Stone Beer is back! Brewed using one of brewing's oldest traditions, Stone Beer 2026 is a rich porter made with wood-fired stones, delivering layers of roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee and subtle smoke.
In mid May, we gathered in the brewery for one of our favourite annual rituals: Stone Brew Day. Heated over a wood fire before being lowered into the brew, the stones caramelise the malt, creating the rich, distinctive flavour that makes Stone Beer what it is.
Brewed just once a year and worth the wait. Stone Beer is available soon online, in our Byron Bay Tasting Room and at select bottle shops.
Coming together for a beer around the breathtaking Northern Rivers coastline is how people love to connect in this region. Now, as we spend more time at home and away from our close ones, there’s a certain nostalgia to these times of sharing and connection.
No one quite captures this Northern Rivers nostalgia like Byron Bay photographerMing Nomchong, who we recently worked with for our latest Pacific Ale campaign. Taken at some of the Northern Rivers’ most iconic locations, these shots capture Pacific Ale’s original essence – summery vibes, coastal energy, slowing down – with Ming’s eye for nostalgia.
During these times, we think it’s important to slow down, take a breath and picture those places we love to share with friends – it’ll make it all the sweeter when we can return again.
Read the full Q&A with the amazing Ming and check out a few of her photos below to take you to those happy moments.
Tell us a bit about yourself…Where are you from and what brought you to the Northern Rivers?
I was born and grew up in Sydney and spent my adolescence jumping from North to South to Inner Sydney before a calling for the quieter life, a slower lifestyle (and better surf) pulled me north to the Northern Rivers. (It also helped that mum had bought a house in Sunrise in 2005 which the family all used as the excuse and moved up and lived in for periods while we got our lives sorted. Thanks, Mum!)
What do you love about this place?
Where do I start? I think what I love most about this place is the sense of community. I love walking through town and knowing so many faces, stopping to chat in the street, catch up on what’s going on about town and the sense of belonging that I feel when I’m anywhere in the Northern Rivers. Second is the surf and then followed closely behind is the creative industry that so many amazing individuals here have built together over the years whose epicentre is the buzzing industrial estate you know today.
How long have you been in the photography game for and what/who influenced your passion?
I’ve been in and around the game since finishing uni in 2004. From working in portrait studios and shooting the odd wedding, to assisting commercial photographers back in Sydney to then building my own client base here in Byron and also nationwide. I can’t even remember wanting to ever do anything else but photography. My mum and dad both had lives in the photography industry, so I’m sure they influenced my path in some way.
What’s your style, Ming –what do you love shooting the most?
I love shooting filmy romantic, whimsical portraits of people. The analogue world has pulled me back in from my old uni days and although I still shoot digital and know there is a great place for the pixel, the grain is what gets me excited. The imperfections are what make it a perfect medium in my eyes.
Looks like you’ve shot just about every beautiful location in the world. Do any favourite places come to mind?
The Seychelles is still a standout after all these years. I’ve still never seen anything quite like this kind of paradise before. And there’s fun, fun surf…
What do you like about shooting on film?
I like that it slows me down, makes me really think about when I press my finger on that trigger button and ask:Have I thought about the correct exposure? Is the lighting right? Is my subject doing exactly what I want them to?You’ve got 24-36 frames to get what you need, so you have to make it count. You can’t just hold your finger on the shutter and spray and pray; you have to be thoughtful, not wasteful. It’s a lesson in consumption control haha!
Fave lens to work with?
It all depends on what I’m photographing. If it’s documentary style, I like it wide, 24 or 35mm. If I’m shooting portraits, I love the 24-70 or my 100mm.
You’re down at Wategos after a big day of shooting in the hot sun. What’s your go to knock off beer?
What else? Anything by Stone & Wood of course! Keep it fresh, crisp and local all the way!
FREE-SHIPPING OFFER
We’re offering free shipping Australia-wide on all online orders this month. Use coupon codeFREEDELIVERYat the checkout.
Then you’ve got to try this mouth-watering recipe!
A local twist on a classic, this tasty number pairs perfectly with the OriginalPacific Ale. Crispy and decadent, our refreshing ale will cleanse the palate and leave the crew licking their fingers for more!
This killer recipe was dreamt up by local chef Terase Davidson (Taste Byron Bay) who values using only the best, fresh, local ingredients available today to create epic food that’s made for sharing with good company…. and cold frothies! So get stuck into it, for a delicious home-made treat!
Before we get started, we’re offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders Australia-wide via our online store for the next month. Use Coupon codeFREEDELIVERYat the checkout. Cheers for supporting local and indie beer, legends!
PACIFIC ALE FRIED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC LABNEH
INGREDIENTS
8 pieces of chicken thighs (skin off : bone out) 330ml Stone & Wood Pacific Ale 1 cup flour 1 cup full cream milk 2 cupsNimbin ValleyRice Crumbs (you can use bread crumbs if you can’t get your hands on the good stuff) 2 tbs ground cumin BrookfarmMacadamia Oil for frying 500g Greek firm set yoghurt 2 garlic cloves – chopped and crushed into a mince / puree 1/2 bunch mint – chopped 1 lime – juice only 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil Salt & Pepper
Method Overnight • Place your chicken in a glass bowl – pour in one 330ml bottle of Stone & Wood Pacific Ale – cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours if you are pushed for time… • Place your yoghurt into a fine sieve colander – place the colander over a bowl (with enough room under the sieve for the excess whey to come out) – then place a sheet of baking paper over the top of the yoghurt – and place in the fridge over night
Next day • Remove the chicken thighs from the fridge – remove the chicken from the liquid – discard the liquid • Cut each thigh into 3-4 pieces – from top to bottom i.e. not length ways – place cut chicken onto a plate • Line a second plate lined with baking paper – place 1 cup of flour into a bowl and season well with salt and pepper – dunk 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time into the seasoned flour and coat each piece of chicken well – shake off any excess flour and place the coated chicken onto a new clean plate lined with baking paper – repeat until all the chicken is coated – discard the seasoned flour mix • Place your milk into one bowl – in a second bowl place your Nimbin Valley Rice Crumbs, cumin, salt and pepper – mix rice crumbs and other ingredients well • Dunk 1 piece of chicken at a time into the milk – allow excess milk to drip off – roll in the cumin rice crumb mix patting down the crumb mixture into the chicken – ensuring each chicken piece is fully coated – place coated chicken onto a clean plate lined with baking paper – repeat process until all chicken pieces are covered – at the end discard the cumin, rice mixture along with the milk • Preheat you oven to 180 Celsius – line a baking tray with baking paper •Ensure you’ve got a couple of cold Pacific Ales in the fridge if not, whack some in to cool down whilst you cook • Heat a heavy based cast iron or non stick fry pan up to high heat – add enough Brookfarm Macadamia Oil to shallow fry the chicken • Once the oil is hot – gently place the chicken thighs into the hot oil – be careful not to over fill the fry pan as it will make the coating of the chicken soggy • Fry the chicken until it is golden brown – then turn over – once golden on both sides – remove to the baking tray – continue to cook the chicken in small batches • Once all the chicken is fried – place your tray(s) of chicken in the oven to ensure they are cooked through (will take approx 8-12 mins) • Once cooked remove from the oven – season with salt and allow to cool slightly before serving • Garlic Labneh: scoop out the yoghurt from the sieve (it will be really thick – but this is perfect!) – discard the whey from the bowl (or use it to marinate a shoulder of lamb) – add your lime juice, chopped mint, oil, salt and pepper – mix well to combine – check seasoning and adjust as required
We brewed a perfectly safe and great-tasting beer using recycled brewery water
Humans wouldn’t get very far without water – and neither would beer.
That’s why our brewery is observing the United Nations’World Water Day 2020, on Sunday 22 March, which highlights the importance of fresh drinking water for people and wildlife.
This year’s theme is ‘Water and Climate Change’ in a way to promote more efficient global water use and raise awareness about how climate change will impact our water sources.
Beer isn’t possible without its main ingredient; from the water used to grow and malt the grain, to the water used to make the wort that yeast will convert into beer – this is an invaluable natural resource.
With our home in the Northern Rivers, we’re fortunate to have access to high quality drinking water from the ancient caldera of the Wollumbin Volcano (aka Mt Warning), which we manage and conserve through our Green Feet program as one of three focus areas: water, energy and waste.
Our waste-water beer is ready for drinking
As part of our participation in World Water Day, we’re excited to announce ourBeer-Water Beer, a 4.6% summer ale brewed using purified wastewater from our Murwillumbah brewery (that is, the excess water used in the brewing process that wasn’t turned into beer) that has been processed through our ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis (UFRO) system.
Installed early 2018, the UFRO system turns brewery wastewater into perfectly usable water by stripping out all impurities, turning the hazy beige wastewater into crystal clear H20. At the moment, we only use this reclaimed water for utilities and cleaning, but there’s no reason other than stigma that we couldn’t brew with it – so, we did!
Come and taste Beer-Water Beer at our brewery in Byron
Our Beer-Water Beer will be tapped at our Byron Tasting Room from Sunday 22 March for a limited time only, so we’d love to have people come for a taste!
We think the proof is in the pudding: while we don’t have any plans to use recycled brewery water in any other beers at this stage, Beer-Water Beer points to the possibility for innovation that emerge when we strive to tread lightly on the Earth.
See you Sunday!
Some of the other ways we conserve water
We used 3.8 litres of water per litre of beer, while the industry average is 4.6 litres/litre
We capture and recycle water from our bottle rinser and pipe it through our refrigeration system
We re-use cleaning chemicals recovered through a CIP system
We collect rainwater onsite to water our lawn and fruit trees
We send some of our treated wastewater for re-use for local farm irrigation
Meet Simon Palmer – he’s a chef from the Session Canteen who is heading up our resident kitchen at the Brisbane brewery for the next month.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background I’m originally from Newcastle and worked in Brisbane restaurants Urbane, Gerard’s Bistro and e’cco bistro throughout my career. Outside of work, I spend my time with my wife and two girls.
What inspired you to get into cooking?
I started cooking as a job but quickly grew to enjoy learning new techniques and flavours.
How long have you been in the industry?
I have been in the industry for over 18 years, starting out as a kitchen hand.
Tell us about your unique style and what aspects drew you towards this. Through the experiences and mentors I’ve had, simple but strong flavours have come to be front of thought in my cooking. I really enjoy getting the most out of every ingredient I use.
What ingredients do you like working with most and why?
I love the challenge of cooking octopus to perfection and the endless pairing of different flavours and textures that work with it.
Anything special that we might see on the menu over the next couple of months?
I am hoping to perfect bacon
cheeseburgers for a late-night special using the fried cheese donut recipe to
make the buns.
What are you most looking forward to when taking over our Canteen?
I’m really excited about working with like-minded people and giving an alternative to the usual boring brewery food offering.
What’s your favourite knock-off beer?
Definitely the Green Coast Lager, one is never enough!
Snacks:
Shoestring fries with sea salt & house aioli (GF, VG) $9
Chef Simon Palmer enjoying a cold knock offGrilled pork dan dan noodle bowl and Black bean & tofu chilli, edamame & rice noodles\
Grilled corn with smoked pepper & lime oilPita pockets with pickles
We’re thrilled to announce the second annual Northern Rivers Grants Program, kicking off Thursday 12 March
IMPORTANT UPDATE: IN THE HOPE TO PROVIDE PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS WITH MORE SPACE TO ADAPT TO THE CURRENT CONDITIONS, WE’VE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE TO THURSDAY 21 MAY.SEE UPDATED APPLICATION GUIDELINESHERE.
It’s that time of year again – ourinGrained Foundation’s Northern Rivers Large Grants Program 2020 is kicking off on Thursday 12 March with $100,000 funding available for local not-for-profits!
For the second year running, theNorthern Rivers Large Grants Program 2020invites Northern Rivers social and environmental not-for-profits with DGR status to apply for a grant between $10,000 and $30,000, with maximum 10 organisations awarded in May.
The total funding pool also includes a $10,000 ‘Employee Funded Grant’ created by our permanent team, who substituted their monthly carton allowance with a cash donation to the inGrained Foundation to raise the money.
Following a summer of bushfire disaster across NSW, Queensland and Victoria, inGrained made this year’s theme ‘regeneration and social connection’, and so are asking applicants to show how their projects contribute to these activities in our region.
This year, with help from Stone & Wood, Fixation Brewing and Granite Belt Cider Co, the inGrained Foundation is thrilled to be able to extend the funding opportunity to more local not-for-profits. With 26 wonderful applications in last year’s round, we’re really looking forward to seeing who applies this year.
We also proud to have recently donated over $70,000 via the inGrained Foundation to local and state-based fire brigades, rural fire services and drought relief efforts across NSW, Queensland and Victoria, thanks to funds we raised with Fixation Brewing and Granite Belt Cider Co.
From Thursday 12 March, Northern Rivers social and environmental not-for-profits with DGR status are encouraged to read the guidelines and apply beforeThursday 21 May. All details and applications will appear on theinGrained Foundation websitefrom Thursday 12 March.
We’re joining over 200 breweries in brewing and fundraising for bushfire support
Australians and people around the world are by now familiar with the staggering destruction caused by the recent bushfire crisis across NSW, Queensland and Victoria, in particular: several lives lost and thousands impacted, 10 million hectares burnt and potentially one billion animals wiped out.
This has been enough for over 200 breweries around Australia and the world to unite for an initiative calledResilience Beer, a project run by theIBAinviting players in the beer industry to brew a 5% pale ale – using the same recipe – to raise funds for bushfire relief where it’s needed.
Our contribution to Resilience Beer, brewed by our current Byron resident brewer Tina, will be tapped at our Byron Bay Tasting Room and Brisbane brewery onTuesday 25 February, with all proceeds directed to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in fire affected areas around the country. People in Byron will also be able to enjoy a schooner of our Resilience Beer in select venues in town.
Join us for a Resilience Beer!
To celebrate the brew and the astounding national and international community response to the Australian bushfires, we’re inviting our communities to enjoy a Resilience Beer at our Byron and Brisbane breweries onFriday 28 February from 4.00–5.00pm, NSW and Queensland times respectively. Every glass of Resilience Beer sold is an important contribution to the ongoing bushfire relief effort. We’d love to see you there!
The Resilience Beer concept was first created by Californian brewery Sierra Nevada in response to the state’s Camp Fire in 2018 and was adopted by over 1,400 North American breweries, who together brewed a Resilience IPA and raised millions in relief funds.
As part of our response to the Australian bushfire crisis, together with Fixation Brewing and Granite Belt Cider Co. – and with huge support from our community – we’re thrilled to have collectively donated and pledged over $71,000 to fire brigades, rural fire services and drought relief across NSW, Queensland and Victoria.
We still haven’t tested or proven ourByroNic2formula but we can tell you thatREINVIGAM8has left our brewery-laboratory gates on its way to people who practice self-care.
A zesty low-alc gose brewed with orange peel and orange juice, balanced with pale malts and a lacto-sour pitch, REINVIGAM8 addifies sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium into the liquid that, incidentally, you’ll find inside the can. Woo-pow! Zing!
Brewed with important-sounding compounds and ingredients, including 100% vegan-friendly malt, this hydration ale and the sixth limited release of Counter Culture might – yeah, nah it probably won’t – help you get back on track after the silly season.
From today, two-packs of 500ml REINVIGAM8 cans will be available from good bottle shops and ourofficial online store($22 + free shipping), and tapped at local venues. Starjump onto ourBeer Finderto locate your nearest dosage.
Warning:Remember to call ahead to your local stockist to check when their REINVIGAM8 have arrived.
Like all Counter Culture releases, REINVIGAM8 is super limited and will make way for the following release in roughly 10 weeks’ time.
Say ‘sayonara’ to the silly season with our hydration ale
Hydration is the essence of refreshment and refreshment is the essence of REINVIGAMENT*.
After too many long weekends, you might be thinking: ‘I’ve had about enough of all this fun. How can I possibly get back on track after the relentless silly season?’
But we know you – you’re also looking for something refreshing, a thirst-quencher with a zesty zing, minerally goodness and these things we’ve just heard of called electrolytes or electroknights or something like that.
Enter REINVIGAM8, our hydration ale and the sixth limited release fromCounter Culture. Pazow! Whoosh!
REINVIGAM8 will leave our brewery-laboratory gates onMonday 3 February, when the beer goes on sale and when we’ll announce the stockist listing and associated events around the country.
Why is this hydration ale really good?
It’s beer.
Alc/Vol 2.7%
Vegan-friendly.
100% liquid, easy to sip on.
Contained conveniently inside an impermeable vessel.
Citrusy low-alc gose brewed with orange peel and orange juice, balanced with pale malts and lacto-sour pitch.
Implements untested and unprovenByroNic2formula.
Hexagons on the label = good science behind the beer.
Preferred refreshment of our head lab person and official ambassador, Caolan Vaughan.
Ingredients
Orange peel
Orange juice
Barrett’s pale
Caramunich 2
Wheat malt
Lactobacillus
Sodium
Potassium
Chloride
Magnesium
Directions
Place can upright
Wedge sturdiest fingernail under can-ring
Pull can-ring upwards until you hearpssst – crack.
Lift can to pouted lips, set approximately 1cm apart
Tip liquid into mouth
Warning
If symptoms of the silly season persist, call – uh – or maybe, just – um – do a couple of sit-ups.
Davidson plum, Ketchup, paprika, and soy – big flavours, according toThree Blue Ducksco-founding chef Darren Robertson, that are best paired with a simple lager.
We’re excited to launch the first video of our chef series Simple Moments presented byGreen Coast Lager, where we’ll be spotlighting standout chefs and their approach to good food and simple moments.
Just six minutes up the road from our Byron brewery, is Darren, who co-founded Three Blue Ducks restaurant in 2012 with two close friends in Bronte, Sydney, and launched the second Three Blue Ducks restaurant at Byron Bay’s The Farm precinct in 2014.
The Three Blue Ducks’ commitment to working with ethically and sustainably sourced produce complements the restaurant’s location; an 80-hectare working farm, The Farm houses a community of growers who grow an abundance of 100 per cent organic and spray-free produce utilised daily by Darren and his team.
As much as possible, Darren and his team source ingredients from The Farm’s fields, while also working with producers from southern Queensland to Port Macquarie, capturing the region’s seasonality to create what the team call ‘real food’.
As part of our collaboration, Darren prepared a flavourful rack of sticky pork ribs with Davidson plum, chili and cinnamon myrtle (recipe below), which, accompanied with a round of crisp Green Coast Lagers, he and the team enjoyed together al fresco afterwards – after all, good food is always best shared.
Our next Pilot Batch Brewer heading up the brew deck for the next 3 months.
Our Pilot Batch beers are experimental brews created by our team of brewers, with occasional help from collaborators within our community, all at our Pilot Brewery in Byron Bay.
These small batch brews are special, limited and, once gone, may never return. The Pilot Batch brewery is a space for our brewers to get creative – an opportunity to trial weird and wonderful things, turning the brewery into an experimental playground to get a little fruity.
Every three months, one of our brewers takes up the helm in our Byron brewery, running the day-to-day operations. During this time, they have the chance to brew their favourite beers and run the Pilot Batch program.
Meet our latest Pilot Batch brewer, Jeremy…
GIVE US A BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT YOURSELF…
I’m from the Goldy of all places, one of the few lucky people to be born and raised there! I used to work in the Environmental Consulting industry but jumped ship to brewing about 3 years ago. The biggest draw for me to brewing was how friendly and supportive the industry is, not to mention all that good beer!
I have been home brewing for well over 10 years now, which helped me get up to speed brewing on a commercial scale immensely. Fair to say my homebrewing has improved a heap in the last few years as well!
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE STYLES OF BEER AND WHY?
The answer to that question probably changes every other week, but I’ll always appreciate any beer that’s put together well and does what it says on the label. In a saying that though, sours will always catch my eye…
It’s also great seeing all of the raw ingredient suppliers (malt, hops, yeast & adjuncts) going through their craft boom equivalent, so there’s always new and exciting combinations and techniques to try out.
WHAT WILL YOU BE BREWING DURING YOUR TIME HERE IN BYRON?
Lots of beer during silly season! Hopefully a lot of summer quenchers that fly through the tasting room.
For my 3 month stint beer, we’ve just brewed an ice cream styled IPA, massive amounts of oats and lactose, and then adding some mango, macadamia and toasted coconut in ferment – thinking something along the lines of a Weis bar, will be on tap in early January.
ANY BEERS YOU’RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT BREWING AND WHY?
Anything that’s technically challenging on brew day is always interesting. Big hoppy beers always put a strain on the brew kit.
Any NPD (New Product Development) beers are awesome too, as we haven’t done them before you’ve got to think on your feet a bit sometimes to make it all work.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT USING THE PILOT BATCH BREWERY TO EXPERIMENT?
Working with the rest of the NPD (New Product Development) crew to make all those great ideas come to life. It’s also interesting working out the challenges that come with scale – we can pretty easily tip buckets of fruit or whatever into the smaller 600L tanks, but if it’s going to become a Counter Culture or core range beer we need to manage the reliable scaling to 20,000+ litres, so things like pumping from drum etc come into play.
