In the heart of Victoria’s high country sits the beautiful town of Beechworth where locals are more than comfortable punching above their weight. Beechworth Bakery, Beechworth Honey, Giaconda Vineyard and multi-award winning restaurant Provenance are all widely known, successful and synonymous with Beechworth and high quality.
Beechworth Brewery, and their Pale Ale, sit comfortably amongst their fellow local heroes. Owner and founder, Ben Kraus is as fanatical and passionate about promoting his home town (follow his cycling photos of the day on Instagram @NakedNed) as he is about producing consistent and interesting beers, which incidentally aptly describe this particular beer – Consistent, interesting and to the die-hard fan like me, consistently interesting. I have often described Beechworth’s Pale Ale as “my Carlton Draught”, meaning of course that it’s my go-to beer, always ensuring that there is a 6 pack sitting in my fridge. It satisfi es the palates of both sets of friends that all craft beer lovers have – those that like craft, and those that are either oblivious or stubborn when it comes to good beer. I interrupted Ben during his busy brewing and travel schedule, to ask him why his Pale Ale was widely regarded as one of the fi nest in Australia. “I think it would be its continual development over the past 10 years. This is the beer we hang our hat on here at the brewery and we are always striving for perfection. We’re pretty happy with it at the moment, but if we see a way to improve we have no problem to tweak the recipe from one week to the next.” I must admit, the latest addition is a tad bolder than the fi rst Beechworth Pale Ale I drank in 2008, but the main characteristics remain the same – a smooth mouth feel, solid malt backbone and beautifully aromatic hop profi le. The 2015 version features a slight citrus, stone fruit and fl oral aroma no doubt to satisfy the evolving palate of their new and old customers.
The best place to drink this beer is at the picturesque brewery in Beechworth, but failing that, it is widely available throughout Victoria. I can also recommend joining the Beechworth Brewery Posse because who doesn’t love a slab of old and new favourites delivered to your door!? Trust me when I say the Beechworth Pale Ale is a dependable and enjoyable drinking experience. Cheers!
ABV: 4.8%
STYLE: New World Pale Ale
SERVING TEMP: 4 degrees
ORIGIN: Beechworth, Victoria
FOOD PAIRING: Spicy Thai or Indian
PRICE (RRP): Takeaway $4 | 330ml $75 carton Restaurant $8-9
BUY IT HERE: www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au