THE latest High Country Brewery Trail Belgian Ale is in the tank after a collaborative brew day at the only Australian microbrewery above the snowline.
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For the first time seven North East microbreweries pooled their resources on Wednesday for the annual brew day at Blizzard Brewery at Dinner Plain.
Newcomers Social Bandit Brewing Company at Mansfield, Blizzard Brewery at Dinner Plain and the Rutherglen Brewery joined High Country craft brewers, the Bright Brewery, Black Dog Brewery at Taminick, Bridge Road Brewers at Beechworth and Sweetwater Brewing Company at Mount Beauty to make the commemorative ale.
Bright Brewery founder Scott Brandon said it was a good opportunity for the North East brewers to get together and talk about the industry.
He said each year they brewed a Tripel, which was a strong Belgian white ale.
“It’s a bit more hoppy than traditional brews to highlight our hops region,” he said.
“We’re using hops from Rostrevor Gardens at Myrtleford this year.”
Mr Brandon said the brew was labelled under Rule 47, which was a nod to cycling being the hero sport of the brewery trail.
He said Rule 47 came from the list of cycling rules.
“It’s saying ‘Drink Tripels, don’t ride triples’; it’s about being courteous on the road,” Mr Brandon said.
“It’s also about using the best quality and doing things the right way.”
Mr Brandon said the High Country Brewery Trail had been successful for many years.
“With the new breweries popping up and establishing themselves, it’s a very good outcome that was assisted by North East Tourism,” Mr Brandon said.
“We want to bring people out of the capital cities; give them more reasons to come to the High Country.”
Mr Brandon said increasingly more tourists were attracted to the brewery trail.
“The trail will help to support the smaller brewers,” he said.
“The collaborative brew day is a great opportunity to get together and talk about promoting the trail further.”
As Blizzard Brewery is set up for cans, The Rule 47 Belgian Ale will be sold in cans rather than bottles for the first and be on tap at all seven microbreweries.
It will be available from late October.
The High Country Brewery Trail runs from Mansfield at the foot of Mount Buller through the Goulburn Valley to the foot of the Warby Ranges, along the King and Ovens valleys beyond, climbing the Alpine peaks to Dinner Plain, descending to the Kiewa Valley and across the Murray River plains to Rutherglen.
