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Back for its third year, our strawberry and cream sour sensation – Strawberry Sundae Kisses – has returned and is bubbling away in our Brisbane Brewery, getting ready for an early August release.

Packed with 60kg of Queensland strawberries, this gorgeous little limited-edition is not only delicious, but has a heart of gold.

Each year, proceeds from our Strawberry Sundae Kisses, sold exclusively from our Brisbane Brewery, are directed to The Common Good, the fundraising initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane.

For 33 years, the Royal Queensland Show- the Ekka –  provided The Common Good with one of its biggest fundraising drives of the year, with the sales of its iconic Strawberry Sundaes going direct to the charity.

So, in 2020 when the Ekka was cancelled (for the first time) due to Covid restrictions, our Brisbane Head Brewer, Mick Barnes got curious about how we could get on board to help the cause.

The result: Strawberry Sundae Kisses.

Based on the traditional Berliner Weisse beer style, brewed with fresh strawberries, lactose and vanilla added during fermentation for a creamy, delectable beer with hints of Ekka strawberry sundaes.

For the past two years, the legends of Southeast Queensland have absolutely got behind our delicious homage, with the brew selling out both years in a matter of weeks.

This year, with the Ekka back on (touching wood, crossing fingers), we’re thrilled to continue to be a part of The Common Good story, with the 2022 Strawberry Sundae Kisses batch being sold not just at our Fortitude Valley Brewery, but also at the big old show itself!

You can grab a glass of SSK in the phenomenal Craft Beer Alley at this year’s Ekka while chomping down on the original Ekka classic, Strawberry Sundae.

As with previous years, all proceeds from the sales of Strawberry Sundae Kisses will go towards The Common Good and all the amazing work that takes place at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brissie.

Catch Strawberry Sundae Kisses at our Brisbane Brewery from Thursday 4 August and at the Royal Queensland Show from Saturday 6 August.

Follow our Brisbane brewery on Insta @stoneandwoodbrisbane

STONE BEER 2022

Pouring dark brown, this decadent brew begins with rich and chocolatey aromas, followed by dark chocolate, coffee, caramel and toffee flavours on the palate and finishes with a firm bitterness.

But there’s much more to this beer than just delicious indulgence.

For the first time in Stone Beer history, we’re thrilled to announce Stone Beer 2022 is made using regenerative grain. Sourced from farms that replenish and restore the earth they toil, it is our hope with further adaptation to this way of farming, there will be many more vintages of Stone Beer to come. 

While we’re embracing the future, Stone Beer will always be a homage to the past. Created each year using ancient brewing techniques, our brewers set volcanic rock into a burning hot fire, before adding them glowing red to the kettle. This rouses the boil and intensifies the beer’s malt character.

Best enjoyed with mates by a fire somewhere, we also suggest pairing this dark beauty with a rich chocolate cake or a serving of nonna’s tiramisu.

STONE BEER VINTAGE PACK

A very limited number of Stone Beer Vintage Packs is only available from our online store. For the Stone Beer devotee, the Vintage Pack comes with a traditional ceramic crock filled with our delicious 2021 Barrel Aged Stone Beer brew, plus a cheeky taster of 2022 Stone Beer on the side.

WHERE TO GET STONE BEER 2022

You can now buy Stone Beer 2022 through our online store or find your nearest stockist below. Give them a call before heading out to ensure it’s in stock. It’s also available from our Brisbane and Byron Bay Tasting Room.

STONE BEER 2022

Wood Fired Porter 

HOPS: Tettnang

MALTS: Barret’s pale, Voyager Chocolate, Voyager Voodoo, Voyager SM40, Voyager Biscuit, Voyager Amber.

YEAST: New England Ale Yeast

OTHER: Ground Wattleseed

ALC/VOL: 6.4%

STONE BEER 2022 STOCKISTS

Find your nearest stockist below, and give them a call before heading out to ensure it’s in stock! Note: Listing will be updated in the weeks ahead as word gets out.

We love Winter here at Stone & Wood.

Because as the darker days of the year start to creep in, it’s a signal to our brewers that the season of the Stone has begun.

It starts with the brewing of our decadent, limited-release wood fired porter and ends in our biggest party of the year – Festival of The Stone.

Every year, our brewers begin the Stone Beer brew by employing ancient techniques of setting fire stones in the kettle. On this year’s Stone Brew Day, we invited legends of the local hospitality game down to help us start the story of Stone Beer 2022 and breathe fire into this year’s legend.

We make a slight twist to the Stone Beer recipe each year, but the element of 2022’s brew we’re most proud of is the use of regenerative grain. Grain is the base of every great beer and the crop we sourced from this year, comes from farms that replenish and restore the earth they toil, a way of farming that’s soft on the soil and sustainable for years to come.

Stone Beer 2022 was made with a range of the highest quality Australian malts from Voyager Craft Malt and native wattle-seed. Pouring dark brown, this decadent brew begins with rich and chocolatey aromas, followed by dark chocolate, coffee, caramel and toffee flavours on the palate and finishes with a firm bitterness. 

WATCH: STONE BREW DAY 2022

STONE BEER 2022 RELEASE

Of course, not everyone is able to drop all their plans for a decadent porter, so the great news is Stone Beer will be available in our online store and at select bottle shops and venues this June. Stay tuned for a release time.

FESTIVAL OF THE STONE

Of course, there’s no better place than try Stone Beer than right at the source.

Festival Of The Stone marks the tapping of each year’s Stone Beer and also doubles as Byron’s biggest neighbourhood block party. This year, we’re stoked to have Melbourne rockers The Delta Riggs headline an amazing lineup that also includes Death By Denim, Drop Legs, South Summit, Club Raiders DJs, Cashew, Spacie, Yazmin and the Stone & Wood DJs.

Always a sold-out event, start your Stone Beer pilgrimage to Byron by heading here to snag a ticket in time.

Wherever you are this winter, we invite you to enjoy Stone Beer 2022, preferably around a fire, with mates…or on a Byron dancefloor with hundreds of strangers 

Born in Southern France but stationed all over the globe, international can of mystery – Wayne Dubois – recently fell into the hands of the fiends at Counter Culture.

Deep in their dark lab, he was transformed into an intriguing hybrid of French sophistication and Australian good times.

A sparkling shiraz at heart, Wayne underwent a rigorous and experimental fermentation process that resulted in a personality so dry and refreshing that one encounter with this smooth operator is never enough.

Sour by name, not by reputation, there are few who can resist a night with Wayne Dubois.             

An international can of mystery…who really is Wayne Dubois?

AVAILABILITY

The Counter Culture Lab have lost control of Wayne.

WAYNE IS NOW SOLD OUT ON OUR ONLINE STORE. If you’re lucky you might be able to find him at selected bottleshops and venues and our Byron Bay Tasting Room and Brisbane brewery.

LISTEN: WHO REALLY IS WAYNE DUBOIS? PLAYLIST

Counter Culture by Stone & Wood present the Who Really Is Wayne Dubois? Playlist: music inspired by the latest limited release, the intriguing hybrid of French sophistication and Australian good times. Crack open a cold can of Wayno and press play.

Be sure to follow @counterculturebeer to be the first across all the brewing magic.

A limited release available now.

Stone & Wood and Afends present: Crop Circles, an experiment that chooses to believe in a sustainable future for beer and fashion.

Together, the brewers and style makers turned to the crops that are making green waves in their industries – regenerative grain for beer and hemp for clothing – to create something out of this world.

Not from the future and need to know more about regenerative grain?

For the making of Crop Circles, Stone & Wood sourced Certified regenerative grain from farms that are replenishing their natural ecosystems, soil biodiversity and organic matter. This means the land they use has a greater ability to regenerate and recycle nutrients, decreasing their dependence on outside resources and reducing methane and carbon emissions. Watch the making of Crop Circles here.

Charged up about the future of farming? Good, now let’s talk about the beer.

A perfect companion to the end of summer, Crop Circles is a juicy pale ale with flavours of mango, subtle hints of macadamia and a dash of locally-sourced hemp seed. Pleasantly aromatic, its taste is not only out of this world, but it’s also a sessionable brew at 5% Alc/Vol.

The clothing, a hemp capsule collection created by Afends in collaboration with Stone & Wood, is a limited release that’s ready to transport you by design. A small selection of merch is available online today in the Stone & Wood online store, but if you’re after the total Afends experience, head to their earthly offering here.

Tune into the Crop Circles Playlist: music to teleport you. Best enjoyed with Crop Circles limited edition beer and eyes to the future.

Availability

Ready to believe?

Good news, the future is now: From today you can purchase Crop Circles from our official online store or at our Byron Bay Tasting Room and Brisbane brewery, where the Crop Circles flows freely on tap.

For more info and to track down the location of Area 51 and your closest stockist of Crop Circles head here.

But be quick believers, Crop Circles is only earthside for a short time.

We Canned Springtime.

At Stone & Wood, we’re pretty excited about the growing trend of native Australian produce being used in new beers.

That’s why we were stoked to team up with our Byron neighbours – Australian Macadamias – in dreaming up this new limited-release malty lager: Malty Mac.

Based on a traditional German dunkel style beer, Malty Mac was modernised for the Aussie palate by adding roasted macadamias to the brewing process and the result: a buttery smooth, malty lager that pours with dark golden hues.

Our Byron brewer, Josh Waters, was instrumental in creating this delicious drop and believes he’s brewed an approachable beer that’s perfect for food pairing or just cooling off on one of those balmy Byron afternoons.

Those familiar with our part of the world in the Northern Rivers, would recall the green Macadamia Farms that stretch out across the Byron Hinterland. In the past 50 years, these farms have helped propel this humble little nut into becoming Australia’s 4^th biggest horticultural export.

Our brewers have had so much fun working with this homegrown hero so needless to say, we’re excited to get it out to the public today. Available in our Byron and Brisbane tasting rooms for a limited time, drop by for a glass of Malty Mac while you can. It would be rude nut to. Pouring in our Tasting Rooms from Monday 15 November.

MACADAMIA TASTE MAKER & BREWER, JOSH WATERS

Our brewer, Josh, was at the helm in creating Malty Mac. Watch the video below to get the full story.

Availability

This limited edition brew is available from today (Monday 15th November) at our Byron Bay Tasting Room and Brisbane brewery, only while stocks last.

Knowing how to make a beer batter is an easy and straightforward process. You will only need a couple of ingredients to make something you that has the potential to eclipse the taste from your local fish ‘n chip takeaway.

And we recommend considering beer batter fosh, an incredibly tasty vegan alternative to the typical fish and chips.

Our easy beer batter recipe takes under five minutes to prepare and is ready in another five minutes. Just enough time between half time whistles to whip up a couple of servings for you and a few mates.

WHAT TYPE OF BEER IS BEST FOR BEER BATTER?

Ultimately, the best beer for the batter depends on the type of fish or vegan alternative you’ve got on hand.

Use lighter, fruitier styles of beer for delicate or subtle foods such as tofu and lighter vegetables. While a dark stout can make a great combination with mushrooms or even poached stonefruit (oh yes!), it can smother more delicate flavours.

It’s also key to use beer you like to drink! This might sound obvious, but it really makes a difference. Plus, there is always the half glass left for the chef… For a full vegan alternative, our Brisbane Brewery chef recommends three different Stone & Wood brews – the Jasper Ale, Pacific Ale and Green Coast Lager.

The firmness of the tofu can take the stronger flavours of the Jasper, while the fennel will love the bright fruity notes of the Pacific. If you’re also cutting some potatoes to go with the fry, these will match with the bitter notes of our Lager.

PRO TIP

One of the fundamentals in a beer batter recipe is to keep the beer cold. This little trick of mixing the cold beer with the hot oil, causing the batter to go extra-crispy has been a well-known culinary secret for years. For best results, leave in the fridge for at least two hours prior to cooking.

STEPS TO MAKING BEER BATTER FOSH

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of your choice of beer
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ¾ cup of self-raising flour
• ¼ potato starch or rice flour
• Canola/vegetable oil blend
• Your choice of fish (boneless and skinless) or vegan alternative

STEP 1

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps. You don’t want to whisk the batter for long at the risk of over-developing the gluten.

STEP 2

Gradually whisk in the beer until smooth and leave to the side.

STEP 3

It’s time to fry! Heat the vegetable oil over high heat to 190º C for the best crunch.

STEP 4

Dunk the fish or tofu in batter to coat well. Add to oil and deep fry until golden.

STEP 5:

Remove and drain any excess off.

STEP 6:

Season with a touch of flaked sea salt and serve with some crisp lettuce or rocket, and a side of vegan tartare sauce.

STEP 7:

Don’t forget to pair it with the same ice-cold beer you used for the batters – you deserve one after all that hard work!

Want to leave the work to someone else? Try out the Stone & Wood Pacific Ale Beer battered fish available from our friends at Beach Byron.

We’d also love to see your creations! Be sure to tag us on insta #beerbatter

Counter Culture’s Mighty Scotch Ale’s Available Now.

Above the pounding waves and jagged cliffs of Scotland’s Clo Mor runs a strong beast who is the last of its kind: the Dark Unicorn.

A symbol of power and passion, sightings of the illusive creature are rare, but tales of its majesty have filled the halls of Scottish taverns for generations.

According to age-old accounts, at the drawing of a long, cold winter, the Dark Unicorn makes its way down from the cliffs and into the towns.

Once there, the Unicorn’s presence delivers strength to the Scottish people to carry on until the birth of spring.

Taking inspiration from this tale of power and majesty, Counter Culture presents Dark Unicorn: a malt driven scotch ale aged in Starward Whiskey barrels, with lashings of chocolate, a touch of salt and an ABV of 7.6%.

The perfect companion for winter’s last cold days, capture the magic of Dark Unicorn while you can, for it may not be seen this way again.

Availability

You can purchase your Dark Unicorn 500ml two-pack from our online store or at our Brisbane brewery, where you’ll also be able to enjoy this on tap and for Byron locals, head to our @stoneandwoodbyronbay Instagram for more info on our operations over lockdown.

Hit up your local good beer stockist or venue to see if Dark Unicorn is available on tap or in cans.

For those looking to make their meeting with Dark Unicorn picture perfect, speciality Counter Culture glassware is also now available in a bundle with two-packs and cartons. 

Be the first to receive our Counter Culture releases before the rest of the country by signing up to our Beer Club.

Sign up to the Counter Culture newsletter and follow @counterculturebeer to hear about each release first.

To celebrate Father’s Day this year, we teamed up with some legends down the road – Brookie’s Gin – to create a modern twist on a hardworking favourite, The Boilermaker.

Traditionally a beer and whiskey combo, we’ve instead paired our hoppy red Jasper Ale with Brookie’s macadamia and roasted wattleseed liqueur – Mac. – and thrown in a cheeky bag of Brookfarm nuts for a Father’s Day treat he won’t forget.

Order The Boilermaker Pack for Dad or equivalent nearest & dearest from our online store and check our delivery calculator here to make sure you get in before cut off.

What’s A Boilermaker?

Born out of the industrial train and shipyards of the 1800s, blue-collar workers who slogged their way through long days would often head to the bar to throw back a beer and a shot of whiskey before heading home. 

These first boilermakers who drank the first boilermakers (a beer and shot combo) created a legacy for hardworking, thirsty fathers everywhere.

While today’s fathers may not all work at the coalface, most are still putting in long hours for their families in order to keep things going in this crazy year. 

How To Drink A Boilermaker:

Traditionally, the drinker would shot the whiskey all at once and then chase with the beer. In more recent times, bartenders looking to put on a show will often drop the entire shot directly into the beer glass.

However, we believe in savouring the good things. So, here’s how we suggest you make the most of our Boilermaker pack:

First, take a sip of the mighty Jasper Ale. 

Follow it with the nutty sweetness of Mac. by Brookie’s.

Then round out the experience by grabbing a handful of Brookfarm nuts. 

Best enjoyed:

In the company of a Dad.

To all the dads out there giving it their best, Happy Father’s Day.

Availability

Get The Boilermaker Pack from our online store. Available for a limited time and only while stocks last.

A popular style come winter, barrel aged beer is any lager, ale or hybrid beer that has been aged in a barrel or in contact with wood.

It’s a brewing technique that results in some outstanding beer, so we’ve hit up Stone & Wood’s Byron Brewer, Josh Waters, for more intel on the process.

What is the purpose of barrel-ageing beer?

The purpose of barrel ageing beers is to draw flavour from the oak and the previous spirit or wine that was in the barrel, also to increase its ABV%.

Can you tell us the process behind barrel-ageing?

Once we receive the barrels, it’s just a matter of transferring our fermented beer into the barrels and putting it in storage until we’re ready to bottle or keg it. Some beers like the Über Stone Beer will be stored for up to 24 months. We can also ferment in barrels for our sour/ funky style beers.

What beer styles lend themselves to barrel ageing? What beer styles in recent times have become popular to barrel age?

We tend to barrel age big winter beers most frequently, beers like porters and stouts. We also barrel age saison and Flanders style beers for Forest For The Trees. You can barrel age whatever style of beer you like as long as it will taste great blended with the flavours and aromas from what was previously in the barrel and the barrel itself.

Give us a quick rundown of this years’ Barrel Aged Stone Beer

This year’s barrel aged Stone Beer was brewed using a range of pale and roasted malts to give a nice balance of malty goodness with strong bitterness and heaps of flavour. The addition of extremely hot volcanic rocks to the boil is to add a caramel like sweetness to the wort. We brewed this beer to 8% ABV in the brewhouse and once fermented it was stored in whisky barrels for 12 months. The result is a super smooth 10% ABV Barrel aged porter.

Brewed using wood-fired stones in homage to brewing history, our annual limited-release woodfired porter Stone Beer 2021 is now available in our Byron and Brisbane Tasting Room, selected bottle shops and venues.

Brewed for when the days are short and the nights are cold, our 2021 Stone Beer is a wood-fired porter brewed with dark roasted malts to give coffee and dark chocolate flavours to the beer. Then, on an open fire, the brewer’s heat volcanic stones sourced from the nearby hinterland, before lowering them glowing-red into the kettle, which rouses the boil and intensifies the beer’s malt character.

Stone Beer 2021 will be pouring through taps and available on shelves in venues across Australia from today onwards. See our listing of stockists and venues below, be sure to call ahead with your local watering hole to see if it’s in stock.

Buy Stone Beer 2021 through our online store now.

STONE BEER 2021

Wood Fired Porter 

HOPS: Tettnang

MALTS: Barrett Pale Malt, Voyager: Chocolate, Voodoo, Amber, SM40 and Biscuit malts

YEAST: New England Ale Yeast

ALC/VOL: 6.4%

STONE BEER 2021 STOCKISTS

NSW

NORTHERN RIVERS, NORTH COAST & NEW ENGLAND

Going on tap 

Bottles 

SYDNEY & SURROUNDS

Going on tap 

Bottles 

BLUE MOUNTAINS & CENTRAL WEST

Going on tap

NEWCASTLE & SURROUNDS

Going on tap

Bottles 

SOUTHERLAND SHIRE & SOUTH COAST

Going on tap

ACT

Going on tap 

QLD

BRISBANE & SURROUNDS

Going on tap

Bottles

Sunshine Coast

Going on tap

Bottles

Gold Coast

Going on tap

Bottles

VIC

Going on tap

Bottles

Winter 2021 has heralded a beer bounty like never before. The mighty Stone Beer has returned and is available from today.

Our annual Stone Beer is brewed using wood-fired stones in homage to brewing history and focuses on high quality Australian craft malts and barrel aging techniques.

2021 STONE BEER – 6.4% ABV

In homage to brewing history, 2021 Stone Beer was brewed using wood fired stones and focuses on high quality Australian craft malts and barrel aging techniques. Pouring dark brown, Stone Beer starts with a rich and chocolatey aroma followed by coffee, dark chocolate and biscuity flavours that envelop the palate before a firm bitter finish.

Perfect for cold winter nights, our wood fired porter was made for moments by the fire with friends, beer in hand and tales unfolding.

Shop now

UBER STONE BEER – 15.5% ABV

Smooth and complex, Über is an Imperial Porter that is double barrel aged. Patiently it sat for 20 months in rum barrels before it was finished in fresh whisky barrels for a further four months.

A seductive midnight black beer with aromas of rich Belgian Chocolate and molasses that flood the senses before decadent layers of vanilla bean, chocolate truffles, rum cake, and ripe cherries take hold. 

With an ABV of 15.5%, Über is an experience best savoured and shared with friends. A very limited run of 750ml bottles in a gift box.

Shop now

 

STONE BEER BARREL-AGED CROCK – 10% ABV

Brewed for when the days are short and the nights are cold, our winter seasonal honours the ancient techniques of brewing. We squirreled away some of last year’s Stone Beer in to a handful of 2^nd use Starward Whiskey Barrels to age. We’ve all waited long enough to try it, so enjoy this special limited release sooner, rather than later. 

Exclusively available to our Beer Club members next month. Sign up to Beer Club to receive this limited release.

STONE BEER WINTER PACK

Embrace the best of the season by grabbing the Stone Beer Winter Pack and set yourself up for the fire.

Included is a four-pack of our coveted wood-fired porter, 2021 Stone Beer, a Stone Beer Beanie and a Stone Beer Soaked Salumi 2-pack. This Italian treat was created using a recipe created specifically to eat with Stone Beer and was soaked in the beer itself for a week to pick up some of the flavours and colour.

Shop now

Sticky Nectar and Tequila Queen’s comeback has officially kicked off with the All Stars legends now hitting venues and cans across the country.

Sticky Nectar, voted as the #1 Most Valuable Beer by Counter Culture Fans, is a Hazy IPA so chockers with mango puree that it will immediately transport you to a hot Queensland night under the lights at Lang Park.

Generous with hops, Sticky calls on Galaxy, Citra and Amarillo for his trademark tropical fruit aromas before he peppers the game with the sweetness of vanilla and mango. With pale, wheat and caramunich malts adding balance to his skillset and a solid 6.5% ABV, there’s no wonder this can is back on top of his game.

Tequila Queen, the comp’s Aged-oak Margarita Sour entry, showed no mercy as she scaled her way to the top of the Counter Culture ladder. Fuelled by a heady mixture of lime juice, lactobacillus, salt and Cointreau, nothing could hold back her Arette Tequila attack as she made her return to the brewery gates.

Refreshing and flavourful, you’d be stone cold loco to miss catching the Queen the second time around.

From today, you can purchase your All Stars 500ml two-pack (one Sticky and One Queen) and 12x500ml cartons of each from our official online store or at our Byron Bay Tasting Room and Brisbane brewery, where you’ll also be able to enjoy this duo on tap.

With our Beer Finder, you can also find your local All Stars stockist or venue that has these legends on draught.

Counter Culture giving you white line fever? Then be sure to sign up to the Counter Culture newsletter and follow @counterculturebeer to stay ahead of the game.

Buy All Stars online