12 months regarding the various categories for membership,” said CBIA Chair Brad Rogers.“As a result of listening to our members and potential members, we are very pleased to announce these changes.”

The changes have been made with a view to achieving three goals.

Firstly, they will make it more affordable for the nation’s smallest brewers to join the CBIA.

Secondly, they will lessen the financial cost for those breweries making the jump from the Microbrewer category to the Regional Category and from the Regional category to the National category.

Finally, they recognise the changes created by Lion Co’s takeover of Little World Beverages to form the nation’s largest craft entity.

The changes will not result in a fee increase for any CBIA members.

“Many small breweries have told us that they want to join but just don’t have the room in their budgets for $500. We hope that by halving the membership fee we will make it easier for them to be involved,” said Rogers.

“The industry also has a number of breweries that are ready to make that jump up to the next output level.  These guys are investing heavily in their businesses to accommodate this production increase and having such steep increases to their membership fees was a lot to ask.“

“We have also had to adjust the upper limit of our membership structure due to the Lion takeover of Little World Beverages. Our Constitution prohibits one entity from having two votes so Malt Shovel and Little Creatures will now be represented under the one membership. The national category will still have three members though with Burleigh Brewing Co recently joining the CBIA,” said Rogers.

The changes to the membership categories are effective immediately.

Contract brewer membership categories remained tied to the corresponding production levels listed below.

The Craft Beer Industry Association’s membership year runs in line with the financial year. Any brewery wishing to join before the end of June will only pay for the 2013/14 period.

The revised membership category structure is:

In particular we look at Lion’s Kosciuszko Pale Ale which nominally hails from Jindabyne, although the greatest volume of it is brewed in Lion’s Sydney Malt Shovel Brewery. The interview ties up some loose ends from the Byron Bay brouhaha in January.

This interview was recorded a few weeks ago and so I touched base with Chuck last week to get an update on where Lion was at with their labeling considerations. Chuck advised:

“With  Kosciusko Pale Ale  continuing to grow, we definitely will be brewing it in Geelong before the summer, and we will acknowledge that on the label.  As we discussed before, it might be easier just to say “brewed by Lion under license from Kosciuszko Brewing Co.”  this allows us to brew at MSB and also at Geelong.”

If they Lion moves to that with Kosciuszko and their other brands, they certainly should be applauded for the move towards better transparency.

After the discussion about labeling we move onto the recent Mad Brewers Scotch Ale,  only available in kegs because of the difficulty in scheduling a bottling run for it. We discuss the challenges of scheduling their special release beers and upscaling brews from the Malt Shovel Brewery. Chuck reveals why James Squire is moving away from the 660ml bottle to a standard pint bottle, which he reveals will be called The Friendship Pint.

This week we thanks sponsors Core Brewing Concepts and Premier Stainless for making Australian Brews News possible.

Serves four

• 4 Goose Maryland’s (or duck)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp crushed black pepper
• ½ tsp all spice
• 1 tsp thyme powder
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt

Wash and then pat dry the goose or duck legs then trim them of excess skin and fat trying to remove as much fat as possible but not too much skin. Rub the mixed dry spices well into each of the Maryland’s. Leave in the fridge over night – the longer you leave them with the rub on the more flavour it will impart.

• 1 bottle of Kriek Lambic – see note
• 1cup of chicken stock
• 8 eschallots – peeled and cut into 1/3rds
• Salt and pepper
• 1 jar of sour pitted cherries

Brown goose or duck skin side down first in a hot non stick fry pan – you will not need any oil as the goose will release plenty. Once skin is brown and crisp turn and brown the other side. Remove from pan and keep warm. Discard most of the fat keeping a couple of tablespoons – brown the onions in the hot oil for a couple of minutes then add the bottle of Kriek and the chicken stock. Reduce this down by about a 1/3 rd. Season with salt and pepper

Place goose in an oven proof dish preferably a heavy one where the meat will fit snuggly and then pour over the braising liquid and onions. Cover with baking paper and a tight fitting lid and bake in the oven at around 160 for 1 ½ — 2 hours. Turn the goose after an hour. Check that the liquid is not bubbling too hard as you just want it to be gently simmering. Once the goose is pull apart tender remove from the liquid carefully and put on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven for 6 or 7 minutes to crisp up the outside.

Sauce – place the braising pan with the onions and juice on the stove, if there is a lot of fat carefully skim it off. On a gentle heat add some of the cherry juice — the amount depends on how much liquid is left in the pan but let’s say about ½ to one cup. Also throw in about a ½ a cup of the cherries. Bring the heat up and reduce the sauce all the time scrapping the bottom of the pan to get any cooked bits off the pan and into the sauce. Once it is reduced to your liking check for seasoning and it is ready.

Serve with polenta or a good potato mash and steamed bok choy, greens beans or braised red cabbage. Drizzle the sauce around the plate and over the meat.

Apart from writing the excellent cookbooks, Mercurio’s Menu (from which this recipe is taken) and Cooking With Beer, Paul Mercurio hosts beer and food matching events for corporate, private and hospitality industry clients. He can be contacted on info@paulmercurio.com.au.

Queensland Homebrewing Conference Update

It’s been a little while since we last provided some information about what’s happening with the QHC.

So, by the numbers, this is what’s on offer;

5 Professional Brewers

We now have 5 professional brewers speaking on the day.

• Ian Morgan, brewer at Holgate since 2008, will be joining us to talk about all things hops. Ian is still a home brewer at heart, and when he is not brewing at Holgate, he still knocks out the odd brew for himself on his three tier gravity system.
• Along with Ian, presentations will also be made by Ben Krause (Bridge Road) and Josh Uljans (Moon Dog) from down south, and local brewers Ian Watson (Fortitude Brewing) and Wade Curtis (4 Hearts).

4 Break-out Sessions

To add some extra variety, we’ll be running a range of smaller sessions through the day. Topics include:

• Making Yeast Starters,
• Mashing for Whiskey,
• Sake Making
• Spiegelau Glass Tasting. For a select few (those who get in early and buy the tickets), we will be trying a range of Spiegelau glasses and seeing whether they really do make a difference to how your beer tastes. The tastings are normally $55, but for those at the conference, you can attend the tastings and walk away with 4 Spiegelau Glasses, for just $45. The glasses themselves have an RRP of $59.95, so this is a great opportunity to save some money and experience something quite unexpected.

3 Beer Breaks

At Morning and Afternoon Beers and straight after the conference, we will be having beers provided by a range of breweries, mostly from Queensland. Where possible, we’ll also have the brewers on hand to talk about the beers and then stay through the break so you get a chance to have a chat with them. There are also 7 beers at lunch to judge as part of the Club Wars Competition.

2 Expert Panel Sessions

Sometimes not all your questions can get answered during the sessions. We’ll be working to keep the sessions running right on time this year, so we are going to have two sessions where all our expert brewers will be available to answer questions.

1 Hell of a Good Time

It will be a great day with 16 sessions of education and fun (it won’t all be serious), and plenty of beer and food. There’ll be heaps of give-aways and plenty of chances to talk to guys that have made the jump from home brewing to commercial brewers.

And finally,

0 Idea of the Topic of the After-dinner Speech

I’m not sure what they will be talking about, but I can guarantee that Ben and Kieran, the dynamic duo behind the Scratch Bar at Milton, will provide a very enjoyable session as we wrap up our Beer and Food matching dinner. A great way to round out the day.

Tickets are selling fast – we have almost reached last year’s attendance already, so don’t delay getting yours.

Tickets can be bought through the website – www.theqhc.com.au where you will also find more information about what will be happening on the day.

You can also log onto our Facebook page and Twitter to stay up with the latest news.

Of course, the name also ties back into the James Squire brand in another way, with the real James Squire arriving in the penal colony aboard the ship Friendship. While I have written in the past about the sometimes spurious connection between Australia’s first brewer and the modern brewery bearing his name, there is no doubting the consistency that the marketers at Lion have achieved with the James Squire brand. While they have no real connection with the historical character, they have still managed to consistently and accurately tell his story…while CUB has consistently managed to get its own brands’ real histories wrong. But we’ll have more on CUB’s troubled relationship with its own history soon.

In the meantime, we will be releasing a Radio Brews News podcast featuring Chuck Hahn as a guest in which he talks a little about the new Friendship Pint. Watch out for it later today (or tomorrow). [MK]

Media Release

James Squire launches new Friendship Pints

New 568ml bottles commemorate first voyage to Australia

June  2013  –  The  James  Squire  story  will  add  another  chapter  this  month  with  the  launch  of  new 586ml Friendship Pints.

The James  Squire  Friendship Pints mark the very beginning of the James Squire story. It was back in April 1787, that he was released from Southwark Gaol on the convict ship ‘Friendship’, bound for the British penal colony of Australia.

To commemorate this milestone in Australian beer culture,  the  James Squire Friendship Pint, based on an authentic imperial  measure,  will be available in  three different varieties, including  Nine Tales Amber Ale, The Chancer Golden Ale and One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale.

“In the true spirit of James Squire, we wanted to create beers that could be easily shared amongst mates,” said Lion Head of Craft, Brett Grebert.

“The idea of sharing a beer whilst telling a good story is deeply entrenched in Australian culture and the new James Squire Friendship Pints are a testament to this,” said Grebert.

The new James Squire Friendship Pints are now available nationally.

Australia’s first Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel and Oyster Stout headlines Murray’s Dark Beer Month winter lineup

What started as a bit of fun, has led to a highly unusual beer being bottled and chosen to headline Murray’s Craft Brewing Co’s winter release of three imperial stouts and the brewer’s first Strong Dark Belgian Ale.

Auld Bulgin’ Boysterous Bicep Imperial Stout is a Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel and Oyster Stout, originally conceived for the New Zealand Beervana festival Media-brew beer challenge. The beer is a collaboration between the team at Murray’s and The Crafty Pint beer blog, brewed to reflect the origins of the parties involved and utilises 100 Port Stephens Oysters for Murray’s Brewery (based at Port Stephens); 100 blue lipped mussels from Victoria for Crafty Pint; and 100 green-lipped mussels, native to New Zealand per batch.

In case the beer wasn’t complex or out-there enough, the team added peated distilling malt to the grain bill and fermented it with a Belgian yeast originally sourced from a Trappist monastery!

“It was a crazy beer to brew with a great set of out-there ingredients,” said Murray’s Head Brewer and Australian Brewer of the Year, Shawn Sherlock.

“As strange as it may sound the result was a really well balanced and rounded Imperial Stout with a twist, and a beer we were all very proud of. It was a lot of fun to brew – and ultimately too good a beer not to brew on a bigger scale.”

“The original pilot batch of the beer won its class at New Zealand’s Beervana Festival with a perfect 45/45 score – much to all our surprise! The judges obviously knew a great Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel and Oyster Stout when they tasted one,” Shawn said.

Murray’s Dark Beer Month runs across June and July, incorporating a total of four dark beer releases, dark beer-inspired dishes at its restaurants and special events at its venues.

“The program is bigger and wilder than ever, upping the ante on last year with the release of four pretty out-there dark beers,” says brewery owner, Murray Howe.

“In addition to the three Imperial Stouts, we thought we’d brew another dark style to show there’s more to Dark Beer Month than stouts! We’ve released a lot of Belgian inspired beers over the years but have never before released a Belgio Strong Dark Ale, so we are very excited at the brewery.”

“Dark beers are becoming more and more popular in Australia, but the trend naturally becomes more prominent in winter. We’re giving people some great reasons to celebrate these cooler months.”

Murray’s Dark Beer release program for 2013 is:

Murray’s ‘Wild Thing’ Imperial Stout in the bottle and draught — this is a massive, intense drinking experience inspired by the great stouts favoured by the Russian Imperial Court. The colour is intensely black. The flavour is an intense hit of mocha with some malt sweetness but an aggressive hop bitterness and roast grain bite to balance. Available now in bottles from Murray’s Brewery (online and at the Port Stephens Brewery), Rubber Duckie Taphouse (Manly) and The Pub With No Beer (Taylors Arm) – then progressively through leading craft beer retailers. 10% abv.

Auld Bulgin’ Boysterous Bicep Imperial Stout in the bottle and draught — brewed in collaboration with The Crafty Pint, this is a truly out-there beer. Strong chocolate character underpins the beer with peaty smoked notes from the distilling malt present, especially when the beer is young. The high abv and Belgian yeast character combine to add even further complexity to the beer, before a minerally, briney finish from the the mussels and oysters takes the beer in yet another direction. Rich, complex and fun. Bottles will be released in July at Murray’s Brewery (online and at the Port Stephens Brewery) and Rubber Duckie Taphouse (Manly) – date to be announced on Murray’s website once the beer is ready. 10% abv.

Murray’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ Belgio Imperial Stout in the bottle and draught — this unique beer is a mix of styles concocted by Murray’s brewers. An Imperial Stout in basic style, but with a stronger accent on the chocolate malt over the roast barley, some rummy notes from the dark brown sugar, and underpinning it all, the classic Belgian esters and very light phenolics from the yeast. 9.6% abv.

Murray’s ‘Hell of the North’ Strong Dark Belgio Ale, draught only — “I can’t wait to brew this beer, which will be a first for us. The beer will reflect the name, and be full of attitude. We’ll have more to say on this one once I’ve actually brewed it!” says Shawn. Draught will be released Saturday 27 July at Murray’s Brewery (Port Stephens), Rubber Duckie Taphouse (Manly) and leading craft beer venues.

The three Imperial Stouts on draught will be released at Murray’s Brewery (Port Stephens) and Rubber Duckie Taphouse (Manly) on Saturday 6 July, then progressively through leading craft beer venues.

About Murray’s Craft Brewing Co.

Port Stephens-based Murray’s Craft Brewing Co. is one of Australia’s leading craft beer brewers and recently named Australia’s ‘Brewer of the Year’. From humble beginning in Taylors Arm (population 50) on the NSW North Coast seven years ago, Murray’s Brewery relocated to larger premises at Port Stephens in 2009 where today it runs a microbrewery, Cellar Door and one of the region’s best restaurants. It also runs a craft beer taphouse at Manly Beach in Sydney, Rubber Duckie. Murray’s beers are available nationally.

Black Follows Gold with New Winter Release from O’Brien Beer

O’Brien Beer has explored its dark side to conjure up a wintry sequel to its gold medal-winning first seasonal beer release.

O’Brien Black Lager, brewed in the tradition of German Schwarzbier, is the first winter beer to be unveiled by the gluten-free brewer.

It comes just weeks after O’Brien Belgian Ale became the first gluten-free beer to win gold at the Australian International Beer Awards.

O’Brien Black Lager, the second release in O’Brien’s seasonal beer series, is the perfect beer for the depths of winter.

It’s an appealing deep ruby/black in colour with a tan head. Specially roasted sorghum and millet malts provide an aroma of roast coffee and rich chocolate flavour, while the noble hops add floral and spicy notes.

A full, creamy mouthfeel gently gives way to a smooth, roasty bitterness that lingers through a finish that is clean and dry.

O’Brien Beer founder John O’Brien says: “Following on from the unprecedented success of our first seasonal beer, we’re delighted to offer craft beer fans and gluten-intolerant drinkers a new style of O’Brien beer.”

O’Brien Beer Brewery Manager Andrew Lavery says: “O’Brien Black Lager is made using the same process as our other beers, but we devoted more time to roasting the malt. I’m really happy with the rich colour and chocolate and coffee notes, which give a wintry depth that’s perfectly balanced with the spice and clean lager finish.”

About O’Brien Beer

After he was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 1998 John O’Brien was unable to find any beer on the market that tasted as good as a traditional beer but without the gluten. John saw this gap in the market as an opportunity to create great tasting craft beer, which was also gluten-free.

In 2004 John was joined by brewer, Andrew Lavery, who was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2002, and O’Brien Beer was released to the market in August 2005. The pair went on to establish their own brewery in Ballarat in 2007.

In late 2012 Rebellion Brewery opened a brewery bar in the centre of Ballarat, allowing visitors to tour a working brewery before settling in to sample some of the best beers around including; gluten-free O’Brien Beer and their local Ballarat beer, The Rat.

O’Brien Black Lager Ale, 5.3% alc/vol
RRP: $30.00/$90.00 6-pack/case

obrienbeer.com.au
gfbeer.com.au
www.facebook.com/OBrienBeer

• 10hl fermentation unitank x 4
• 10hl bright beer tanks x 2
• 20hl fermentation tanks x 2
• 2hl fermentation tank/yeast tank x 1

Superior design, quality finish. Built to Australian standards

Features:

• Front manway
• High pressure rating
• 60 degree conical with rack valve
• Hops top port
• Dimple plated cooling with insulation
• Pressure gauge/Temp probe
• High quality butterfly sanitary valves
• Full sterile welds and sanitary finishes
• Australian designed & assembled

Freight/duty already paid for.

Available in Melbourne from 15th June

Enquiries.