News

Why isn’t my favourite beer on tap?

By Shaunagh O’Connell
2020 has been a crazy year – not just for breweries but for all of us. You’re out of lockdown, you want to visit your favourite brewery in Bright, and relax on the Hop Terrace with a pint of your favourite beer – but it’s not on tap! The horror! Breweries have had nothing to do but brew beer for six months, right? Wrong. Read on to find out what’s been happening behind the bars of your favourite breweries this year…

PRE-COVID

Prior to COVID Lockdown #1 in late March, we were brewing at about 80% of our full capacity here at Bright Brewery. With summer bushfires having wiped out our entire tourist season and visitors only just having started returning to town, we had not yet returned to full capacity.

As usual, the majority of this beer was packaged into kegs for sale through our Brewery Door and mostly Melbourne pubs, bars, and restaurants. Only a small percentage was packaged into bottles and cans.

COVID STRIKES

When COVID struck in late March, our Brewery Door was forced to close with only a couple of days’ notice – along with every single pub, bar, brewery, and restaurant around Australia. In the blink of an eye, 90% of our stockists were gone. You could not buy draft beer anywhere in Australia. Bottleshops remained open around Australia to the joy of beer-lovers (and brewers!) Australia-wide.

With our Brewery Door, which generates the majority of Bright Brewery’s revenue, closed, Bright Brewery’s management decided to prioritise keeping as many people as possible in work – approximately 30 local people, across all areas of the business, including long-term casuals, were kept employed through this period. While JobKeeper helped, and bottleshops were still buying, we needed to try and make some revenue in uncharted waters – online sales and free home delivery of beer throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria.

It was all hands on deck. Our Sales Manager began delivering beer to people’s homes five days a week; we created an Online Sales team within 48 hours; Bar Staff were painting the Brewery Door in preparation for reopening and delivering food and beer throughout Bright every afternoon and evening; our Venue Manager spent her days gardening; our Founder, Scott Brandon, paved a huge outdoor area.

Sales through bottleshops and online boomed and we quickly returned to brewing (and selling) the same volume as we had pre-COVID (80% of capacity).

But with pubs and bars still closed and with no re-opening date in sight, venues began returning kegs to us as they couldn’t sell them. And we (along with most other breweries) became concerned about the quality of the beer in those kegs should they keep sitting there. At Bright, we pride ourselves on fresh, high-quality beer that is free of preservatives.

But with packaged beer sales at an all-time high, we managed to save about two thirds of these kegs by pushing the beer into cans. Sadly, though, about a third of the kegs could not be saved and have to be disposed of (read: poured down the drain) at huge expense.

REGIONAL VIC REOPENS

In June, things began to look slightly more positive with venues, including our own, in regional Victoria reopened. But with visitation severely limited, and 80% of our normal wholesale income coming from Melbourne, this did not mean profit for the business, in fact, quite the opposite.

With no keg venues open in Melbourne, packaged beer remained the most financially viable way forward for us and most other brewers so kegs were in limited supply.

COVID STRIKES AGAIN

In August, after a couple of months of freedom, COVID’s second wave hit Victoria and we shut down again. Hospitality across Victoria was devastated. Breweries again stopped packaging kegs as there was no end date in sight for venues to reopen.

But we’d been here before – we knew what we had to do, and Online Sales and Wholesale Sales kicked up another notch.

During this time, our Sales Team struck a deal to get Bright Brewery beer distributed in every state in Australia (except the Northern Territory) and even into Singapore. This was a major coup for us, especially in the midst of a lockdown.

LOCKDOWN LIFTS

Within the past 2 months, we’ve seen Melbourne reopen and state borders begin to lift. Demand for fresh beer shot up overnight and once Melbourne’s hospitality industry reopened, we sold out of kegs immediately.

While we opened our venue to just 40 people initially, capacity has shot up to 400, the whole state is travelling and our Brewery Door is already catering for crowds we don’t normally see until the summer peak.

But this all happened very quickly, and fresh beer is in very high demand across the country.

Remember, we were already brewing at 80% of our capacity during lockdown, thanks to packaged beer sales only. And since the start of November when Melbourne reopened, our core range beer sales have increased by another 230%.

Our brewers are working overtime to try and brew and package as much beer as possible. But no matter how hard the brewers work or how many of them are working, we only have so much tank space, and yeast only works at one speed – and we are beholden to its timeframe.

Our Alpine Lager takes 4-8 weeks to brew and keg. M.I.A, our quickest brew, takes 3 weeks.

Breweries cross Australia are facing the same issues. Even mainstream brewers had to pour millions of dollars worth of draft beer down the drain and start again.

So if, when you visit us next time, your favourite brew is not on tap, this may give you a better of idea about what’s going on behind the scenes – and to reassure you that we are doing literally everything in our power to get more beer into kegs and into your glass as quickly as we can.

High Country Collab Case: a cure for what ales

Each September for the past seven years, High Country brewers have gathered at one of the regionโ€™s famous craft breweries to work side-by-side, pooling their knowledge and experience to create a special signature collaborative ale under their own Rule #47 label.

But this year, COVID-19 has meant the annual collaborative brew day wonโ€™t happen.

The good news is that this innovative bunch have instead thrown their collective efforts into producing Collab Cases featuring selections of standout beers from seven of the High Country breweries – Bright Brewery, Blizzard Brewing (Dinner Plain), Black Dog Brewery (Taminick), Bridge Road Brewers (Beechworth), King River Brewery (King Valley), Mitta Mitta Brewing Co, Billson’s Brewery (Beechworth).

Collab Cases are available online for anyone in lockdown dreaming of a High Country Brewery Trail road trip or for a loved one in need of a gift of good cheer. Or anyone anywhere in Australia keen to enjoy the best brews from Victoriaโ€™s High Country this Spring!

There are three Collab Cases to choose from each packed with a mouthwatering variety of 24 bottles or cans of fine seasonal and limited-releases, plus a couple of core faves, from each. They are:

โ— Dark & Stormy: 24 x Dark and decadent beers featuring a delicious selection of Porters, Stouts, Black Ales, Dark Lagers and Doppelbocks

โ— Light & Bright: 24 x Pale beers. A vibrant selection of Ginger Beer, Fruited Sours, Hoppy Ales, IPAs, and more.

โ— Mix It Up (half dark/half light): 24 x beers – half dark / half light. The perfect mix of dark and decadent beers, with light, fruity, sour, hoppy and vibrant brews to balance it all out.

High Country Brewery Trail Collab Cases are available for pre-sale until 11.59pm Sunday Oct 16, 2020. Shipping is free within Victoria and at a flat rate of $9.95 across Australia.

For more info on the Collab Cases, and to order, please click here.

Click here to find out more about the High Country Brewery Trail.

Positions vacant: Chefs & Kitchenhands

Bright Brewery is a family-owned and operated brewery, bar and restaurant, producing MountainCrafted beers in the spectacular alpine town of Bright, Victoria.

We’re a vibrant business that values the enjoyment and protection of the pristine environment that surrounds us, and the authenticity of our products and services. We embrace active and sustainable lifestyles, celebrated with great beer.

Bright Brewery is a social hub for locals and a destination for tourists. We serve great value meals for lunch and dinner (7 days a week), which helps showcase our beers when customers dine in.

Bright Brewery is seeking experienced chefs and kitchen-hands (experience not necessary for kitchen-hand positions) to join our kitchen team.

Chef Position Description

We’re looking for leaders to help us create delicious food with a craft brewery twist in a very busy environment.

We require team players who loves working with the freshest local produce and who can bring a real creative flair to our cuisine.

Job tasks and responsibilities

Reporting to and working with the Head Chef and Sous Chef, the Chefs will help lead the Kitchen Team and are accountable for delivering great and unique food for Bright Brewery’s customers.

This rewarding role includes continually improving menu quality, food sourcing, storage, preparation, cooking and waste processing.

You will be competent in all areas of cooking and cleaning, maintaining high levels of Food Hygiene Standards and HACCP controls.

Skills and experience

  • Qualified Chef
  • Must have prior experience in a high-volume hospitality environment
  • Experience in menu planning and demonstrated skills in high standards of menu prep and delivery
  • Passion and imagination for food
  • Interest in local produce and beer matching
  • Demonstrate excellent communication skills
  • Ability to work well within a team
  • Ability to identify and resolve problems efficiently
  • Knowledge of relevant laws and regulations relating to the hospitality industry
  • Proven leadership skills and lead by example
  • Mature attitude, honesty, loyalty and exceptional work ethic
  • Comply with all company policies and procedures

A knowledge of, or passion for, beer and brewing is an advantage.

In addition, Bright Brewery provides rewards and recognition programs to all staff, including quarterly and annual reward scheme to ensure great work and high performing staff never go unnoticed. We also seek to provide valuable training opportunities so all staff may further their skills and careers.

Bright Brewery is three-time Victorian Tourism Awards Gold Medal winner, Victorian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame inductee, and Australian Tourism Awards Silver Medal winner, as well as an Alpine Shire Business of the Year and Excellence In Hospitality Award winner. The successful applicant will be driven to build on these successes and high standards.

These positions offers a chance to live in a truly beautiful place with world class mountain biking, cycling, hiking, camping, paragliding, snow and river sports all at our door. We encourage broad and active lifestyles, and flexible working arrangements may be negotiated to accommodate this.

For more information, please contact Head Chef Alan Davison on the details below.

To apply:

Applications for both roles can be made confidentially by emailing covering letter and resume to kitchen@brightbrewery.com,au

For more information please contact:

Alan Davison
Head Chef, Bright Brewery
tel: 03 5755 1346

We are reopening! Come and have a beer with us!

After more than 70 days in virtual isolation due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are looking forward to reopening our beautiful venue to customers on June 1, 2020.

So come and have a beer with us!

From June 1, we will be able to welcome 40 guests – 20 inside and 20 outside – to join us for a meal and a drink. We expect this to increase to 50 inside and 50 outside from June 22, as per government directives.

Bookings

Our kitchen and bar will be open for meals and drinks all day from 12pm.

We will operate five bookable sessions every day, and visitors are required to pre-book. The sessions will run at:

12pm – 1.45pm
2pm – 3.45pm
4pm – 5.45pm
6pm – 7.45pm
8pm – 9.45pm

Click here to book

All sessions will run for 1 hour and 45 minutes, after which time, guests will vacate the venue so it can be thoroughly cleaned ahead of the next session, in accordance with government regulations.

Due to government regulations, a maximum of six people may sit at each table. You are welcome to book for a larger party but you will need to split over multiple tables.

When you make your booking, please let us know whether you’d prefer to sit inside or outside. But please also note that, while we will do our absolute best to accommodate, weather and government regulations may mean we are unable to accommodate all requests. If seating requests exceed capacity in a dining space, requests will be accommodated on a first-booked, first-seated basis.

Please also note that, due to government regulations, all customers dining with us are required to be having a meal, and must provide their name and phone number.

Booked tables will be held for 15 minutes past the booked time. If you are unable to make your booked time, please let us know in advance, so we can offer the table to someone on our waitlist. After being closed for so long, we’re keen for as many people as possible to have the chance to enjoy a Bright Brewery experience.

Walk-in customers

We are happy to accommodate walk-in customers – if we are not already at capacity within the venue. All walk-in customers will be required to vacate at the end of the session, and to provide their name, address, email, and phone number, as per government regulations. However, we encourage anyone planning to visit us to book in advance.

Take-away meals & beer

We will continue to offer takeaway meals and beer from 12pm every day. All menu items will be available to takeaway, and customers can order at the bar, or by calling 03 5755 1301.

Click here to book now – sessions are filling fast!

COVID-19 UPDATE

SUPPORT LOCAL // Our Bright Brewery Door is now closed until further notice, as we support the global effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

This is our second extended closure this year which, a week ago seemed unfathomable, but now seems absolutely vital.

We have been here in beautiful for Bright for more than 15 years. We will survive this, and we will reopen – hopefully soon, and hopefully to a brighter, healthier new world.

But until then, we will not dwell on what we can’t do, and will instead focus on what we can do. We have so much to be grateful for, and so many exciting things happening…

๐–๐„ ๐€๐‘๐„ ๐Ž๐๐„๐ ๐…๐Ž๐‘ ๐“๐€๐Š๐„๐€๐–๐€๐˜ ๐ƒ๐ˆ๐๐๐„๐‘ & ๐๐„๐„๐‘๐’
With a local workforce, already deeply affected by the 2020 bushfire crisis, we are committed to providing work for our staff however we can.

We also want to continue to support our many local producers, rather than cut them off.

So ๐ฐ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐›๐ž ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ“-๐Ÿ–๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ (from tonight!) for Takeaway Beer & Dinner.
Choose from the following menu options:

๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐š๐ฌ (all 12-inch; add vegan cheese for $3)
Garlic $17
Margherita $20
Gourmet Garden (Vegetarian) $24
BBQ Lamb Sausage $24
Firecracker Chorizo $24

๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ
Brewhouse Beef Burger (no chips) $20
Hop Terrace Veggie Burger (no chips) $22

๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ
Mountain Harvest fries with smoked malt salt $10

๐๐ž๐ž๐ซ
All our packaged beer – cans, bottles, 4/6-packs, and cases – are available to take away!

๐‡๐Ž๐– ๐“๐Ž ๐Ž๐‘๐ƒ๐„๐‘
๐ˆ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง
Drop in and see us and place your order. Then take a quick walk in the fresh air, by the beautiful Ovens River, while we prepare it for you.

๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ž
We will be taking phone orders from 5pm-7.30pm. You can order by calling ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ“ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ.
Please note, our phone will only be manned during this time so please call only during these hours.

๐†๐„๐“ ๐˜๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐‡๐€๐๐ƒ๐’ ๐Ž๐ ๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐๐„๐„๐‘
We have worked hard to create a sustainable business, which means – even during these times of crisis, and even when our venue is closed – we can brew and sell our beer for you to enjoy.

Our online Store is running as normal – all our core range Mountaincrafted beers and small-batch/limited-release Backcountry Range and Barrel Series beers are available online with a delivery option to suit you!

www.brightbrewery.com.au/shop

๐…๐ซ๐ž๐ž ๐ฌ๐š๐ฆ๐ž-๐๐š๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐จ๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ
We are stoked to be able to offer FREE BEER DELIVERY to anyone living in Bright, Porepunkah, Buckland Valley, and Wandiligong.
When you order online and input your address, you’ll be able to select this option.
Orders made before 4pm will be delivered the same night by our friendly staff.

๐…๐ซ๐ž๐ž ๐ฅ๐จ๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐œ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ฉ
Anyone living in Bright and surrounds, or passing through, is welcome to order online and pick up at our Brewery door from 5-8pm. No charge!

๐…๐ซ๐ž๐ž ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ $๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ
All online orders of $100 or more will be shipped for free (excluding WA & NT)!

๐๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐š๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐จ๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐›๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ
Bottle shops have been considered an ‘essential service’ and will remain open. Which means you can still buy your favourite Bright Brewery, and other High Country Brewery Trail, beers wherever you live! Head instore and ask for us.
DM us for your closest stockist.
Even better, DM us and let us know which of your local bottleshops should be stocking our beer and we’ll get in touch with them.

We really are very grateful that we can operate in some capacity during this time. We recognise that some other businesses are not so lucky. Please Support Local as much as you can as we navigate this strange new world together.

Darker Days 2020 date postponed

POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19

Winter is coming. Embrace the darkness.

Bright Brewery is thrilled to announce that DARKER DAYS 2020 will set Bright alight on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

DARKER DAYS is a festive celebration of dark beer and the Alpine winter, providing a warming, welcome respite from the mid-winter chill.

Festival-goers will gather around crackling campfires, enjoying live music and warming, wintery brews from the High Countryโ€™s best breweries, as well as local gin, whiskey, wine, and food. And with free entry, kidsโ€™ activities and face-painting, DARKER DAYS is a proudly family-friendly event.

Bright Brewery Marketing and Events Officer Laura Gray said more than 1500 festival-goers are expected to descend on Bright for the weekend, providing a welcome boost to local businesses and tourism operators after a horror start to 2020.

During the Alpine regionโ€™s bushfire crisis earlier this year, most local businesses lost a huge percentage of their revenue when Bright, and its 20,000 visitors, were evacuated in early January.

โ€œBright and the surrounding towns is an absolute tourist Mecca in summer, so the fires had a devastating financial impact on our community,โ€ Ms Gray said.

โ€œBut Bright is spectacular all year round and, here at Bright Brewery, we actively encourage people to visit Bright throughout the rest of the year.

โ€œNow in its fourth year, DARKER DAYS is a highlight of the regionโ€™s winter events calendar and, this year, itโ€™s more important than ever to the local community that itโ€™s a huge success.

โ€œWe had torrential rain and gale force winds last year so weโ€™re hoping Mother Nature is a little bit kinder to us this year but, at the end of the day, itโ€™s a midwinter festival, so weโ€™d love people to come and join us, no matter the weather โ€“ just bring your gumboots!โ€

Joining Bright Brewery at DARKER DAYS will be High Country Brewery Trail bushfire-affected breweries including King River Brewing from Whitfield, and Blizzard Brewing Company from Dinner Plain, both of whom, along with Bright Brewery, had to close their doors and evacuate during the height of the bushfire crisis.

Entry to DARKER DAYS is free but volunteers will be collecting donations for the Bright CFA, which was instrumental in helping protect Bright from the fires.

And, as is tradition, Bright Breweryโ€™s acclaimed Stubborn Russian Imperial Stout will be launched at DARKER DAYS, making festival-goers the first in the country to get their hands on this cult classic.

The full line-up of breweries, live music and other local producers will be announced over the coming weeks.

Event info here.

Beers for Bushfires

It’s been a long, tough start to 2020 with severe bushfires raging across Australia including in Victoria’s North East.

The High Country region that we call home has been under direct threat with fires still burning and growing, with many communities evacuated for a period of time.

Having closed for five days from January 3-8 due to advice from emergency services, we were able to cautiously reopen on Wednesday, Jan 8. Unfortunately, we had to close again on Jan 10 due to severe fire danger and evacuations of Bright.

We were then able to reopen on Jan 11, and extended our trading hours to near normal on Jan 12.

Bright Brewery status – as at Sunday, Jan 12

We are now open from 12pm for lunch and dinner.

We will continue to monitor conditions in accordance with emergency advice and over the coming weeks.

Visitor Status

The official advice from Vic Emergency for Bright and surrounds wasย  downgraded from ‘Watch and Act’ to ‘Advice’ on Sunday, Jan 12, and the State of Disaster has been lifted, which means visitors are being cautiously welcomed back to town!

Many local businesses are doing their best to get their doors back open as soon as possible and Mystic MTB has reopened, but some businesses still remain closed. People with accommodation bookings should check in with their individual accommodation provider for specific advice.

It’s been a really tough week for local businesses, during what is usually the busiest time of the year for us all. So when you do return, whether it’s soon or in the future, we’d like to ask you to do the following:

๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ก๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ž๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ž๐ฌ, ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‡๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ.

And the Emergency Services have some requests of their own for visitors. The fires are still burning, there is still a lot of emergency management work going on, and conditions may change at any time. So any visitors who do intend to travel are asked to please take note of the following:

– If conditions worsen, visitors will again be asked to leave the region immediately.

– The air quality is still volatile due to smoke from fires and back-burning.

– There will be increased emergency vehicles and heavy machinery on the roads, and there are still road closures in place. Please take care on the roads.

– Please do not ‘rubberneck’ around fire or traffic management sites.

– Stay within township areas; do not go bush.

– Be aware that the conditions may change at any time. Stay informed of local conditions at all times and up to date with the Vic Emergency and EPA AirWatch air quality warnings.

As always, this information is a guide only and all visitors to the region should keep up to date with the Vic Emergency site/app and make their own informed decisions.

Beers for Bushfire Relief

This crisis has had and will have huge impacts on people, businesses, towns and entire regions all over Australia for a long time to come, as well as the heroic emergency services who are battling on our behalf.

Our friends at The Crafty Pint have launched the Beers for Bushfire Relief program – a collective day of fundraisers at beer venues around Australia on January 18, as well as ongoing fundraising initiatives.

Bright Brewery will be donating $10 from every keg sold in January to the Victorian CFA and the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

We are participating in fundraising events throughout Victoria this month, including:

* ON NOW: Our pals atย Slowbeerย are donating profits from their Bright Brewery and Sailors Grave Brewing Karma Kegs to CFA & the Vic Bushfire Appeal.

* ON NOW:ย Brewicolo Brewing Coย in Ocean Grove is donating profits from its Bright Brewery Karma Keg of Sweetart Raspbery Sour Ale to the bushfire relief effort.

* ON NOW: Ingrained Culture is donating 30% of profits from all brewery tours booked in Jan (but they don’t have to be taken in Jan) – so book in a tour to visit the High Country Brewers when things settle down.

We will update as more events are locked in.

You can check out all the events and information at The Crafty Pint’sย Beers for Bushfire Reliefย website to get involved.

There are heaps more fundraisers planned for the Beers for Bushfires national day of action on January 18, so pop that date in your diary now.

How can you help?

*ย #supportlocalย #drinklocalย #buylocalย as often as you can! Ask at your local bar, pub, restaurant or bottleshop for High Country beer, head to the High Country Brewery Trail website for more info, use our Beer Locator to find your closest Bright Brewery stockist, or contact us to find a stockist near you!

* When safe to do so, take a High Country road trip and come say hi to one of these fantastic breweries! Eat, drink, be merry – and take some more beers home with you!

* Support the venues that support us! Find a local fundraising event or Karma Keg near you and head in for a drink.

* Buy online: while some breweries and businesses remain closed, many are still able to service online sales and this is a great way to show your direct support. You can find our Shop here.

* If you’re a venue owner or manager interested in supporting High Country breweries by stocking our beers, please contact our Sales Manager Tom Mullane Grant (regional Vic/NSW/elsewhere) on sales@brightbrewery.com.au or 0439 316 600 or our man in Melbourne, Evin Craney at melbourne@brightbrewery.com.au or 0406 262 724.

* Vote for your favourite brewery in the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer Poll (closes Jan 17) – itโ€™s an easy, non-financial way to show your support for the industry

Bright Breweryโ€™s 2019 Barrel Series launches with Spiced Holiday Ale

More than two years in the making, the first of Bright Breweryโ€™s highly anticipated Barrel Series beers have rolled out of the brewhouse.

The 2019 Barrel Series collection launches with an aged Spiced Holiday Ale (11.05), perfect for kickstarting the festive season!

Bright Breweryโ€™s Barrel Series program began under founder Scott Brandon and has been elevated to new heights by Head Brewer Reid Stratton, who started his career at barrel-ageing specialist Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in Michigan, USA.

โ€œSpiced Holiday Ale is inspired by a warming mug of the famous Gluhwein found across Germany and Northern Europe during the festive season,โ€ Stratton said.

โ€œWe aged a rich, malty, and sweet strong ale in Eldorado Winery shiraz barrels to impart some subtle red wine characteristics.โ€

The beer was then finished with a handful of classic Christmas spices, including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and orange zest.

โ€œThe goal is to bring a cup of holiday cheer to the table this season,โ€ Stratton said.

With their large-scale production facility opening in 2017, Bright Breweryโ€™s original Brewhouse in the heart of Bright has become a showcase for the breweryโ€™s Barrel Series program

Spiced Holiday Ale will be joined by Bright Breweryโ€™s second 2019 Barrel Series beer โ€“ Starward Whisky-aged Barleywine (13.9% ABV) before Christmas, with more releases to follow in 2020.

Bright Breweryโ€™s Barrel Series beers will be available from Bright Brewery, online and from selected retailers.

Bright Brewery inducted into Vic Tourism Hall of Fame

Bright Brewery has been named the stateโ€™s best Tourism Brewery/Winery/Distillery at the Victorian Tourism Awards for the third year in a row.

The independent brewery, which was established in 2005, last week won its third consecutive Gold Award and was also inducted into the Victorian Tourism Hall of Fame.

The Awards, which were held at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre on November 28, 2019, recognise tourism business excellence and performance. Bright Brewery was one of just six leading tourism businesses to enter the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Bright Brewery founder Scott Brandon said he was thrilled with the Gold Award and immensely proud to have been inducted into the Victorian Tourism Hall of Fame.

โ€œTo win this award for the third year in a row is great recognition of all the hard work weโ€™ve put into building our business and helping drive tourism to our region,โ€ he said.

Entrants into the awards are required to write a 12,500 word submission showing their commitment to business excellence in areas including Sustainability, Marketing and Customer Service, and proving how their business contributes to the local, regional and state tourism industries. This is then confirmed through a site visit by the judges.ย 

Mr Brandon said Bright Brewery is a proud sponsor of dozens of local and regional events, festivals, and organisations, including the Alpine Cycling Club and the Bright Autumn Festival (plus many more) which attract visitors to the region. The Brewery is also a founding member of the High Country Brewery Trail, which drives beer tourism to Victoriaโ€™s North East.

โ€œWe believe what is good for Bright is good for Bright Brewery and vice-versa,โ€ Mr Brandon said. โ€œWe 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.โ€

With a 520-seat venue on the Great Alpine Road in the heart of Bright and a new, large-scale production facility, Bright Brewery is continuing to forge into the wholesale craft beer market, with more than 250 stockists throughout Victoria, New South Wales, and the ACT.

โ€œThrough our wholesale business, we are reaching a new demographic of customers which broadens our brand exposure and helps drive additional visitation to the region,โ€ Mr Brandon said.

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