Brew helped by a little US know-how
THE New England Brewing Company (NEB Co) at Uralla is fast taking shape, with multiple deliveries of different brewery components keeping staff busy in recent months.
A keg washer and bottler is installed and water and power are connected.
Two-hundred metres of pipe carrying sub-zero coolant (glycol) that circulates around the fermenters is being installed, NEB Co director Ben Rylands said.
“Thankfully, we have had the services of two travelling brewers from the United States to help us out,” he said.
NEB Co had advertised for brewers who wanted to come out here as volunteer consultants for an “Australian country experience”.
One of the two US brewers, Kyle Trammell, of Red Rock Brewing Co in Utah, planned to stay on for another three weeks while the other brewer, Tim Fennesey, also of Utah, has already gone home.
It had been an invaluable cross-fertilisation period between the Aussie and US brewers, Mr Rylands said, because the microbrewery industry in America, which had about 2500 microbreweries, had been going from strength to strength since the industry took off again in the 1980s, whereas in Australia it was still relatively new.
They had received lots of tips and new recipes from Mr Trammell and Mr Fennesey.
“It’s all happening there and they’ve got a lot of skilled brewers,” he said.
The US was about 20 years ahead of us in the number of breweries and, as a result, the market in the US was much more oriented to craft beers now, Mr Rylands said.
NEB Co, based in the old wool store building at 19 Bridge St, was using locally milled timber in the renovation, with slabs of stringybark used to create the tasting bar, which is close to completion.
NEB Co brewer Andrew Tracey-Smith has been running some test brews to perfect some recipes.
“One of the two launch beers will be a hybrid English-American pale ale – something to suit all of the region’s seasons. You’ll get a definite hop experience and you’ll be tasting 100 per cent Australian malt,” Mr Tracey-Smith said.
“I can only drop a few hints about the second-launch beer. Let’s just say that it will be a little darker, be perfect on tap and will definitely suit the cooler months following our April 3 launch at the brewery during the Uralla Food & Wine Festival”.
Mr Rylands said the second beer could be launched at the same time but they were keeping it under wraps for the moment.
NEB Co beers will be available in 300ml bottles (six-packs and cases) and 50-litre kegs and will only be distributed in the New England and North West.
If you would like a tour of the site, please contact Ben Rylands on 0433 875 209 or email: newenglandbrewery@gmail.com
