Brisbane Brewing Co Woolloongabba is situated in a historic pub on the corner of Stanley Street and Annerley Road – a place known as Clarence Corner. Wanting to know more of their story, BBCo looked into why it was called Clarence Corner, but they couldn’t find a definitive answer. So they hired a historian, who did some more research and discovered… that they still couldn’t pin it down. Oh sure, there are some theories – it could be named after a steamship, or a minor royal – but even after all that digging, the BBCo folk still aren’t really sure. But this mystery didn’t stop them from naming Clarence Ginger Beer thus, and adorning it with a fun illustration of the old pub.
Clarence is a spicy numbe:- each sniff gives the ol' nostril hairs a bit of a tingle and each sip has a bit of burn going down, like a ship with too many candles. It’s made on a base of BBCo’s own Reservoir Vodka, with the ginger complemented by some subtle citrus and spice – clove? – notes.
From the moment this drink went on tap in their venues and in cans, BBCo have barely been able to keep up with customers demand for it. It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s complex, and it’s a fine tribute to the location BBCo put down roots two decades ago. Raise a glass to Clarence – whoever that is.
Another non-beery option alongside Clarence is BBCo’s Hard Lemonade. It’s got more going on than most of the boozy lemon drinks around, mainly because it’s not just lemon: there’s grapefruit and blood orange in there rounding out the flavour profile. In fact, to me the flavour comes through almost half lemon, half grapefruit (though with no grapefruit bitterness).
For anyone interested in this, it’s low carb and low sugar compared to most RTDs – 48 calories in a can – but it certainly isn’t low on taste. Personally, I was surprised that I didn’t notice any lack of sweetness either. I guess there’s enough citrus flavour to do the job.
Mick Wüst
Published February 11, 2025 2025-02-11 00:00:00
