Beer Stomping Ground Wattleseed Stout & Panettone

It's been a long and cold Melbourne winter and Stomping Ground have helped alleviate some of those chilly nights by releasing two dark beers a few weeks apart. Wattleseed Stout is a collaboration with the Torres Strait-owned and run Mabu Mabu and the independent bottleshop, Blackhearts & Sparrows. It uses native wattleseed to provide roasted nut and earthy tones that join espresso, aniseed and a soft touch of dark chocolate.

Panettone meanwhile, is a pastry stout that celebrates both stout season and Christmas in July. If you’ve never had the Italian dessert of the same name, know that they are either a not-very-sweet cake or very-sweet bread that are filled with candied orange, rum-soaked raisins and almonds. While there are depressingly few nonna brewers in Australia, Panettone provides all the flavours she'd likely approve of with rich chocolate, dried fruit and sweet orange zest all combined with a further rich hit of sweet, brioche-like breadiness.

Will Ziebell