Stone & Wood & Willie Simpson Forefathers 2016

Style
Doppelbock
ABV
7.0%

In 2015, Stone & Wood decided to start paying tribute to the people without whom the local beer landscape would look very little like it does today. They did so by inviting Phil Sexton, a founder of the Sail & Anchor, Matilda Bay and Little Creatures (and much else besides) to brew with them. And now, for their second Forefathers release, they invited Willie Simpson up from Tasmania to join them at the brewery.

For those who've not heard of Willie, he's a guy who, for some reason even he probably doesn't fully understand, decided to write about the Australian beer industry when there wasn't an awful lot of obvious interest or excitement to write about. For more than a quarter century, he wrote books and articles, including a long-running series in the Sydney Morning Herald, that helped give those interested in beer beyond the mere quaffing of lagers something to explore, and also lent the industry a form of legitimacy.

A few years ago, as the newspaper's interest in covering beer seemed to be waning in inverse proportion to the amount of fascinating things that warranted covering, he put down his pen for the last time to instead focus all of his attention on the Seven Sheds Brewery & Hop Farm he and partner Catherine Stark operate in Railton, in northwest Tasmania. There, alongside a series of brewers he's helped train, he produces a range of alternately traditional and uniquely fascinating beers, many of them used to highlight small local producers.

For his Forefathers brew, he and Stone & Wood head brewer Brad Rogers opted for a German style doppelbock, a form of strong, dark lager. A figgy fruitiness hits first, followed by chocolate fudge and cocoa, with a touch of nuttiness appearing on the palate too. At 7 percent ABV, there's a creaminess to its dark brown body as well as hints of sweet booze. It's not a style you see often here (presumably part of the reason behind brewing one) but you might wonder why after trying this, with the cocoa and balancing hops providing a drying finish.

Find out more on the collaboration here.

Published August 22, 2016

Name
Stone & Wood (Lion/Kirin)
Address

100 Centennial Circuit
Byron Bay
NSW 2481

Phone
(02) 6685 5173
Open Hours

Cellar Door
Mon to Fri: 10am to 5pm
Sat & Sun: midday to 6pm

Tasting room
Mon to Fri: 10am to 5pm
Sat & Sun – midday to 6pm

Regular events

Stone & Wood Brewer Experience (fortnightly)
Details here
Join the Beer Club for exclusive news, videos, beers & more

Tours

All week (except Tues)

$30 per person – book here

Pickled OnMarket
CBCo Goldy

More from Stone & Wood (Lion/Kirin)

Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Hopposite Seasons
Cold IPA
7.5%
Stone & Wood Stone Beer '23 & Barrel-Aged Stone Beer '22
Stone-Fired Smoked Porter & Barrel-Aged Stone Beer
6.0% & 11.2%
Stone & Wood's Counter Culture: Plonk!
White Wine Inspired Sour Ale
6.8%
Stone & Wood Hinterland Hazy Pale Ale
Hazy Pale Ale
5.2%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Disco Queen
Pink Lemonade Sour
6.0%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: After The Harvest
Imperial Yuzu Witbier
7.0%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Edge Of The Earth IPA
Tasmanian IPA
6.6%
Stone & Wood Stone Beer 2022
Wood-Fired Porter
6.4%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Who Really Is Wayne Dubois?
Sparkling Shiraz Sour
7.0%
Stone & Wood & Afends Crop Circles
Hazy Pale with Mango, Macadamia & Hemp Seed
5.0%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Bloom Springs
Hazy IPA
6.4%
Stone & Wood Green Coast Crisp
Mid-strength Lager
3.5%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Dark Unicorn
Salted Choc Scotch Ale
7.6%
Stone & Wood Tequila Queen & Sticky Nectar 2021
Oak-Aged Margarita Sour & Mango Milkshake IPA
7.0% & 6.5%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Peachy Cheeks
Peach Bellini Sour
6.69%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: The Holy Grain
Honey Toasted Hazy IPA
6.2%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: The Earl Of Swirl
Berry Cream Sour
6.9%
Stone & Wood East Point – RETIRED
Lower Alcohol Mixed Ferment Beer
2.7%
Stone & Wood Counter Culture: Tequila Queen
Oak-Aged Margarita Sour
7.0%
Stone & Wood Stone Beer 2020
Stone Beer
6.6%