Steel River Brewery

[Weizguy]

This brewery is being run by the guy who owns the "other" homebrew shop in Newcastle - Mayfield.

Ian has been getting some exposure in the Newcastle Herald newspaper and on ABC radio, for this venture.

Apparently, the brewery has a deal with a number of pubs to put his beer on tap by the end of the first week in December.

The website is a bit barren, as yet, but has a wmv of their first TV advertisement (starring James Blundell, if I'm not mistaken).

Their first beer is, allegedly, an all-grain lager with real beer taste and no chemicals, from Newcastle's only full-mash brewery. Is that a snipe at Bluetongue? I reckon so!

I'll let U know when I've tested one of them brews.

Please feel free to correct any details that I've left out, or got wrong.

No affiliation, honestly! For your information only...

Seth

 

[Borret]

Yep, according to the ABC radio last week they were about to do their second pilot run of the pig iron lager. First one needed some equipment fine tuning but they were hopefull about the second. Haven't heard anymore after that.

ABC listeners ahoy

Borret

 

[n00ch]

Apparently they have signed up about 60 pubs and clubs around Newcastle. Had a taste of their trial beers ages ago but i don't think they would have been much of an indication on the final products.

Would be interested to give the pigs iron a go.

 

[warrenlw63]

Hmmmm....

Just downloaded their .avi ad. Where's John Mellion when you need him? Oh that's right he's dead. That ad isn't much better.

James Blundell you must have really needed a quid. Or a beer. :lol:

Warren -

 

[warrenlw63]

Oh and I forgot.

Where's King Premium and Stockade Premium these days? h34r: S'pose I could find a slab on Ebay if i had a lazy grand. :lol:

My final comments.

Warren -

 

[Weizguy]

Hmmmm....

Just downloaded their .avi ad. Where's John Mellion when you need him? Oh that's right he's dead. That ad isn't much better.

James Blundell you must have really needed a quid. Or a beer. :lol:

Warren -

[post="94479"][/post]​

Warren, you're such a funny bugger.

I heard/read that Blundell was in the studio when they were recording sound for the ad, and was keen to get on board. Maybe he needs to money for a hair transplant - yeh yeh!

I'll grab the article from home and post more funny stuff from it tomorrow.

My apologies for posting in the wrong section of the forum. I'm all outta practice. Can an Administrator move this to the appropriate part of the forum, please.

Seth (cub reporter)

* edited for poor spelling only *

 

[Weizguy]

G'day again,

The ad (download from the website if U wish), has been on television already.
Not sure if it's politically correct to invite people to "Pull a Pig @ the Pub", although some would do it regularly. Maybe it's got to do with the Brewery being built on the BHP's old slag dump.

From the newspaper article (Necastle Herald Nov 12, 2005): the brewing equipment has served time in Bavaria, South Africa and Brisbane.

"What we're trying to do is to take the faults out of what people are drinking - not too bitter, more flavour, with the smell and taste of hops and malt rather than chemicals ...an easy-drinking all-grain lager." The beer is 4.6% alc.

The beer is slated to be released by mid -December and "should be available on tap in more than 80 clubs and pubs in the Hunter by the weekend of the 10th and 11th of December, if all goes well...".

"The brewery plans to produce 24,000 litres a week, bumping that to 36,000 within months."
"His $2 million brewery is capable of ramping up to make a lot more beer. In the best-case scenario Steel River would brew more than 60,00 litres a day, reaching markets as far as the Centrel Coast and north to Coffs Harbour".

Looks like Sydney misses out for the time being.

Seth out

 

[neonmeate]

"What we're trying to do is to take the faults out of what people are drinking - not too bitter, more flavour, with the smell and taste of hops and malt rather than chemicals ...an easy-drinking all-grain lager."

[post="95523"][/post]​

bitterness is a fault?

 

[Linz]

Looks like Sydney misses out for the time being.

Seth out

[post="95523"][/post]​

Rumbles have it that The Macarthur area is getting its 2nd brewery soon......

 

[wessmith]

Your loosing it mate - it will be the third> ****, I'm only on my third tonight

Wes

 

[Mercs Own]

"Pull a pig at the pub tonight"??????????????

Maybe I dont have a sense of humour or maybe I expect a little more than that - from a beer and from a beer producer.

I guess if one of those 80 pubs that will have it mid December has some Piss beer in the fridge one could brag about going down to the pub to suck some piss and pull a pig.

Talk about correcting faults - it would seem that the slogan is draging beer back into the six oclock swirl days.

JMO

 

[nonicman]

"Pull a pig at the pub tonight" sound's like "pog lotto".

 

[Borret]

I think the Pig Iron name has some appeal myself although actually associating it with a pig on the logo was not so good. Pouring a large molten crucible of glowing amber iron would have so much more appeal than a snarling pig. But then again you'd have to be a more passionate about Newcastles steel city heritage before understanding any of that.

There's nothing like a whole bunch o people taking the piss out of a beer they haven't yet tasted..... <_< There might even be a chance that you like it. Who would think a brewery with a cupid as it's mascot would take us all by storm.

Shall we wait and see. :unsure:

Borret

 

[warrenlw63]

Thing is the beer may well be a good drop and I for one would try it regardless. However problem is they're trying to encroach a mainstream market as opposed to a niche market where beers with cupids and pictures of old Lords of the Manor are expected and accepted because they don't upset the status quo of the commercial giants. :blink:

Can you really see them taking a market share of CUB's or Lion Nathan's Draught Beer duopoly? Brave yes, to be admired most definitely but alas probably doomed to fail. You see they're selling a product that's similar but not the same and most probably superior to VB, Carlton Draught, Tooheys New et al. h34r:

Very hard to sell ice to the Eskimos and don't ever think of trying to find an alternative to fossil fuel or even dream of orbital engines. Where is Ralph Sarich these days? Probably under ten feet of concrete or abducted by aliens. :lol:

Warren -

 

[RobW]

Where is Ralph Sarich these days?

[post="95682"][/post]​

I believe he's still going around

 

[warrenlw63]

Where is Ralph Sarich these days?

[post="95682"][/post]​

I believe he's still going around

[post="95718"][/post]​

:lol: :lol:

Warren -

 

[pharmaboy]

Thing is the beer may well be a good drop and I for one would try it regardless. However problem is they're trying to encroach a mainstream market as opposed to a niche market where beers with cupids and pictures of old Lords of the Manor are expected and accepted because they don't upset the status quo of the commercial giants. :blink:

Can you really see them taking a market share of CUB's or Lion Nathan's Draught Beer duopoly? Brave yes, to be admired most definitely but alas probably doomed to fail. You see they're selling a product that's similar but not the same and most probably superior to VB, Carlton Draught, Tooheys New et al. h34r:

Very hard to sell ice to the Eskimos and don't ever think of trying to find an alternative to fossil fuel or even dream of orbital engines. Where is Ralph Sarich these days? Probably under ten feet of concrete or abducted by aliens. :lol:

Warren -

[post="95682"][/post]​

Unfortunately Warren I think you are dead on! I spoke one of the owners (brewer) around the middle of the year about their pitch, at that time they were still trying to get the colour down to VB, tooheys New, as an ex marketer I was gobsmacked that they were aiming at a lowbrow market with no identified niche, other than sell it to pubs.

Now I have seen their marketing efforts I fear for all their efforts, I think it boils down to not been prepared to bottle the stuff and sell it to boutique sellers and get its recognition by standing out on its quality. Mountain goat are a good example of the reputation that can be built through good product, who could now easily expand their business into substantial draught sales.

Niche is where marketing starts, then to mainstream, unless you have the budget of Lion Nathan or Fosters to start with.

 

[Mercs Own]

I understand where the name Pig Iron Lager comes from and that is smart marketing for a town like Newcastle and also to sell that image to the rest of Australia. I like the name in that context. I completely dislike the add slogan and think it drags the beer down to a low level - a level I thought we as craft brewers were trying to lift it up from in order to give beer the dignity and image it deserves as a great quality product. The boutique market is where the growth is and as Warren put it it remains to be seen if Steel City make a boutique product or a copy of the mass market swill - pun intended. Their advertising slogan would suggest the latter.

They must have some pretty good money behind them by the sound of their plans for December and I wish them luck and look forward to trying their beer.

 

[Weizguy]

I agree that the marketing angle is a bit "wak". Pig, Indeed! I would have concentrated on the Iron angle (unintentional pun)

The initial object was to get the beer into everyone's head is a regular beer, and to take market from the similarly-priced, yet inferior, commercial beers. Maybe this is the seat of the low-brow advertising and pub release.

They plan to release a quality bottled ale in the next few months, and this is prob where the classier side of the situation comes in.

The first I heard of this brewery was at a lhbs, where the owner was looking for equipment, and planning to sell a better beer to the public, as well as to make a few $$, of course. High ideals of course, and subject to change due to reality.

I believe that a former employee, who now runs another home brew shop, was highly influential in the initial crafting of the brewery setup and its image, so the campaign may have lost its feet since he is no longer involved?

No affiliation, dudes!

Seth out

 

[tangent]

the baldy guy isn't making any connection to my demographic whatsoever
are they targeting 40-55yo males maybe?
certainly don't think any females will be mad keen to get on their bandwagon. <_<