Brewing good beer is always fun, but throwing in a little stitch up and some banter makes it even better!
Back in March, our mates at Mountain Culture invited us to the stunning Blue Mountains to team up on a brewing adventure. We crafted the first beer in The collab series: a smooth, sessionable Hazy Pale Ale we’d appropriately name Backpack Ale with both breweries hailing from Australian backpacking regions.
But it wasn’t all just brewing. The Mountain Culture Crew decided to up the ante by taking us on a wild canyoning escapade. Picture this: heavy rain, being hurled over a thundering waterfall, and racing through fast-moving rapids. The first of a handful of stitch ups yet come throughout the collab.
In true collab style, it was our turn to host and return the favour. We were pumped to welcome the Mountain Culture Crew to Byron Bay and show them what the Northern Rivers is all about. 🤙🏻 Surf ups!
Since it was their first time surfing, the boys took some heavy wipeouts, but their ambitious spirits threw them back on the board to get back out there and catch a few more. We wrapped up the session with some ice cold Stone & Wood Pacific Ales. Then, it was back to the brewery to dive into brewing our own addition to The Backpack Ale series.
When our brewers met DJ, the head brewer at Mountain Culture, it was like a match made in hop heaven. DJ, originally from North Carolina, polished his brewing skills in Colorado before bringing his love for fresh beer to the Blue Mountains of Katoomba, NSW. We quickly bonded over our love for epic nature, good times, and great beers, and it wasn’t long before we knew we had to collaborate.
With both Mountain Culture and Stone & Wood coming from vibrant, backpacker-friendly towns, it was a no-brainer to create something special together. So, check out the second beer in our collab: the Backpack Ale West Coast IPA. It’s available for a limited time at select bottleshops, pubs, our breweries, and online September 12th. Cheers to an epic two-part collaboration!