It has often been said that WA is the home of Australian Craft Beer. Starting with Redback & the famous Sail & Anchor Brewpub and Matilda Bay Brewing company WA set the benchmark for small batch brewing and the defining the category ‘Craft Beer’. Unfortunately however in recent years both these historical venues have stopped brewing beer at their respective premises and whilst still maintaining their ‘brands’ and a high level of quality and pioneering spirit the actual beer is now brewed elsewhere. These recent events and the opening of several fantastic Micro Breweries in Victoria over the past few years including Holgate, Three Ravens, Mountain Goat, White Rabbit & Red Hill Brewery just to name a few made me ask the question is WA still the home of Australian Craft Beer?
To help me answer the question I thought I would look through the past results for the Melbourne International Beer Awards. The fact that this event is held in Melbourne and attracts a massive crowd of Beer enthusiasts and professionals alike is testament to the fabulous beer culture Melbourne has and the high level of knowledge and appreciation Victorians possess. However, it was very interesting to see that over the past 5 years Victorian breweries have won 8 trophies at the Awards, 6 of which were the ‘Premier’s Trophy for best VICTORIAN Beer’! In comparison over the past 5 years WA breweries have won 21 Trophies.
It has now almost been a year since we opened the Perth James Squire Brewhouse, The Generous Squire and we are getting very close to getting the final green lights from the various authorities involved to allow us to start brewing our very own James Squire beers in the heart of Perth. The Generous Squire has already gone a long way to adding to the WA Craft Beer community by providing the full range of New South Wales most awarded brewery’s beers fresh off the tap and hosting regular information and tastings events. The two beers we are planning to brew at The Generous Squire will be called Wheat Belt White and Shafto’s Reward and will be the only beers brewed in the Perth CBD.
So is WA still the home of Australian Craft Beer? Although some of the original breweries who built the foundation for WA’s Craft Beer industry have moved on, a new generation of passionate uncompromising breweries have picked up from where they left off. Now New South Wale’s most respected and recognised brewery Malt Shovel has set up a microbrewery in the heart of WA. There is no doubt in my mind that if you truly love great beer (like Dorothy says…) there is no place like home!
Written by local lad, George Stupart has worked in the beer industry for the past 12 years. Starting with Little Creatures in Fremantle he then moved to Brisbane to represent Little Creatures in Queensland before moving to London to work for AB InBev. George returned home to WA in 2009 and is currently working for Malt Shovel Brewery as the WA Craft Beer Specialist.
