Paul Mercurio's Peach Beer

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LOL, out of this thread I found an alt :)

Back to economy: I think there's a finite market for micros. I don't think that a new micro brewery bringing out interesting beer will create a market, it'll take customers from another. Megaswiller will try a beer if you give it to them, but then when comes their turn to buy a beer for a party, they'll see the price tags and go back to their CUB/Toohey.

Diversify too much, and your beer will stay on the shelf, because customers will not pay $5 a stubby to try all 12 specialty brews of your range. So you aim for two or three that will sell. No prizes for guessing that you won't try to make outlandish (to the basic beer drinker) beers.

Also, I find it interesting that we're discussing supporting micros by buying bottles - I've only been brewing 2 months but my last commercial beer buying was 1 month ago. I'm not going to spend $50-60 on european imports, and certainly not $72 (as quoted) on aussie beers.
Seriously, I think it'd be interesting to see how much cash / month the people here spend on average on commercial (megaswill and/or micro) beers in bottles.

I think we're like the good mates that say "yeah yeah good idea" but don't actually buy the product - because we make it. I already have 50+ homemade bottles waiting to be drunk, why would I buy another slab? (yeah, I know, when going to parties, I'm not that confident in my brew yet :) ).
We may buy a bottle or two to try out, but can you honestly say you'd buy a six pack a week?

My point is that a micro that caters only for the HB crowd won't last long. So they aim for a wider audience, and this means selling more well-known types.

At this stage of the aussie market, maybe it's the knowledgeable beer drinkers like people here who help make a micro successful, but in the end if they want to expand they need to attract people who don't necessarily want to drink something that they don't know how to pronounce. And hence you end up with the usual pale ale, lager, bitter, etc.
 
There's good points on both sides of this argument. I'm a firm believer in the 'build it and they will come' theory ie: as Little Creatures did, brew an interesting and up to that point pretty much unique in Australia brew and people will have a reason to seek out and support your brewery. On the other hand if it was my cold hard earned on the line, I can readily see the temptation to go with something that you think people will readily accept, if nothing else to give you the capital to experiment in the future. For every LCPA out there, how many failed 'experimental' micro beers must there be. FWIW maybe it is because I am from Australia's black beer central, but I reckon Alt beer would go over a treat here in Aus if marketed well. I certainly loved it in Dusseldorf - still have a can of Diebels untouched on my shelf as a souvenir...

For all that, Paul Merc. is brewing a peach beer, which is hardly a 'stock standard' brew. 'Malnourished' has tasted it and didn't rate it. Others no doubt will love it. This is the wonderful world of subjectivity. I'd reckon though that he has taken a risk in brewing something different to the norm and deserves support/respect for doing so. At least he hasn't done a Blue Tongue and produced yet another 'Premium Lager' without any flavour/interest/point of difference at all...

Haven't tasted your beer Merc but all the best. The more having a go the better...

Shawn.
 
JGriffin: The whole thing on taxes is a good point, and one i've been thinking of takin up with my local MP.
Australian wineries don't pay GST on "cellar door" sales - there are some limits etc, but basically it's a way to promote the industry and help the small guy. Why can't micro's get the same thing?

I like the cut of your jib, man. To whom should we direct our shower of email? All our local MPs and what Minister in the Howard cabinet?

I'm on this train. Testify (2nd time 2nite).

Uncle Sethule :p
 
Sorry but I can't agree with a couple of the recent posts. Any alternative from the mainstream pap has to be a positive step.
If someone wishes to invest in brewing a beer that doesn't fit the mainstream culture they should be applauded.
This is what we spend a hell of a lot of time doing, educating our own tounges and those of our mates to step away from the dreaded mega swill.

We can't expect comercial operations to travel so far from the mainstream that they will produce a beer that interests us but alienates(?) the rest of the market.
They are trapped between being " another boring premium beer and something truely exciting" by the fact that they need to make money and can't exclude the majority of beer drinkers by making something that is too foreign to the majority of beer drinkers.
Lets be realistic
Chris
 
Hey Mullet, sadly I am lumped like it or not with the fact that the first thought that comes to peoples mind when I am mentioned is Strictly Ballroom. The only time in my career since making that movie that I have ever made any reference to the film is on my bottle label. I do not intend to limit my self in the same manner that for too often many people do although I am happy to say that I am noticing a small but early change. I love it when people come up to me and say "I have your video at home, it's great" I smile and await for the inevitable....they say "yeah The Coopers Home Brew Video"

Little Creatures is a good example of people with a lot of experience - Sail and Anchor/Matilda Bay Brewing Co Phil Sexton etc and whom had a heap of money behind them - 20% being Lion Nathans. They basically made a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (most Aussies would never have heard of it) which they had to tone down due to it being a little too hoppy for the drinking public. They had the money and the experience to do it that way. Have you tried their version of a Trummer Pils? Very disappointing in my book and a good example of what this discussion is about. They have brought out a clone that is not in the same league as the original but with the marketing behind them they will sell it.

Mercs own Peach Ale fits in right at the other (bottom) end of the scale. Two of my friends become investors and support my idea of a beer. It is based on the fairly unknown success of fruit and Vegetable beers in the Micro industry with in the US and Canada. Their is no huge marketing budget just me lucky enough to trade off my name for the time being. Eventually the brand will be bigger than me and if not hopefully then I will be rich and it wont matter! IN the absence of big bucks and heaps of experience I chose the path of something completely different - it will either work or it wont - we will know by the end of the year. The other side of the economic coin is that it costs me about $47 a case to make my beer - Little Creatures I am guessing at would most definately be less than $20 a case. Brewing what you want at home is a much smarter option.

Chiefman I was toying with the idea of Mango before deciding on the peach - I reckon it would be good but with the peach all of those sweet sugary beautiful fresh fruit flavours and aromas kind of departed after the yeast was through having it's feed. I imagine Mago would go the same way. Some of the micros in America use a fruit essence and actually put it into the bottle at bottling time. To my taste that makes it way too perfumey.

Steve makes a good point and I would like to think that that is what I am trying to do: make something worthy that is very different to what is on offer and will prove to be commercially viable.

Got to take the kids for a bike ride will come back and finish this later.
 
From what I've heard, Paul, fruit flavours transfer better if you rack into fruit in a secondary. I don't know what happens with sugar dissolution and further fermentation then, though.

I have made a peach and a plum beer before, in the dim and murky past. The plum one was a bit plummy (and almost looked like fanta.. ick), but the peach one had no real peach flavour at all. Both of them I'd chucked the fruit in primary.
 
Hi all,

I just want to say that I support Merc's foray into the beer market. As soon as it makes it to WA, i will sample and comment on it to my few beer savvy mates. Tried to find it around the melbourne end of the Great Ocean road last week, but to no avail.
I am however a little surprised that Merc decided to kind of slag off some of the people who, it would seem to me are basically his allies (Little creatures et al).
At least a peach beer will be noticed amoutn g the throng of other beers available at the local bottl shop, heres hoping a few will "give it a try"
Regarding the microbr3ew scene in the USA, i was pretty well horifeied with most of the brews I tasted, to me, in NYC it seemd like each pub was trying to out do the next by putting 33 different beers on tap, some of which had 3 or 4 flavourings, a ham, pumpkin, honey and walnut ale was the last I tasted...horrendous how the hell did they get the "Ham " into it...?

hey barfridge is te ocean Bug beer available anywhere bottled in perth?

Cheers

Case
 
sinkas: I just found thier website here - http://www.bugocean.com/our_products.htm. I know the alt is on tap at clancy's and rosie o'grady's.

Looks like they're only available on tap. They have just released a kolsch as well, which is on tap at the norfolk in freo.


Is anyone keen for a tasting trip to freo?
 
It looks like merc's own has made it as far as Perth. I just got the newsletter from the international beer shop, and its in stock now.

They also now stock mountain goat PA and IPA.

Looks like I'll be off for a little drive this weekend :)
 
Trent said:
Paul
Welcome to the site, and good to hear that yer having success with yer brewing. I havent had the pleasure to try your beer, nor the pyramid apricot ale, but would have to suggest that you try and get your hands on a Magic Hat #9 from the vermont (US) brewery magic hat. It is also an apricot ale. I have tried quite a few apricot beers, and this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Dunno if they use juice of fruit though.
All the best
Trent
[post="52511"][/post]​

I have, sitting in my fridge courtesy of my father who just got back from the states, a six pack of Magic Hat #9 - which I have never been able to find anywhere here in Australia - I am almost afraid to touch it, but I really really want one. I know it'll be a looonggg time before I get any more.

He also went to the brewery (as he was in Vermont) and loved it - I suggested he go there. *******.
 
You're a very spiteful/resentful person aren't you facter?
 
Dunkel_Boy said:
You're a very spiteful/resentful person aren't you facter?
[post="58209"][/post]​

hahahaha, no! Not at all! Im just glad he found me some - I lived over there for quite some time, and the #9 was my favorite - I'm just sad I couldnt go with him to the brewery!! hahaha - but..I really must..try..to save the #9's. Really. awww, damn..they're not goin to last are they? :(


I jsut finished reading through this thread and noticed that the IBS her ein Perth has some of Pauls beer in stock - I love my beers with a bit of fruit in them, so I'll grab some on my next time past :)
 
You are a lucky bugger, Facter
I would love to have a 6 pack sitting in my fridge right about now. I am lucky enough to be going to canada and the states in a few months, so I will drink more than me fill then. I once spent a week pretty close to the brewery, but never made it (-40 isnt real conducive to walking), so thats something I will have to do one day. So many breweries, so little time...
All the best
Trent
PS I dont think they'll last.
 
Greetings Forum people!

By the sounds of people trying to get Merc's Own, I now consider myself lucky to have drank it a month or two back when Paul was in Hobart.

I have to more or less agree with the RateBeer.com opinions, but that's what it is, my opinion. I had a few thoughts while drinking the Peach Ale, such as, is peach something you want with an ale? Is an ale ever good if it's not super malty and dark, dark, dark (giving away my tastebuds right there!) ?

All fair comments about the state of the micro-brewery market in this country, but what someone (?) said about micros in the US constantly trying to outdo each other is a good example of short term thinking. I'd argue none of us want the state of constant one-up-manship that most marketing ends up as these days. I have a brightly labelled, different style beer, you make and more brightly labelled, more different beer and so on and so forth. Until we're drinking spam lager.

Anyway, Paul, I hope your beer(s) goes in the direction we hope for all our beers, onward and upward.

Cheers!
 
I'm still wondering if Paul is going to send me up a few cartons for me to give to local bottlos (and Ross ;)) to get his name out up here... (Paul's, not Ross's...)
 
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