Colonial Brewing Co. Margaret River

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deebee

The Bludgeon Brewery
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Im proud to say that I just spent a week at Margaret River and visited two breweries and no wineries. You can get beers from The Bootleg Brewery in bottles in Perth and I have tasted all their beers before, but had to drop in for a taste and some takeaways. I especially like their Raging Bull Ale.

The Colonial Brewery is new and I was seriously impressed with their set-up. They only opened a few months back. Its much closer to town and I reckon will really give Bootleg a shake. Have typed out their tasting notes as follows.

Dr Quick, English Strong Ale, 7.7% ABV. Heavily hopped for bitterness, it features a deep palate of rich malt with hints of orange in a long, complex finish.

Spruikers Challenge, German Kolsch Ale, 4.5% ABV. Delicate hop flower aromas precede a palate so light, crisp and balanced that its often mistaken for a pilsner.

Pistol Whip, Scottish Best Bitter, 4.6% ABV. A complex brew, showing fruit and toffee aromas, a broad, rich palate and ending with length and complexity.

18 Hands, N-E English Brown Ale, 4.9% ABV. A mouth-filling brown ale in the northern English style. It displays a balanced, full malt palate before a long finish.

They have four seasonal beers. Currently they are serving their Summer selection, Back Breaker, Belgian Blonde Ale, 5.1% ABV. Lightly hopped, this cloudy wheat beer uses coriander and dried curacao orange peel to lend bitterness.

Autumn: Freebooter, German Rauchbier, 5.8% ABV. Literally a smoked beer, its strong in character, from the nose, through a meaty palate to a long smokey finish.

Winter: Gully Washer, English Porter, 6.3% ABV. Deep ruby brown, this robust style is a big mouthful with hints of coffee and rich roasted malt to the bitter end.

Spring: Big Blow, Bavarian Heffe Weissbier, 5.3% ABV. Light wheat beer, fresh and yeasty with simple fruity nose and palate before a light refreshing farewell.

They sell a paddle, shaped like a mash paddle fitted with five glasses about 150ml holding a sample of each the five beers on tap. It goes for $10 and comes in just over two standard drinks so you can drive afterwards. I got one of them on my first visit and was seriously impressed with the quality of the beers. On my second visit I went for a pint each of the Kolsch and the English Strong Ale. I also really liked the English Brown but couldnt get pissed because of other commitments that day but I am very keen on another visit in autumn to sample the rauchbier.

The Kolsch is delicate and fragrant and goes down fast like breathing in. Could just drink this all day. The English strong ale is nice and bitter at 42 IBU but not really English as Im sure it is late-hopped with cascade flowers. That sounds odd but it works really well and this is a sensational beer hands down my favourite of them all. Very deceptive in strength with no strong alcohol flavour or aroma. You could drink this all afternoon but at 7.7% you might go night-night very early.

The menu is good, but priced as you would expect for Margaret River. When we sent some chips back because Miss 11 year old said they had chilli on them the chef sent back an explanation that it was paprika but gave us another serve without paprika for free. The playground is about the best in the whole world according to Miss 6 year old. There are vineyards to gaze over and horses in the neighbouring paddock for the kids to pat.

As usual I claim no affiliation with this mob but give this plug because they are making a genuine effort to create excellent beers. Nothing in bottles yet but give them a visit if you are in the area. Website www.colonialbrewingco.com.au
 
Deebee,

Thats good news, im heading down to Margaret river this friday afternoon for some seafood and semillon festival at Amberley Winery. Apparently a classy pi$$up involving semillons from all around WA and 5 courses of seafood, not exactly my thing but fortunatley we will be visiting Colonial on Sunday for lunch and beer. Could be a challenge to try and get a pint of each beer in....I can see swmbo driving a drunken me home, happy days..

:chug:

Cheers.
 
I popped in there a few weeks ago, but didn't stay because they had a Reggae Festival on ( Mon! ) and wanted $10 bucks per family member to get in.

I'd have to agree Deebee, it does look like a nice setup - plenty of stainless in the buisness end to gaze at. Nice relaxed, airy feel too. It will be a lot better when they get some trees up around the place but it looks like a great start.

I heard that the assistant brewer from Nail Brewery is their Head Brewer now that the former is brewrey has slowed.

( Can sense a Perth Brewers road trip? )
 
Sounds fantastic, that's a roadtrip I'd be up for!

Of course it would have to be overnight, as I dont imagine anyone wanting to drive us all the way back after a skinfull.
 
Damn it! I tried to get down there at Xmas but the mates car blew the head gasket :(
I'll have to go next year, and overnight would definitely be the go ;)
 
...and an extraordinarily excellent website.
Am tempted to get on over there asap!

tdh
 
A fantastic website indeed.
Also great to see that 2 of the 3 brewers are kiwis.
Must be why the beers are so good B)

Doc
 
Thanks for the review deebee B) .

I will definately be visiting the Colonial in April when I am over that way.

C&B
TDA
 
I shall be accompanying young Trash-Mash Al on this weekends southern adventure....
Dont think Ill be driving home on Sunday arvo!!! :D

Asher for now
 
hot damn i gotter get over to the state of excitement sometime soon...theres that place, bootleg, feral, the little creatures pub, the international beer shop, emu bitter...one of these days.
 
A roadtrip might be an ambitious plan, but worth thinking about. We stayed at a big house that sleeps 12 and that or similar could be an option. Colonial do a free bus run to and fro the tourist bureau, but if we had a large number of drinkers they might be persuaded to collect us from our accommodation and drop us home afterwards.

April would have the rauchbier on tap and time in with TDA's visit. Alternatively winter has good cheap accommodation deals and the porter sounds nice.

Just a thought.
 
Hey,

The Colonial Brewery was the old name of the Outback Brewery. Are the new owners of the Colonial bikers by any chance ???? The previous owners of the Colonial Brewery were a bunch of bikers........
 
'Tis an ambitious thought Deebee, but could be fun with a few brewery tours etc. It would consume about 2 years worth of points with SWMBO though. <_<

I've got a few ideas with accommodation - I grew up down there, so that side of things wouldn't be too much of a problem.
 
My 30th birthday is rapidly approaching in time for the rauchbier, theres probably more available points now than i will see for the rest of my life..... :(
 
Thats great news, I'd been waiting a while for them to open, but I beleive they had to wait a long time for their license to come through.

I heard rumours about them growing their own hops too!

I'll definately be taking a trip down there (even if its a 1 day-er) when I'm back in September for a week.
 
kook said:
I heard rumours about them growing their own hops too!
Funny you should say that because as I sat there trying to focus after that strong ale I saw some vines growing up frames under cover at the far corner of the paddock. Thought to myself, "I wonder if that's... Nah surely not. Must be cucumbers." But maybe that was their hops crops after all. Didn't look too vigorous but it might be early years before plants are properly established.
 
I thought they were fruit trees...... Would you need the screens for the Hops? I can't imagine a bird getting too excited about a hop flower.
 
Hmmm,you've done your research kook.
 
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