Thirsty Critters goes to WA Part 2: Swan Valley Breweries
November 30, 2009
I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of our series on our recent trip to WA. After checking out some pubs on the first day, it was time to go a bit further afield on day two – so we booked ourselves on to a Beer Nuts brewery tour. This held obvious excitement for me as I’d never been on another brewery tour before! I was very keen to see how other tour operators conducted their day trip to local breweries.
Our trusty Beer Nuts chariot!
As it turns out, our guide Martin was the first brewery tour operator in the Swan Valley, and had been in business for about three years. He was a most excellent guide, very amiable, full of great info about the region and of course the local beer. Martin picked us up from our hotel at 10.30 and, after picking his brain about the ins and outs of running a tour – and picking up some great tips for Thirsty Critters – we had already arrived at the first brewery by 11am! How lucky Perthites are to have the Swan Valley on their doorstep – it takes Thirsty Critters around an hour to reach out first stop at MT Brewery!
First stop of the day - Feral Brewing Co
The first Brewery on the stop was the legendary Feral Brewing. The brewhouse was in full swing, with their famous Feral White on the boil. Being a Friday, the crowds (like the rest of the breweries we visited) were minimal, which gave us a chance to have a chat with the management crew behind Feral and enjoy our amazing tasting tray in peace and quiet on their huge outdoor deck.
Enjoying the tasting tray on the deck at Feral Brewing Co
Of all the breweries, Feral had the biggest selection of beer styles by far. The tasting tray came with a Feral White, Hop Hog (pale ale), Feral Cow (English Bitter), Rust (dubbel) and and Farmhouse Ale (saison). All were amazing – and the tasting glass size was the perfect quantity. We had a long day of beer drinking ahead of us!
The beer menu at Feral
Second stop on the tour was Ironbark Brewing, which was a winery as well as a brewery. The menu (below) was apparently ever-changing, and a quick look out the back told me why – it was a very DIY operation, with the vats and lines made from reclaimed metal!
The menu at Ironbark
Their pilsener was particularly outstanding, and my favourite of their selection – because of it’s timid bitterness. Much more friendly to my palate than many other pilseners out there. We also had lunch at Ironbark, which were hugely oversized portions!
A very tasty pilsener at Ironbark
In a further sign of Ironbark’s DIY ethos, their office is an old wine vat!
The Ironbark admin office!
Third stop on the tour was Elmar’s, another huge operation that also included a restaurant, huge outdoor area (big enough to hold concerts), and a smallgoods counter! All very German, which was reflected in their beer menu. They also brewed in glass vats, something I’d never seen before.
Glass vats at Elmar's
The menu kept it simple with three classic German varieties – pilsener, weizen and altbier.
The beer selection at Elmar's
All their varieties were as tasty as the look in the photo below!
The tasting selection from Elmar's
Brewery number four was Duckstein, another brewery with a heavy German influence, right down to the huge beer garden out the back. Their tasting trays were very unique – carved wood with each beer style branded into the tray.
Tasting tray at Duckstein
It was a wonderful day for a tour and great weather to sit in the Duckstein beer garden!
Tasting tray in the beer garden at Duckstein
Last brewery of the day was Mash Brewing, a much newer brewery.
Mash Brewing Co
The masses of stainless steel and polished wood reminded me very much of MT Brewing at Mt Tamborine.
The vats and bar at Mash Brewing
The day finished with one final tasting tray at Mash – including our first cider of the day. My heart was with their delicious Black lager though – about the only thing I could taste at this point in the day! As you might imagine, the taste buds were getting a little weary after so much great beer.
Tasting tray at Mash Brewing
All in all, a great experience, very informative and educational, and also a real eye-opener – those WA beer lovers have got it all right in their own backyard! It gave me confidence that we might see more breweries popping up in South East Queensland in the future. If you’re ever over that way, a brewery tour in the Swan Valley is a must, and Beer Nuts comes highly recomended.
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