By James Atkinson
Monteith's Brewing Company recently took over the taps at a Sydney pub to showcase The Brewers Series, a new craft beer range that will include some "daring and experimental" brews.
The Brewers Series includes an Alcoholic Ginger Beer, an India Pale Ale and an Unfiltered Apricot Wheat Beer, as well as a Barrel-Aged Porter that will not be available in Australia until later this year.
But at the Royal Albert Hotel in Surry Hills last week, Grant Caunter (pictured), marketing director of Monteith's Australian distributor Drinkworks, also gave the Sydney trade a taste of some limited release exclusives he said were examples of the NZ brewing team's recent brewing experiments.
He said that following a major transformation, Monteith's 143-year-old brewery in Greymouth is now acting as an innovative hub for the brand, crafting small quantities of beer and acting as a testing ground for future Monteith's brews. [continues below]
The beers exclusively available at the Royal Albert were the 7.5 per cent ABV Double-Hopped IPA and the 7 per cent Imperial Pilsener.
The full range of beers were served in sequence, matched to bar snacks prepared by the pub's restaurant, Bamboo Dumpling Bar.
Monteith's head brewer Tony Mercer said in a statement that the brewery is now in the ideal position to pioneer new ground for the Monteith's brand both in NZ and abroad.
"Our old brewery stood the test of time but unfortunately age caught up with it. We realised we needed to upgrade not only the brewery, but the entire site if we wanted to continue brewing for future drinkers," he said.
"The end result is a modern craft brewery which will produce a far more enjoyable drinking experience for everyone."
For stockist information on The Brewers Series visit www.drinkworks.com.au.
Went to the new Monteith’s brewery in Greymouth last month…lovely little brewery now. Really modern. Definitely worth a visit.