King River Brewing

Just like the wider High Country region it calls home, King Valley is a beautiful place to visit. And, just like its neighbouring valleys, it has much to offer visitors, whether their intention is to explore nature, enjoy outdoor pursuits or indulge their senses with fine local produce.

Unlike some of its peers, however, it's a little trickier to get to. You're unlikely to pass through for a day or two as part of a round trip up through the High Country; instead you have to deliberately choose to spend time there. But if you're a fan of locally brewed, seasonal beers, there's a good reason to do just that.

King River Brewing opened its doors quietly at the very tail end of 2016, hosting its official opening party – one that drew huge crowds – some months later. In doing so, it added yet another destination for beer lovers in Victoria's North East, a region already well enough served to have its own High Country Brewery Trail supported by the local council.

It's the baby of Nathan and Brianna Munt, built on the latter's parents' farm in the heart of the valley, around 40 minutes drive south of Wangaratta. Go back far enough and the property was part of the region's tobacco industry – the bar is housed inside the old kiln – while more recently it was home to a local icon: Brianna's late mother Barb Sartori ran King Valley Cucina, a hugely popular wood-fired pizza restaurant on the farm, and was known locally as one of the Three Nonnas alongside fellow King Valley cooks Josie Politini and Katrina Pizzini.

Today you’ll find the brewery inhabiting part of the building alongside the old kiln, right next to where visitors sit to sample Nathan's growing and ever-changing lineup of true-to-style beers in a Mediterranean influenced outdoor area surrounded by lush gardens in which broad old trees provide enough shade to create a natural playground for kids, even in the heat of summer.

While setting up the brewery, the couple kept their day jobs in Melbourne, travelling north to brew, package and serve customers every weekend, something they'll keep doing until the time comes when the move to King Valley becomes permanent. And, while their time at the brewery might be limited, they've wasted little of it gaining a following. The pub in nearby Moyhu has a loyal fan base for Nathan’s American IPA (a beer he didn't plan to brew more than once), the Mountain View in Whitfield pours his Kolsch and Smooth Altiber while up in Porepunkah the locals are digging his German inspired Altbier too – with good reason.

When you visit the brewery, chances are you'll find a number of classic German beers, farmhouse style or Belgian inspired beers on the taps; like many brewers, he's a huge fan of saisons. You may well find beers making full use of the abundant natural resources on offer as well; when The Crafty Pint first visited we were invited to help pick figs from trees at the end of the driveway that were destined for a robust porter.

While brewing is giving the farm yet another story to tell, Nathan and Brianna are keeping the previous chapters alive. On the wall of the kiln facing the bar, you'll find the logos of the region’s old tobacco growers printed on hessian. And, at the far end of the bar, are two pizza ovens built by Brianna's dad Walter. Nathan reckons Walter's pizzas are second only to those at 400 Gradi in Brunswick, a sentiment echoed by many King Valley locals. As that restaurant won best pizza in the world in 2014, it's setting the bar high for his son-in-law's beers.

Name
King River Brewing
Address

4515 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road
King Valley
VIC 3678

Phone
03 5729 3604.
Open Hours

Sat & Sun: 12.30pm to 6pm

Current Cabal offers

Pint & A Pizza for $20


This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

King River Brewing Regulars

King River Brewing Summer Ale

Published February 5, 2021
Summer in the Victorian High Country can get hot – real hot – and dry, the sort of weather in which you're likely to want a beer, and one that's refreshing and can be consumed in quantities greater than one. Presumably it's with that in mind that King River designed their Summer Ale, and chose to make it the first of their core range beers to go into cans when they switched from bottles. Pouring deep golden with a white head, a lightly sweet biscuity base that makes the citrusy hops taste that… Read more
Style
Summer Ale
ABV
4.4%

King River Brewing Smooth Alt

The German altbier style isn't one you see a lot of in Australia - particularly not in a brewery's core range. Yet, when The Crafty Pint first called through King River's brewery, it was the beer we were keen to go back to once the tasting paddle was drained. It turns out it's proving rather popular with the High Country pubs stocking King River beers too. It's a traditionally minded take on the style, pouring a deep brown and mixing nutty aromas with those of caramel and following up with layers… Read more
Style
Altbier
ABV
4.1%

King River Brewing Kolsch

While it didn't take long for King River Brewing to find local admirers of beers such as his IPA and Altbier, it pays to have an entry-level beer when you're operating a brewpub, particularly when you're located in the country. That's the role played by this Kolsch, a role that's earned it the subtitle "The Elbow Bender" given that's what it'll have session drinkers doing. It's a simple beer: some light honey malt sweetness and the sort of dry finish that will offer more mainstream drinkers… Read more
Style
Kolsch
ABV
4.9%

King River Brewing Helmut Schwarzbier

When it comes to brewing classic styles, King River Brewing’s Nathan Munt tends to do them with precision. That’s certainly the case with Helmut Schwarzbier, a dark lager that pours jet black with a slightly red hue. Largely it’s one that hits with rich coffee and bitter chocolate flavours but let it warm up a little and you’ll be treated to a bready sweetness that balances out those roasted notes. While it all might make this beer sound like a stout or porter, with a clean and quite sudden… Read more
Style
Schwarzbier
ABV
5.2%

King River Brewing North By North East

King River Brewing’s home might be a beautiful location that offers picturesque views but one thing the High Country brewery is missing is a train station out the front. Sure a tram-line or a train would make the regional brewery an entirely different offering but it does mean that it’s good to have suitable beers for anyone who needs to drive to and from the brewery. North By North East Lager is such a beer and it’s also one that’s ready for refreshment after any High Country adventure,… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
3.5%

King River Brewing Cliffhanger Hefeweizen

Sure, the nearby eucalyptus and broad Australian accents might be a giveaway but there’s an element of King River Brewing’s home that has an air of the German beer garden about it. Maybe it’s just the garden itself and the way the old trees provide shade. Or maybe, it’s the many German beers you’ll often find being brewed by owner Nathan Munt. Cliffhanger Hefeweizen is one such beer and the hefe is as classic as they come with a delicate balance between banana and clove esters. Pair that… Read more
Style
Hefeweizen
ABV
4.4%

King River Brewing Specials

King River Brewing Coffee Kolsch

Published February 10, 2023
It’s not often King River Brewing mess with Euro classics but Coffee Kolsch sees them take their longstanding core range “elbow bender” and turn it into something new. The cold-filtered Ethiopian coffee comes courtesy of Mansfield’s Merchant Coffee Roasters in nearby Mansfield (OK, the town is an hour away but this is northern Vic we’re talking about). The beer’s also been given a slight malt boost to match with the rich, dark fruit flavours from those beans, with a mix of plum and blackberries… Read more
Style
Coffee Kolsch
ABV
4.6%

King River Brewing IPA Series: Galaxy

Published February 1, 2023
It’s not often you see an IPA can from King River Brewing but, if you do, there’s a good chance it’s thanks to the hop harvest happening around the corner. However, this beer represents the start of something new from the brewery as they kick off their IPA Series. Each beer is set to feature the same malt base with a new hop selection in every batch and it’s hard to think of a better one they could have launched with than Galaxy, much of which is grown in the High Country. Here that hop… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
7.0%

King River Brewing Slippery Ella & Waiting For Godot

Published October 6, 2022
You can never accuse King River Brewing of chasing trends. Well, recent trends anyway, with the Victorian brewery regularly looking to Europe’s classic beers for inspiration. Slippery Ella is a saison that might use a modern Australian hop but shows its close bond to the noble varieties by providing a mix of soft spice and floral notes before walking a classic yeast-driven path of fruited esters. Waiting For Godot is a Belgian tripel, with this beer inspired by the beers that drove King River Brewing’s… Read more
Style
Saison & Tripel
ABV
6.4% & 8.3%

King River Brewing Marzen

Published September 23, 2022
King River Brewing’s surrounds might be called Prosecco Road but you could make the case the brewery have turned their home into Germantown (OK, Germantown and Belgiumtown might be more appropriate). Head brewer Nathan Munt loves making German-inspired beers and, when October rolls around, you can expect all manner of Bavarian beers to greet you. (Again we’re stretching the truth a bit here - you’re likely to find such beers at any other time of year too.) Marzen is one such beer, with the… Read more
Style
Marzen
ABV
5.5%

King River Brewing Roggenbock & Your Stoutness

Published July 21, 2022
As we recently covered, King River Brewing’s Nathan Munt is a man who loves brewing classic European styles. Roggenbock however, has a bit more of a twist compared with some of Nathan's other brews, with it taking the significant portion of rye found in a roggenbier and then fermenting it with a yeast and temperature more closely associated with weizenbocks. It’s worked wonders too, with the esters from the weizen yeast strain giving off soft bubblegum, banana and cloves that are joined by spice,… Read more
Style
Roggenbock & Imperial Oatmeal Stout
ABV
7.7% & 8.8%

King River Brewing Mabon Doppelbock & Robust Fig Porter (2022)

Published June 16, 2022
“I love that beer!” Hopefully, it’s a phrase used by a lot of brewers but those words seemed particularly heartfelt when spoken by Nathan Munt at the most recent Australian International Beer Awards. The King River Brewing cofounder had just won the Best Amber/Dark Lager trophy for his latest Mabon Doppelbock and the major award feels so fitting for a brewer who holds such a love for classic European styles. The strong and malt-driven lager isn’t one often made by Australian brewers but this… Read more
Style
Doppelbock & Robust Porter
ABV
7.5% & 6.4%

High Country Brewers Rule 47 (2022)

Published June 10, 2022
There’s a bit of a rule that if you get a bunch of brewers into a room then it won’t be long before each is drinking a pilsner. So it seems fitting that when Victoria’s High Country brewers - namely King River Brewing, Bridge Road, Bright Brewery, Mitta Mitta Brewing, Billson’s Brewery, Black Dog and Crank Handle - came together to make a beer at King River's home, pilsner might be at the forefront of their minds. The Rule 47 collaboration takes place each year at a different brewery's home… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
5.2%

King River Brewing Mabon Doppelbock

Published October 20, 2021
Even in a busy field of brewers, King River Brewing’s cofounder and head brewer Nathan Munt is a man who truly loves German beers. Typically the High Country brewery will always be pouring a selection of German - and Belgian for that matter - styles and in a normal year, a joyous point in spring is the brewery’s annual Muntoberfest celebrations. Mabon Doppelbock is a beer inspired by Europe’s old ways, with the strong lager not just paying homage to one often enjoyed by monks during lent but… Read more
Style
Doppelbock
ABV
6.8%

King River Brewing Mango & Blueberry Berliner Weisse 2021

Published February 5, 2021
King River's switch to cans came just in time for them to pop the 2021 versions of their fruited Berliner Weisse duo inside. The Mango Berliner Weisse looks like thick juice or purĂ©e and, from the off, it makes no effort to hide its star ingredient. Fleshy mango is prominent on the nose, the silky palate, the belch test. Indeed, it smothers your chances of picking up much in the way of acidity or funk in favour of fruit-heavy refreshment. There's plenty of funk in its Blueberry Berliner Weisse brethren,… Read more
Style
Fruited Berliner Weisse
ABV
4.0% & 3.5%

King River Brewing Barrel-Aged Belgian Tripel

Published May 15, 2020
Many brewers have a love for classic beer styles and barrel-ageing but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one quite as happy as Nathan Munt filling barrels with a tripel. Some fortunate timing meant I made it to King River Brewing just as he was pouring his 100th brew into barrels obtained from neighbouring winery Darling Estate. Nathan had spent some time trying to get his hand on those barrels too, with John Darling finally relenting and offering them as a birthday gift. Formerly, they housed the… Read more
Style
Barrel-Aged Tripel
ABV
10.0%

King River Brewing Wet Hopped Trio 2020

Published May 15, 2020
Not one to do things by halves, King River’s Nathan Munt was planning on taking three different fresh hop beers to High Country Hops this year. And, while the festival couldn’t run this year, those three beers have still been brewed as a celebration of Australian hops and can be snapped up in a Harvest Mixed Pack the brewery is selling, which also contains the wonderful Fig Porter. Each amber-hued beer is 6 percent ABV and dubbed a Wet Hopped Ale, with strong ale probably the closest in terms… Read more
Style
Wet Hopped Ales
ABV
6.0%

King River Brewing Blueberry & Mango Berliner Weisse

Published April 1, 2020
Nathan Munt from King River Brewing has been busy throwing fruit into his beers recently, with two Berliner Weisse style beers available from the brewery this April. For Blueberry Berliner Weisse, he sourced local blueberries so he could throw them atop a kettle soured wheat ale base. The skin of those berries give the beer a fantastic pink, slightly purple hue while the flavour they contribute is unmistakable, while the tart finish, to my mind, brought to mind chomping on blueberries straight from… Read more
Style
Fruit Berliner Weisse
ABV
3.5% % 3.8%
Stockists

If you buy them from King River's new online store use the code CRAFTYPINTS for a 10 percent discount!

King River Brewing Muntoberfest Marzen & My Ambrosia

Published October 24, 2019
Barring the odd concession to modernity, such as his IPA, Nathan Munt prefers to take inspiration from the old European ways. Arguably the highlight of King River Brewing's short life to date was a gold for his most personal beer, the Waiting For Godot Belgian Tripel, at the 2019 Indies. So you can imagine he puts more weight than most on the time of the year that Oktoberfests rule the land; in King River's case, they even call it Muntoberfest. Two of the beers appearing at the 2019 running of the… Read more
Style
Marzen / Maibock
ABV
5.5% & 7.2%
Stockists

Try them both at Muntoberfest 2019 then look out for them in King River stockists

King River Brewing The Schlieffen Plan

Published August 10, 2017
Brewer's notes: Chief of Staff Alfred von Schlieffen devised the Schlieffen Plan in 1905 as the only way a sandwiched Germany could survive the impending war. The idea was to rush through Belgian's "Chocolate Soldiers" and knock out France within 48 hours. Much like the Schlieffen Plan, this Belgian Pale uses all German malts which provide a sweet backbone and pleasant taste to the beer bu,t as the malts advance, they are blocked by the Belgian yeast from Westmalle, which takes over the… Read more
Style
Belgian Pale
ABV
4.4%

King River Brewing Robust Fig Porter

Published August 10, 2017
Earlier in 2017, when The Crafty Pint swung by King River Brewing to check out the fledgling brewery, co-owner and brewer Nathan Munt took us for a wander along the driveway leading to the family farm to pick some figs from his father-in-law Wally's little copse. Delicious, soft and juicy they were too, with those that didn't end up in Crafty Pot Jr's mouth or Wally's vanilla fig jam set aside for a beer. And that beer is this robust porter. Nathan says it's: "A traditional English porter with… Read more
Style
Fig Porter
ABV
5.2%

King River Brewing Waiting for Godot

Published May 13, 2017
Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett so elemental it has been interpreted in myriad ways over the decades. For King River Brewing founder Nathan Munt, he sees in the play a message that you can spend your entire life waiting for something to happen to you – and whatever it is you're waiting for may never happen. His answer: get up off your arse and take control of your destiny. It was while enjoying one of his homebrewed tripels that he decided to do just that – make the moves to take… Read more
Style
Tripel
ABV
7.2%
Stockists

King River Brewing

King River Brewing Wet Hopped IPA 2017

Published May 4, 2017
When you're based in the Victorian High Country, one of the two biggest hop growing regions in Australia, you wouldn't want to let a hop harvest pass without taking advantage. In his first season as a local brewer, Nathan Munt did just that, getting his hands on 20kg of wet Ella, Galaxy and (his favourite) Vic Secret hops, all of which were added to the hopback to create this Wet Hopped IPA. There can be a danger with such beers of capturing little more than the grassy or vegetal qualities of the… Read more
Style
Wet Hop IPA
ABV
6.0%
Stockists

King River Tap Room

Sovereign Liquor, Wangaratta

Moyhu Hotel

Nottinghill Hotel

Others TBC

More stockists...

King River Brewing IPA

King River brewer Nathan Munt only intended to brew his IPA as a one-off. Then one of the local pubs put it on tap, discovered plenty of locals taking a liking to it and people power won out. Thus there's a good chance you'll find it pouring at the brewery whenever you visit. Nathan has said it's not that IPA an IPA; in other words, it's not a beer that's going to take a bat to your palate and beat it into submission with bitterness and it weighs in at less than 6 percent ABV too. But it's in good… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
5.7%