We’ve brewed a LOT of incredible beers in Bright over the past 15 years – and a few dodgy ones!
So, in celebration of our 15th anniversary, we’ve put together a list of some of our most iconic – and most memorable – beers over the past 15 years…

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐭 (2011)
Debuting in 2011 at a highly drinkable ABV of 7.5%, our original Stubborn Russian Imperial Stout was the brainchild of former brewer Jon Seltin. Stubborn, so
named because of its refusal to ferment, has become our most iconic beer and is now brewed annually to warm up every winter (it’s also grown to a beefier ABV of over 12%!).

𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 (2011)
Brewed with 60kg of fresh local raspberries at the start of 2011, our Lambic-style Framboise was a beer that won a lot of hearts over the years, and even inspired our current Sweetart range of sours!

𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐨 𝐑𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐫 (2015)
Named for our neighbouring hamlet of Smoko, never has a beer been more divisive than this Rauchbier. In fact, we still argue about it today. Are smoked beers great or revolting? Most people feel pretty strongly one way or the other!
The good news is that Rauchbier is making a comeback in 2021 so we can keep arguing about it for at least another year!

𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐫 (2007)
Cloudy, unfiltered, and full of aromats like clove and coriander, Razor Witbier was like the quiet, reliable friend in our core range group. Always there, always consistent but never making much noise – until, in 2019, out of nowhere, she was named Australia’s Champion European Style Ale at the Australian Independent Beer Awards!

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 (2009)
Brewed with locally grown hops, Australian pale malt and pristine Alpine water, few beers summed up Bright Brewery better than our Bright Lager. A staple of our core range for many, many years – and the craft beer that many mainstream beer drinkers cut their teeth on – Bright Lager was as crisp and refreshing as the mountain air.

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐍𝐮𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐞 (2015)
Just down the road from Bright is the Heritage-listed hamlet of Wandiligong. A quiet, sleepy village renowned for its beauty and its nuts, “Wandi” comes alive every Autumn when the people of Bright and surrounds descend to celebrate the annual Wandi Nut Fest. We brewed our Wandi Nut Brown Ale in honour of festival – originally with Wandi chestnuts and, later, without – when we realised the beer tasted even better without them.

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 (2013)
(adj) Derived as follows: super – “above”, mucilaginistic – “of viscid nature”, expiali – “to atone”, and docious – “educable”, with the sum of these parts signifying roughly “Atoning for educability through above viscid nature”
This massive barley wine was viscid and gloopy. Layers of malt derived flavour (spicy rye, crust, shortbread, oats, caramel) meld with sweet vanilla and coconut lactones from French oak.

𝐇𝐨𝐩 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭/𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐏𝐀 (2011)
When you’re the closest brewery to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest hop farm, hop harvest season takes on a new meaning. While brewers from around the world descend on Eurobin – just 10 minutes from Bright – to get their hands on fresh hops once a year, we revel in popping down the road to our neighbours, grabbing our fresh hops, and throwing them into our annual Hop Harvest brew within a couple of hours. It literally doesn’t get any fresher than that!
In 2021, we took this even further by adding local mountain-foraged botanicals to the fresh-hopped brew to create our North East Victoria IPA.

𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐥 / 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐥 (2006)
Not one for the faint-hearted but another legendary Bright brew, Fainters Dubbel is a personal favourite of Scott’s (which partially explains why it’s been around so long!).
A Belgian Abbey-style beer with raisin and clove flavours, Fainters is as sacred to Bright as it was to Belgium’s Trappist monks. We’ve even released it as a freeze-distilled Super Dubbel version on occasion.

𝐌.𝐈.𝐀. 𝐈𝐏𝐀 (2011)
What began back in 2013 as an annual, limited-release beer grew a cult-like following over the years until, in 2019, it was promoted to ‘core range’ status.
Brewed by former brewer Jon Seltin, M.I.A. IPA was also named after him – legend has it, Jon went paragliding in his lunchbreak (as you do in Bright) on the day this IPA was due to be kegged, and didn’t come back! Allegedly, he was found about 8 hours later, having had to make a forced landing on Mount Feathertop!

𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐭 (2019)
When our current head brewer Reid landed in Bright in early 2019, he brought with him a few genius
ideas. One of his first was Affogato Stout, brewed with Bright’s Sixpence Coffee, which he rolled out just in time for Darker Days.
His next genius move was to suggest we serve it over ice-cream – and all our lives were changed forever.
Affogato Stout, which we’ve brewed every year since, has gone on to become our fastest-selling seasonal beer.

𝐘𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐘𝐚𝐲 (2017)
The Great Australasian Beer Fest gives us many things each year – but the best is the chance to brew a wacky, crazy beer that we’d never sell at any other time of year.
Cue our 2017 entry – Yippee Thai YAy: a red curry pale ale. Actually pretty mainstream in 2021 but groundbreaking for its time!

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐫 (2019)
In 2019, we let, nay, ENCOURAGED, our brewers to brew a beer without telling anyone what it was. Then our sales team, who didn’t know what it was, sold it to our customers who also didn’t know what it was – and we made them try and guess! We offered a year’s supply of beer to the person who got the closest and we all had so much fun that we’ve done it twice since!
It’s our brewers’ favourite time of the year as they use it as payback for all the other crazy stuff we make them do the other 11 months of the year!

𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝟒𝟕 (2013)
A highlight of our brew calendar every year is the High Country Brewery Trail collab brew, Rule 47. Created and brewed by all the brewers of the High Country as they work side-by-side in the brewhouse, Rule 47 is a signature brew that changes every year but always represents the very best of the High Country.

𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐍𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞 (2021)
No list of memorable beers would be complete without our exploding Pineapple Dream Nitro Milkshake Ale of 2021! The first beer we’ve ever had to recall, Pineapple Dream kept fermenting in the can, causing a pineapple flavour sensation with slightly too much alcohol and a little bit of bang! Despite its explosive start to life, Pineapple became a crowd favourite in its short lifespan and we’re planning to bring it back in a less-explosive way soon.

15 years ago this week, four friends opened the doors to a small tin shed on Bright’s Great Alpine Road, and the Bright Brewery we know and love today was born.

But Bright Brewery’s 15^th Anniversary Party, planned for this Saturday, June 12, has now fallen victim to Victoria’s ongoing COVID restrictions.

After the toughest year on record with bushfires and then COVID forcing the Brewery to close its doors for nearly six months of 2020, owner and founder Scott Brandon was looking forward to celebrating the longevity of his iconic brewery with a huge anniversary bash.

But Victoria’s latest COVID outbreak and ongoing restrictions, means the party, like many other events, can’t go ahead.

“We’re obviously disappointed that we can’t celebrate with our friends and family and those who were instrumental in the success of Bright Brewery,” Scott said. “But we’re grateful that we’ll be open again and we’ll look forward to celebrating with our local friends and visitors from regional Victoria.”

The Brewery now plans to hold a small locals-only celebration with the big party put on ice until restrictions ease.

In honour of its milestone celebration, Bright Brewery will release its limited-edition Pioneer Rum Barrel Aged Stubborn Russian Imperial Stout – named in honour of the brewery’s first ever beer, Pioneer Ale – next week.

The beer will be available online, with free shipping for all Victorians, and from the Brewery Door.

Family-owned and fiercely independent, Bright Brewery has spent the past 15 years championing its beautiful hometown through fantastic beer experiences.

The Brewery remains at the heart of the Bright community, running a successful Locals’ Club, playing free live music on Sunday afternoons, pouring more than $35,000 in sponsorship to the local community every year.

Scott, who founded the brewery with his late wife Fiona Reddaway and two friends, lives just minutes from the Brewery with his three teenage daughters, two of whom also work in the business.

As a founding member of the High Country Brewery Trail, which aims to market the Victorian High Country as a serious craft beer region, Bright Brewery plays a major role in promoting tourism to the area.

And over the past 15 years, Bright has continued to be a pioneering leader of Australia’s independent craft beer industry, leading the way in sustainability, innovation and creativity.

In 2019, Bright’s Hazy Razor Witbier was named the Champion European Style Beer in Australia at the Independent Beer Awards.

Also in 2019, Bright was inducted into the Victorian Tourism Hall of Fame after being named Victoria’s Best Brewery for three years in a row from 2017 to 2019 – a feat Scott is particularly proud of.

“Being recognised as a leader by Victoria’s tourism industry for all the work we do in promoting Bright and the High Country meant the world to us,” Scott said.

“We believe what is good for Bright is good for Bright Brewery and vice-versa. We are really proud of our contributions to the tourism industry and continue to champion our area through delicious beer, unforgettable adventures and embracing everything our region has to offer.”

With a new multi-million dollar production facility opening in 2018, Bright was firmly focused on its future but things took a drastic turn in January 2020, when bushfires decimated Bright’s busiest tourist season and COVID forced the brewery to close shortly afterwards.

But Bright rose the challenge of creating a COVID-friendly business and, within 24 hours, had pivoted its entire business to a direct-to-consumer model, offering free home delivery, home-delivered hot meals locally, and even freshly poured beers.

“We delivered hot meals around Bright, and we set up a pop-up bar in a refrigerated warehouse in Melbourne and spent many weeks pouring our fresh beers into growlers and delivering them around Melbourne,” Scott said.

And when the High Country Brewery Trail’s annual collaboration brew day – a major fundraiser for the Trail’s marketing efforts – was banjaxed by COVID, Bright put their hands up to lead an online campaign to promote the High Country around Australia.

“We bought more than 240 cases of beer from all the other High Country Brewers and we packed and delivered mixed cases of beer all over Australia,” Scott said.

This was one of two High Country Brewery Trail-specific campaigns Bright led in 2020, with plans for another later this year.

Brews News Editor Matt Kirkegaard first visited Bright Brewery in 2008 and said this support of its local community was what made Bright a leader in its industry.

“One of the things we celebrate with Australian craft and independent small brewers is the contribution they make to their local community, the way they support their local community and the way their community supports them and it’s been wonderful to see that Bright Brewery has grown and, with it, so has the support for the local area,” he said.

“We see the employment that they create, the investment that they create in the local area, that is what independent brewing is all about.

“To the team at Bright Brewery, and to Scott, cheers and congratulations for all you do to make indie beer, and the community of Bright, better.”

Bright Brewery Timeline

2003: Brewery idea conceived by Scott Brandon, Fiona Reddaway, David Cocks and Julia Street (nee Cocks); land bought on Bright’s Great Alpine Road for future venue

2004: Purchased German copper brewery from Japan

2005: Brewed first beer (Pioneer Ale) at Jamieson Brewery, Mansfield; opened small bar in Wills St, Bright

2006: Small Bright Brewery venue, with outdoor seating only, opened on Great Alpine Road; first beers brewed onsite (Hellfire Amber Ale)

2009: Fiona & Scott become sole owners

2013: Venue expanded from 162sqm to 752sqm

2014: Fiona passed away after battle with stomach cancer; purchased land for production facility

2016: Purchased land next to venue for future expansion, taking venue space to 2600sqm

2018: New production facility ‘Fred’s Shed’ (in honour of Fiona) commissioned

2019: Named Victoria’s Best Brewery 3 years in a row; inducted into Tourism Hall of Fame

2020: Bushfires and COVID shut venue for 6 months

2021: 15^th Anniversary

Back by very popular demand, Bright Brewery is excited to announce the return of its unique Tour de Froth Mixed Case for 2021.

Tour de Froth comprises 21 Bright Brewery beers hand-selected to perfectly complement every stage of Le Tour de France, which kicks off on June 26.

Conceived during lockdown 2020 by Bright Brewery’s cycling mad founder Scott Brandon (pictured right, with Brewery ambassador Sam McMahon in 2020), Tour de Froth 2020 was an unexpected bright spot during the dark months of winter in lockdown.

“Cycling is in our DNA here in Bright,” Scott said. “It’d be hard to find a more cycling-friendly town in Australia, so it’s great that we can link Bright and the Tour in this way.”

Bright and surrounds also features some of the best mountain roads in Australia and is the perfect training ground for Australia’s professional cyclists, welcoming pro teams to the area every spring and summer.

Ride High Country Ambassador and former World Cross Country Champion, Paul van der Ploeg, is an enthusiastic supporter of Tour de Froth!

“The Tour de Froth is such a cool concept combining two of my passions – cycling and craft beer!” Paul said. “I love that the beers are curated by Bright Brewery to match the stages of the Tour, and I’m excited to see what they come up with this year.”

This year’s Tour de France kicks off with a hilly 187km stage from Brest to Landerneau in north-western France. The Tour de Froth kicks off with a can of Bright’s American-style Blowhard Pale Ale.

The start of the Tour de France is always a nervous time for riders and this will be exacerbated with a 3km uphill finish where the sprinters will Blowhard to try and remain in contention, and the GC contenders will be looking for time gaps and bonus seconds.

Each Tour de Froth case also comes with a branded Bright Brewery Beer Can Glass, and Tasting Tour notes so you can follow along at home. The beers are a wide mix of styles from both Bright’s core and seasonal ranges.

It’s the perfect way to enjoy this year’s Tour!

Tour de Froth 2021 cases will be available for sale exclusively online from Bright Brewery from June 1 with shipping available Australia-wide. We recommend ordering early to ensure your case arrives in time for Stage 1 on July 26.