By Stefanie Collins – editor Beer & Brewer
Sydney Craft Beer Week (SCBW) Tickets are on sale as of this week, with punters able to choose between more than 60 beer events across the city.
Taking place October 19-26, with a concerted effort this year to convert non-believers, SCBW has events aimed at all levels of beer lover – from foodies to novices to nerds.
Festival co-organiser and beermen.tv member Todd Venning spoke with Beer & Brewer before the launch of the program to explain how the SCBW team has worked with breweries and venues to create a program that is not just for so-called beer nerds.
“We challenged breweries and venues to come up with different ways to showcase craft beer and in doing so, create opportunities for showing people that beer has limitless flavour,” he says.
“There will be community food festivals, art shows, live music performances and also a solid representation of events aimed at beer education for those new to craft beer.
Indeed, events this year will cover everything from tap takeovers, an official launch party in a car park, craft beer crawls, beer and wine blends, mystery bus tours, Game of Thrones-inspired lunches, beer high teas, and the return of the Beer Mimics Food experiment that matches high-profile chefs with brewers to make a limited edition beer.
According to Sydney Craft Beer Week Festival Director Joel Connolly, the city is quickly becoming a hub of craft beer with increasing numbers of on- and off-premise businesses cottoning on to the trend.
“Sydney is very quickly becoming acquainted with craft beer,” he says.
“In Sydney alone there are 10 breweries, from Manly to Parramatta. In some restaurants and bars, the beer menu is almost as long as the wine list.
"It’s bloody exciting and our goal at SCBW is to improve the quality of people’s lives by exposing them to top notch beer.”
With a particular focus on creating an event that is interesting to more than just beer lovers, things like the Beer Mimics Food theme are essential to drawing in food lovers.
Venning told Beer & Brewer that the response to last year’s inaugural Beer Mimics Food event was so fantastic, they have expanded the program for 2013.
“The response from our first Beer Mimics Food theme last year was so positive we’ve taken it national,” he says.
“Eight breweries across five states will battle it out at a single event, in what is now our annual challenge to breweries and Australia’s top culinary talent to create beers that taste like well-known foods or signature dishes.”
Events range from free to $100 and tickets are available from sydneycraftbeerweek.com.