Cheers from the Reef
Drawing on tropical water for new brew
A WORLD-FIRST brew using water straight from the Great Barrier Reef will soon be hitting the lips of local beer lovers.
The Townsville Brewery has teamed with local operator Adrenalin Snorkel and Dive to collect 60 litres of water from the site of Australia’s Museum of Underwater Art at John Brewer Reef, about 80km off Townsville, and turn it into 1600 litres of beer.
Townsville Brewery head brewer Glen Nolen said the idea behind the special brew, called Great Barrier Reef Gose, was to bring North Queensland flavours to a head and encourage more people to visit the region.
“Our goal is to bring more awareness to the Great Barrier Reef, especially the areas off Townsville and highlight just how unspoilt and special it is,” he said.
And if the idea of drinking a brew derived from salt water puts any beer lovers off, Mr Nolen said those sceptics would be in for a surprise.
“It brings out flavours when you have salt in a beer. It will be slightly salty, but it won’t be seawater salty,” he said.
“It’s dry and refreshing, perfect for North Queensland. If you don’t believe me, you’ll just have to try it for yourself.”
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority formally approved the water collection, with Mr Nolen saying “all the right checks and balances were put in place”.
Adrenalin Snorkel and Dive owner Paul Crocombe said he couldn’t pass up the chance to be involved in the world-first brew.
“We know the water quality is really clean, so we just filled up the barrels off the back of the boat,” Mr Crocombe said.
“I think the big thing with the beer is it brings the reef to the attention of more people. It highlights the quality of the reef and how healthy it really is.”
Townsville Enterprise director of visitor economy and marketing Lisa Woolfe said the reef brew was another welcome initiative that highlighted the reef and put Townsville on the map.
“In Townsville we have always been innovators and pioneers and this partnership to create another world first is a great example of how we can further extend the awareness of what we have to offer,” she said.
“It is here in Townsville where you can learn about the reef – whether through a dive trip, a visit to our museum or a beer at the local brewery.
“Something like this gets people talking about our picture-perfect region and hopefully they see what we’ve got on offer and come visit.”
The reef brew is expected to go on sale in about three weeks.