Fancy a glass of bubbly (I’m talking about beer) sally robertson
The Australian wine industry may be struggling, but one area of the liquor industry dominating markets, pubs and bars is a brew of another kind – craft beer.
“There’s an oasis of beer in a desert of wine,” says Little Creatures brewer Nathan Miragliotta, speaking about the rise in popularty of craft beer.
Gone are the days of beer being drunk exclusively by males, accompanied by a steak or pizza – boutique beers are now linked with the lexicon once reserved for wine. Rest assured, these days you can talk about beer in terms of palate, sharpness, complexity and acid without being labelled a “wanker”.
And it seems this fad is here to stay for the foreseeable future, with craft beer experiencing a growth rate of 14% MAT per annum, according to Matilda Bay’s Michael Comerton.
“Craft beer is where wine was 20 years ago, consumers are trading-up, people are drinking less, are drinking better, and they’re drinking beer,” he says.
Blue Tongue trade marketing director Ty Burfort, says the main difference between craft and mass-produced beer is that a lot of love goes into the smaller-scale production. Other secrets include sourcing the best ingredients from around the world such as the fresh hops flowers used in Little Creatures beer, and staying away from the light, not-too-bitter flavours found in most brews.
While there are hundreds of breweries popping up in Australia, 85% of the boutique beer market is shared between four breweries – Matilda Bay, James Squire, Blue Tongue and Little Creatures. Their popularity relies on word of mouth, or, as Matilda Bay’s chief brewer Brad Rogers puts it, “word of glass”.
Comerton says Matilda Bay’s marketing is dependant on talking to people at events such as The Good Food and Wine Show held in Sydney and Melbourne annually, winning awards, educating trade, direct communication, an interactive website and limited sponsorship.
“It’s also about pushing the boundaries and taking the consumer on a journey,” says chief brewer Brad Rogers. Hence Matilda Bay has an eclectic mix of beer, from the popular Beez Neez, made from a third each of honey, barley and malt, to beers such as the Barking Duck, Bohemian and even coffee beer.
Little Creatures was launched on the Australian Stock Exchange last November, with the share price since increasing by 20%, which Miragliotta says demonstrates people’s willingness to invest in craft beer.
“Our advertising has all been grass-roots, we don’t have big budgets. Instead we’ve decided to support smaller-scale events and struggling artists. The ball is gathering momentum, and honestly the proof is in the pudding.”
The Hunter Valley’s Blue Tongue Beer was launched a couple of years ago by four business partners (including Bruce Tyrell from Tyrell’s vineyards and Peach advertising founder Paul Hannan) and is stocked on business-class Quantas flights.
Since then the brewery has doubled in capacity, found a new partner in John Singleton.and sponsors the Newcastle Knights.
