Beautiful Beers Amongst the Beautiful Valleys

Beer & Brewer

Beautiful beers amongst the beautiful valleys.

(First Published by Beer & Brewer Magazine in 2011)

By John Krüger

South Australia is blessed with some of the best wine regions in Australia, many of them only a short drive from the capital, Adelaide. If beer rather than wine is your heart’s desire there’s still plenty of good beer destinations to visit the Barossa and Clare valleys.

The Barossa

The Barossa valley is only an hour away from Adelaide thanks to the newly completed Northern Expressway, which passes the rolling hills of farmland and enters the historic vineyards of the Barossa, which look spectacular at any time of the year. There’s plenty to see and do in the Barossa and it’s a good central location to for day trips to Clare, Burra or the Riverland.

The first stop upon entering the historic German settled town of Tanunda is the recently relocated Barossa Valley Brewing brewery and brasserie. Previously in Lyndoch, the new location right at the entrance to Tanunda boasts a great selection of beers, all the snacks you’d need and a chance to see the brewery in action as well. Head Brewer Mark Prior is a passionate bloke who’s keen to keep a few staples like the Bee Sting honey wheat beer and Organic Ale on tap, but is also free to play around with Russian Imperial Stouts, English Bitters and the like. In fact, Barossa Valley Brewing has seven beers on tap, with the eighth dedicated to a non-alcoholic brew for kids or designated drivers. A pizza and tapas menu has been formulated to provide a wide range of choices to match the beers with an excellent selection of local wines to peruse as well. The brewery is right next to the brasserie and there’s some nice big windows to catch the action while enjoying a beer and a meal.

In the middle of Tanunda is acclaimed restaurant 1918, which not only has a reputation for quality dining, roaring log fires and relaxed outdoor settings but also serves local bottled beers along with their extensive wine list. The grand old home of a long gone local mayor houses one of the Barossa’s finest restaurants. Head Chef and owner Christian Fletcher serves fresh, seasonally inspired modern Australian cuisine with inspiration from Asia and the Middle-East.

On the western side of the Barossa valley is the charming hamlet of Greenock. The impressive Murray Street Vineyards winery stands on the hill approaching Greenock, and just at the edge of the town on the main road is their cellar door. With a good range of wines available along with regional platters, their outdoor area is a great spot to relax with the kids and take in the views.

Further into Greenock is the Barossa Brewing Company. Situated in the historic 1860’s wheat stores building, owner Darryl Trinne opens the tasting room on weekends for beer aficionados and curious visitors. An interesting operation, the beers are currently mashed and boiled in Mildura, then immediately brought back to Greenock to be fermented, conditioned and bottled or kegged. Darryl is happy to show inquisitive visitors through the facility, which is an eclectic mix of new custom-made stainless steel and classic old German machinery. The Barossa Brewing Company produce regular beers; the Millers Lager, Greenock Dark Ale and Wheat Store Hefeweizen, which are complimented with occasional appearances of a hoppy American style pale ale called Victorville, and the Bunawunda Blonde, which definitely isn’t a low carb excuse for a beer. The beers are becoming so popular that they’re occasionally sold out after a big event like the Barossa Vintage Festival, which is an annual week-long event at the end of April, so it’s worth calling ahead. The second best thing to having a beer with Darryl in the Wheat Store is trying one of his beers fresh on tap just around the corner at the Greenock Tavern. It’s not unusual to see him wheel a keg into the pub on a sack truck direct from the cold room in cellar door so the beer is guaranteed to be fresh.

On the eastern side of the Barossa is the quaint town of Angaston. Just before the town is Saltram Wines cellar door. Not only are they well known for their wines, restaurant and wood oven pizzas, but it’s also the home of Saltram’s Pepperjack Ale. The only beer in the valley to use local Shiraz juice to add fermentables, a hint of colour and the unmistakable Shiraz aroma to this tidy ale. Only open for lunch, it’s a great place to relax with a few beers and plenty of good wine options. Sundays include live and local music to keep the toes tapping while enjoying a beer.

Further into Angaston is another Barossa pizza institution, The 40’s Café boasts Australia’s best pizza for 2009 in Dairy Farmers Best of the Best Pizza Challenge, an award winning pizza that meat lovers will fall in love with. Local ingredients like Barossan wood smoked bacon ensure a pizza experience that’ll never be forgotten. The Café is licensed with a modest beer selection as well as wines and spirits.

If a few days of enjoying the local beers and wines have taken their toll, drop into Blond Coffee in Angaston for the best coffee in the valley along with excellent breakfast and lunch options. Saturday mornings are particularly busy with many locals making Blond part of their Saturday mid-morning routine. There’s also a toy box and small play area for the kids.

If early mornings aren’t too much of a strain, the Vintners Farmers Markets just out of Angaston behind the Vintners Bar & Grill is one of the best farmer’s markets in the state. Fresh coffee and smokey bacon & egg rolls are available from opening at 7.30am Saturdays, and the range of fresh produce is amazing. Many locals drop in to purchase a good percentage of their fresh supplies for the week so the biggest range is available early.

Clare

The drive from the Barossa Valley to Clare is only 90 minutes through rolling countryside with plenty to see along the way. The valley gets bitterly cold in winter and can often seem like it’s somewhere in Europe rather than only two hours drive from Adelaide. The Clare valley actually encompasses a string of towns running through the valley rather than just the area around the large town of Clare itself so there’s plenty to see. The Rising Sun Hotel in the picturesque town of Auburn offers a good range of beers, good honest pub food as well as popular accommodation with ensuites. A perfect spot to sit out under the veranda sipping on a few beers and watching the world go by.

From Auburn travelling towards Clare along the Main North road are plenty of regular little towns ready to explore, each with a different little hotel and more winery cellar doors than you can poke a stick at. A favourite if somewhat understated little town is Watervale. The area is famous for Watervale Riesling and up on the hill behind the pub is Crabtree Wines cellar door. It’s rustic, charming, and boasts some of the best wines in the Clare Valley. The popular 35km walking and cycling track the weaves through the Clare Valley known as the Riesling Trail runs right past Crabtree and the Watervale Hotel so don’t be surprised if there’s more bicycles than cars in the car parks.

Pikes may have started brewing in the Adelaide Hills town of Oakbank back in 1886 but these days the Pike family call the Clare Valley home. They continue their family history of fine beverages concentrating on excellent wines including their massively popular Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend. Pikes don’t make their own historic Pikes Oakbank beer anymore but it was resurrected in 1996 and is now contract brewed in Sydney. The beer and an outstanding range of wines are available at their family-friendly cellar door situated at Polish Hill River near Sevenhill. There’s also an art gallery incorporated within the cellar door.

In the main township of Clare is their renowned beer destination, Knappstein Enterprise Winery and Brewery. Established in 1878 the grand historic looking cellar door boasts the only place in Australia to try the renowned Knappstein Reserve Lager on tap. Guaranteed to really get those Nelson hop aromas wafting out of the glass, there’s nothing better than fresh draught beer. For those beer geeks who like their brewery bling, there’s a big glass window viewing area where brewing and bottling can be seen if the timing’s right. More organised people can call ahead and book a brewery tour to get closer to the action.

One of the grand old hotels in Clare is Bentley’s Hotel Motel in the main street. They’ve got everything from the local Knappstein Reserve stubbies as well as a range of other beers, great pub meals and even a play area with toys for the kids. It’s the kind of pub that’s large and comfortable enough to stay for most of the day relaxing with good food and plenty of drink options. Bentley’s is also popular with travellers who are just after a quick counter meal and a drink on the way through town.

Day Trips

Moonta is situated on the western coast of Yorke Peninsula and home to the biennial Kernewek Lowender, the world’s largest Cornish festival that runs for five days in the middle of May. The next festival is due in May 2013. The area known as the Copper Coast encompassing Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo has a strong history of Cornish copper mining. Each two years a batch of beer known as Copper Coast Swanky is made by BrewBoys in Adelaide strictly for the festival and available only at the Moonta Bay Patio Motel and Restaurant as well as a small quantity available to guests at the Adelaide Caravan Park. Six different labels are produced and beer fans are encouraged to buy a six pack to collect the different labels.

Yorke Brewing is a relatively new operation with its heart at the small town of Warooka in southern Yorke Peninsula. The Yorke Peninsula is a well loved holiday destination for many South Australians with beautiful scenery, a thriving local gourmet scene and secretly, some of the best fishing spots around. Justin Murdoch is a proud local and Company Director of Yorke Brewing who currently brews his own beers at a facility in Adelaide, but he’s keen to eventually move the operation completely back to Warooka. He’s pleased to maintain the regional authenticity by adding locally grown wheat to his White Sands wheat beer. Justin has carefully selected a few local hotels that meet his requirements of no pokies and good service and is in negotiations now to have his beers on tap at these local pubs. Keep an eye on the Yorke Brewing website and he’ll announce where the beers will be available. Along with the White Sands, his English style ale called Shipwrecked will be a welcome bold brew on a winters day at 6%abv and has become very popular with those lucky punters who have tried it.

Renmark is situated in the South Australian Riverland along the banks of the Murray River. A two and a half hour drive from the Barossa, it’s completely different scenery with long flat roads occasionally crossing the banks of the Murray, surrounded by vivid deep red soils and under clear blue skies. One minute the roads are surrounded by orange groves and the next, vineyards that go for ages. An old shearing shed now houses the brew-house for aptly named Woolshed Brewery. Partners Tom Freeman and Sarah Dowdell currently produce their first beer, the Amazon Ale, named after the nearby Amazon creek only a kilometre away. The Amazon ale is described as an Australian style pale ale. The brewery is open for tours by appointment and ultimately in the future will be the ideal tourist destination with Kayaking and possibly the only brewery in South Australia that can be visited via the river. Tourists travelling along the Murray River will be able to moor their houseboat or tinny at the brewery and enjoy the day there.

Burra is less than 90 minutes from the Barossa and only 30 minutes from Clare. It’s another area of South Australia that rose to fame and fortune in 1845 when copper was discovered. In it’s hey day the town was a thriving community with it’s own brewery. The remnants of the old Unicorn brewery that was started in 1873 is still able to be toured with access via the Burra Information Centre.

One operation that is still thriving in Burra is Thorogoods Cidery. Tony Thorogood and his wife Susan have worked hard to plant orchards of a variety of classic cider apples and still use an old Italian basket press to press their own estate grown organic apples, making traditional ciders with wild yeasts natural to the area. The resulting range of ciders are unique and full of flavour. Everything from sparkling cider to a range of liqueurs and even a dark and golden apple beer that both weigh in at hefty 12%abv. Their cellar door is open to the public for sales and tastings pretty well every day of the year.

Burra still has four operational hotels, one of which, the Kooringa Hotel is directly across the street from the historic Paxton Square cottages. The Kooringa is a beautiful old hotel with polished wooden floors and a cozy little front bar. It’s known for good value meals and a modest selection of beers on tap. It’s the perfect spot for a pint of Kilkenny and a filling counter meal.

Info Box

Barossa Valley Brewing

2A Murray Street,
Heinemann Park
SA, Tanunda 5352
Brewery Phone: 08 8563 0997

Restaurant Phone: 08 8563 0696

http://www.bvbeer.com.au

1918

94 Murray St, Tanunda, SA 5352

Phone 08 8563 0405

http://www.1918.com.au

Murray Street Vineyards

Murray Street, Greenock, SA 5360

Phone 08 8562 8373