In the early 1800s in Germany, March was the last month that beer could safely be brewed before the heat of summer & the accompanying proliferation of wild yeasts, would cause the beers to quickly sour during fermentation. Thus beer production was ceased until the cooler weather returned. Strangely enough these last brews of the season, known as Märzenbiers, were then stored until late September before being consumed for the first time at the Oktoberfest celebrations.
At MSB March will also see brewing cease temporarily, however for quite different reasons, and thankfully for a much shorter period.
This month we are installing new equipment on site and repositioning our bottling line to flow through into our 
recently acquired building, next door on Pyrmont Bridge Road. When completed we will have a much improved process flow through our little site in Camperdown.
In reflecting on the significance of March in beer steeped traditions of Germany, we thought it would be appropriate to also celebrate our own return to brewing.
Not quite on the grand scale of the Oktoberfest mind you, but by running some celebratory beer tastings in our brewhouses around the country in late April.
These “back to brewing” celebrations will provide an opportunity for our members to visit our brewhouses and share ale & a tale or two with the Malt Shovel Brewers and Craft Beer Specialists. Attendance to these events will be strictly by booking only & will include a beer & food matching session.
Further details will be revealed in our April Newsletter, so stay tuned and ensure you do not miss out on the opportunity.
Cheers,
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer - MSB
Dear Tony,
Do you have any plans to make a 2010 Hop Thief?
Thanks for your note re the Hop Thief Ale. As you are probably aware HT is modelled as our tribute to the impact of hops in the brewing process.
We have had three releases of Hop Thief to date and each while in the general style of an American Pale Ale, has incorporated its own unique blend of hops.
Hop Thief 1 was brewed using a then new & quite unique New Zealand hop variety known as Nelson Sauvin. This hop gave very aromatic gooseberry /lychee nose to the finisheed beer, and has since been adopted by a number of other craft brewers.
In HT 2 (winter 2007) we delved into U.S. hops, but rather than taking the classic US Cascade hop route we used Tomahawk & Simcoe to create a luscious passionfruit and citrus bouquet.
In 2009 with Hop Thief 3, we explored purely Australian grown varieties, and developed the Hopperator to “late” capture the resinous piney notes of Australian Pride of Ringwood in flower form. a Pride of Ringwood is a hop generally known for its high bitterness rather than its contribution to aroma, so this was a novel way of bringing the aroma to the front.
So what of the next Hop Thief? Well I can say it is definitely in development, however we will be sticking to plan & not releasing it in consecutive years. We have a different limited release planned for mid May 2010. But look out for a re-emergence of Hop Thief (4) in winter 2011.
In the interim, look out for our May release of the Malt Runner.
Cheers for now,
Tony Jones
Chief Brewer - MSB
Thanks Tony. It’s now May and I’m on the lookout for the Malt Runner.Where is it??