Dave's Beers of the World: Beechworth Pale Ale

Once again while staring at the contents of the fridges at my local bottleshop I couldn’t decide what I would be drinking that night. I asked one of the friendly staff what he recommended. James suggested I look at some of the Pale Ales which he likes and I settled for one with Ned Kelly as their logo.

A new favourite

Examining my first one before drinking it I noticed how the stubby had a scale on the label for the malt and hop profiles of the beer. This one in particular, Beechworth Pale Ale is tweaked from season to season and from my first taste I was hooked. This beer hits your taste buds and keeps on hitting until you finish it. I enjoyed it so much that I had another and another and before I knew it there was five empty stubbies beside me. It is definitely a craft beer as it contains more hops than standard beer and is the benchmark brew of Bridgeroad Brewers in Beechworth.

Until then I had never heard of Bridgeroad Brewers, a quick check of their website (www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au) though shows that they have created one good looking business for themselves. Ten years ago the owner Ben Kraus started off in his Father’s back shed, brewing what has now become one of the most recognised craft breweries in Australia.

“At Bridge Road Brewers we constantly tweak our beers and develop new recipes to satisfy the curiosity of ourselves and our customers alike. We are not prepared to just pump out a couple of run of the mill ales or have our beer brewed under license by someone else. We prefer to create beer from scratch, using our own production equipment on our own site in our home town of Beechworth, its our passion, not a hobby or a chance to make a quick buck.”

The website includes a map of Australia which shows where they have their beers on tap, mostly in Melbourne and Perth but I’m sure that in time their business will continue to expand.

Looking at the large selection of brews I was amazed and dying to try them already, from a Christmas themed one Fat Man, Red Suit, Big Sack to Posse Winter Ale. It seems that only the Pale Ale is available in Launceston where I live but luckily you can order any of the brews online. In addition to that, the company has some great merchandise for sale, including beer glasses, t-shirts, even a trucker cap.

What really has peaked my interest on the website is the link “Posse”. It is a sort of beer sample pack which they mail every quarter or two months for the thirstier customers. Prices are $68 per pack and $15 shipping if you live in Tasmania for a carton of Bridgeroad Breweries beers, including 12 seasonal bottles of beer, six bottles of contrasting beer and six that suit your favourite style preferences. I will admit that $83 every two (or three) months for a carton of beer seems pretty expensive but I will point out that you get delivered a CARTON of beer to your doorstep and the first delivery comes with a stubby holder. I’m going to sign up once I put this post online.

I am so glad that I have been introduced to this beer and brewery (thanks James), their style is something to be proud of, their benchmark beer is one I will add to my frequent flyer list and I will definitely visit their website to make some orders. I hope you get to try this craft beer and see what I now see as one product that makes me proud to be a beer drinker.