Lecterfan
Yeast, unleashed in the East...
- Joined
- 15/8/10
- Messages
- 2,062
- Reaction score
- 333
So, I finally saved some coin and spent some time with a few fellow brewers at Ballarat's new microbrewery, Cubby Haus Brewing:
http://www.cubbyhausbrewing.com.au
First, I'd like to say how happy I am that Ballarat has a no-bullshit, fair dinkum microbrewery dedicated to producing a small, staple range of really good beers. He operates out of his shed, it'll be warm in summer, but with the big roller door open and the yarrowee creek behind him I think any whiff of evening breeze will make the place entirely hospitable for those few short weeks that Ballarat gets out of hand on the heat scale.
To me, this is what a burgeoning microbrewery should be: a brewery he put together himself, clean, accessible amenities, comfortable and unassuming (no pretension), and good beer.
His weizen was quaffable...I preferred the older keg that had cleared and mellowed a bit, but the new keg (being a bit more stirred up) still had a refreshing tartness appropriate to the style.
The Australian Pale Ale was a solid, easy drinker that will appeal to those who enjoy a good, clean, ale, and also to those non-craft types who just want a decent bloody beer. It is closer in colour and flavour to Coopers red (sparkling) than Coopers pale, and (interestingly) is not a hoppy/APA type.
The ESB was a really solid beer, I compared the keg to the bottle and preferred the latter, mostly due to temp (it was not as cold as the keg), but he also stated that the bottle batch was a later batch and he had dialled in his process. In general, the later batch seemed more cohesive, with alll the ingredients working together.
The American Brown was a great brown ale, but to earn the name 'American', I think it really needed a bit more hop presence. It was, I think, the most solid of his beers.
I only had a small taster of his oatmeal stout, not being a big fan of the style, but it was also really solid.
The prices were all reasonable or what you would expect (and I have to admit this begrudgingly as I am a tight-arse who prefers to spend money on ingredients than someone elses beers), $22 for a 6 pack takeaway, basic pub prices for pots/schooners/pints. I will return.
If you are going through Ballarat, go and check it out. If you are on facebook, go and give him a 'like' and a 'share' - https://www.facebook.com/cubbyhausbrewing/?fref=ts - because this is the kind of place that Ballarat needs...somewhere to go for a decent beer where you can avoid the people who are only there for the trend factor. I wish him success, but not so much success that it loses its authentic roots and charm.
http://www.cubbyhausbrewing.com.au
First, I'd like to say how happy I am that Ballarat has a no-bullshit, fair dinkum microbrewery dedicated to producing a small, staple range of really good beers. He operates out of his shed, it'll be warm in summer, but with the big roller door open and the yarrowee creek behind him I think any whiff of evening breeze will make the place entirely hospitable for those few short weeks that Ballarat gets out of hand on the heat scale.
To me, this is what a burgeoning microbrewery should be: a brewery he put together himself, clean, accessible amenities, comfortable and unassuming (no pretension), and good beer.
His weizen was quaffable...I preferred the older keg that had cleared and mellowed a bit, but the new keg (being a bit more stirred up) still had a refreshing tartness appropriate to the style.
The Australian Pale Ale was a solid, easy drinker that will appeal to those who enjoy a good, clean, ale, and also to those non-craft types who just want a decent bloody beer. It is closer in colour and flavour to Coopers red (sparkling) than Coopers pale, and (interestingly) is not a hoppy/APA type.
The ESB was a really solid beer, I compared the keg to the bottle and preferred the latter, mostly due to temp (it was not as cold as the keg), but he also stated that the bottle batch was a later batch and he had dialled in his process. In general, the later batch seemed more cohesive, with alll the ingredients working together.
The American Brown was a great brown ale, but to earn the name 'American', I think it really needed a bit more hop presence. It was, I think, the most solid of his beers.
I only had a small taster of his oatmeal stout, not being a big fan of the style, but it was also really solid.
The prices were all reasonable or what you would expect (and I have to admit this begrudgingly as I am a tight-arse who prefers to spend money on ingredients than someone elses beers), $22 for a 6 pack takeaway, basic pub prices for pots/schooners/pints. I will return.
If you are going through Ballarat, go and check it out. If you are on facebook, go and give him a 'like' and a 'share' - https://www.facebook.com/cubbyhausbrewing/?fref=ts - because this is the kind of place that Ballarat needs...somewhere to go for a decent beer where you can avoid the people who are only there for the trend factor. I wish him success, but not so much success that it loses its authentic roots and charm.
