The Margaret River region is blessed with more microbreweries than any other region of Austalia. And, over the past month, girl+beer Pia Poynton has been checking in on them all to find out what they’ve got planned for summer. Already she’s brought us up to speed with happenings at Cowaramup, Colonial Brewery, Eagle Bay, Moody Cow, Bootleg and Cheeky Monkey, which you can read about here and here. And now, with her final roundup, it’s the turn of Duckstein (above), Bush Shack and Mash Brewing, who may brew in the Swan Valley but have an outpost serving their beers in Bunbury.
There's a little slice of Germany on Margaret River’s Caves Road, at Duckstein Brewery where head brewer Shannon Grigg brews a range of four German-inspired beers.
For this year’s Oktoberfest celebrations at the brewery, Shannon produced a staggering 190 kegs for the fortnight. And now, with summer approaching, Shannon is preparing to release Duckstein's seasonal Maibock, a popular summer addition to the core line up. It's a favourite of Shannon's to brew because of its simplicity and the fact that it changes from year to year. It’s a beer produced using Hallertauer hops and all German malts with a touch of wheat, with Shannon aiming to achieve the higher malt sweetness and alcohol content required for the beer.
Shannon also has a brand new beer in the tanks that he has brewed especially to showcase at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape. The as-yet-unnamed pale ale will be brewed with whole hop flowers, including Galaxy, though Shannon is reluctant to label it as necessarily an Australian or American style. Only 3,000 litres will be produced but, depending on how thirsty the folk at Gourmet Escape are, you should be able to sample it at Duckstein from November 25.
Meanwhile, at Mash in Bunbury they have recently launched a loyalty club to reward their already steady local following. "Mash Mates" gives loyal beer drinking customers food and drink discounts, invites to members only events, "Meet the Brewer" sessions and, of course, a complimentary pint on joining. If that isn’t incentive enough, your membership card earns its place in your wallet by doubling up as a very sturdy bottle opener.
Mash Bunbury will also be treating its customers to a variety of their limited release brews on three rotating taps. Head down over the coming months to try out beers such as their Irish Koffee Stout, Belgian Blonde, Rye ESB or English IPA. They’re revamping their lunch and dinner menu too, while you can catch live music there on Friday nights.
In their open shed, Bush Shack Brewery's head brewer Josh "JT" Thomas and owner Danial Wind are kept busy with eight varieties of beer plus another six wine-based beverages. And I can't help but notice the big smile on Dan's faces has he tells me he's adding a ninth beer to the range. Bush Shack's 4 percent ABV Golden Summer Lager is being brewed to provide a lighter option for their customers over summer. Though it's only a new release, it has proven to be an instant hit and Danial will be installing two more taps in anticipation of a busy few months ahead.
For the third year running, Bush Shack Brewery will also be producing their annual special release for Christmas, the Old Saint Nick's Christmas Ale. The brew is based on one of their exisiting beers, the Yallingup Old, a malt driven Scottish Ale. Made using the same amount of Fuggles and Golding hops, the Old Saint Nick's doubles the Yallingup Old malt bill for a far heavier mash. The result, according to Dan, is a 'Christmas Cake and whiskey" ale tipping the scales at 8.5 percent ABV and liable to have you singing Christmas carols all night long.
You can follow Pia’s adventures in WA on her blog girl+beer or follow her on Twitter.
