BEER-ENDER: REGION’S BEST BREWS IN REVIEW
2017
IT’S been a big year for beer in Geelong and the Surf Coast, with brewers lapping up major awards and surging demand.
The Advertiser’s Beer Jury takes a look back at its selfappointed top of the hops from the past 12 months.
White Rabbit White Ale
In 2017, Geelong officially became home to Australia’s best beer.
White Rabbit’s White Ale — brewed at the Little Creatures brewery on Swanston St — was named Champion Australian Beer and Best Wheat Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards in May.
The award is renowned as Australia’s best, and one of the largest competitions in the world, attracting more than 2000 entries from 358 breweries in 36 countries.
At the time, White Rabbit Head brewer Jeremy Halse said he was “pretty chuffed” with the major award.
“To pick up something like Champion Australian Beer against about 2000 other beers is incredible,” he said. “It’s definitely the most prestigious beer competition in Australia, without a doubt. This is just that stamp of approval from the industry that ‘yep, you make a damn good beer’.”
The industry nod helped prove White Rabbit hadn’t watered-down its much-loved beers after being bought by big brewers Lion Nathan in 2012.
The White Ale’s distinct flavours come from orange peel, coriander seeds and juniper berries.
Blackman’s Brewery
Since first opening in mid2014 with just two of its own beers on tap, Blackman’s Brewery hasn’t taken a backwards step.
The Torquay brewery’s owners, Renn and Jess Blackman, have established themselves at the forefront of the Surf Coast’s everexpanding boutique brewery crowd. After opening a sibling bar in Geelong’s CBD last year, the pair kept up the pace in 2017, releasing more than a dozen new brews to complement their seriously well-crafted line of regulars.
The brewery’s seeming refusal to play it safe has been one of the highlights of 2017, releasing everything from an espresso martini kolsch, to a smoked beetroot saision, Blackberry Gose, and its knockout Lager Collective trio.
Furphy
Another of brewing giant Lion’s beers, again produced at the Little Creatures brewery in Geelong, Furphy might seem like an odd choice for this list. But, the meteoric rise of this ‘refreshing ale’ has resulted in 21 new jobs in our town this year, as the brewery tries to keep up with a growing demand of 300 per cent yearon-year since first launching in just a few local pubs in 2014.
Furphy was created as an ‘entry point’ beer — something with more flavour than the mass-produced usual suspects, but more approachable than the full-flavoured often hop-heavy brews that most brand ‘craft beer’.
Not only has Furphy helped drag an Australian public into the age of full-flavour beer, it has brought jobs to the city, and given us our own beer that is taking the state by storm.
Rogue Wave
The team at Rogue Wave launched the brewery after stepping in to save the Aireys Inlet pub from developers in 2011, and has been making waves with its custom shaped creations ever since. The brewery collected five medals at the Craft Beer Awards this year, including two silvers and three bronzes — proving it knew exactly what it was doing diving headfirst into the industry. While knocking the froth off one at the Aireys venue is a highlight in itself, the brewery’s line-up of about six brews has something for everyone — from the popular Salt Pale Lager to the Blood Orange Pale Ale. Rogue Wave is definitely one to watch in 2018.