Our Temptress Chocolate Porter walked away with another accolade this week. The 1300 or so beer lovers at the Federation Square Microbreweries Showcase voted her the “Best Specialty Beer” on offer. Not bad for a couple of guys brewing in back of a pub in Woodend!
Catch the Temptress and our other brews at the Purvis Cellars’ Australian Craft Beer Festival on 24 March
Check out our new IPA at these purveyors of fine beverages:
- Grumpy’s Green
- Mrs. Parma’s
- Terminus Hotel, Clifton Hill
- Royston Hotel
- Sherlock Holmes, Collins St, CBD
Julian, our intrepid beer ambassador , will be at Purvis Cellars on Wednesday the 23rd to provide some holiday cheer in the form of free beer! Contact Purvis Cellars for full details on 9888 6644
The boys at Holgate’s have begun growing their moustaches for Movember. We’ve raised a few quid so far, but more donations (and team members) are always welcome. Visit our team page by searching for “Holgate’s Hirsute Hombres” – at au.movember.com – and do your part to fight depression and prostate cancer.
We’re kicking off the month with a Saturday Brew Day this week. Ian will be in the brewery working up a batch of sweet, delicious beer. And anyone who donates $20 or more to our Movember team effort is eligible for an exclusive brewery tour and tasting from the tanks at 4 pm or 7 pm. RSVP to imorgan@holgatebrewhouse.com with a copy of your Movember receipt email, or bring it up to the bar in Woodend on Saturday.
See you there!
Our apologies for the long delay between posts. Ian was in the US for two weeks visiting the Great American Beer Festival and breweries in the Boulder/Denver area. On his return Paul left for a tour of breweries in Oregon and Washington state. So it’s been a busy few weeks with one or the other running the brewery solo!
Now that both brewers are back in the shop we’ll be getting back on top of things. Watch this space to see what ideas have emerged from our trips overseas.
Apologies to anyone who came up to Woodend expecting to see a brew in action. Some of life’s other priorities have intervened for the time being.
We’ll hope to resume the Saturday Brew Days in the new year – but might sneak a couple in before then. Feel free to call the Brewhouse or email us ahead of time to see if we’ll be running tours that day.
We took receipt of a used pinot noir barrel from Curly Flat winery last week. We’ll be filling it with about 200 L of Double Trouble, adding extra fermentables and some champagne yeast, and letting it bubble away and age on oak for as long as we can stand it. Keep tuned for updates!
I’d like to say we had specifically cellared a keg of the 19 August 2008 batch of Double Trouble in anticipation of tapping it this winter. In fact, we just forgot about it and happened across the keg at the back of the cold storage room.
Regardless, the 2008 vintage will go on tap this week at the Brewhouse just as soon as the current keg of Nut Brown Ale is finished, so drink up!
Preliminary studies indicate that the D.T. has aged well. The higher alcohol level has preserved it for posterity, and the melanoidins that lend this beer its deep garnet colour have contributed to sherry-like flavours.
The brewers are certainly looking forward to tapping this treasure!
The pub has reported back that they’ve sold the last of the Christmas Ale. At the moment there are no plans to brew an ‘09 batch as we have some other projects underway, but one or two cartons may have been squirreled away by the brewers for cellaring.
Christmas in July 2010 might be a good place to bring them out and try them. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: A few bottles have been spotted in the cooler at Essendon Cellars (corner of Albion and Primrose Streets)
With the 4th of July coming up, our assistant brewer (the token Yank), has Revolution on his mind. We might stick to more modern methods this Saturday, though:
Take a large Sifter full of Bran Hops to your Taste — Boil these 3 hours. Then strain out 30 Gall. into a Cooler put in 3 Gallons Molasses while the Beer is scalding hot or rather drain the molasses into the Cooler. Strain the Beer on it while boiling hot let this stand til it is little more than Blood warm. Then put in a quart of Yeast if the weather is very cold cover it over with a Blanket.
Let it work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask. leave the Bung open til it is almost done working — Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.
George Washington, “To Make Small Beer”, 1757. Available at the New York Public Library.