Back in November 2008 when we proudly rolled out our first brew we were hell bent on keeping things simple. Brewed to no existing style, our cloudy, dry hopped ale was to be a draught only beer. We didn’t want to give it some crazy quirky critter name, we just called it what it was, an ale drawn fresh from the tank and available only on draught … so Draught Ale it was.

Over the next year and a half or so of pumping out the hoppy goodness we were constantly asked to have our Draught Ale available in bottles. Rolling out a Draught Ale in bottles seemed a bit weird but hey, we had a whole bunch of people who knew the beer as Draught Ale,  so the same beer out of the tank was put into kegs and bottles and away we went.

On another angle, ever since we launched our ale, people have continually been asking us, “what style of beer is it?”

As independently minded brewers we don’t want to be limited to brewing beers from an existing style register. There is nothing stopping brewers from developing new approaches, and using new ingredients to create new styles of beer that don’t fit the strict criteria of traditional beer styles. That’s the mindset that drives our approach to brewing, and is what led us to develop our ale.

After a couple of years of living and brewing in this little town and watching people enjoying our Draught Ale here and afar, we are convinced that it has developed its own style, its own special place in the small beer world. So we have changed the name of our Draught Ale but the beer remains the same.

Our ale deserves a name that speaks to where it is created, its home, a name that helps it establish its own place and its own beer style. The answer has been staring us in the face all along. It’s now called Stone & Wood Pacific Ale.

Inspired by our home on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and brewed using all Australian barley, wheat and Galaxy hops, Pacific Ale is cloudy and golden with a big fruity aroma and a refreshing finish.

So when someone asks us “what style of beer is it?”, we will simply say it’s a Pacific Ale.

The change won’t happen overnight, but it will progressively roll out as we change our packaging materials etc over the coming months.