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Introducing our new, limited edition Mango Pale Ale: the newest member of the Stone & Wood family.

Mangoes are our national summer fruit. To celebrate their deliciousness, we’ve crafted a fresh brew. Our aim was to highlight the mango’s goodness without overshadowing the beer itself. We chatted with Jess, our Hospitality Leader and Dean, member of the Beer Crew to get the lowdown on our new Mango Pale Ale- the flavour, how it’s made and what inspired it.

Flavour

Our hospitality leader (and resident cicerone) Jess says: “we think we’ve really nailed the balance. It has all the attributes of something summery and something fruity.” Brewed for warmer months, its light with a low bitterness, sitting at an easy drinking 4.6%. And of course- no preservatives and no additives. A subtle mango flavour lifts every sip.

Brewing Process

Brewed with Galaxy® hops, our Mango Pale Ale is balanced with mango to take you right back to nostalgic memories of summer. We have included two generous additions of real mango throughout the brewing process. This leads to a subtle mango flavour in every sip and a big mango aroma.

The Inspiration

Dean talked us through the inspiration for this brew, our original and much-loved Pacific Ale. “Pacific Ale is known for its clean, crisp, refreshing notes and low bitterness, but this time we’ve added mango throughout the brew”.

Where can I get my hands on it?

This beautifully balanced pale ale is perfect to share with mates this summer. It is available at First Choice Liquor Market nationwide, Liquorland stores in NSW, QLD and VIC, and select Vintage Cellars from February, or at our Byron Bay and Brisbane Breweries, and Stone & Wood online.

Welcome to Stone & Wood’s Regenerating Our Backyard Series, a look into the ways in which the coldie in your hand can help create a better future for the environment that supports us.  

As a business, we’ve aimed to tread lightly on the earth since Day One. We’ve taken measures to reduce our reliance on traditional energy sources and produce less waste, but how can we do better? By thinking outside the box and working with like-minded friends from the farming and brewing communities, we’re making new pathways into a greener future.

In Episode two of 'Regenerating Our Backyard' we spent some time at The Farm Byron Bay. In partnership with national non-profit Farmer's Footprint Australia, they’re helping young people get access to land and learn the noble art of growing food.

Along with Byron Shire Council, Ingrained Foundation (the not for profit we established in 2018) has helped us to support the program, using beer as a force for good, balancing our love of brewing with our love of fresh, organic and local produce.

The hard truth is that these days, there are plenty of barriers that prevent young people from getting into farming. Acquiring land is just the beginning. The Northern Rivers Incubator program aims to educate and empower our next generation of farmers, with an access and education model that could be rolled out by local councils nation-wide.  

We chatted to this year’s participants: Grace and Rob on the patch and learned just how much this program has allowed them to realise the potential of farming as a viable career path, and why we need more of these opportunities for our young people. Enjoy the full episode now 🍺#beerasaforceforgood

Watch episode one of Regenerating Our Backyard here.

What is the GABS Hottest 100?

It's that time of year again. The Arias of Craft Beer is here, the GABS Hottest 100. Every year GABS puts out a People's Choice Poll where beer lovers can vote on their favourite craft beer from that year. It's 2023 and we're hoping you can help us make the champions list, once again! Whether it's a tried and true like Pacific Ale, or something newer like Hinterland Hazy...it's up to you to vote for your favourite Stone & Wood beer in the GABS Hottest 100.

VOTE HERE

Love At First Sip

You want to know what love is? It’s voting #1 for Stone & Wood Pacific Ale in the GABS Hottest 100.

Love at first sip…We all remember our first Pacific Ale moment, those passionfruit, citrus and tropical fruit flavours and aromas…Once it hit your lips, “Ahhhhhh.” 🤤

That “fruity mumbo jumbo” changed the way we thought about beer in Australia over 15 years ago. Fast forward to today…we’re prouder than ever to be the first sip that kicks off so many journeys into the craft beer realm, all over the country.

So if you’ve caught the Pacific Ale love bug, share it by voting 1 Pacific Ale in the Gabs Hottest 100 @gabsfestival hit the link below to vote now.

VOTE #1 PACIFIC ALE

⭐️🏆⭐️

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Don't Stop at Pacific Ale...

And while you’re there, don’t forget to vote for our other core-range beers (Hinterland Hazy, Green Coast Lager, Cloudy Pale Ale) and any of the Counter Culture beer releases you really dug this year.

VOTE HERE

Welcome to Stone & Wood’s Regenerating Our Backyard Series, a look into the ways in which the coldie in your hand can help create a better future for the environment that supports us.  

As a business, we’ve aimed to tread lightly on the earth since Day One. We’ve taken measures to reduce our reliance on traditional energy sources and produce less waste, but how can we do better? By thinking outside the box and working with like-minded friends from the farming and brewing communities, we’re making new pathways into a greener future.

In this, our first episode from the series, we look at how our brewers and a network of local farmers work together to close the loop on waste and produce some of the richest soil in the Northern Rivers.

As part of the brewing process, each tank of delicious Pacific Ale produced also creates a yeast waste byproduct. In 2015, rather than committing this product to traditional waste systems, Stone & Wood teamed up with local legends, Coastal Feeds, to take the nutrient-dense waste from all our beers to create a rich compost for organic farmers.  

Hamish Brace from Coastal Feeds said their core goal is to continually improve the quality of soil health for farmers and the yeast waste from Stone & Wood beer is a key ingredient towards achieving that.

“Because you’re brewing quality beer (no preservatives etc) you’re using good materials and that’s always in my favour to produce a good compost.”

From the hands of Hamish and team at Coastal Feeds, this beer-boosted compost goes on to feed the rich fields of local organic farmers, like Rod Bruin of Summit Organics.

The rich compost delivery helps tackle what is a big concern for Rod and many sustainable farmers - the limited nutrient life of soil. Working with a finite resource, farmers like Rod believe that tying up nutrient loops, like replenishing the soil with our brewer’s waste, is a way we can give back to soil’s health and keep the nutrient cycle going.

“The Stone & Wood compost brew we get off Coastal Feeds it’s the highest nutrient compost of any of the composts available locally,’ said Rod.

The whole point of compost in sustainable farming is we’re not feeding the plants, we’re feeding the soil. And in the soil is the microorganisms and the fungi, they’ll feed the plants. They’ve got this whole gig going where they help each other out. Bit like what we’re trying to do.”

Both Rod and Hamish believe that small, local actions and solid human relationships are the best way forward to ensure a greener tomorrow.

Hamish from Coastal Feeds said, “We can minimise our impact on the world with a lot of small actions. It’s guided sometimes by bigger actions, but on the ground, it’s the activity of the people in the community and how they can work together to create solutions.”

Similarly, our farmer (and part-time philosopher) Rod said, “I think it’s essential in order for us to move forward on this planet, we have to become more local and build up human relationships, long-lasting human relationships. I think that’s where the future’s at.”

To get a deeper understanding on how we’re trying to close the loop on waste and have a positive impact on the environment that surrounds us, watch the first episode in the Regenerating Our Backyard Series above.

More good news to come…

Episode two has been released 🎬 Watch Now:

GROWING A GREENER TOMORROW: SUPPORTING OUR YOUNG FARMERS

Our beer is made of the right stuff. Your favourite Stone & Wood beer is brewed with locally sourced ingredients and fuelled by our passion for good. We’ve done traditional brewing a little differently. And we’re inspired by the charm of our Byron Bay home.

From the core range to our limited releases, each of our beers and beverages has its own story. Discover here what your favourite Stone & Wood beer is made from.

So, what’s in beer?

Since its earliest days, our beer has always been that humble combination of malted barley, sugars, hops and yeast - fermented to perfection.

We’ve been creative with this recipe; experimenting with Australian malt blends, hop varieties and sugar sources. Our craft brewery has refreshed beer classics like Pale Ale and Lager with the help of Australia’s finest farmers and their beautiful produce.

Stone & Wood’s ingredients

We’ve broken down some of the differences between our core range of beers below:

Pacific Ale

Our Pacific Ale overflows with memories of summer picnics or beachside brews with every taste. We've taken inspiration from the golden haze of our home on the Pacific Ocean, using Australian-grown rolled wheat and malted wheat for the pale malt base. This combination helps to create that famous pale ale gold tone and delicious finish.

We then use our famous Galaxy hops sourced from Victoria and Tassie farmers to balance that malty bitterness with tropical aromas. Finished with a short and sweet fermentation period, we unleash more complex flavours from the yeast to boost the overall palette of our Pacific Ale.

Once brewed and bottled, our Pacific Ale offers a deliciously fruity, refreshing and full beer.

Green Coast Lager 

Our Green Coast Lager is a celebration of our home and beer’s homeland. The clean and crisp flavour has taken inspiration from the rolling hinterland of Byron Bay, underscored with malts sourced from Germany.

Our silver medal-winning Green Coast Lager has that classic Munich Helles taste of honey and bready malt. This could only be enhanced by our noble hop with a balanced bitterness and delicate sweetness, more than living up to it's namesake. 

Once fermented, the extended cold conditioning helps mellow and harmonise the flavours to give our Green Coast Lager a subtle spice. An easy drink year-round, Green Coast Lager’s unique malts and hops create refreshing beer with a low, clean bitterness.

Cloudy Pale Ale

Our take on a modern Aussie pale ale, we’re proud of our recently relaunched Cloudy Pale. Originally released way back in 2013, we tinkered with the recipe over the course of months to bring a fresh take to one of our classics.

From the get go, you’ll notice the tropical flavour profile, that is followed by smooth bitter notes and a crisp finish. The late addition of several dry Aussie hops gives distinct aromatics, and the malt profile brings it’s cloudy and smooth quality.

With low bitterness and hints of sweet stone fruit, Cloudy Pale Ale is perfectly paired with warm weather and a pub feed after a busy day.

What our beer is made of

Beer is simple, made with only a few ingredients. This means it needs to be brewed right.

Each of our beers go through a long journey from the malt mill to the final fermentation (you can learn more about our process here).

From the ingredients to the production and packaging, we make our beer from only the good stuff at every step. With solar panels, water waste systems and composting programs, we do what we can to have a positive impact on our community.

Our beer making process is focused on the ecology of brewing as we incorporate new measures and managements to support the earth that supports us.

When it comes to Stone & Wood, we work alongside our community to brew a beer that isn’t just delicious but a positive force for good as well.

Our latest Limited Release: Counter Culture #23 – Road To Munich, Festbier is here!

Join our Head Brewer Caolan and Production Manager Pat geared up in their lederhosen as we unpack the inspiration behind the beer, the characteristics, brewing method and food pairings for this delicious new lager.

This extremely limited release pays homage to Germany’s largest and most celebrated beer festival – Oktoberfest – specifically the pale, Munich lager they pour exclusively for it – the Festbier. It's also a nod to our team's annual pilgrimage throughout the most renown Belgian and German Breweries in celebration of five years of devoted service to Stone & Wood, that concludes in the beer capital of the world: Munich.  

Counter Culture #23 is available exclusively online, and in our Byron Bay and Brisbane Tasting Rooms. 

For full details on of Hops, Malt and Food Pairings for Road To Munich explore more here. 

We are so proud to be supporting our mates over at Pony Rider and The National Project as we bring to life the inaugural Wild For Wilderness Van Life festival. The goal of Pony Rider’s #TheNationalProject is to raise funds to support a ‘Land Buy Back’ scheme, where areas of land are bought to protect, regenerate, grow and create new Aussie National Parks.

Based in the Glenworth Valley and spread over two days, the Van Life event features adventure films and IRL adventures by day and live music under the stars by night. For the keen ones, there’s kayaking, hiking, mountain biking or horse riding, and for those feeling more zen, we’ve got breathwork, yoga and native food walks. Heading back into the campsite, there’s food trucks, cold beers, live music and good times.

Tickets are $150 per person and if sleeping in your wheels isn’t your thing, there’s a limited number of glamping sites too. 20% from ticket sales and all proceeds from the bar will be donated, along with other initiatives throughout the weekend.

Use the buttons below for more info on The National Project and Wild For Wilderness, or to buy tickets.

Beer:

Green Coast Lager

Ingredients:

• 6 racks baby back ribs
  • Rub mix
• 1 cup dry malt extract. *note – we used a mix of Karrared, we use in our Jasper Ale & Carafa2, we use in our Stone brew.
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Spice mix – increase amounts if needed
  • Handful Salt
  • 2 tablespoons pepper
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon spoon chili powder
  • Big pinch cinnamon.

Lager BBQ sauce:

• 2 cups ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 can of Green Coast Lager
• 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 Tablespoon regular paprika
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you want more kick)
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar; packed
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Method:

• Whisk all ingredients in a saucepan and turn heat to medium, bringing sauce to a slow boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. 

BBQ ribs:

Method:

1. Combine dry rub ingredients in a bowl
2. Combine dry malt extract and brown sugar with fingers to prevent clumping
3. Combine with dry rub
4. Heat grill to a low to medium heat
5. Lay out large pieces of foil, large enough to wrap the ribs – 2 racks per piece.
6. Lay ribs onto foil and rub with dry rub ingredients – rub in well – wrap in foil
7. Place wrapped ribs on grill and cover with hood
8. Cook for 1.5 hour turning every 30 mins – not breaking foil
9. In the meantime, prepare the Lager BBQ sauce
10. Remove ribs from grill and gently remove from foil.
11. Replace back to grill and begin basting with BBQ sauce.
12. Baste continually for another hour turning gently twice only
13. Remove from grill and serve immediately. 

Get your chilly bin ready – Counter Culture #22 - Hopposite Seasons Cold IPA is almost here!

Available 04.09.23

There’s nothing quite like the magic moment when opposites attract. That’s why we combined hops from North America and New Zealand to create Hopposite Seasons COLD IPA, a beer that bursts with high aromatic hop intensity and flavour and finishes clean and crisp.

SET YOUR ALARMS

This limited release will be available online and from select venues and bottle shops on Monday, 4^th September…but only for a short time…so set your alarms and prep the chilly bin.

WE’RE HYPED

Can’t wait to get your hands on this Cold IPA? Get amped up now and join our Head Brewer, Caolan for a full run down on Hopposite Seasons – what are you waiting for?

We’re pumped to announce our mini beer festival, Murbah Open Day, is back for another year at our Murwillumbah Brewery on Saturday, 5 August. 

Welcoming locals and beer frothers from all over, Murbah Open Day is a celebration of community, great music, good food and of course, fresh beer straight from the source. 

The only day of year our brewery opens to the public, the festival gives punters the chance to peek behind the curtain of the Stone & Wood engine room, with staff guided tours of the brewery throughout the day.

Running from 11am - 5pm, Murbah Open Day is an event for the whole family and a chance to give back to the amazing community that supports us. 

Entry to the festival is by gold coin donation with all profits going towards an amazing local cause: Wedgetail Retreat.

Wedgetail Retreat provide free palliative care to the Northern Rivers community, giving locals and their families a warm and welcoming environment to call home. Operating without government funding, Wedgetail relies on the support of its community to keep its doors open and continue with the excellent care they provide. 

DETAILS

Saturday 5th August, 11am - 5pm

Stone & Wood Murwillumbah, 5 Kite Cres, South Murwillumbah

Cost: Cold coin donation for Wedgetail Retreat.

BUS TRANSFERS

SET TIMES

11am - 11:40am - Ben Whiting

12pm - 12:40pm - Blackboi

1pm - 1:40pm - Ben Whiting & The Pacific Nationals

2pm - 2:40pm - The Booty Affair

3pm - 3:40pm - The Booty Affair

4pm - 4:40pm - The Swamps 

FOOD TRUCKS

Time To Dabble In The Dark Arts

Around here, winter is a time of dark temptations. Of cold nights and raging fires, of dancing bodies and deep, dark beers. Welcome to the Season of the Stone.

From today, Stone Beer 2023, our rich and robust porter, is available online and in good bottle shops and venues across the country.

But the black magic doesn’t stop there. We’re also celebrating the return of our Barrel-Aged Stone Beer, rolling in at an 11.2% ABV, this is a potion best shared with others. Sold in a traditional ceramic crock, these can only be found in very limited numbers in our online store. To tempt you further, here’s a closer look at what you can expect from these two exceptional dark beauties.

STONE BEER 2023

6% ABV

This year’s brew was created using choice Australian and German malts, with aromas and flavours of coffee, rich dark chocolate, and hints of subtle smoked barley. Stone Beer 2023 pours near black and finishes with a rich smooth malt character and firm bitterness.

Malts: Pale malt, Chocolate, Voodoo, SM40, amber, CaraRed, regenerative-grown pale malt and macadamia smoked malt.

Hops: Fuggles Hops (England)

Food Pairing: This delicious porter pairs beautifully with grilled meat, hard cheeses, and excellent with anything containing chocolate.

BARELL AGED STONE BEER 

11.2% ABV

Aged for 12 months in whiskey barrels, this jet-black porter has the strong malt profile of chocolate and coffee flavours, layered with a luscious fullness of whisky and oak. Rich, smooth and full bodied our Barell Aged Stone Beer has a medium bitterness and low hop profile that balances the roasted malt flavours.

Malts: Pale malt, chocolate, voodoo, SM40 , Amber, CaraRed and regenerative-grown pale malt.

Hops: Galaxy Hops (Australia)

Food Pairing: A rich, dark beauty such as this deserves a dark chocolate dessert like brownies, served with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream or double cream on top.

2023 ÜBER STONE BEER

Double Barrel Aged Imperial Porter

FESTIVAL OF THE STONE WRAP-UP

More than just delicious beers, we kicked off our winter celebrations with our annual block party – Festival of the Stone held at our Byron Brewery.

Over 2000 locals and beer lovers came together to celebrate the turning of the seasons and to help raise money for an excellent Byron organisation – Fletcher Street Cottage. We are stoked to announce that together we managed to raise $21,500 for this amazing cause.

With an incredible musical line-up headlined by blues and roots legends, The Beautiful Girls, a community of excellent individuals came together for a night of great tunes, excellent food and fresh, fresh beer. If you couldn’t make it to Byron, you can still jump on the Festival of the Stone vibes, by hitting up our playlist on Spotify, grabbing your own glass of Stone Beer and getting down by a warm fire.

Time for Something Different and Delicious

If you’ve been a long-time fan of our iconic Original Pacific Ale, there’s some other things brewing.

Introducing Cloudy Pale Ale, Pacific Ale’s big brother, hitting venues and bottle shops this week and doing its job of making the world a bit more delicious.

It comes in a sexy burnt orange can, bottle or fresh from the tap and is perfect for those moments when the sun starts to go down on an epic day and the vibes start to come up.

So, are you ready for the step up to Cloudy? Let’s take a deep dive:

The Taste

Refreshing with tropical, stone fruit aromas and flavours, a smooth mouthfeel and low bitterness and malt, Cloudy has the beautiful golden haze you’ve come to expect from the legends on our brew deck.

The Stats

Hops: Late additions of dry Australian hops: Galaxy, Eclipse, Vic Secret, Ella and Enigma.

Malt: Wheat and Munich malts give this beer a golden hazy appearance, with smooth mouthfeel and low bitterness. 

ABV: 5%

Deliciousness: 100%

Food Pairings

Cloudy’s bold and refreshing flavour sees it pair well with just about any of your pub favourites: try it with your parmi/parma (don’t @ us), burger and fries or the classic fish and chips (see our beer batter recipe here). When you’re out of the pub, we also like to use Cloudy to quench the thirst that comes with a good curry.

The History

Our Stone & Wood Pale Ale originally launched as Cloud Catcher back in 2013. Although it had a pretty devoted fan base, we recognised the palate of the Australian drinker has progressed a lot since then and many had moved beyond its original flavour profile.

Never ones to rest on their laurels, our brewers spent months tinkering away with the recipe, making tweaks to Cloud Catcher’s flavour profile, adding additional dry hops and pulling back on the malt and bitterness. The result sees the tropical, stone fruit aromas and flavours more pronounced, a smoother mouthfeel and a hazier pour. The final result of all this tweaking: Cloudy Pale Ale.

Cloudy Pale Ale – Gimme Gimme Gimme

So, we’ve convinced you to try it/retry it – where can you get your hands on it? At all excellent venues, bottle shops and online at our Stone & Wood store.

Stone Beer 2023 is coming

The season of the Stone is almost upon us.

Every winter, our brewers turn their mind to the fire and create the year’s unique batch of our rich, wood-fired porter, Stone Beer.

Using ancient brewing techniques, our brew team take hot volcanic stones and place them on a crackling fire, in the heart of our Byron Bay brewery.

We invite our closest friends from the industry to join us on the night, to help infuse the brew with the energy of a new year. The warm hearts and conversation held around the brewery fire become a part of that year’s Stone Beer story.

And so it was again in 2023.

Held in April, our Stone Beer Brew Day, saw this year’s winter seasonal take life with the mashing in of the grains on the brew deck and the individual placing of the stones into the fire. Followed by an intimate dinner, the spirit of comradery that’s synonymous with the Stone Beer brew continues.

So what has this year’s labour of love produced?

Stone Beer 2023 is decadent brew that begins with rich and chocolatey aromas, followed by dark chocolate, coffee, caramel and toffee flavours on the palate and finishes with a firm bitterness.

As with each year, Stone Beer 2023 will be tapped for the first time at our annual winter celebration, the party in homage to our dark brew – Festival of The Stone!

Taking place at our Byron Bay Brewery, Festival of the Stone is a celebration of beer and community, two of the big pillars in our company. As is tradition, on the first Saturday in June, our site will once again be filled with music, food and fresh Stone Beer flowing over the bars and into the hands of happy punters.

Beyond the festival, Stone Beer will be passing through our brewery gates and out into the wider world via our online store and select venues and bottle shops across the country.

For the Stone Beer devotee, returning for only the second time in Stone Beer history, we have an extremely limited run of Über.

Smooth and complex, Über is an Imperial Porter that is double barrel aged. Patiently rested for 20 months in rum barrels before it was finished in fresh whisky barrels for a further four months. Now this precious vintage is ready to be enjoyed by the lucky few.

A seductive midnight black beer, with a cracking 17.3% ABV, is served beneath a dense cream foam. Aromas of rich Belgian Chocolate and molasses flood the senses before decadent layers of vanilla bean, chocolate truffles, rum cake, and ripe cherries take hold.

Stone Beer and Über are the delicious results of the passion and dedication of our incredible brewing team. While they love producing the Stone & Wood classics, like Pacific Ale, year-round, adopting different techniques and working with different infredients allows their imaginations to take flight.

How can we do it different? How can we do it better? How do we do all this and stay true to its roots?

It’s these conversations and imagination that makes winter our time for dreaming and Stone Beer the product of this dedication.

AVAILABILITY

Stone Beer 2023 will be available from Tuesday 13th June from our official Stone & Wood online store and at select venues and bottle shops nationally.

Über 2023 will be available only from our online store and will go on sale Thursday 22nd June. Be quick to get your hands on this epic brew – there’s only 300 available!

Festival of the Stone tickets are now on sale! Headlined by blues and roots legends, The Beautiful Girls, come and spend a night among friends and enjoy the freshest glass of Stone Beer going. Get tickets now before it’s too late!

Step up your salmon game with a beery twist 🍺🍍🐟

RECIPE

Salmon with Spicy Pineapple Salsa

BEER

Green Coast Crisp

SALSA

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Green Coast Crisp
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• ½ fresh pineapple
• 1 garlic clove minced
• Lime
• Coriander
• 1 red chilli
• 1 red onion
• 1 red capsicum

Method:

1. Grill pineapple, sprinkle with brown sugar while grilling, dice
2. Combine all ingredients
3. Mix well

SALMON

Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup Green Coast Crisp
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1⁄2 tbs minced ginger
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 6 salmon fillets
• 2 tbs green bell peppers OR yellow bell peppers (or combination)
• 2 tbs lime zest (2-3 limes) fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1. Combine lime juice, beer, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic
2. Mix well
3. Place salmon fillets in shallow glass dish and pour marinade over top
4. Turn pieces several times to coat; cover and refrigerate overnight
5. Preheat grill
6. Grill Salmon for about 7-10 minutes
7. Garnish with Crisp Pineapple Salsa

Cheers & enjoy! 🍻

A Hot Take On A Cool Drink.

Listen up les amis, our Counter Culture brewers have been busy cooking up a collaboration between the vine and the bine – a white-wine inspired ale, Plonk!

With pale malts and wheat, it’s a delicious drop with hints of vanilla and tannins imparted by American Oak.

Plonk tickles the tip of the nose with subtle tropical aromas then gets in full swing with a refined white-wine soul.

Coming in at 6.8%, Plonk! Is perfect for sharing with lovers…or for keeping it all to yourself.

WINE & BEER?! IT CAN’T BE DONE 🤯

But it can…and it has!

The first reported combination of this winning pair came back in the 1970s, when legendary Belgian brewers, Cantillon, used Muscat grapes to produce a delicate beer called Vigneronne.

Dogfish Head Brewery in the US expanded further on the idea in the 1990s and with the explosion of the craft beer industry over the two decades, more and more brewers have been trying their hand at combining the two arts. 

Currently in the US, brews that are a beer-wine hybrid are being termed an ‘oenobeer’. 

So far, the fun police haven’t put any restrictions around what actually determines an oenobeer, so brewers are free to put their own spin on things. Some beers are produced using grapes in the brewing process, some use just the juice, others consider a brew to be oenobeer if it was aged in a wine barrel.

With no limitations on the field, it means the category is wide open for experimentation and we’re stoked to throw our hat into the ring with Plonk!

PLONK! SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Plonk! is delicate, tart and refreshing, which means it lends itself to foods that are on the lighter side of life – think seafood, a light aromatic curry, or a beautifully balanced cheeseboard.

As we’re well and truly in the cooler weather, PLONK! could be perfectly paired with a starter or entrée, before the menu moves onto heavier, richer mains. 

BEHIND THE PLONK! POP DESIGN

Our incredible in-house designer, Anders Rudin, got on the tools to create the amazing artwork for our latest Counter Culture release, drawing on inspiration from mid-century Italian and French design. 

AVAILABILITY

You can pop Plonk in your basket from today with 500 ml two-packs and cartons available from our official online store, at our Brisbane and Byron breweries and select bottle shops around the country.

LET US KNOW!

Hit us up with your thoughts on Plonk! on Insta or on Facebook.

C’EST BON!

Meat lovers, this one’s for you...

RECIPE

Green Coast Lager Braised Steak

INGREDIENTS

Marinade:

• Olive oil
• 1 x 2/3kg piece of Sirloin
• 1 tsp Sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Salt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Eschalot
• 6 sprigs Thyme
• 1 tsp Paprika Red pepper flakes
• 1 can Green Coast Lager

(Optional) Herb & Eschalot dressing: Basil Flat leaf parsley Garlic Lemon juice Eschalot.

METHOD:

1. Slice eschalot. Pick leaves from thyme.
2. Combine all other ingredients (adding beer last).
3. Marinate whole steak, ensuring it’s well-covered. Marinate for 3 to 24 hours - overnight preferred.
4. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
5. Scrape marinade off Sirloin. Pat steak dry. Season with salt & pepper.
6. Grill for 3-5 mins per side, turning once (may need more depending on thickness of Sirloin).
7. Remove from grill and rest, cover with foil for 10 – 15 mins. Whilst resting, prepare Herb & Eschalot dressing.
8. Slice portion size pieces for serving.

(Optional) Herb & Eschalot dressing:

1. Finely chop all ingredients
2. Add olive oil Lemon juice to taste Garlic Salt and pepper to taste
3. Combine
4. Serve in tray or pan as one piece with sliced portions drizzled with Herb & Eschalot dressing.

Supporting The Northern Rivers From The Grassroots Up

Since Day One, Stone & Wood has aimed to be a conscious business that takes care of the communities where we work and live. Part of that story for us has been the establishment of our not-for-profit charity, the inGrained Foundation.

As our HQ is in the Northern Rivers, it made sense that our work started close to home. For the past five years, the inGrained Foundation has run a Large Grants program that provides local grassroots charities and organisations in the area with support for their next big project.

This year, the inGrained Foundation have announced a $200,000 funding pool for the 2023 Northern Rivers Large Grants Program, opening Tuesday, 4 April 2023. 

It’s open to not-for-profits with DGR status and grants will range between $5,000 and $30,000.

With the aim of addressing a broad spectrum of challenges experienced within these communities, inGrained are seeking to support projects that fall into the following categories:

• Conservation of natural resources and habitats.
• Action on climate change.
• Mental health and wellbeing.
• Accommodation and homelessness.
• Inclusion and diversity.

In 2022, some of the organisations who received a grant through the program included: Bangalow Koalas, Human Nature Adventure Therapy, Murwillumbah Community Centre and Zero Emissions Byron.

WATCH: 2022 GRANTS ROUND RECIPIENTS RECAP

These teams are just a few of the amazing groups that are working hard to make their community and its surrounding environments a better place for all. Open soon to not-for-profits with DGR status, applicants are encouraged to read the guidelines and submit before Friday 28 April, by visiting www.ingrainedfoundation.com.au, so if you have friends or family doing incredible things in the Northern Rivers, please let them know.

To learn more about the inGrained Foundation, its Grants Program, visit the inGrained Foundation website, sign up to the newsletter and follow @ingrainedfoundation

Come party with us.

Back with a bang – our Festival Of The Stone returns on Saturday, 3 June 2023 and for the first time ever, we’re giving you the chance to play the first set of the day.

Held across our Byron Brewery site, we’re getting ready to welcome locals and lovers of beer along for a night of music, food, fresh ales and community.

Joining a huge line-up of local and well-known acts, we’re also pumped to announce a competition for emerging and experienced musicians to nab the festival’s opening set…

WIN A SET AT FESTIVAL OF THE STONE!

We’re giving a set to an outstanding artist/s who are willing to put up their hand and slay for beer, merch and money (Yep. It’s a paid gig).

Entry requirements:

1. Enter up to 4 tracks or a live recording.
2. Must be available to play Saturday, June 3rd (from 3pm onwards) and able to play a 45-minute set
3. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
4. Entries close May 1st at 7am

The winner will be selected by the Stone & Wood and Club Raiders crew. Includes performance fee, Stone & Wood prize pack and more!

SUPPORTING FLETCHER ST COTTAGE

Profits from tickets sales and raffles throughout the evening will be going towards the Fletcher Street Cottage, a community service providing meals, showers, laundry, advocacy and support to Byron’s homeless community.

Stone & Wood x Brookie's x Flow Hive. Cheers to B Corp Month.

To celebrate B Corp month, we invited a few of our friends in the local B Corp community to come on down and brew a beer to celebrate the amazing achievements of the forward-thinking businesses in our region.

A B Corp Collab Beer

Stone & Wood x Brookie’s x Flow Hive

The beer, titled Too Mac & Bee-yond, is a Honey Macadamia Wheat Beer and was brewed using local Byron drop, Brookies Mac liqueur, and Flow Hive Harvested Honey.

For those lucky enough to live in, or be passing through, the Northern Rivers in the next few weeks, this delicious small-batch brew will be pouring at our Byron Brewery for a limited time only.

Wait, the beer sounds delicious, but…what’s a B Corp?

A B Corp company is a business that is meeting high standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

Put simply, the B Corp movement proves what’s possible when businesses think beyond profit. When they go beyond the expected. When they come together to prove beyond doubt that there’s a better way to do business.

Cool Cool Cool…so B Corp Month is??

Each year in March, the global B Corp community comes together to celebrate, educate and motivate broader audiences on what can be achieved if we choose to do business a little differently.

Follow the hashtag #WeGoBeyond on Insta or FB to see some of the amazing work that’s being done across the planet right now. It’s the kind of internet rabbit hole that will leave you feeling uplifted and pumped about what good business can look like.

One little overseas gem we discovered was Padstow Holliday Village in the UK who are making holidays more sustainable, including hiring out wooden body boards to their guests for free 🤙 

Where can I find other B Corps?

We’re lucky in Australia to have some outstanding companies working hard to make the world a better place as part of the B Corp community.

Here’s a list of just a few of our faves for you to check out. Hollar back with any of your best B Corp suggestions too!

Food & Beverage:

Cape Byron Distillery/Brookie’s Gin

Unico Zelo

Pablo & Rusty’s

Fashion:

Outland Denim

Zorali

Bassike

Home:

Flow Hive Honey

Who Gives A Crap

Koskela

AĒSOP

Services & Media:

Bank Australia

Quiip

We Are Explorers To get the full picture on the B Corp movement and a full list of the B Corp businesses in Australia and New Zealand, head here