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Brewing up new business

South Australian micro brewers are making a name for themselves in the competitive beer market.

Stephen Nelson from Brew BoysA quiet revolution is taking place on restaurant menus and liquor store shelves across Australia. Sitting alongside the big guns in the beer market are new names, new blends and new breweries. There’s Bee Sting from Barossa Valley Brewing, Golden Paw from Beard and Brau and Kitten 9 Tails Oktoberfest from Gulf Brewery, just to name a few.

While their numbers may still be small, local micro brewers are fast gathering a reputation for quirky, quality hand crafted beers.

To celebrate their growing success, the South Australian Micro Brewers Association (SAMBA) have released a Guide to South Australian Micro Breweries. The guide provides fascinating insight into local micro breweries and their wonderful liquid wares.

SAMBA was established in 2006 to enhance professional expertise among local brewers through fellowship and the sharing of knowledge and experience, with the view to promoting the industry and the best possible quality product for customers. Plans for the future include hosting and participating in beer festivals and the cooperative acquisition of raw materials including glass and kegs.

While the Australian beer market continues to be dominated in terms of volume by a limited number of very large players, there has been considerable growth in the number of smaller breweries in recent years.  

SAMBA president Alistair Turnbull from Lobethal Bierhaus said there are now in excess of 100 micro breweries operating in Australia… [probably] double of what existed five years ago.

“Despite this growth our aggregate production is currently still less than 1% of the beer consumed in Australia each year.

However as more individual breweries open customers will be exposed to an ever increasing choice of beer styles, which is a great thing for the consumer. 

“What the micro brewing industry lacks in numbers, it makes up for in passion. Gone are the days of restaurant menus and liquor store shelves dominated by a limited variety of standard lager styles produced by a handful of massive factories.

“It is now possible to purchase and enjoy an ever growing variety of beer styles often produced by considerably smaller craft producers with a passion to produce the best possible product with the freshest available ingredients.”

For example, eight very different beer styles - all made on premise – are available from the Lobethal Bierhaus in the Adelaide Hills.

“We have tasting notes for those keen to explore and match beer with food in a way once left to the wine industry. Many of our customers love to explore new beer styles, brew their own beers at home and have a high understanding of what it takes to make good beer," Alistair said.

Alistair said the guide aimed to promote the industry here in SA by making the public aware of SAMBA members and the products they offered.

SAMBA members include The Barossa Brewing Company, Barossa Valley Brewing, Beard and Brau, Brew Boys, Campus Brewery, Gulf Brewery, Lobethal Bierhaus, Steam Exchange Brewery, U-Brew-Here, U-Brew-It, Woolshed Brewery and Yorke Brewing.

The free guide is available at each of SAMBA’s member premises, through regional tourism centres and from retail customers that support SAMBA products.

For more information

Contact
Alistair Turnbull
SAMBA
p +61 406 257 572
e al@ahcb.com.au