Nancy Mitford cemented her reputation as a chronicler of the English upper class with her scandalous novel Love in a Cold Climate, but who is going to come forward and write Brewing In A Hot Climate, a steamy tale of hops, passion, guava and vanilla pods set in tropical Queensland?
Over the past decade, the craft beer revolution has transformed the drinking landscape in Australia bringing hoppy, full-flavoured ales into suburban pubs and hipster bars. Microbreweries can now be found from Collingwood to Kangaroo Island.
Only Queensland, with its staunch loyalty to XXXX, seemed immune from the lure IPAs, porters, red ales, sours, saisons and other ingenious concoctions.
Apart from pioneers such as Townsville Brewery and Sunshine Coast Brewery, it was thin pickings for craft beer aficionados who ventured north of the Tweed – but not any longer. Queensland’s craft beer scene has gone into warp drive, with new brewpubs, microbreweries and beer-friendly eateries springing up in places as diverse as Noosa, Maroochydore, Currumbin, Port Douglas and Maleny.
“Look, it takes a bit of time for things to travel up north,” admits Jason Cox, who launched Copperhead Brewery two years ago. “But I’d say that we’re now definitely catching up with the rest of Australia.”
To get some idea of the pace of change, consider this: 12 new breweries have opened up on the Sunshine Coast over the past three years. Plans are afoot for new breweries in Townsville, Noosa, Burleigh Heads and elsewhere – some brewers will soon diversity into gins, vodkas and other spirits. Industry leaders believe that far from reaching its peak, the Queensland craft beer market offers plenty of opportunities for smart new entrants.
“Has it peaked? No, no, no, no,” says Tony Fyfe, co-owner of Hemingway’s Brewery, which operates brewpubs in both Port Douglas and Cairns. “The peak is long way off. That space [for craft beer] will keep on growing for a number of years.”
Sunshine in every glass
Whoever invented the phrase “laid-back” must have been thinking of Eumundi on a warm Sunday afternoon. The sound an Irish fiddle coming from the Imperial Hotel is excuse enough to stop the car and venture into one of Queensland’s most recognisable pubs. A mainstay of village life since 1911, this grand old building is also the home of Eumundi Brewery.
Although the brand has a longer pedigree the new 12-hectoletre facility, owned by the Lion group, opened in 2017 – since then its fresh-tasting pale ales and lagers have earned a strong local following. Down the road in Cooroy, there’s a lively crowd in for lunch at the Copperhead Brewery, which is celebrated for its contemporary east-meets-west cuisine and exotic beers.
“Our beer is brewed to be matched with food,” says owner and head chef Jason Cox. “We brew 40 different flavoured beers, including a passionfruit sour and a vanilla porter.”
Copperhead is one the many new microbreweries that have opened between Noosa and Caloundra. Other recent arrivals include Moffat Beach, 10 Toes, Brouhaha, Land & Sea and Eco Brewing – many showcased their wares during The Curated Plate, a new regional culinary festival in August.
Josh Donohoe, who runs Sunshine Craft Beer Tours, says that visitors are genuinely surprised by the range and quality of craft beers available locally.
“Until recently the Sunshine Coast was not on the craft beer map – when I moved here there was only one microbrewery,” he says. “People are looking for something different — whether they are buying wine, coffee or beer. My motto is come to the Sunshine Coast for the beaches, but stay for the produce.”
Surfin’ To Brewing Glory
Despite its holiday vibe and surfy image the Gold Coast has an established craft beer scene thanks to the pioneering efforts of Burleigh Brewing Company where Hawaiian-born brewmaster Brennan Fielding
has been making German style wheat beers, English bitters and quirky pale ales and lagers since 2006. The surfing themed taphouse, with its live music and food trucks, is a magnet for locals and visitors alike.
“When we first opened we couldn’t give craft beer away,” Fielding recalls. “It was a gamble that paid off.” Today, the brewery makes nine regular brews, plus four special offerings exclusive to the taphouse. A surfing connection has proved invaluable for Gold Coast newbie Balter Brewing Company, which took out top prize in the GABS Australian Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer Awards in 2018.
The brewery, co-owned by world champion surfers Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson, is now one of the hottest weekend hang-outs on the coast, offering a range of pilsners, pale ales and extra strong brews. Another local superstar is Stone & Wood – the Byron Bay brewer, famous for its Pacific Ale — has an impressive production facility in Murwillumbah. The site is not open to the public, but its award-winning beers are widely available in Australia and the UK.
Save the Turtle, Drink Beer
High transport costs, the occasional cyclone and soaring summer temperatures are just some of the challenges facing anyone brewing in the tropics.
“It was 42 degrees in the brewery yesterday and it’s been bad all last week,” says Cameron McPherson, head brewer at the Barrier Reef Brewery in Cairns.
McPherson began making beer while he was working as a veterinary surgeon in Scotland – his first efforts took place in the family kitchen. “You had to wear a fleece, jeans and a jacket in the brewery,” he says.
McPherson and his partner Caroline Passingham launched Barrier Reef Brewing in 2016 and now produce small batches of un-filtered, preservative-free ales and pilsners. In the UK the couple both volunteered to rescue marine animals and now use the brewery to raise awareness about the threats facing the Great Barrier Reef. “We’re only small, so we’re not saving the world,” says McPherson.
Prawn Star Pilsner, Two Turtles Pale Ale and Arlington Amber are now available in 50 venues up and down the coast, but you can also drop into the taproom for a tasting and a chat about wildlife.
“We haven’t really got the space for live music so people have to listen to my house music,” says the head brewer. “There’s a food truck on Friday nights.”
In stark contrast Hemingway’s, which occupies a prime location on the Cairns waterfront, regards food and service as high priorities – alongside delivering beers tailor-made for the Queensland climate. The company has a smaller brewpub in Port Douglas.
“Prior to launching Hemingway’s our research suggested that the best model was the brewpub,” says co-owner Tony Fyfe. “Brewpubs are well established on the west coast of the US.”
The slick new brewpub has 24 craft beers and ciders on tap and a menu featuring beer-friendly grub such as crayfish sliders, salt and pepper squid and “hand-stretched” artisan pizzas from its own ovens. Judging by the full tables at the 600-seat brewpub in Cairns, Hemingway’s has got the formula just right – but its ambitions do not stop there. A new canning plant is being installed and its lagers, pilsners, IPAs and tropical ales will soon be available at bottle shops.
“We’re probably about five years behind the major cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,” says Fyfe. “But people are starting to understand that when it comes to beer fresh is always best.”
Mark Chipperfield visited Queensland as a guest of Tourism Noosa.