Colonial Brewing Co. Margaret River

[Big Bad Bear]

Visited the Colonial a few weeks after opening and they had their seasonal wheat on tap.

Definately a wheat using a Hefeweizen yeast. Strong with cloves and banana and plenty of mouthfeel. Great stuff.

Cheers

 

[ausdb]

My partner and I have the weekend free and plan on heading down this way on the weekend. This place is definitely on the to do list a few times.

Has anyone got some suggestions on nice camping places around Margarets, I havent been down there for ages

Cheers

Ausdb

PS deebee your belgian ale in the xmas case was mighty nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[barfridge]

The caravan park at Prevelly Park is quite nice, a little expensive for a campsite however.

 

[big d]

boy o boy am i in for a treat next time in perth.more micros to visit.fortunately im in sweet with the missus as far as margaret river region goes as shes been wanting to visit the region for ages.and if im lucky between now and my permanent move to perth a few more micros will open up.life is looking good.

cheers
big d

 

[Guest Lurker]

Colonial are also planning to build a larger brewery in the industrial area at Prevelly (so they can call it a Margaret River beer on the label) to produce and distribute packaged micro-brews, which will be different from what they sell at the actual micro.

 

[Goat]

Where did you hear that GL ? - I'd be interested in more info on that.

I would have thought that Bramley, where they are now, is just as close to Margarget River (the town) as Prevelly. Or did you mean the M/River industrial area where BUG Ocean are?

 

[big d]

is bug ocean kiwi for big ocean :lol:

 

[Asher]

Bug Ocean is exactly that Big D...

Owned and run by a bunch of Kiwi's

Asher for now

 

[Guest Lurker]

That will be quite enough kiwi bashing thanks boys.

From the West yesterday.

 

[deebee]

So Asher and T.M.Al, how much did you love Colonial on the weekend?

Any memories?

 

[Asher]

I'm a bit embarrassed to say this.... but we never made it.....

After the 'Seafood and Semillon festival' at Amberley winery on Sat., I was hung like a bull on Sunday.... So we decided to give it a miss until we could do it the justice it deserves & suck down a pint of each of their beers.... well at least taste them!


Asher for now

 

[big d]

hung like a bull h34r:
you make great beer and now ya start bragging as well. :lol:

 

[ausdb]

Hi All

Just got back from a weekend down at margarets, two breweries is all I could twist the other halfs arm into visiting so it was bootleg and colonial.

Colonial is a pretty slick setup and I would have to agree with deebee, I thought the the kolsch was the best beer there and the playground gives me an excuse to take my nephew back there some time soon! :chug:

Ausdb

 

[ant]

Also worth noting is that you can arrange a tour with the brewer (Steve Plowman), think they run at 10 and 2 daily (except if busy brewing), for a cost of $14, which includes the $10 paddle. Steve is more than happy to answer questions and is a nice bloke (even if he is a Kiwi). From memory, I harassed him for about an hour, until SWMBO gave one eye roll too many and it was deemed time to go.

It is owned by the group who own Redgate winery, which explains where they got the capital for it I guess! Also explains why Redgate wines are the only wines served.

I was particularly interested in the Kolsch when I went down there, not being overly familiar with the style, so had a read up in Daniels on the basics of the style, so I could ask semi-sensible questions. Upon interrogating Steve, he told me some interesting things, the choice of grains and yeast being right up there. Let's just say the Kolsch wasn't based on a standard "Daniels type" recipe, and in fact was using no pilsener malt, but substantially more wheat and was actually using a Weizen yeast from memory. Interesting digression from style, but as you can see from the comments above - the punters still like it.

Colonial was also where it was suggested to me that you could use cans of swill as a starter.

Pretty though. Very shiny.

 

[ryanator]

I went to the Colonial yesterday. From what I remember (which isn't much) it was a pretty decent brewery. I'm sporting one of the hugest hangovers today.

 

[Corellion]

Just stumbled across this (rather old) discussion... but thought it worth pointing out that you can get their beers home-delivered (apparently even interstate?) via the beer club.
So if any of our eastern brethren wanted to test our claims of the Wheat-cum-Kolsch...

[edit] And the beer-club is through their website and a credit card ... and no I'm not affiliated [/edit]

 

[Asher]

I forgot about this thread too.... I did eventually make it.

Did the grand tour..... They had just received delivery of the bottling line machinery the day we were there & we got to have a good look at the prototype bottles & packaging.... The labels are printed on the bottle itself like a corona bottle. Steve said "At least this way when all the homebrewers get a hold off em they cant soak the labels off.... cheap advertising really"

here's a couple of pics of the place...


Steve behind the bar & Lou lining up a couple of coldies


The brewery

:beer:

Asher for now

 

[Handy]

I forgot about this thread too.... I did eventually make it.

Did the grand tour..... They had just received delivery of the bottling line machinery the day we were there & we got to have a good look at the prototype bottles & packaging.... The labels are printed on the bottle itself like a corona bottle. Steve said "At least this way when all the homebrewers get a hold off em they cant soak the labels off.... cheap advertising really"

here's a couple of pics of the place...

View attachment 4425
Steve behind the bar & Lou lining up a couple of coldies

View attachment 4426
The brewery

:beer:

Asher for now

[post="83836"][/post]​

That's not Steve behind the bar, that is the owner Ross Smith. Steve went back to New Zealand and there's been a new brewer since June. New brewer is Dean McLeod who has worked at Malt Shovel Brewery, James Squire Brewhouse in Sydney, Lord Nelson Hotel and Sharer's Brewery in Picton, NSW (from bio on web site).

 

[Asher]

Yeah... I ment Ross Smith..... Ex 'daytrader'

 

[Randall the Enamel Animal]

Hi Guys

My name's Dean and I've been the brewer at Colonial since June last year, nearly twelve months now.

Been working really hard in that time getting the beers up to standard and was rewarded at the recent Australian Internetional Beer Awards with 14 medals, four best in class trophies and confirmed last Friday, the award for Champion Small Brewery (trophy being re-engraved and website to be updated).

Still a lot more work to do and in the future, we plan to build a few more around the country to give many more beer lovers the opportunity to drink some good ales without having to travel to the end of the earth!

If you do make it down MR way, be certain to ask for me as I'm sure to have something tasty in tank that needs a bit of 'evaluation' B)

Cheers.

Oh, and the Kolsch is differnet now. German pilsener and local wheat malt, dry and neutral ale yeast that highlights hop notes (you know the one), and finished with truck-loads of Nelson Sauvin.