Blasta Brewing and their 20hec kit will be opening their doors on Thursday and among the beers will be something brand new to celebrate!
Steve and Kate Russell’s idea for a brewpub came from a love of good food and drink. “My homebrewing passion escalated a little bit,” Steve said with a laugh when I first spoke to him back in July last year.
Blasta Brewing will open their doors this Thursday 1st March, you can find them in Burswood, not far from the new Optus Stadium, at 84/88 Goodwood Parade.
The name Blasta comes from Scottish Gaelic, meaning “delicious” and Steve, who is originally from Scotland, says this is more than just a name, it is their guiding principle, to “only brew Blasta beers.”
The logo is a geometric unicorn which links to Steve’s engineering background and his Scottish heritage as the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal; true story, Google it! Folklore stories of the unicorn include one where a snake poisons a watering hole but a unicorn uses its horn to purify the water for everyone to be able to drink it again. It’s this transformation of water for all to enjoy that Steve felt resonated with brewing.
Steve and Kate have been living in Perth for ten years and always within the Burswood area. They have seen the suburb change significantly over the years and know there is more urban development on the way. They hope Blasta Brewing will be a positive addition to the local community. Their location on Goodwin Parade, just over 100 metres from the train station, and will have a capacity of more than 350 people.
Steve Russell pouring beers at the Perth Craft Beer Festival
Steve has been gypsy brewing at a couple of different breweries, depending on schedules and availability, and released their first commercial beer in May last year called Myway Grapefruit IPA, brewed using local grapefruit. The first venue to pour a Blasta beer was The Balmoral in Victoria Park and the keg sold out in less than three hours. Myway Grapefruit IPA went on to be awarded a silver medal at the Perth Royal Beer Awards in June.
Since then they’ve been busy not only building their brewery, bar and restaurant but also getting out to beer festivals across Perth, such as Perth Craft Beer Festival and Mane Liquor’s Winter Beer Celebration, to introduce themselves.
In early November they were granted their liquor licence and in January their brewery arrived in Perth.
The brewery is a 20 hectolitre kit that Steve helped to design, his brewing and engineering knowledge leading, perhaps inevitably, to him making a few tweaks.
The coffee shop side of the venue is already up and running, open from 6:30am daily. The booze side, the rest of the brewpub, will have its grand opening on 1st March and will be celebrated with the release of a brand new beer. Doors open at 11am, from 5 -7pm there will be a private event, after which it will re-open to the public.
So many new beers and not one, not two but THREE new breweries!
There is a lot of stuff happening in WA’s craft beer scene that it’s genuinely hard to keep up with all the new beer releases and WA really is kicking ass when it comes to craft beer and so I thought I’d try and make a regular feature out of all the new beery goodness our state has to offer.
The local masters of collaborations, Eagle Bay Brewing teamed up with Dunsbourgh’s newest restaurant, Yarri Restaurant and Bar, to create a beer exclusively for them called “The Traveller”. It is an American wheat ale brewed with all Australian wheat, barley and botanicals and American hops. Head brewer Nick d’Espeissis says it took a little trial and error to get the botanicals right, “the Geraldton Wax adds kind of a kaffir lime taste, while the indigenous saltbush makes the beer really moreish. You can’t stop at just one.”
“The botanicals used in the process are WA indigenous saltbush and Geraldton Wax – a native shrub with needle-like leaves rich in aromatic oils. Both foraged ingredients are used in Yarri’s cooking, adding a great complement between food and drink.”
Photo Credit: Eagle Bay Brewing
Single Series: Barrel-Aged ESB
Not content with just one special beer, Eagle Bay has also released a barrel-aged version of their ESB. Once a core range beer, meaning it was available all year round, their ESB was bumped off its full-time status last year. For those who shed a tear at its demise, perhaps this barrel-aged version will help with the pain. After using Whipper Snapper whiskey barrels to age their Black Vanilla last year, a mighty collaboration brew of a coconut and vanilla imperial stout, Eagle Bay didn’t just leave those barrels empty and so in went some ESB and three months later, we have this brew!
Coming Soon: Brewers Series Nut Brown Ale
From the looks of the Eagle Bay Brewing Instagram story, the EBBC brewers have been playing around in the brewhouse with some hazelnuts to make their next Brewers Series release.
Coming Soon: Original lazy Boy
If you’re heading to the South West Craft Beer Festival next Saturday you can look forward to a bunch of special beers including this one from Eagle Bay, the Original Lazy Boy, a 7.0 percent ABV American wheat.
Nowhereman Brewing*
Age of Aquarius Summer Ale
Another WThe West Leederville brewpub has released their new summer ale, called Age of Aquarius, it is 5.0 percent ABV. Named after the star sign that the brew falls under, it’s an American wheat beer with well known Australian hop varieties, Astra and Galaxy.
*I will soon be working for this brewery
Rocky Ridge Brewing
Limited Release: Ace Pale Ale
Named after one of Hamish and Mel’s beautiful dogs, Ace, this pale ale uses wet hops – these are whole hop cones picked straight from the bine and, without delay, put into the brew. Because hops can only be harvested once a year in Australia, this beer is available in limited quantities. It’s an American style pale ale so brewers notes tell us to expect citrus, tropical fruit, pine and resin with a little caramel backbone to support lots and lots of hops.
Rocky Ridge teamed up with Northbridge restaurant and super beer geeks, Baby Mammoth to create a chutney inspired beer called Inglorious Chutney. My first thoughts on this were hesitant, chutneys are massively spiced and thick and I was cautious of what this would mean when it comes to beer but these guys knocked it out the park.
It was served at last weeks collaboration dinner to celebrate the beer and it’s a surprisingly delicate beer. It drinks somewhere between a saison and a Belgian witbier. Ginger, turmeric and coriander all went into the mash to make this beer. On brew day, for inspiration, Baby Mammoth head chef and co-owner Ryan Lambson took some bobotie, a South African dish, along and Hamish joked, “I spent the whole day eating!”
Bobotie, banana leaf rice and sambal
In a pretty big tease, the beer served up was actually a sneak peek. The rest is currently ageing in barrels, four different ones to be exact – Shiraz, Pinot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon. They have also added apricots, nectarines, ginger and turmeric to the barrels where it will referment. The plan is to then present this beer in champagne bottles. Whether they bottle as individual barrels or blend them together, well Hamish says “that’s down to the barrel Gods at the moment.”
Coming Soon: Rock Juice V.2
This NEIPA collaboration with epic beer retailers, Cape Cellars and Cellarbrations Carlisle, was first brewed in last July but it’s coming back on Saturday 3 March. At 9.0 percent ABV, this beer is big, it’s juicy and it will only be around for a very short time. I’d bet you’ll see it at the South West Craft Beer Festival, if not, keep an eye out on the Rocky Ridge Brewing Facebook page for where you can find it.
Whitfords Brewing
Seasonal Brew: Juice Willis
Whitfords Brewing has jumped on the NEIPA train with Juice Willis*, bringing together two things I love – hops and Bruce Willis. It was brewed at Whitfords Brewing and will be served there and at sister brewery, Northbridge Brewing.
It’s low in bitterness, very easy drinking and the 5.8 percent ABV is hidden extremely well. Tropical and stone fruit juiciness from El Dorado, Citra and Galaxy hops and some flaked oats in the malt bill helps with a silky mouthfeel.
*I was invited to attend Northbridge Brewing Beer Club for the launch of this beer
Innate Brewers
Summer Seasonal: Pale As, Kiwi Pale Ale
A New Zealand pale ale released a couple of weeks ago, available on tap.
Coming Soon: A collab, Autumn Seasonal and Wet Hop ale
Yup, Innate Brewers have three beers all coming soon. Head brewer Joel Nash has been very, very busy! They’ve had the team from iconic Fremantle pub, The Sail & Anchor, in the brewery for a collaboration brew. They also got a delivery of fresh wet Nugget hops from local growers Preston Valley Hops. Their autumn seasonal is going to be a Red IPA called Renegade with 48 IBU using Simcoe and Amarillo hops, it will be launched at Caboose in Mt Lawley on 1 March.
Colonial Brewing
Seasonal Release: South West Sour*
Unless you’ve been detoxing off social media recently, you’ll know that Colonial Brewing has released their summer seasonal. They have opted to go with the simple “sour” label which is probably because it doesn’t completely fit into the Berliner Weisse or Gose category. To me, it drinks like a hybrid of the two. Approachable and well-balanced sourness, there’s some stone fruit – peach and nectarine – character and finishes with a rounded briny flavour.
*I was invited to the Perth launch of this beer, I was also given a 6 pack to sample, and have been invited to the upcoming launch at Colonial Brewing Margaret River
Stomping Ground Brewing
Tinnies hit Perth
After seeing the tinnies being released in their home state of Victoria, Melbourne’s Stomping Ground has now delivered cans of their Gipps St Pale Ale, PRIDElweiss and Watermelon Smash to Perth.
You may have tried the Gipps St Pale Ale a few months ago during Movember when it appeared on tap at venues around Perth to support the Movember Foundation.
Heroes and Villains Beer
A new brewery
Heroes and Villains launched their first beer at Dutch Trading Co a few days ago. Based at Oakover Grounds in the Swan Valley, the brewery tagline is ‘Beer of the New Age’ and so the first beer is appropriately called BOTNA. It’s brewed with Fortnight, the Bintani proprietary blend of five different hops.
Blasta Brewing
Opening March 1st
Blasta Brewing will be opening next week in Burswood after contract brewing for a while. The coffee shop part of the venue is already open so feel free to drop in for a caffeine hit and then from the 1st March, you’ll be able to enjoy a beer.
The brewery is founded by brewer Steve Russell, along with his wife Kate, and they released Blasta’s first commercial beer last May, their Myway Grapefruit IPA.
The name Blasta comes from Scottish Gaelic and means “delicious” and Steve, who is originally from Scotland, says their guiding principle, therefore, will be to “only brew Blasta beers”. The logo is a geometric unicorn which also links to Steve’s Scottish heritage as the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal, true story, Google it!
The Camfield / Bevy Brewing
Another new brewery!
It won’t be a surprise to anyone to hear that The Camfield, the massive venue in Burswood near the new stadium, recently opened their doors just a few days ago. Not only does this beer have six bars and covers 8,000 square metres, it has its own microbrewery called Bevy. The head brewer is Andy Scade, ex-Little Creatures and all round nice guy.
There is a lot of stuff happening in WA’s craft beer scene that it’s genuinely hard to keep up with all the new beer releases and WA really is kicking ass when it comes to craft beer and so I thought I’d try and make a regular feature out of all the new beery goodness our state has to offer.
Of course the big news, and I would be very surprised if you had not heard, is the 100% acquisition of Feral Brewing by Coca-Cola Amatil that was announced on Thursday. There are a number of great articles on this news so I won’t re-hash it in great detail here. Some drinkers are concerned about the quality of the beers but not me, I’m looking forward to seeing what new brews and innovations come out of Feral, just like they have been doing since 2002. I guess what I’m saying is that, let time determine this, not early assumptions.
Huge congratulations to Brendan and Gab Varis, founders of Feral Brewing, and the whole team – past and present – who’ve contributed game-changing beers and worked ridiculously hard over the last 15 years to be true leaders in the industry.
This beer is brewed with grapefruit, lemon and orange zest from fruit on their own farm. They’ve made this beer before but it’s been a while and it’s great to see it back! It’s exactly what you’d expect from something called “citrus IPA” with plenty of balanced citrus flavour, moderate bitterness and a dry lime-pith finish.
Eagle Bay Brewing Heir of the Dog
5.9 percent ABV
Collaboration brew with The Balmoral
Limited release
Available on tap only
The Balmoral crew went down south to hang out with Eagle Bay Brewing and made Heir of the Dog, a hoppy lager. Tasting notes describe tropical fruit character with a crisp and clean finish and caramel malts and moderate bitterness support. You can try it at The Balmoral’s launch event on Sunday where dogs are welcome with prizes for best dressed and you can also chat all things beer with Gerome and Nick from Eagle Bay Brewing whilst you’re there.
Bootleg Brewery The Cobbler
4.2 percent ABV
American Brown Ale
Collaboration brew with award-winning home brewer Dave Baker
Bootleg Brewery hosted a home-brewing competition for the South-West Craft Beer Bogans and after tasting a “variety of high-quality beers” they found their winner in Dave Baker’s American Brown Ale.
Ryan Nilsson-Linne, Bootleg’s head brewer, describes the beer as “super balanced” and “with an earthy character blended with traditional Citra and Cascade hops for a spicy citrus mix.”
There’s a tasting with both Ryan and Dave on the lawn at Bootleg Brewery today from 12noon and on Thursday night it will be part of the Bootleg tap takeover at Busselton’s The Firestation where they will also have their new European style 5.0 percent lager pouring.
Black Brewing Kiwiake
9.6 percent ABV
Kettle soured strong ale
Limited Release
Only 9 kegs available
Black Brewing brewed only nine kegs of this very special beer. Kiwiake is a kettle soured strong ale fermented with Sake yeast with secondary fermentation on 70kgs of kiwi fruit.
Image from Black Brewing’s Facebook page
Cheeky Monkey Brewing Double IPA – Round Two
8.2 percent ABV
500ml cans and on tap
Limited release
This is an encore performance from Cheeky Monkey who first released this beer last month. They’ve made a couple of tweaks to the original recipe, still using Citra, Mandarina Bavaria and Lemon Drop hops but they’ve amped it up and used way more than last time. Expect orange, tangerine, mango and grapefruit character and, from a slight recipe tweak, a drier finish than the first batch offered.
Blasta Brewing Blastaweizen
5.3 percent ABV
Weissbier aka German Hefeweizen
On tap only
Blasta Brewing, fresh off their planning approval to build their Burswood brewery, released their Blastaweizen yesterday. In the true tradition of the style, Steve Russell has used more than 50% wheat in this beer and describes the beer as having flavours of “banana, stone fruit, nutmeg and clove” along with a “refreshing carbonation and great mouthfeel”. Blastaweizen has been brewed with two yeast strains, from White Labs and German brewery Weihenstephan, for a more complex yeast character (think spices and fruits!) and sounds like an excellent tribute to the classic Munich style!
New beers from Feral, Eagle Bay, Otherside and Black Brewing plus there’s plenty more coming up in the coming weeks from Gage Roads, Blasta, Bright Tank and more!
There is a lot of stuff happening in WA’s craft beer scene that it’s genuinely hard to keep up with all the new beer releases and WA really is kicking ass when it comes to craft beer and so I thought I’d try and make a regular feature out of all the new beery goodness our state has to offer.
Brewed with a recently released hop blend ‘Fortnight’ and infused with loads of Grapefruit and a touch of Lime, this is a grapefruit punch in the face with a juicy mouthfeel and finishes with a lingering bitterness just like the US presidential election.
“We didn’t really want to make a ‘craft’ lager as such so we are aiming more for an every man’s beer,” says Kyle, Otherside Brewing rep. It is a Helles style beer and is available in 375ml cans and on tap.
Brewed with Chinook and Azaca hops, the brewer’s notes promise “tropical fruits and piney hops” along with “complex malt characters of sourdough and biscuit.”
Blasta are not letting a little thing like not having a brewery get in the way of making beer. Brewer and founder Steve Russell got into the brewery at Last Drop to brew this pale ale. The beer will be available on tap only and you can find the beer via the Now Tapped app.
Photo from Blasta Brewing Facebook page
COMING SOON
White Lakes Brewing Instagram shows they’ve got an Oktoberfest beer in the pipeline!
Otherside Brewing have made a small batch, just 50 kegs, of an American style Stout to be released early next week. They’re promising big roasty flavours and “definitely not a sweet stout by any stretch.” It will be available on tap only and with just 50 kegs it won’t last long!
Gage Roads have hinted at a collaboration with Whipper Snapper on their WA Instagram.
