“The official beer of the Wallabies”
“A mid-strength lager in a clear glass bottle”
Neither of those are phrases you’d be accustomed to finding on the pages of The Crafty Pint, particularly the latter, but it does highlight just how many different directions the beer world is turning. In September 2021, a couple of weeks on from releasing a Salted Choc Scotch Ale, Stone & Wood unveiled the newest member of their core range, Green Coast Lager 3.5% – since renamed Green Coast Crisp.
Like other members of the Fermentum family, the beer sees the Green Coast range move a little further from Stone & Wood's main banner to take on a bit more of a life of its own, with its launch following the brewery's signing of a partnership with the Wallabies. For the story behind the beer, you can read this feature which includes a chat with Stone & Wood GM Nick Boots, who also said that, if they were to enter the non-alc market, it would likely be with a Green Coast-branded beer.
As the quickest of glances makes pretty clear (pun intended), it’s a play for the very large share of the Australian beer market occupied by the likes of Great Northern and XXXX Gold. What that means is a clean and crisp (to quote the label) beer designed not just for watching the Wallabies but any afternoon in the sun. There’s a light floral aroma from the hops, restrained sweetness from the malt, and only the slightest flicker of bitterness, which, unsurprisingly, means it's akin to the sort of beers you may have grown accustomed to drinking at football stadia over the years.
Will ZIebell
Published September 8, 2021 2021-09-08 00:00:00
