A trip in a new direction: Queensland’s newest brewery @ Castle Glen, Stanthorpe
January 18, 2010
Here at Thirsty Critters we pride ourselves on staying up-to-date with all things beer-related in South East Queensland and surrounds. So it was with great interest that I recently read that we have a new brewery in our midst – albeit a little further from Brisbane than those we visit on a regular tour. To sample the wares produced by Castle Glen requires a full day’s commitment, as it’s located just outside Stanthorpe in southern Queensland.
(Yes, Stanthorpe is in Queensland, not NSW. If I had a dollar for every time somebody had tried to convince me otherwise…)
And so it was last Sunday we got in the car and set off for Stanthorpe. The drive out there seemed far shorter than the last time I attempted it some 10 years ago, I guess the roads must be much improved these days. It’s a pretty good day trip, with excellent roads all the way, mostly dual carriageway, and ample overtaking lanes. We stopped for a late breakfast in Aratula and arrived in Stanthorpe around midday, about 2.5 hours after leaving Brisbane.
I had no idea that Castle Glen was actually… a castle. In the meandering hills of outer Stanthorpe it doesn’t look too out of place, if you imagine you have momentarily been teleported to the English countryside.
Castle Glen is actually renowned for its liqueurs, of which it seems to produce hundreds of varieties, in addition to wines, ports, sparklings and liqueur fudge.
The beers have been a relatively recent addition to the lineup, produced with the same equipment as the rest of the product range. In addition to those listed on the website, they also had a Dark Ale, English Ale and Munich Ale available.
The very friendly staff had three varieties on hand for us to try – the Chardonnay, Ginger Beer and Dark Ale. We only got to sample a small amount of each, so this is not a final verdict – that will have to wait until we bust open the selection of 750ml bottles we brought home with us.
The Dark Ale was agreeable but perhaps not dark enough. I brought a bottle home with me so I will let it age a little and try again.
The Chardonnay Beer was, to sound obvious, different. Quite clearly made from a chardonnay, so quite reminiscent of a saison. A little too sweet for my liking, although quite mild considering the 9.5% ABV. A good attempt at something no other Queensland brewer is doing, as far as I know.
The standout, surprisingly, was the ginger beer. I’m not a fan of ginger beer at all and was expecting to be overcome with a full payload of ginger, but it was much more subtle than that. Again quite tame considering the 11.5% ABV, it was a very refreshing drop that I’m looking forward to trying more of.
The good news for anyone wanting to try these beers is that we might soon be able to enjoy them a little closer to home – Castle Glen are opening a satellite cellar door at Mt Tamborine in March. Unfortunately, due to Queensland’s archaic liquor licensing laws, they won’t be able to sell the beer, but they’re working to change that ASAP. We will keep you posted on the Thirsty Critters blog.
In the meantime, a day trip out to Stanthorpe is certainly recommended – there’s plenty of other great things to do out there besides sample beer. We also visited a cheese factory and had lunch at the delightful Bella Rosa’s tea room just down the road from Castle Glen.
Three cheers for Castle Glen, Queensland’s newest craft brewery. We look forward to visiting the next one!
FREE BEER! On all Thirsty Critters tours booked before April
January 12, 2010
Thirsty Critters is gearing up for a great 2010 and we want you to be a part of it!
We are offering some very special deals for tours booked on any date before the end of April. Each tour includes COMPLIMENTARY TASTING BEERS at selected breweries!
We have been running tours for almost 6 months now and we know that the best way to experience a Thirsty Critters tour is with a group of friends or work colleagues. So if you have a group of beer-loving friends in mind, or an upcoming birthday that you want to celebrate in style, or just want to enjoy a great day out, take a look at the following offers and get in touch!
SCHOONER SIZED TOUR: 15% OFF – $70 per head
- Transport to MT Brewery, Eagle Height Brewery and Burleigh Brewing Company
- FOUR COMPLIMENTARY TASTING BEERS AT MT BREWERY AND EAGLE HEIGHTS BREWERY!
PINT SIZED TOUR: 10% OFF – $120 per head – lunch and guided brewery tour included
- Transport to MT Brewery, Eagle Height Brewery and Burleigh Brewing Company
- Morning tea and lunch included
- Guided brewery tour at Burleigh Brewing Company
- FOUR COMPLIMENTARY TASTING BEERS AT ALL BREWERIES!
BYRON BAY TOUR: New product special offer – $110 per head
- Transport to Stone & Wood Brewery, Byron Bay Brewing Company and MT Brewery
- Morning tea included, lunch at Byron Bay Brewing Company
- Guided brewery tour at Stone & Wood
- FOUR COMPLIMENTARY TASTING BEERS AT ALL BREWERIES!
These special offers are only for tours booked for dates before the end of April so if you’d like to experience a Thirsty Critters tour at a great price, get in touch via the booking form or enquiry form. You can also give me a call on 0449 784 610.
Hope to see you on a Thirsty Critters tour soon!
PLEASE NOTE: All prices listed above assume a minimum booking of six people. Tours can be booked for less than six people, subject to Thirsty Critters booking additional passengers. Prices will be reduced for group bookings larger than six.
A Periodic Table of Beer
January 11, 2010
Last night I was a guest on 4BC’s beer show with Matt Kirkegaard. Matt started the show by answering a few questions from listeners – the first of which went along the lines of: “What is the difference between ale, lager, stout and pilsener?”
Matt’s reply was, of course, succinct and accurate. If you’re not familiar with the differences yourself, you can check out a rather comprehensive explanation at RateBeer. But there’s also much more visually pleasing answer to the question, something I stumbled upon recently – the Periodic Table of Beer! (Click on the image below for a much larger version).
This highly informative and entertaining chart was put together by this guy, but it’s based on a much older design by Mantis Design.
Not only does the chart encompass pretty much every style of beer, it also gives you the ‘vital stats’ of each brew: ABV stands for “alcohol by volume”, IBU stands for “international bitterness units”, and SRM stands for “standard reference method” — a measurement of color.
Spend a bit of time reading over the chart and enjoy the wonderfully varied world of beer – and be happy in the knowledge that you have many beers to try yet!
(Thanks @leohede for the heads up!)
Thirsty Critters on 4BC ‘Beer Talk’ tonight
January 10, 2010
I’ve been invited by Matt Kirkegaard to join him on 4BC’s dedicated beer show tonight (Sunday 10/1) from 6.30pm. If you’re at home or driving around in the car around this time tonight, turn the dial to 1116am and tune on in! We’ll be discussing the Thirsty Critters tour, as well as all things beer with some of Brisbane’s foremost beer experts.
The Beer Show is Australia’s only beer radio show. It runs on Brisbane’s 4BC 1116 fortnightly on Sunday nights at 6.30pm. Hosted by Walter Williams, we talk beer with beer news, new products, interviews and taste the odd beer or two.
Hope you can join us on the airwaves!
A look inside the Sunshine Coast Brewery
January 4, 2010
Quite possible the least well-known of all South East Queensland microbreweries, the Sunshine Coast Brewery has been quietly doing its own thing for 11 years now. For the last 3 years it has been in the safe hands of Greg Curran, who has been slowly raising the profile of this little gem hidden in the back blocks of Maroochydore (Kunda Park to be precise).
I’ve visited the Sunshine Coast Brewery once before, and was pleased to talk to Greg about his beers and his plans for the future. Since that time he’s gone on to win several very prestigious beer awards, including a Gold Medal for their midstrength Summer Ale.
Greg has recently been interviewed as part of the Queensland State Library’s “Storylines” project, part of Queensland’s Q150 celebrations. It’s only six minutes long and is well worth a watch. If you’re ever up on the Sunshine Coast and have a couple of hours to spare, drop in and say hello to Greg. And keep an eye out for their beers in Brisbane stores, they appear to be becoming more readily available.
Many thanks to BeerMatt for the heads up for this post, this is a great little video and well worth a repeat here on the Thirsty Critters blog.
