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.

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.

It’s a matter of being simply the best when a set of legendary limited-releases come out of retirement for one more chance at brewing glory.

After a crushing 10 rounds of Counter Culture, two beers must rise above the rest to become your MVBs and enjoy a comeback brew. It’s a tussle tighter than a pair of AFL shorts, but ultimately, the final whistle belongs to you.

For two heart stopping weeks of ice-cold competition, you have the power to give these small batch beers the chance at another guernsey or send them back to the sheds forever.

It’s a momentous challenge to choose a favourite from this line-up, so to help with your selection, let’s recap on each player:

WATCH: SWX video – Commemorating 10 Years of Beers

It’s been 10 years of beers since the first kegs rolled out of the brewery in Byron Bay, back in 2008. In our latest video, we look back with Brad (co-founder) and Caolan (head brewer), along with a couple of local characters and our team at the journey so far, along with beers we’ve released along the way.

To commemorate ‘10 Years of Beers’ for Stone & Wood we wanted to brew something special to mark the occasion. SWX is a decadent 10% imperial stout, which was barrel aged for 10 months.

SWX pours jet black with a chocolate head and features incredible depth of malt flavours and aromas of espresso, cocoa and dark fruits. The stout was matured in seasoned fortified wine barrels, which enhance the smooth, rich, flavours and aroma of oak while providing hints of cherries and chocolate. SWX is assertive and refined with a warming palate that is full-bodied but balanced by a firm bitterness.

A spectacularly big, complex and delightful brew that celebrates our journey so far and the adventures yet to come.

FIND SWX ON TAP OR IN BOTTLE AT A VENUE BELOW:

*Check with your local watering hole first to see if the beer has been tapped

Northern Rivers & Gold Coast

Going on tap

Tasting Room	The rails	Bangalow Hotel
Element Bar	Welders Dog

Available in bottles

Tasting Room	Cellar Byron	Cellar Bangalow
Cellar Ballina	Northern Bottleshop	Sun Bistro
Beach Byron Bay	Harvest	Park Hotel
Sunrise Cellars	Welders Dog	Mothers Milk/ 63 First Avenue
BRGR Spot	Flatop Boogie	Yamba Liquor Supplies
Palmers Island	BYO Cellars Coffs Harbour	Celebrations Mary’s G’s
Station hotel lismore	Southest Rock’s Cellars

Sydney & Surrounds

Going on tap

Blind Bear	Dove & Olive	Howlin Wolf
Station Bar Katoomba	Stowaway Bar	The Beach Club Collaroy
The Oaks Hotel	The Taphouse	The Union
Winston Hills Hotel	The Longueville Hotel

Available in bottles

Beer Cartel	Barny’s Fine Wine & Ales	Bomaderry Super Cellars
Bondi Beach Cellars	BottlO’Briens	Camperdown Cellars Bronte
Camperdown Cellars Cremone	Camperdown Cellars Darlinghurst	Camperdown Cellars Kingston Rd
Camperdown Cellars Leichhardt	Camperdown Cellars Neutral Bay	Camperdown Cellars Parramatta Rd
Carrington Cellars	Cellarbrations Little Bay	Charlies Liquor Tahmoor
Clareville Cellars	Coogee Bay Hotel	Craft Cartel
Cromer Cellars	Crown West Cellars	Cutty Cellars
David’s Cellars Annandale	David’s Cellars Sydenham	Leura Cellars
Liquor Emporium Alexandria	Liquor Emporium St Peters	Liquor Legends Ashfield
Liquor on Oxford	Manning St Cellars	Midway Cellars
Mollymook Fine Wines & Ales	Newtown Wine Shop	North Curl Curl Cellars
Oak Barrel	Parkhouse Hotel	Porters Balgowlah
Robin Hood Hotel	Sackville Hotel	Steve’s Cool Booze
Sydney Wine Merchants	The Henson	The Union
Unity Hall Hotel	Porters Liquor Hornsby Heights

Newcastle & Surrounds

Going on tap

The Grain Store, Newcastle East	Fire Station Hotel, Wallsend	The Happy Womabt, Newcastle West
Warners At The Bay

Available in bottles

Blueys Cellars and Deli	Bottle-O Lambton	Georgetown Cellars
Mary Ellen Hotel, Merewether	Oldfeild Cellars, Gosford	Prince of Wales, Merewether
Rowies Hunter Street	Tacking Point Tavern, Port Macquarie	The Welders Dog, Tamworth
Tighes Hill Cellars

ACT

Available in bottles

To All My Friends (tap only)	Page Bottler	Plonk Fyshwick
Prohibition Bottleshop

Brisbane & surrounds

Going on tap

Brewski	Zero Fox	Bloodhound Bar
The Mill on Constance	Osbourne Hotel	Tipplers Tap
Fitzys Toowomba	Grand View Hotel	Elysium Lakeside
Crow n Arrow	Sasquatch	Archive Beer Boutique
Embassy Hotel	Netherworld	Pig N Whistle Riverside
Pineapple Hotel – Helsby Ale House	Story Bridge Hotel	Transcontinental Craft Bar

Available in bottles

Wine Emporium	Cellarbrations Bowen Hills	Liquor Legends Stafford Tavern
Sense of Taste Portside	TB’s Stafford Cellars	Spiros Bottleshop
Black Sheep Bottle Shop Stafford	Black Sheep Bottle Shop The Gap	Black Sheep Bottle Shop Newmarket
Black Sheep Bottle Shop St. Lucia	Black Sheep Bottle Shop Everton Hills	Cellarbrations International Hotel Spring Hill
Cellarbrations Grange	Urban Cellars Hendra	Urban Cellars Grange
Urban Cellars Stones Corner	Urban Cellars Gabba	Urban Cellars Norman Park
Tipplers Tap	Malt Traders Southbank	Sense of Taste Coorparoo
Vistoria & Montague Cellars	SW1 – Victoira & Montague Cellars	Shafston Hotel
Grog Shop Camp Hill Cellars	Thirsty Camel Stones Corner	Thirsty Camel Balmoral
Cellarbrations Camp Hill	Glenn Hotel	MacKenzie Row Cellars Toowoomba
Vines Cleveland	Suburban Social	Bottlemart Full Moon Hotel
Bottlemart Boondall	Mr Henderson	Bottlemart Margate
Archive Next Door Cellars	SBH Cellars – East Brisbane	SBH Cellars- Story Bridge Hotel Cellars Kangaroo Point
Cellarbrations – Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel	Craft winestore – Coorparoo	Craft winestore – Red Hill
Valley Wine Store – Elephant Arms Hotel	Grand Central Cellars ( Grand Central Hotel )	Brisbane German Club
Harry Brown Eatons Hill	Hendra Hop & Vine	Malt Traders CBD
Pineapple Cellars – Holland park /Mt Gravatt	Sandstone Hotel – Bottlemart	Transcontinental Hotel Craft Bar
TB Wine & Beer – West End

Gold Coast 

Going on tap

Zee Pickle	Backbone Bar	Lester & Earl
Bine	House of Brews	Last night on earth
Longboards

Available in bottles

Tugun Cellars, DBS Kirra Hotel	Currumbin Creek Tavern	Coolangatta Hotel
Salt Bar	Murwillumbah Cellars	Lester & Earl
The Mill Cellarbrations	Capris Wine + Beer	Southport Wine + Beer
Pacific Fair Wine + Beeer	Thirsty Camel Surfers (Steampunk)	Treetops
Advancetown

Sunshine Coast

Available in bottles

Taps Mooloolaba (tap only)	Purple Palate Maleney	Coffee Cat
Cellarbrations Wises Road	Salty Dog Cellars	Village Bicycle
Cellarbrations Parklands	Cellarbrations Peregian Beach

Victoria & Surrounds

Going on tap

The Great Northern Hotel	The Rainbow	Terminus Hotel Clifton Hill
Beermash	The Lincoln	The Royston
The Park Hotel Abbotsford	Freddie Wimpoles	The Local Taphouse
Beer Deluxe Fed Sqaure	Hopscotch	Captain Melville
Whitehart

Available in bottles

Forester’s Pub & Dining	The Catfish	Slowbeer
Otters Promise	Captain Melville	Beer Deluxe Fed Square
Fifty Five	Workshop	Bobby Peels
Melbourne Cellar Door	Valley Cellar Door	The Great Northern Hotel
Beermash	Mr. West	McCoppins Fitzroy
McCoppins Abbotsford	Strathmore Cellars	Wine Republic Northcote
Cheapa Wines Seddon	Nillumbik Cellars	Vintage 72
Greythorn Cellars	Slowbeer	Grape and Grain
Purvis Beer	A Point of Difference Liquor	Mayerling Cellars
Bottlehouse Balaclava	Bottlehouse Balaclava	Decanters By The Bay
Press Cellars	Parkhill Cellars	Corks Crew Cellars
Bottles & Barrels

Tasmania

Going on tap

The New Sydney Hotel (Not tapped until DEC)

Saint Johns (Not tapped until DEC)

Available in bottles

Saint Johns

Cool Wine

Cellarbrations at The Abbey

South Australia

Available in bottles

The Wheaty (on tap only)	Belair Fine Wines	Ed Cellars
Goodwood Cellars	Old Spot Hotel	Gilbert St Hotel

Western Australia

Available in bottles

Dutch Trading Co

Mane Liquor

Scarborough Cellars