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