Coopers marks a milestone with special release

The team at Coopers Brewery in Adelaide have been busier than a one-legged man in an arse-kicking competition.

First, a special barley variety named after the original site of Coopers Brewery added a historic touch to the 20th year celebration of Vintage Ale.

The Coopers 2020 Vintage Ale features Leabrook barley, named after the former site of the sixth generation Australian family-owned brewery.

Coopers was located at Leabrook in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs from 1881 until 2001 when it moved to its current and expanded site at Regency Park.

The Leabrook barley variety, grown on the eastern slopes of the Adelaide Hills, has been crafted by maltster Dr Doug Stewart into pale malt, to which crystal and wheat malt is added to create an authentic Vintage Ale with a twist.

Coopers Managing Director and Chief Brewer, Dr Tim Cooper, said: “We wanted to create something special to mark the 20th vintage. As well as being a tip of the hat to our original site, it’s also a tribute to the long association we enjoyed with the University of Adelaide and its barley program.

“While there is a strong historic theme to this Vintage, we’ve also embraced some new world hops in its creation and our expert brewing team has benefited from our state-of-the-art malting plant."

The 2020 Vintage has been launched in time for Father’s Day, as has a new Hazy IPA, a limited-edition seasonal release which will be available in kegs and 375ml cans across Australia from August 17.

Hazy beers are characterised by their intense juicy, fruit-forward aroma, soft carbonation, creamy mouthfeel and hazy, opaque appearance.

“Hazy beers are attracting considerable attention internationally, with their distinct appearance in a glass making for interesting conversations," said Tim Cooper.

"Coopers cloudy beers are a result of yeast particles left in suspension following a unique secondary fermentation process used to create natural carbonation. Coopers Hazy IPA uses protein rich malts, including wheat, combined with the liberal hop additions to form the hazy appearance."

Hazy IPA will be sold in four-packs rather than six-packs, with four packs expected to retail for around $22.

Editor's Note: With Lion Nathan wholly owned by Kirin Brewing Company since 2009, and Fosters owned by SABMiller since 2011, Coopers is the only wholly Australian-owned major brewery.

Hobart loses another leading eatery

You leave town for a few days and...

Hobart diners have been dealt another blow with the closure of popular venue Ettie's following on the heels of the decision to shut Franklin's doors.

Ettie's - hugely popular with wine lovers - was a bistro that championed Tasmanian local produce in the lovely surrounds of one of Hobart’s oldest buildings.

It was opened in 2016 by Willing Brothers Wine Merchants' co-owners Carl Windsor and James Kingston.

"The last few months have been like nothing our industry has ever experienced before," the pair said on social media.

"We were all forced to shut down for an extended period of time and whilst the government are doing their best to help our industry to recover some venues will never again hear the chink of glasses, the pops of cork or the laughter of customers enjoying a night out."

The pair added: "This was not a decision which was made lightly after weighing up all the costs of reopening, the reliance on the tourism market, the risk of another shut down, we didn’t have the confidence that a venue the size of Ettie’s could make it through the next 12 months and successfully trade into the 'new normal'."

The owners closed their accounts with food and wine suppliers and said they would look for a new venue in the future, where the Ettie's brand could be re-established post Covid-19.

Changing of the guard at venerable Australian wine producer

Courtney Treacher has been named senior winemaker at Western Australia’s historic Houghton Wines following the departure of long-serving winemaker Ross Pamment.

The appointment comes as Houghton announces a partnership with boutique winery Brookland Valley, which is also part of the Accolade Wines portfolio, to combine their cellar door operations in the heart of the Margaret River region.

Pamment leaves Houghton after almost 21 years of continuous service and a 30-year association with the brand.

As senior winemaker, he was responsible for multiple award-winning wines and was named

winemaker of the year in Ray Jordan’s 17th annual West Australian Wine Guide in 2017.

Treacher will become only the 13th senior winemaker in Houghton’s 180-year history. She has worked with Pamment for 17 vintages, starting out as a vintage cellar hand in 2004. 

Working across Houghton, Brookland Valley and Moondah Brook (all Accolade Wines brands), she became vintage assistant winemaker, then assistant winemaker and then winemaker in 2007.

“I love making all our wines – from producing a fresh and consistent Houghton White Classic year in and year out to making the 2013 Gladstones Cabernet Sauvignon,” she said. 

“It’s a privilege to be the custodian for so many much-loved labels and I thank Ross for all his guidance and support.”

As part of the partnership with Brookland Valley, Houghton will switch its Swan Valley cellar door operations to the Brookland Valley site, offering tourists and visitors access to two leading Western Australian wine brands in the one location.

 

The established Brookland Valley facility overlooks the vineyards and is next door to the award-winning Flutes restaurant. 

Margaret River is one of fastest-growing wine tourism regions in Australia and is the epicentre of Western Australian wine. With more than 2.3 million visitors per year, it is the third-most-visited wine region in Australia by international visitors.

The cellar door partnership follows Accolade Wines’ strategic decision in 2019 to consolidate all of its Western Australian winery operations at the Nannup winery. 

Houghton, which released its first commercial vintage in 1859, will continue to own and produce all wines under its label. 

“We will continue to craft vibrant and unique expressions, bringing to life Western Australia’s vast terroir to offer consumers high-quality, award-winning wines that truly reflect their origins,” said Treacher. 

Accolade’s portfolio includes St Hallett, Petaluma, House of Arras, Houghton, Grant Burge Wines and Banrock Station (Australia), Waipara Hills and Mud House (New Zealand), Echo Falls (US), Kumala & Flagstone (South Africa), and Viña Anakena (Chile).

Discover a unique taste of Tasmania

What could be more Tasmanian than a heritage apple cider aged in whisky casks?

Two of the Apple Isle's highest profile craft drinks producers, Sullivans Cove Whisky and Willie Smith’s Cider, have joined forces for a new Whisky Aged Cider which launched last week. 

Willie Smith’s Cider co-founder and managing director Sam Reid said: “We always love working with the team at Sullivans Cove. 

"We’re like minded in our love of highlighting quality Tasmanian produce – our Huon Valley apples and their Midlands barley – and the incredible drinks they can become.” 

The 2019 release is the first time the collaborators have used Willie Smith’s heritage cider apples – in this case the bitter-sweet apple Yarlington Mill – with the cider then aged for six months in Sullivans Cove barrels.

Sullivans Cove head distiller Heather Tillott said: “Yarlington Mill has toffee apple and caramel characters but fairly high levels of tannin, so we chose to balance this by ageing the cider in our American Oak casks, with their low tannin and high vanillin.”

Four of the six casks were originally used for Bourbon maturation, the other two were used for decades for Australian Tawny, all six subsequently aged the Sullivans Cove Single Malt spirit for 11-12 years.

“The Bourbon casks are excellent for giving a broad, sweet, vanilla, summer fruits and textural balance to anything they go near, and it’s exactly what they’ve done here! They’ve allowed the cider to shine through, which is just what we were after,” said Tillott.

“We also used two fun little Tawny casks as American oak aged Tawny is big, raisin-heavy and dripping in thick dark syrupy notes and the intensity of cask lives on in this cider - there are raisins and butterscotch throughout. 

"But the real strength comes through in the finish with the typical earthy notes of an Australian

Tawny: mushrooms, licorice, fennel, leather, pepper, cocoa and mint.” 

Just 1,200 bottles of the Willie Smith’s Sullivans Cove Whisky Aged Cider were made, and they retail for around $50. 

Available at Willie Smith’s Apple Shed and the Sullivans Cove Distillery as well as independent retailers, bars and restaurants Australia wide.

It is also available to purchase online at www.williesmith’s.com.au/shop

Fish to fish finger: hotel changes branding overnight

One day you are a cod; the next you are a fish finger. 

Change is just as quick in the hotel business with Accor announcing the Travelodge Hotel Rockhampton is now the Mercure Rockhampton. 

Just like that. Part of a franchise agreement.

Mercure Rockhampton is located in the heart of the city, just a short drive from the Rockhampton Airport.

The eight-storey, 74-room resort overlooks the Fitzroy River and features six versatile conference spaces, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, 24-hour reception, and easy access to Great Keppel Island and many other vacation locations along the Capricorn Coast.

Mercure Rockhampton general manager Karley Beasy said: “I am confident our well-appointed hotel will operate with great success under Accor and the Mercure brand's internationally-renowned authentic, locally inspired service. 

"With this partnership, we will continue to provide travellers with a quality accommodation and conferencing option in Rockhampton and now have the ability to leverage from Accor's international branding, staff development opportunities, and highly valuable distribution and loyalty platform.”

Mercure Rockhampton joins a network of over 50 Mercure properties across Australia and New Zealand and more than 810 worldwide.

How MONA is fighting back after Covid-19

Tasmania's iconic MONA has been shut since March but its award-winning bar and restaurant, Faro, will turn on its lights and reopen its doors in mid-August, serving up a series of lunch and dinner experiments, along with live music, performance and art.

From Saturday, August 15, the Faro Experiments will invite diners to become participants in experiencing the unexpected. 

The mystery menu - from drinks to dessert - will change each week, with the theme only revealed to guests once they are seated.

Diners will be able to explore areas of the museum’s light-filled Pharos wing, featuring artworks that include a corridor of colour (Beside Myself, James Turrell), a man-made oil slick (20:50, Richard Wilson) and a silvery Grotto (Randy Polumbo). 

Dinner guests will also experience, up close, MONA’s outdoor light installations - Amarna by James Turrell and Ryoji Ikeda’s spectra, which has been illuminating Hobart’s skies every Saturday night since Easter.

Mark Wilsdon, co-CEO of MONA, says: "From the greeting on arrival, to the food and drinks, and music and art, this is an opportunity for us to experiment on our guests at Faro, and for our local visitors to experience the restaurant anew. 

"Diners will have some of Mona to themselves and, while the rest of the museum remains closed, we’re excited to begin welcoming people back.’

Faro is offering weekend à la carte lunches, and a five-course set menu on Saturday nights. A further luxe Saturday dinner option includes a six-course meal from MONA executive chef Vince Trim, sommelier service from David Walsh’s wine bunker and priority access to Turrell’s artworks.

The Faro Experiments will run for six weeks. Bookings are limited and can be made online.

Ticket-holders will be required to adhere to hygiene and distancing measures and are asked not to attend if they are unwell. Access to the site will only be permitted to those with a reservation.