Moo Brew set to celebrate 20 years of artisanal beers

Long before there was MONA, there was Moo Brew.

Moo Brew, the oldest and largest craft brewery in Tasmania, will celebrate turning 20 later this month.

With two specially-brewed limited release beers on offer and a party at MONA, beer lovers will be able to raise a glass to two decades of brewing led by MONA supremo David Walsh.

Walsh founded Moo Brew when he discovered a bottle he liked and wanted something to put in it.

The brewery was established in Berriedale at Moorilla Estate in 2005 - several years before Walsh’s museum opened its doors - later moving to their purpose-built home in Bridgewater.

In 2023 the team opened Manky Sally’s in Salamanca, a taphouse and nano-brewery boasting tiny tanks and an oversized attitude.

Moo Brew returns to MONA on Saturday, November 22, taking over the lawns to celebrate its r birthday with the help of the museum’s chef Vince Trim and an all-Tassie music line-up, There will then be a "riotous" after party at Manky Sally’s.

The two new limited-release beers, brewed to mark 20 years, are the Single Hop Tassie Pale Ale and Belgian Golden Strong Ale, brewed by all three of Moo Brew’s former and current head brewers: Owen Johnston (2005-2014), Dave MacGill (2014-2020) and Jack Viney (2020-present).

The Single Hop was re-released this week with the Belgian Strong Ale following on November 27.

The beers will be available in good bottle shops and venues around Tasmania and via Moo Brew’s website. Both will be available to Mona and Manky Sally’s imbibers on November 22 as part of the birthday celebrations.

Moo Brew Head Brewer Jack Viney says: 'It's not often a craft brewery makes it to 20 years, and it’s testament to the enduring love of Moo Brew - and the efforts of the people behind it -that we’re able to pull this off.

"Getting together with our former head brewers was so special, and we’re thrilled to present a traditional Belgian-style beer (a nod to David's beer cellar) in the OG bottle, as well as the much beloved Single Hop tallboy."

Birthday celebrations from 12pm–4:30pm at MONA will feature games, giveaways, flame-grilled lawn food from the Heavy Metal Kitchen, and a stout and oyster bar.

Beers and merch available via www.moobrew.com.au.

20 years of Room4Dessert: superstar chef living the sweet life in Bali

Twenty years is a lifetime in the world of restaurants. 

For one to last 20 years - over two very different locations - is a major feat. 

Room4Dessert, the culinary love child of word-renowned pastry chef Will Goldfarb, has just marked 20 years of quirkiness, chaos and excellence in its second location in Ubud, Bali. 

Born in New York, the second iteration of Room4Dessert is not only a survivor, it is challenging, fun and home of some really interesting drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Having started life as a late-night dessert bar in New York City, Room4Dessert has metamorphised into a dessert-focused eatery, boutique accommodation, regenerative farm, and culinary academy. 

It might not be to everyone's taste, but it is a "must visit" on the list of every foodie visiting Bali. 

Goldfarb, described as a "pastry provocateur and flavour philosopher", has guided his Bali eatery for 11 years after nine in the Big Apple. 

The 15-course main event is lauded as "edible storytelling, botanical mischief, and joyful rebellion".

The signature menu has been named Fight Club and is described by Goldfarb as "Three decades worth of stories told through the plates we create". 

Start with five inventive savoury dishes in one space; move to a room overlooking the kitchen for five desserts, and then finish in the garden next to a fire fit for a quintet of petit fours. 

From savoury curveballs to sweet sensations, every mouthful is unexpected, with a nod to Goldfarb's career, which includes a stint at El Bulli, being named World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2021 and starring on Netflix series Chef’s Table.  

The dishes are served to an eclectic soundtrack that veers from Sinatra to the Beastie Boys.

We opted for no alcohol pairings: mocktails with attitude like curry spritzes, a coco colada minus the rum and an Open Sesame without the bourbon. Invigorating selections.    

Here’s a taste of what the menu might feature: 

Lak Lak is a riff on the Balinese street snack, topped with whipped coconut yoghurt and trout roe. 

Or Raspberry HK, which features local raspberries with black sesame ice cream, sesame nougatine, and black tea milk sauce. 

Or the eccentric Fries // Shake: Klungkung-style sweet potato fries from chef Dewi’s garden, served with cashew aioli and kluwak mole. 

"No waste. No pretence. No rules. Just flavour - at its most fearless," says Goldfarb 

The Room4Dessert collection includes:

● Room4Dessert, the flagship tasting experience.

● Shelter Island, a boutique guesthouse wrapped in coconut trees and quiet magic.

● Powder Room, a local candy store for grown-ups, with natural wine and sweet treats.

● The Forest, a regenerative playground for ingredients, ideas, and education.

● Academy: pastry boot camps for the next generation of sweet thinkers.

“We don’t just serve food - we share stories," says Goldfarb. 

"We grow more than ingredients here. We grow ideas. We grow people. And if we’ve done it right, you leave a little more connected to the land, to yourself, and to each other. Sometimes, we even grow dessert.

"This isn’t a retrospective - it’s a continuation. A quiet celebration of showing up, staying curious, and sharing what’s been learned along the way." 

The 15-course extravaganza is thrilling, confronting and tiring. It's not something you'd want to do every week - but it is certainly something you'll want to do if you find yourself in Ubud. 

A tasting with natural wines is IDR 1,890,000 ($177) per person
A tasting with spirits is IDR 1,540,000 per person
A spiritless tasting is IDR 1,290,000 per person
An unpaired tasting is IDR 1,090,000 per person
*Prices do not include 21% government tax and service charge and it pays to book well in advance.

See www.room4dessert.com. Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561. 

# The writer was hosted by Room4Dessert 

Yelland & Papps celebrates 20 years bigly with a tribute to family

Barossa winemakers Susan and Michael Papps are celebrating 20 years of Yelland & Papps in style.

The pair is releasing a wine in two large formats in tribute to the local family growers that have been a part of their journey. David and Angela Materne, Pete and Sarah Sonntag, Kevin and Helen Schild and Bob and Sandy Modra, and themselves.

"What has become apparent in the last few years are the business relationships that can enable you to successfully grow," says Susan Papps (Yelland).

"Our Twenty Years Five Growers Barossa Valley Shiraz 2024 Limited Edition (Vale LKY & KLY) is a contribution of all five growers that at the time of vintage 2024 had been either from the start or have joined the train as we have travelled along on our journey.

"A blend of shiraz from sub-regions Marananga, Stonewell, Vine Vale, Dorrien and Greenock reflects the soils and grape growers that make up the beautiful Barossa Valley terroir."

She says Yelland & Papps wanted to "acknowledge this milestone for some time to try and reflect, capture and celebrate 20 years of our business and making wine in a turbulent, slightly fractured and vulnerable industry".

The release is tinged with sadness as Susan's brother Leith and father Kelwyn died within a fortnight of each other in 2024.

"When designing a label for this wine, at the forefront was honouring my father and his unwavering support of our business, over the past 20 years," Susan said.

"Although my father was not part of Yelland & Papps business when this was started in 2005 by Michael and myself, he was an intrinsic monetary part of helping us along the way to start and keep progressing forward.

"The most important part of the relationship was the interest and support and his listening ear to the woes and hardships, and although he never had a magic wand to erase these issues he had the advice and was able to relate to his prior farming business."

The label features the colour of her father's prized procession: a "sky mist blue" 1960 Ford Zephyr Ute.

The special release wine has been bottled under large format only: 239 1.5-litre magnums and 28 5-litre jeroboams at $129 and $399.

See yellandandpapps.com.