Six Beverages to Drink If You're Keen to Support Local Winemakers, Brewers and Distillers

The name says it all: at Mismatch Brewing Co, a team of folks from different backgrounds and with various skills have come together to make yeasty, delicious beer. And, as it’s brewed out of Hay Valley in a 35-hectolitre system, the company’s core range also takes a bit of a patchwork approach. A lager and multiple ales sit alongside the bubbly and fruity Strawberry Berliner Weisse, for instance. That isn’t the type of lineup that every beer outfit boasts. Brewing a light, fragrant tipple out of red berries grown onsite is clearly something Mismatch couldn’t pass up — and if you’re eager not just to drink local, but knock back a different kind of brew made from local produce, you shouldn’t pass it up either.

Support local makers like Mismatch Brewing Co by picking up a six-pack — or a carton — at BWS.

Pick one thing. Do it well. That’s good advice in life, and it’s good advice when it comes to making spirits. So, that’s exactly what Never Never Distilling Co has done, with the McLaren Vale-based distillery focusing on gin, a gin-filled fruit cup, a juniper-based version of the Italian liqueur amaro and an aquavit made with Australian botanicals. Leading the charge, of course, is its signature Triple Juniper Gin. The lightly cloudy drop undergoes three different distillation processes — first steeping the juniper for 24 hours, then pot-distilling the steep with more juniper, and finally adding even more juniper to the vapour basket. Also featuring coriander seed, angelica root, orris root, lemon peel, lime peel, liquorice root, cinnamon and Australian pepper berry, the end result is a multi-award winner that’s earthy yet bright, and also leaves a creamy finish.

Support local makers like Never Never Distilling Co by picking up a bottle at BWS.

It mightn’t get as much attention as other red wine grape varieties, but don’t pass over the chance to try a top-notch sangiovese. Native to Italy and dating back centuries, it makes for a rich, medium-bodied drop that’s known for its red cherry notes. At McLaren Vale’s Coriole Vineyards, this vino also comes with hints of rose, raspberry and mixed spice, as made from fruit from some of Australia’s oldest producing sangiovese vines — and it pairs especially well with risotto or charcuterie. The family-owned winery boasts quite a history of its own, too, with the site in operation since 1969. It jumped into the sangiovese in 1985, and is considered an Aussie pioneer.

Support local makers like Coriole Vineyards by picking up a bottle at BWS.

If you’ve ever pondered brewing your own beer at home, then hopefully turning your hobby into a profession, let Adelaide’s Little Bang Brewing Co inspire you. The company started out in a garage, with its owners brewing on weekends, before expanding to a warehouse and now its current Stepney brewery and taproom. All that passion and all those early years spent experimenting have resulted in an impressive range of beers, too — from which the Icon Hoppy Steam Ale definitely stands out. It goes down smoothly and easily, as you’d expect of a session brew, while taking nods not just from steam ales but from Australian lagers. So, it’s just what a couple of self-described “beer nerds” would whip up.

Support local makers like Little Bang Brewing Co by picking up a four-pack — or a carton — at BWS.

The very centre of the CBD isn’t where you’d expect to find a craft gin distillery, but that’s where Prohibition Liquor Co resides. In fact, the award-winning producer is Adelaide’s first city distillery and tasting room, both whipping up and serving its handmade small-batch spirits onsite. Chief among the brand’s tipples is its Original Prohibition Gin. It doesn’t need a complicated name — but, thanks to a hefty range of botanicals, it serves up quite the deep and complex flavour. Here, blood orange and red grapefruit combine with juniper (obviously), coriander, ginger root, lemon myrtle, green tea, vanilla and lavender. Understandably, it goes down particularly well with tonic.

Support local makers like Prohibition Liquor Co by picking up a bottle at BWS.

There are no prizes for guessing what The Hills Cider Company makes — or where this South Australian joint is based. In Hay Valley in the Adelaide Hills, it has spent the past ten years turning apples and pears into alcoholic beverages, with a particular focus on supporting local farmers and using 100-percent Australian grown fruit sourced from the area. The Hills’ style: minimal intervention, which means its vegan, gluten-free ciders are oh-so-fruity. That includes its popular Apple Cider, as made from green apples that’ve been under the company’s control from “land to hand”, as it describes it. Taste-wise, you’ll notice vanilla, custard apple, and even lemon and lime sherbet, as well as a natural sweetness.

Support local makers like The Hills Cider Company by picking up a six-pack — or a carton — at BWS.