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GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer Poll – Get your votes in before Jan 14!


Remember that crisp, refreshing Alpine Lager you crave on a scorching summer day? The one that perfectly pairs with sizzling sausages on the barbie and sends the kids into dizzying Hill’s Hoist spins?

Yeah, that one! Our beloved Alpine Lager, year after year, has been voted Victoria’s #1 favourite indie lager (and #2 in all of Australia!), proving that sometimes, classic simplicity reigns supreme.

The GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer Poll is open now, and pale ales are threatening to flood the countdown again. Enough is enough! Let’s raise our icy Alpine Lagers and say: #notanotherpaleale!

Here’s how you can make your voice heard:

Vote #1 Alpine Lager! Show your love for this clean, crisp lager brewed with pure Alpine water and locally-grown hops. It’s a damn good beer, and it deserves the top spot!
Spread the word! Share this post with your fellow Aussie beer lovers and encourage them to vote for Alpine Lager.
Crack open an Alpine Lager! Celebrate the beauty of simplicity, the refreshing taste of summer, and the power of a classic Aussie brew.

Remember, voting ends on January 14th. Don’t let this be another year of pale ale dominance! Stand up for the lager you love, the one that’s been there for backyard barbecues, scorching days, and good times with mates.

 Let’s throwback a lager this summer!

#notanotherpaleale

FEATURED

Throwback a lager this summer

Oat Cream NEIPA, Smoothie Sours, Salted Caramel Popcorn Ale…we’ve all heard of the weird and whacky beers that brewers come up with these days.

Hell, we’ll admit, we’ve even brewed some of them ourselves (Pineapple Cream Dream Milkshake IPA ring a bell?)!

But while many craft beer lovers think the wilder the better when it comes to beer, some of us just crave the simplicity of a clean, classic Aussie lager brewed with four perfect ingredients…

A beer built for the Aussie summer. The perfect pairing to sizzling sausages on a barbie. The best beer to quench your thirst on a hot summer’s day. The one you crack, ice-cold from the Esky, while the kids spin themselves dizzy on the Hill’s Hoist behind you.

Some of us just want to throwback a lager this summer!

And year after year, the people of Australia have voted Bright Brewery’s Alpine Lager as their #1 favourite indie lager in Victoria (and #2 in Australia)!

Brewed with pure Alpine water and locally-grown Australian hops, Alpine Lager is as clean as mountain air, and as crisp as the summer sun rising over hills. Plus it’s also just a damn good beer.

That’s why it’s our best-seller. That’s why, in a sea of pale ales, craft beer lovers drink more Bright Brewery Alpine Lager than any other beer we brew (and we’ve got a pretty great pale ale, too!).

So, last year, when it came to voting in the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer Poll, we asked you to stand up against the tidal wave of pale ales flooding the poll and vote #notanotherpaleale

A year ago, we said craft lagers were on the rise. Today, they’re having their heyday. Right now, in fact (Cerveza, anyone?). But we’ve been all over it for years.

So this Summer – instead of picking yet another pale ale out of the Esky, why not throwback a lager, and remember why it’s the world’s most popular beer!

And if you’re sick of seeing pale ales dominate the countdown, let’s do something about it.

Vote #1 Alpine Lager

#notanotherpaleale

VOTE #1 ALPINE LAGER

Voting closes Sunday January 14, 2024 and the countdown will be on Saturday January 27, 2024.

FEATURED

Picnic in the Paddock Rocks with Sunshine, Music, and Katy Steele

Bright Brewery’s Picnic in the Paddock returned for its third year on Saturday, March 16th, and it did not disappoint!

Under sunny skies with a perfect 25 degrees, over 200 attendees soaked up the good vibes in the Paddock, the grassy park next to Bright Brewery. The afternoon unfolded with a fantastic lineup of local and national artists, culminating in a performance by the ARIA-nominated Katy Steele, who brought her “Broken Tour” to Bright, the only regional Victorian town to host the tour.

From Tahlia Brain’s powerful acoustic set to the infectious energy of JC and the Tree, Chloe Jade, and the sweet pop vibes from Katy Steele Duo, the music provided the perfect soundtrack to a warm autumn’s day.

The Bright Brewery bar was a popular spot, while local producers Reed & Co Distillery and Backwoods Distilling were slinging refreshing cocktails and boutique spirits.

Whether you brought your own picnic spread or opted for fresh flavours of Tu Vietnamese or a Bright Brewery loaded hot dog, Picnic in the Paddock offered a delightful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It was a true celebration of good vibes, community, and top-notch Aussie music.

You can catch all the fun from the day on our social media pages.

Save the date for our next music event, our mid winter craft beer festival, Darker Days, on Saturday June 15, 2024. Tickets and info coming soon.

Fred’s Volume 3 for International Women’s Day 2024

After the smash-hit success of our past 2 all-female-brewed, female-led beers for International Women’s Day, we’re at it again!
We opened the doors to the Brewhouse and let our staff – under the guidance of our brewer Madi – loose on the brew deck and this is what they came up with…
Fred’s Apricot NEIPA – named in honour of our pioneering founder Fiona “Fred” Reddaway, brewed for #IWD2024, designed by Melbourne artist Lynn Bremner and with part-proceeds going to Pink Boots Society Australia – this is one powerhouse of a beer!
Available in-stores and from the source for IWD on March 8.
Those in Bright can help us celebrate its launch with our annual Bright’s International Women’s Day Lunch.
Friday, March 8 from 12pm-2pm
Join us for a relaxed afternoon at Bright Brewery to celebrate this remarkable woman and beer, featuring:
– A beautiful, 2-course lunch menu of seasonal local produce created by Bright Brewery Head Chef Jarrod Smith and team
– Prosecco on arrival
– Live music
– A can of Fred’s Apricot NEIPA
– Door prizes

From Summit to Solitude: Bright Brewery’s Elise Triumphs in the Face of Adversity

In December, we shared the exciting news about one of our front-of-house team members, Elise Marcianti, who embarked on a transformative 300km trail running and hiking challenge through the rugged landscapes of the Australian Alps. Aptly named ‘Moving For The Mind,’ Elise’s expedition was not just a physical journey but a heartfelt endeavour to raise awareness and funds for Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA). 

Elise’s adventure commenced on December 7th with a formidable 50km ultramarathon, starting from the summit of Mt Kosciuszko. Over the subsequent weeks, she navigated a challenging 250km hike along the Australian Alps Walking Trail, concluding her journey in the picturesque town of Bright, Victoria on December 23. 

After a well-deserved period of rest and recovery, we caught up with Elise to hear about the trials and triumphs of her incredible journey. From the outset, Elise faced challenges that tested her physically and mentally, starting with the unfamiliar level of solitude she encountered. Overcoming her fear of sleeping alone in the bush, Elise’s first night in an alpine setting proved to be an intense introduction to the challenges that awaited her: “The very first night I got to the hut and it was pitch black and crawling with Alpine Funnel Web spiders everywhere! I had no option but to stay in the shelter. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night!” she recounted. 

Acknowledging the unexpected challenges posed by the hostile alpine weather, Elise discovered that her newfound solitude provided her with a sense of empowerment and a profound connection with nature. Despite enduring golf ball-sized hailstones and extreme temperature fluctuations, she found strength in being alone and respecting the forces of nature. Reflecting on her experience, Elise remarked, “It got hard. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I didn’t prepare for it to be that hard – to be challenged in ways I didn’t know were possible. But that’s the beauty of the trails; they change you.” 

Looking ahead, Elise is working on a short film using the footage captured during her journey. In the meantime, she continues to share her experience through public speaking engagements, spreading the message of Moving For The Mind. Having raised $5000 thus far, Elise encourages continued support for her cause through donations at Moving For The Mind.

For those interested in contributing, donations can be made at the official fundraising page here. 

At Bright Brewery, we take pride in supporting our employees like Elise as they embrace active lifestyles and take on challenges that push them both physically and mentally. Elise’s journey exemplifies the spirit of resilience and determination, inspiring us all to reach beyond our perceived limits. 

Beer comp success caps huge 2023 for Bright

We are very excited to announce that our Alpine Lager has once again been voted as one of Australia’s favourite lagers, in the country’s biggest craft beer competition.

Alpine Lager was voted as Australia’s #4 favourite lager out of more than 1800 beers in the recent GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer Poll for 2023.

Overall, it was named Australia’s#38 best beer across all styles, rising up the ranks by 8 spots from #46 in last year’s poll.

By the numbers:
🔹#3 independent lager in Australia
🔹#4 lager in Australia
🔹#2 independent lager in Victoria
🔹#3 lager in Victoria

More notably, Alpine Lager was one of just 22 non-pale ales to land in the top 100 this year, with the list dominated by 78 pales ales or similar ale styles.

With more than 1800 beers from 436 breweries available to vote for, there has never has there been so much choice and variety for beer lovers to choose from, so we appreciate how precious each and every one of your votes is!

So we’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who voted for Alpine Lager and for believing in this beer, believing in us and for supporting a fiercely independently owned brewery.

The year that was

And as we take these great results into 2024 and beyond, we thought it was time to reflect back on what else we achieved in 2023.

The past year threw some curve balls and challenges everyone’s way. Between the increased economic pressures here in Australia to growing instability in international markets, 2023 will go down in the books as “rocky”, to say the least. Australia’s craft beer scene was no exception and it’s probably been one of the most difficult on record for brewers around the country still dealing with the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.

And there were some tough times for us here at Bright Brewery as well, however, with a rock-solid team which is constantly looking towards the future and the support of our local community and customers, we are weathering the storm and, against all odds, continuing to grow.

🔹Our wholesale business achieved record growth in 2023.

🔹Our Brewery Door visitation continued to grow.

🔹We were voted Australia’s 8th Most Popular Brewery, thanks to Beer Cartel.

🔹We were also named the #3 Craft Brewery venue in Victoria.

🔹We released 36 new beers including Australia’s first Chartreuse Barrel Aged beer in conjunction with Carwyn Cellars.

🔹Our beers are now found in 6 new international markets

🔹We brewed our first international collab with Coedo Beer Japan.

🔹We launched our first Fiona ‘Fred’ Reddaway Digital Marketing Scholarship, in partnership with Pink Boots Australia, in honour of our late founder, Fiona.

🔹We commissioned and filled our 25-tonne grain silo for the first time.

🔹We commissioned our new centrifuge, which has made great leaps in improving our beer’s quality, clarity and consistency.

🔹We switched on our massive new 171kW solar array system at Fred’s Shed, bringing our total solar capacity to 221kW.

🔹We brewed our biggest ever batch of our collaboration beer with RSPCA Victoria, DoggoBrau Tropical XPA, which went into all Dan Murphy’s stores across Victoria.

🔹We launched a new core range beer – our midstrength Any Day XPA.

🔹We held our biggest and most successful Darker Days festival in its 7 year history.

🔹We landed our first gold medal for our new flagship Pale Ale, Bright Pale Ale.

🔹Our National Development Manager Evin Craney was named the Young Gun of the Year by the Independent Brewers’ Association.

🔹Our team attended their first international sales conference

New grain silo marks big step forward in Bright’s brewing operation

It was a huge day on site here at Bright Brewery this week as new grain silo was filled for the first time!

More than a year in the planning, it took just 90 minutes to fill this 8.5m towering silo with 25 tonnes of Barrett Burston Malting’s finest Victorian-grown pale malt.

The silo represents a huge step forward in our brewing operation, as it means:

♻️ We’ll save 1000 plastic malt bags per silo fill. That’s a lot of plastic not going into our bins.

🛻 The size of the silo also means far less trucks on roads delivering our grain.

💪 And it means a lot less manual handling for our brewers, who no longer have to lift so many heavy bags of malt every day!

Our Head Brewer Lewis Kerr was instrumental in the commissioning of the new silo and was excited to see first-hand the positive impact it will have on our brewing operation, and the environment.

“It means we’ve just got way less trucks on the road getting our grain here, we’re not going to be stockpiling thousands of malt bags every month, and it’s a win for our staff who won’t have to lift the heavy bags so often – they might even need to start taking out gym memberships now,” he said.

The grain silo is 8.5m tall and holds 25 tonnes of grain.

Picnic In The Paddock – Tickets on sale now

Get ready to spread out your picnic blanket, grab a cold one, and soak up the good vibes because Picnic in the Paddock returns on Saturday March 16, 2024.

After two wildly successful events in 2022 and 2023, this beloved festival returns to the picturesque grounds of Bright Brewery. It’s all about basking in the autumn sunshine, surrounded by Bright’s rolling hills and soaking up the soothing sounds of Australia’s top up-and-coming indie artists.

The festival features a roster of artists from across the country, followed by ARIA-nominated Katy Steele headlining the stage.

The lineup includes:

  • Katy Steele Duo (of Little Birdy)
  • JC and the Tree
  • Chloe Jade
  • Tahlia Brain

Joining the Bright Brewery bar in the Paddock will be our friends & local producers Reed & Co Distillery and Backwoods Distilling.

Food will be available from Bright Brewery, as well as onsite vendors. You may BYO picnic food, however, we encourage you to support onsite vendors where possible.

Picnic in the Paddock is a fully licensed event (no BYO alcohol).

All tickets are general admission and do not include assigned seating.

Please BYO camp chairs/picnic rugs.

Picnic in the Paddock hits Bright Brewery on March 16th, 2024. Tickets are on sale now, click here for more info.

Bright Brewery Mash Club and Locals’ Club Members- keep an eye on your inbox for your exclusive discount code!

 

Bright Brewery Shines Bright with New Solar Array at Fred’s Shed

At Bright Brewery, we’re committed to brewing delicious craft beer while also brewing a brighter future for our planet. That’s why we are thrilled to announce the commissioning of a massive 171kW solar array system at our Fred’s Shed brewing facility. This new addition, boasting a staggering 381 solar panels, joins our existing 50kW system at the Great Alpine Road venue, bringing our total solar capacity to 221kW. 

This significant investment in renewable energy marks a major milestone in our commitment to sustainable brewing practices. During an average sunny month, these two solar array systems combine to generate an average of 800kWh of clean energy per day, meaning 60% of Fred’s Shed’s daily energy needs are supplied from clean renewable energy. This not only reduces our reliance on traditional energy sources but also helps us significantly reduce our carbon footprint. 

And what about the excess solar energy that Fred’s doesn’t consume? Thanks to a cutting-edge Virtual Energy Network (VEN), any unused solar power generated at Fred’s Shed is sent to our Brewery Door venue, further reducing our reliance on the grid. In fact, last month, our Brewery Door consumed 37% of Fred’s excess solar energy, with the remaining 63% feeding back into the grid. 

We’re proud to be shining a light on renewable energy within the brewing industry, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for Bright Brewery as we continue to brew a brighter future, one sip at a time. 

Doggobrau heads around Victoria in support of RSPCA victoria

Bright Brewery is very excited to announce that our collaboration beer with RSPCA Victoria – DoggoBrau Tropical XPA – is now available at all Dan Murphy’s stores throughout Victoria.

DoggBrau, which is now in its third year, raises money to support the vital work RSPCA Victoria does in rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need.

And with DoggoBrau now available across Victoria, at nearly 100 independent retailers and in all 83 Victorian Dan Murphy’s stores, it’s easier than ever to get your paws on some and help support RSPCA’s vital work.

RSPCA Victoria Corporate Partnerships Manager Chris Doig said DoggoBrau had become a valued part of RSPCA Victoria’s annual calendar.

“We absolutely love the DoggoBrau concept and what it stands for,” Doig said. “We are excited to see the beer – and the cause – touching the hearts of beer, and animal, lovers all over Victoria.

“Bright Brewery is a valued RSPCA Victoria Business Supporter and we’re thrilled that they’re dedicated to helping animals in need.”

Bright Brewery Marketing Manager Laura Gray said DoggoBrau was a beer close to the hearts of the Bright crew.

“We all love DoggoBrau and what it stands for,” Gray said. “And it doesn’t hurt that it’s a cracking beer as well!”

DoggoBrau Tropical XPA was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2022 Australian International Beer Awards, and has long been a crowd favourite due to its fresh, tropical, easy-drinking flavour.

“Inside each characterful can is the same beer that’s been loaded with El Dorado, Kohatu, Azacca, Cryo Azacca and Cryo Mosaic hops. It means that anyone who loves modern XPAs where the malt profile is lean, the bitterness is subtle an the hops provide plenty of citrus and tropical hues – namely grapefruit, pineapple, guava and rockmelon – are just as well looked after as any four-legged friend.” – Will Ziebell, The Crafty Pint

Each new iteration of DoggoBrau cans are designed by Melbourne designer Clint Weaver of Pocketbeagles Studio who helps bring DoggoBrau to life.

“The original doggo was straight out of Clint’s brain but, since then, we’ve recreated rescue doggos that are special to us in some way,” Gray explained.

“The second doggo Phoebe belonged to an RSPCA staff member and we just couldn’t resist her little bandana when we first met her.

“Then there was Bright Brewery founder Scott’s greyhound/kelpie/lurcher-X, Newton.

“And the most recent DoggoBrau doggo is my greyhound, Eddy, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. At 35kg, he was definitely a Big Doggo, so he was perfect for this homage.”

And while the beer has its roots in cute doggos, this year, the Bright team branched out in order to help RSPCA on an even bigger scale.

“We all love cute doggos but cats are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, issue for RSPCA Victoria,” Gray said. “The volume of rescue cats needing help is incredibly high, and we wanted to do something to bring awareness to that as well.”

Enter: CattoBrau Tropical XPA. Featuring Weaver’s own feline Kyari, the first ever CattoBrau Tropical XPA has been a smash hit.

“It’s the same beer inside but we branded this release with both doggo and catto design so animal lovers could choose a beer close to their heart,” Gray explained.

DoggoBrau’s popularity has also helped spawn a range of merchandise including T-shirts, bandanas, and dog biscuits.

In 2022, Bright leaned right into the DoggoBrau brand, making it their theme for Melbourne GABS in collaboration with RSPCA in order to raise awareness with the event’s 25,000 attendees.

“Someone, somewhere granted us permission to bring RSPCA rescue dogs into the Melbourne Exhibion Centre during a beer festival so every day of GABS, we had RSPCA visit with a furry friend and it was an absolute hit,” Gray said.

“Doggos and beer – the perfect combination!”

To grab some DoggoBrau Tropical XPA online from Bright Brewery, please head here.

To find your closest retail stockist, please head here.

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