Bright Brewery Archives - Bright Brewery | MountainCrafted Beer

Silver and bronze medals for Bright Brewery at world’s largest annual beer competition

Bright Brewery has been awarded two medals at the 2019 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), taking home a medal in each of the two categories it entered.

Bright Brewery’s Alpine XPL (Extra Pale Lager) was awarded a Bronze Medal for Best International Style Lager, while the recently-rebranded Mountaincrafted Range took home a Silver Medal for Label Design.

Alpine XPL is the newest addition to Bright Brewery’s Mountaincrafted Range – six ‘best-of-breed’ core range beers which are available all-year round at both Bright Brewery and retail outlets.

Bright Brewery founder Scott Brandon said he was thrilled with the results and the feedback from the judges.

“Entering the awards gives us valuable feedback about our beers and our brand from industry experts, which helps us improve the quality,” Brandon said.

Bright Brewery marketing officer Laura Gray said the awards confirmed that the brewery was making the right moves, as it continues to push into the competitive craft beer wholesale market.

“Alpine XPL will be a mainstay of our Mountaincrafted Range from now on so it’s really encouraging to hear that the judges believe it’s a worthy addition,” she said.

“And we’re exceptionally proud of our rebranded Mountaincrafted Range, which includes bottle labels, six-pack carriers, and cartons. These vibrant new designs represent the brewery and our beautiful region perfectly and will really connect with craft beer lovers when they see our beers outside of Bright.”

The AIBA, run by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, is the world’s largest annual beer competition, with more than 2500 beers from 400 breweries from Australia and around the world competing this year.

To find your closest Bright Brewery stockist, check out our Beer Locator.

To shop for Bright Brewery beers, including Alpine XPL, online, visit our Shop.

To become a Bright Brewery stockist, or to discuss our range, get in touch with our Sales Manager Tom on sales@brightbrewery.com.au

DARKER DAYS festival returns for 2019

Winter is coming. Embrace the darkness.

Bright Brewery is thrilled to announce that DARKER DAYS 2019 will set Bright alight on Saturday, June 29, 2019.

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

With kids’ entertainment including stories and music under the Children’s Teepee, face-painting, wooden toys, and ghost tours, DARKER DAYS is a proudly family-friendly event.

The event will kick off at midday, with live music and entertainment throughout the day and evening, culminating in the lighting of a ceremonial bonfire after dark.

As is tradition, Bright Brewery’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. Darker Days midwinter festival highlights

Bright Brewery Head Brewer Reid Stratton said Stubborn Russian had an incredibly loyal following and beer-lovers should be excited for the 2019 vintage.

“We’re doing things a little bit differently this year and the stout will be steeped in oak after fermentation to give it a lusciously roasted finish,” Stratton said.

The 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages of Stubborn Russian will be pouring from Bright Brewery’s taps during DARKER DAYS, giving visitors the chance to “collect” all three beers. Darker Days midwinter festival highlights

And many of the High Country’s best breweries will be on hand to serve their best warming, wintery brews, as well as local gin, coffee, whiskey, and food producers.

Now in its third year, DARKER DAYS has already become a hugely popular event in the depths of winter, drawing visitors to Bright outside of the traditionally busy tourist seasons.

Bright Brewery Marketing Officer Laura Gray said interest in DARKER DAYS had already started to build and the brewery was planning for 2019 to be the biggest and best event yet.

“As soon as DARKER DAYS finished last year, we had people asking when it was happening in 2019. We’re thrilled that people love this event so much and we’re working very hard to ensure 2019 is better than ever.” Darker Days event bonfire

Entry to DARKER DAYS will be via donation to the Bright CFA and beer-drinkers will be able to buy a collectible, limited-edition Darker Days tasting glass from which to enjoy beers from High Country brewers.

LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE

Harry Jamieson

Liv Cartledge

Seth Henderson

Since We Kissed

Baby & The Kicks

DJ Maverick Gold

BREWERS & DISTILLERS

Bright Brewery

Bridge Road Brewers

Blizzard Brewing

King River Brewing

Black Dog Brewery

Wrong Side Brewing

Billson’s Brewery

Malt SHed

Backwoods Distilling

Reed & Co

Alpine Cider

Billy Button Wines

Bright Brewery welcomes new Head Brewer Reid Stratton

Bright Brewery is thrilled to announce the arrival of our new Head Brewer Reid Stratton.

Reid officially stepped into the Brewhouse on March 21, 2019, to join assistant brewer David Stokie.

Reid joins us from New England Brewing Co, NSW, where he has been Head Brewer since 2014. With prior experience brewing at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Michigan, USA, and Grand Teton in Idaho, USA, Reid brings a wealth of craft brewing experience with him.

“I really enjoy the transformative process of fermentation,” Reid, a former baker, says. “It’s about taking those raw materials that, on their own, aren’t very exciting and turning them into something beautiful and nuanced.

“I love the craft, the science, and the art that goes into that.”

A recreational cyclist and skier, Reid says he is planning to take full advantage of Bright’s High Country location and its proximity to natural attractions like Mystic MTB Park and the Alpine skifields.

“The natural beauty of the area and the outdoor activities on offer are amazing,” he says. “And I am also really impressed by the culture of Bright Brewery and I really identify with the values of being Active, Sustainable and Authentic in what we do.

“If I had to sum up my own values in what I’d want in a workplace, that is it.”

Bright Brewery Founder Scott Brandon said Reid’s local and international brewing background provides Bright Brewery with valuable expertise as we continue to expand our beer production to meet a growing national demand.

“Reid’s passion for brewing and experience at the genesis of the craft brewing movement in the USA is a huge asset for us,” Scott says. “And his experience in brewing very specialised beers such as sour, wild, and barrel-aged beers is particularly inspiring. Having him on board to help take Bright Brewery’s beers into the future is really exciting.”

Channel 9’s Postcards celebrates Bright Brewery’s Tourism Awards win

Bright Brewery featured on Channel 9’s Postcards on Sunday, December 2, alongside other winners from the 2018 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards.

Postcards presenter Lauren Phillips visited both the Brewery and ‘Fred’s Shed’, our new Production Brewery, and met with Head Brewer Richard Chamberlin and Founder Scott Brandon.

Bright Brewery’s 5Zero Cycle Event Donates $1000 To Mystic MTB Park

Bright Brewery’s inaugural, ‘green’ gravel bike event 5Zero raised $1000 for Alpine Community Plantation to help resurface Bright’s iconic Hero MTB Trail.

5Zero event banner 2018

Following the success of Bright Brewery’s inaugural, environmentally-friendly 5Zero gravel bike event in September, the Brewery is proud to announce a donation of $1000 to Alpine Community Plantation (ACP) to make much-needed repairs to Mystic Park’s Hero Trail.

5Zero, which took place on September 8 on the trails around Bright and surrounds, is a new concept in cycling events with a focus on fun, tough, social riding while simultaneously targeting zero environmental impact and raising money.

5Zero aims for a clean footprint and to create zero waste, so riders are not given paper course maps or signs and have to rely solely on GPS and their own navigation skills; beer and coffee is served only in reusable cups; all feed zone treats are unpackaged; and course marshals ride e-bikes rather than driving, where possible. Plus, all participants’ travel and accommodation is offset through a carbon-offset program via the QANTAS Future Planet Program.

ACP is the community-led, not-for-profit body that allows recreational activities, such as mountain biking and events such as Spartan, to take place within the HVP pine plantations of the Alpine Shire. ACP needs regular funding for trail and road maintenance (primarily in Bright’s Mystic Park), signage, repairs and new infrastructure, administering events, communications between user groups and HVP, and for the regulatory compliance needs of maintaining a not-for-profit.

ACP Executive Officer Alia Parker welcomed the donation, and said the 5Zero funds would go directly towards surface repairs of Mystic Park’s iconic Hero Trail.

“Hero has recorded about 50,000 individual rides since it opened in December 2016 and has been extremely successful in attracting tourists to the region. However, Hero’s popularity has resulted in erosion on its upper sections and tourists have started to notice. This erosion requires costly machine repairs to resurface sections of the trail in order to restore Hero’s famous flow,” Parker said.

“As a not-for-profit, community-run land manager that works closely with volunteers from the Alpine Cycling Club to build and maintain the trails, receiving support from Bright’s business community is a lifeline for us to run the park and manage the thousands of tourists now coming to visit it. So when a business like Bright Brewery sees value in what we’re doing and steps up to help, we cannot thank them enough. The extra money will allow us to repair a couple more jumps than expected, which is fantastic news for everyone heading into a busy summer season.”

Parker said HVP Plantations, which owns the land on which Mystic Park is built, had donated the soil for the resurfacing works.

5Zero was born from the desire of the Bright Brewery team to support the local community in way that reflected the Brewery’s values and showcased the best of Bright.

Brewery Operations Manager Rupert Shaw said 5Zero ticked all those boxes.

“Everything we do at the Brewery is driven by our core values of being Sustainable, Authentic, and Active,” Shaw said. “The event combined many of the elements that make for a great experience when visiting Bright – epic cycling, craft beer, gourmet local food, live music and family fun.”

Bright Brewery Project Coordinator and Event Organiser Marthijs Heuperman said ACP’s work was vital in facilitating the enjoyment that both locals and visitors to Bright.

“We all ride for different reasons. The fantastic gravel and mountain bike trails in this beautiful location makes for an awesome experience, which we want more people to enjoy,” Heuperman said, “Alpine Community Plantation do a lot to make this possible for the many locals and visitors to Bright, but they can always do with more help.”

Around 60 riders took part in the event, with organisers hoping to attract an even larger group of riders next year.

More information: www.5zero.com.au / www.alpinecommunityplantation.com.au / www.brightbrewery.com.au