A brotherhood of Sunshine Coast breweries has come together to help renowned indigenous chef and entrepreneur, Dale Vocale, realise his dream to combine his passion for native bush food ingredients and his love of beer.
Jarrah Boy is the realisation of that dream, it is a range of all-Australian beers, brewed using a blend of traditional malt and hops, paired with native Australian bush food ingredients.
“I can’t wait for all Aussies to be able to enjoy a Jarrah Boy,” Vocale said. “Sharing a beer is such a great way to spark a conversation, and we hope Jarrah Boy will invite all Australians to yarn and learn and be proud of Australia’s amazing Indigenous culture.
“We’ve seen that more and more Australians want to bridge the reconciliation gap and come together as one Australia. To honour and acknowledge the past, connect in the present, and forge a shared, united future, that proudly celebrates our rich Indigenous culture.”
Vocale has been supported by a number of beer industry friends in launching including Boiling Pot Brewing Co. owner John Madill and former CUB Head of Innovation, Adam Murphy.
Vocale worked with Boiling Pot’s brewmaster Pedro de Luca in bringing the traditional indidenous Australian ingredients into the brewing process and Madill said he was happy to help having had a similar helping hand from Brouhaha Brewery when he was setting up Boiling Pot.
“We got such a great start thanks to the boys at Brouhaha, and we’ve really loved supporting Dale in that same way to get up and running. Hopefully one day, Jarrah Boy is big enough to keep paying that favour on to the next brewery,” Madill said.
Murphy meanwhile is advising on development of the Jarrah Boy brand and the marketing surrounding its launch.
“Dale’s vision for Jarrah Boy was so strong, and its message so meaningful, that after leaving CUB, I called him and said ‘What help do you need?’,” Murphy said. “Helping Dale shape the raw brand concept, to play a part in shaping Jarrah Boy’s look and voice, has been an amazing journey. I’ve learned so much about Indigenous culture, and the role we can all play as allies for Indigenous excellence. I can’t wait to invite all Australians to join the conversation.”
Jarrah Boy will launch with three styles of lager – the first being Tirum Sun Lager, named using the Kabi Kabi word for the sun. Tirum is a golden lager, brewed with Australian hops, malt and Indigenous native yams sourced from Something Wild, an indigenous supplier of wild-harvest bush foods.
Vocale said: “Supporting other First Nations businesses through our supply chain is a real focus for Jarrah Boy. In our culture, we succeed as one together, so we want to lift other mob up with us as Jarrah Boy grows.”
True to this ambition, Tirum will be followed closely by Gwangal Red Lager, brewed with native Jarrah honey sourced from indigenous beekeepers in WA. The third instalment will be a dark lager named, Mulu.
Each style bears a traditional Aboriginal name from either Dale’s ancestoral Monero Country, or the Kabi Kabi language of the Sunshine Coast, where Jarrah Boy is brewed. Jarrah Boy Tirum Sun Lager will be available on tap and in cans around the Sunshine Coast from October 20.