White Rabbit releases barrel aged beer

By Deborah Jackson

White Rabbit has released the first beer to come from its speciality Barrel Hall program at its new base within the Little Creatures Brewery in Geelong.

The new brew, White Rabbit Red, is barrel aged, meaning it’s a subtle blend of two beers; the first was carefully aged in wooden oak barrels for an extended period of time, allowing it to take on a depth of flavours. A portion of this was then blended back into a fresh, young beer – the end result being a diverse combination of tart cherry and red wine like complexities.

It has an ABV of 4.9 per cent and is available on tap at White Rabbit’s new Barrel Hall in Geelong, along with a select number of venues in Victoria including Ballarat’s Hop Temple and multiple locations in Melbourne such as Glamorama and Transport Hotel. 

Red will also available in a 750ml big bottle in the coming weeks exclusively from the White Rabbit Barrel Hall.

Jeremy Halse, head brewer at White Rabbit said: “Our home in Geelong was built to further explore our natural creativity and provides a space that embraces flavour discovery. At Rabbit we pride ourselves on using a special balance of old-world techniques and innovative thinking to develop a unique range of classic, flavoursome ales.

"The journey of this beer started a couple of years ago at our original home in the Yarra Valley region where we sourced some previously loved wine barrels from our mates at Innocent Bystander. It’s been a long time in the making but we couldn’t be happier with where we have landed with the beer,” said Halse.

Ash Cranston, marketing manager for White Rabbit, added: "Barrel aged, sour and tart beers are really taking off in the USA and we are starting to see the trend filter down to Australia. They are very different to beers we know in the Australian market. With their similar characteristics to wine and their ability to be matched with food they are great for those who would not normally drink beer, or are looking for an alternative to wine. White Rabbit Red will be the first barrel aged beer released in a 750ml bottle, something we hope to see more of for our specialty beers."

White Rabbit Red is the fourth variant in the White Rabbit craft portfolio, joining White Rabbit White Ale, White Rabbit Dark Ale and White Rabbit Pale Ale.