Overview
Drink Local, Think Global. A brewer's motto for the modern day. More than ever, people are concerned about local producers, more in touch with local brands and looking to make that personal connection to a product they use. Craft beer is also becoming more and more prominent in the lives of clued-up drinkers. Along with dedicated beer halls, bars with extensive craft beer lists and an all-round desire to learn more, Australia even has its very own craft beer publication based in Sydney. Big and smaller brands alike are turning their attention to local producers and locally grown ingredients to create their products.
Even Cascade Brewery, Australia's oldest brewery based in South Hobart, is changing things up. We chat to Cascade's brand manager, Louise Thiele, about local produce, Tasmania and a good stout.
Cascade has recently moved towards a more local focus. Can you tell us a little bit about this?
One of the priorities for us with Cascade is that if you've got Australia's oldest brewery in Tasmania, why wouldn’t you use what Tasmania has to offer to make the beers? We have an amazing region for ingredients, which is known across the country. It just made sense to us. All the beers are brewed here at the brewery and we think it is really nice to be able to give back to the state. Some of our workers have been here for 40 years and it's their pride and joy. It is about employing local people across the local business and giving back to Tasmania.
Where exactly are your local ingredients coming from?
One of the local products we use are the hops from Derwent Valley, 45 minutes away from the brewery. We are now using only Tasmanian hops, not mainland hops. We have some great relationships with the producers and we think it's important to foster those relationships. Across the portfolio, we use a wide range of hops depending on the style.
The team at Cascade are also not far off commissioning a new water filtration plant. This should enable us to supply filtered mountain water for brewing. We're currently using some mountain water in the maltings. We also use some filtered mountain water for cleaning and the pasteuriser systems in the brewery. Most of the water used currently in production is filtered local mains water.
Can you tell us about the new brews, and what we can expect from the classic brews?
I think the key for us is to reinforce that Pale Ale hasn't changed. It is a fantastic recipe. Pale Ale is the oldest brewed beer and, while over the years there have been very slight changes, it is a classic brew that is loved by the locals and those on the mainland.
The Premium Lager was previously made using imported hops so we've changed that recipe to include Tasmanian hops instead. The feedback says that consumers are really liking the new lager. The Bright Ale is new altogether, so a completely new recipe has been created there. It is really giving consumers something easier to drink, but craft enough to give nice aroma and mouth feel. We think this will be a favourite.
Which elements of the heritage are still important in moving forward?
We are Australia's oldest brewery and we haven't always embraced that. We have often just played to the fun aspect of beer, which doesn't do our history justice. Consumers want credibility and authenticity, and, with Australia's oldest brewery, we think we are nailing that. The new bottles are about reflecting the history of the brewery and taking inspiration from the museum bottles we've been looking through. Interestingly there are so many trends where companies are looking for provenance. Similarly, we are looking for authenticity and provenance whilst using Tasmania's quality produce.
Craft beer is certainly on the rise, where do you think Cascade sits in relation to those smaller craft breweries?
We are smaller than James Squire, so we see ourselves as entry into craft. If a consumer is drinking a standard beer, Cascade gives them the ability to explore craft but still with an easy drinking style. Once consumers like the Pale Ale, for example, they are more likely to try the others. In terms of other small craft breweries, we think it's really healthy to have smaller breweries out there. The more beer being produced the better. It gets people to talking about and exploring beer.
So what is your favourite beer from the Cascade range?
The Bright Ale. It has a lovely floral aroma and a really nice mouth feel. It feels like you're drinking a full-bodied beer but it’s only 4.2% alcohol. It's interesting, has notes of passionfruit and is a beautiful beer. But, I also love the Stout — especially with chocolate.