Knowledge

North of the Vine, South of the Grain
North of the Vine, South of the Grain
|Tito Orellana
As two of the oldest fermented beverages in human history, beer and wine share a deep-rooted story shaped by regional climates and socio-economic status. Read more...
Totally Tubular: What Makes A Beer An Old School IPA?
Totally Tubular: What Makes A Beer An Old School IPA?
|Tito Orellana
The quintessential, the original, the iconic… The one called an ‘American IPA’ Read more...
Daniel Wheeler & the Dark Art of Roasted Malts
Daniel Wheeler & the Dark Art of Roasted Malts
|Tito Orellana
Before 1817, drinking a dark beer would've been something quite similar to licking a piece of charcoal... Read more...
Beechworth's Own Hop Party: The High Country Hop
Beechworth's Own Hop Party: The High Country Hop
|Tito Orellana
There is probably no more highly anticipated hop harvest event around Australia than Bridge Road's unique High Country Hop! Read more...
Luna Landing: HPA's new hop has Launched!
Luna Landing: HPA's new hop has Launched!
|Tito Orellana
Huge news: HPAs legendary hop breeding program have released a new shining beacon in their lineup: Luna® Read more...
Happy Hops (& Botanicals): Euphorics Hit The Scene
Happy Hops (& Botanicals): Euphorics Hit The Scene
|Alex Newton
Euphorics are a hop-and-botanical combo being used by more and more Aussie brewers as a turbo button... Read more...
Bock Around, Find Out
Bock Around, Find Out
|Alex Newton
A beer with a clean lager finish, a warming ABV, and a big malt bill that serves up toasty, nutty goodness. Read more...
Triple IPA, Quadruple IPA, Quintuple IPA?! What in the hops is this?!
Triple IPA, Quadruple IPA, Quintuple IPA?! What in the hops is this?!
|Tito Orellana
We reached out to Jeffrey Argent (Owner & Head Brewer from Seeker Brewing) to ask a couple of questions about this massive Quadruple IPA release! Read more...
Frights, Scares & Pumpkin Ales
Frights, Scares & Pumpkin Ales
|Tito Orellana
It’s one of those styles that (somehow) has stood the test of time. It’s also perhaps one of the original fruit (or veg) adjuncted beer styles in the modern craft... Read more...
Yakima Chief Hops – The Chief of American Hops
Yakima Chief Hops – The Chief of American Hops
|Tito Orellana
The story of Yakima Chief Hops is one of grower ownership, innovation, and a direct connection between hop farmers and brewers. Read more...
Mild Ales: The Style That Almost Disappeared
Mild Ales: The Style That Almost Disappeared
|Tito Orellana
This classic style is nowadays known for being a low ABV style, with high drinkability and a nice toasty and biscuit like character from the malts… But did you know... Read more...
The Thousand Faces of Citra & The New World of Hop Products
The Thousand Faces of Citra & The New World of Hop Products
|Tito Orellana
Hop products made to concentrate Lupulin, the waxy yellow part inside hop flowers, which holds the essential oils that concentrate that fragrant aroma and punchy hops flavour. Read more...
These Boots Were Made For Brewing: The Pink Boots Society And Its Important Role In Beer
These Boots Were Made For Brewing: The Pink Boots Society And Its Important Role In Beer
|Tito Orellana
Cheers to beer and organisations like this that make the industry more inclusive and welcoming! Read more...
"That’s So In": Defining Styles And Creating Trends With The GABF
"That’s So In": Defining Styles And Creating Trends With The GABF
|Tito Orellana
Just like the style decisions handed down by Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of Runway magazine in 'The Devil Wears Prada', the US have their own way of determining what's "in... Read more...
Udderly Delicious: How Milk Sugar (Lactose) Made Its Whey Into Beer
Udderly Delicious: How Milk Sugar (Lactose) Made Its Whey Into Beer
|Alex Newton
What started as sweet porters and milk stouts has given rise to some of the delicious abominations we see today in adjuncted-to-the-teeth pastry stouts and dessert porters! Read more...
Into The Malty-verse: The Role of Grains in IPAs
Into The Malty-verse: The Role of Grains in IPAs
|Alex Newton
We all know hops are the main act in any IPA, but behind the scenes, there’s another key player shaping your favourite brews: malt. Read more...
‘Tis the Saison
‘Tis the Saison
|Alex Newton
While a lot of brewers believe a key characteristic of a Saison is that it should have a strong connection to the region and time it was brewed, globalisation has... Read more...
West of Plzeň: success of the West Coast Pilsner
West of Plzeň: success of the West Coast Pilsner
|Alex Newton
Unlike traditional pilsners, West Coast Pilsners maintain a clean and crisp mouthfeel, but with a hop forward approach with American hops like Citra & Mosaic.  Read more...
Nitrogen: From Cask To Keg To That Oh-So-Beautiful Cascade
Nitrogen: From Cask To Keg To That Oh-So-Beautiful Cascade
|Alex Newton
While nitrogen has been seeping into our brews for millennia, it wasn’t until the 1950s that we started deliberately incorporating it into beer... Read more...
Pardon my French, but what the froff is a Belgian IPA?
|Alex Newton
Mixing big, fruity American hops with Belgium’s funky, spice-producing yeasts - the result? A beer that’s bold, complex, and just the right amount of weird! Read more...
WTF is a barleywine? I came here to drink beer
|Alex Newton
Contrary to their name, Barleywines are a type of (extra) strong ale. Generally, English-style brews will be warmer & malty, while you can expect a bolder, hoppy intensity from the American-style... Read more...
Celebrating The Delicate Art Of The Fruit IPA!
Celebrating The Delicate Art Of The Fruit IPA!
|Tito Orellana
Adding fruit to a beer is an ancient tradition, coming from the addition of spices and fruit to beers in the Middle Ages, to modern Wheat Ales in Europe with... Read more...
Why you need a magnum-sized wine bottle
Why you need a magnum-sized wine bottle
|Hannah Baars
Magnums are not just 'double the wine' - there's many more reasons you should have a couple of these large formats in your cellar... Read more...
The Wild World of Wort Workers
The Wild World of Wort Workers
|Alex Newton
While most beers labelled ‘sour’ these days tend to be brewed in very controlled environments, wild ales are just that – wild! Read more...
From East Kent to India: The Origin of the IPA
From East Kent to India: The Origin of the IPA
|Alex Newton
One style rarely mentioned in the hype-driven IPA market of today is the one that started it all – the humble English IPA. Read more...
Hāpi Days In The Hop Fields
Hāpi Days In The Hop Fields
|Alex Newton
Hāpi Research is a collaborative program aimed at developing hops alongside brewers to grow (pun intended) the hop industry in Aotearoa, with brewers from around the globe attending the annual... Read more...
Jump into the juicy world of Dry Hopping
Jump into the juicy world of Dry Hopping
|Alex Newton
Most modern IPAs tend to have a solid hit of this bitterness, but also more volatile and fruity or floral notes to balance the punchy alpha acids. How do brewers... Read more...
The Art & The Unknown of Barrel Aged Beers
The Art & The Unknown of Barrel Aged Beers
|Alex Newton
As you raise your glass of barrel-aged bliss, remember the long journey this beer has been on to reach your lips. It’s a tale of hops and malt, oak and... Read more...
Colla-beer-ations: An Industry of Mateship
Colla-beer-ations: An Industry of Mateship
|Alex Newton
After our own recent visit to Hop Hen in Lilydale, and with nearly half the beers in this edition of Hop Quest being collaborations, we thought it only fitting to... Read more...
Baltic Beer in the 21st Century: what’s next for Estonia?
Baltic Beer in the 21st Century: what’s next for Estonia?
|Alex Newton
Estonia, like many countries across Northern Europe, has a long history of home and farmstead brewing... Read more...
The Delicate Balance of a Misunderstood Beer Style: The Sour IPA
The Delicate Balance of a Misunderstood Beer Style: The Sour IPA
|Tito Orellana
One style that is especially divisive is the Sour IPA. Sour IPA is a somewhat new style that has gained popularity over the last decade... Read more...
Guardians of the Ale-axy
Guardians of the Ale-axy
|Tito Orellana
While you might not think a pint is in need of protection, there’s a few organisations doing just that; protecting the artisanal brewing processes and promoting the players who respect... Read more...
Its time to revisit Tequila!
Its time to revisit Tequila!
|Hannah Baars
Catch up on all things Tequila and explore the different Tequila styles. Read more...
Best Buds: What are these so called ‘Terpenes’ in my IPA?
Best Buds: What are these so called ‘Terpenes’ in my IPA?
|Tito Orellana
Our latest Hop Quest beer box you’ll find Wolf of the Willows ‘King Louis XIII’ West Coast IPA with “added Terpenes”... but what are these things? Read more...
From Rome to Robes: Belgian Beer Through the Ages
From Rome to Robes: Belgian Beer Through the Ages
|Alex Newton
Belgium, known for its chocolate and waffles, has a beer culture as rich and diverse as the brews themselves. Read more...
Getting Passion-ate About New Zealand Hops with Kohia Nelson
Getting Passion-ate About New Zealand Hops with Kohia Nelson
|Alex Newton
Freestyle Hops have been on a roll lately, creating a tonne of new and innovative hop products. Their latest product release is the 2023 blend of ‘Kohia Nelson’, a proprietary... Read more...
Scotch Ales: Belters or Boggin?
Scotch Ales: Belters or Boggin?
|Alex Newton
Scotch ales, affectionately known as Wee Heavy’s in bonnie Scotland, may not gather the same rabid following as NEIPAs or Pastry Stouts, but let me tell ye, they’re pure brilliant! Read more...
Alpha & Beta? Is this a frat house?
Alpha & Beta? Is this a frat house?
|Alex Newton
It’s not a reference to noughties college movies - Alpha and beta acids are the dynamic duo that hold the key to beer’s bitterness, flavour and shelf life... Read more...
Terroir: Not just for the Sommeliers
Terroir: Not just for the Sommeliers
|Alex Newton
Let’s take a leap into the world of terroir! Yes, you heard right – terroir isn’t just for wine snobs. Terroir also has a say in our fave froth’s flavour... Read more...
Freestyle Hops’ Flawless Victory - SubZero Hop Kief
Freestyle Hops’ Flawless Victory - SubZero Hop Kief
|Alex Newton
You might look at the varieties of hops featuring in three beers in our latest Hop Quest box and think: ‘What on earth is a SubZero Hop Kief?’ and ‘Why... Read more...
From swill to skill: the rise of the craft pilsner
From swill to skill: the rise of the craft pilsner
|Alex Newton
While Pilsners may have been associated with mass-produced, watery swill in the past, it’s been making a serious comeback in the craft scene over the last couple of years! Read more...
Swiping Right on Fresh Hops
Swiping Right on Fresh Hops
|Alex Newton
Fresh Hop IPAs are like a hot new Tinder match: fresh, spicy, and sometimes a little bit crazy. But unlike your dating life, with Fresh Hop IPAs, you’re guaranteed for... Read more...
Aegir’s Legacy
Aegir’s Legacy
|Alex Newton
We're showcasing some modern beer styles from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway – countries that have been brewing for thousands of years. Here's the brewing backstory... Read more...
Hop varieties bridging the gap between old and new world
Hop varieties bridging the gap between old and new world
|Alex Newton
These hop varieties are changing the way we look at old world hop production and starting to bridge the gap between old and new. Read more...
Malt, hops, yeast, water…. & ADJUNCTS!
Malt, hops, yeast, water…. & ADJUNCTS!
|Tito Orellana
Adjuncts are ingredients outside of the regular 4 that are added to compliment and elevate the characteristic of an already tasty brew.... Read more...
West Coast IPA Classics
West Coast IPA Classics
|Niki Fraser
Piney, resinous bitterness and a big malt character – what’s not to love about a West Coast IPA?! So just what wizardry happens to conjure up those big, dank flavours? Unsurprisingly, hops. Read more...
Schlenkerla & Smoke
Schlenkerla & Smoke
|Hannah Baars
Rauchbier (German for “smoke beer”) is one of the most divisive beer styles on the market – but strangely moreish. The first sip can be overwhelming, but your palate adjusts... Read more...
Nelson Sauvin: The Quinessential New Zealand Hop
Nelson Sauvin: The Quinessential New Zealand Hop
|Niki Fraser
Nelson Sauvin has made a name for itself as one of the most intriguing variety of hops out there! Read more...
NZ Experimental Hops
NZ Experimental Hops
|Niki Fraser
Ever wondered how Citra became Citra? What’s the process in-between seed and Simcoe? You’ll be surprised to hear that the journey is a long one, and it can take decades... Read more...
Cryo Hops & Cryo Pop, Lupulin Pellet & Lupo Max?
Cryo Hops & Cryo Pop, Lupulin Pellet & Lupo Max?
|Niki Fraser
These terms are getting more and more prevalent on the labels of IPAs, but what do they actually mean? The short answer is that they are innovative hop products, used... Read more...