With the return of long sunny days that turn into balmy evenings, it’s time for us to release our summer seasonal…The Gatherer.

Inspired by the slower lifestyle of our brewing ancestors who would experiment with locally sourced produce in their beer. The Gatherer’s recipe is brewed with seasonal ingredients and is changed up each year. Our 2018 summer release is a thirst quenching American wheat beer.

Dry hopped with Galaxy, The Gatherer has zesty ripe fruit aromas and a fresh tartness from the addition of sour cherries, native Northern Rivers finger limes and river mint. The pinkish hue, hinting at its subtle sweetness is balanced with malt and wheat, finishing smooth and dry.

To find The Gatherer either check out the venue listing below to see where it’s hitting shelves and being tapped across the country, or, purchase a carton from our Online Store to have it delivered to your door!

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Beers that one dreams about creating, tasting and enjoying…

Throughout the year we release batch brews that are special, limited and once gone, may never return!

With the use of quality ingredients, our team of brewers, and occasionally collaborators from our community brew these releases, all from the decks of our… ‘testing ground’, the Pilot Brewery in Byron Bay.

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CURRENT PILOT BATCH

#28 Golden Ratio ISA

Alc/ Vol 5%

Our Golden Ratio ISA is an India Session Ale. A subtle malt base balanced with hop characters of tropical fruit, citrus and grassy pine notes on both the nose and palate. The bitterness has been reduced from a typical IPA, to make it more sessionable. This is a full flavoured beer that won’t weigh you down and will have you returning to the bar again and again.

Available at the Byron brewery’s tasting room for a limited time only!

#27 Barrel Aged 2016 Stone Beer

Alc/ Vol 9%

We aged our 2016 Stone Beer in Lark Distillery whiskey barrels for 12 months. This incredibly rich and decadent brew has taken on the vanillin and whiskey aromas and flavours from those barrels. Our barrel aged Stone Beer is designed to be sipped and savoured!

Available at the Byron brewery’s tasting room for a limited time only!

#26 East Coast Citrus IPA

Alc/ Vol 6.2%

Our take on an East Coast IPA was created along with our good friends from Pirate Life, Two Birds and Brew Cult. To this cloudy and hoppy brew we added some orange peel to provide an extra citrus kick.

Available at the Byron brewery’s tasting room for a limited time only!

#25 Imperial Stout 

Alc/ Vol 9.2%

A big beer with a great toasted malt backbone and a creamy brown head. Hints of bitter chocolate are provided from a healthy dose of cacao nibs. The bitterness balanced by a subtle hint of sweet vanilla bean. The rich, medium body finishes smoothly with a warmness provided by the high alcohol content.

Available at the Byron brewery’s tasting room for a limited time only!

PAST PILOT BATCH RELEASES

#24 Salty Sour East 

Alc/ Vol 6.7%

To this kettle soured beer we added some candied Middle Eastern black limes “Loomi” and coriander. Pouring a hazy golden colour this beer has aromas that dance between sweet and sour. Black limes are evident from aroma to taste, the alcohol content is veiled by the tart and cleansing finish. Exclusively brewed for GABS 2017.

#23 Brookie’s Gin Sour

Alc/ Vol 4.5%

Eddie, founder of local distillery Brookie’s Gin dreamt up this beer along with a small Stone & Wood team. To this kettle soured beer we added botanicals of Juniper berries, crushed coriander seeds and lots of lemon peel. Reminiscent of a Gin Sour cocktail; tart, refreshing and very moreish.

#22 XPA

Alc/ Vol 5.7%

Classic West coast hop aroma on the nose, citrus and notes of pine. Slightly cloudy in appearance, full bodied and well-balanced. An intensified Pale Ale with a lingering dry bitterness. Exclusively brewed for GABS 2017.

#20 Hinterland Ale

Alc / Vol 7.5%

Hinterland Ale is our take on a Scotch Ale. This beer pours chestnut with a reddish hue and displays subtle aromas of malt, vanilla and Scotch. These two elements come directly from the Scotch soaked oak we added to the brew. A subtle sweetness shows on the pallet from the dried figs we used. The finish is warming, lingering and very, very satisfying.

Available from our Byron brewery’s Tasting Room… for a very limited time only!

#18 Gose

Alc / Vol 4.5%

Our Pilot Batch Gose pours a pale straw, slightly salty on the palate it finishes with an acidic tang of tart lemon. Pilot Batch number 18 has been brewed with a touch of coriander and dry hopped with punchy Citra hops…

Available from our Byron brewery’s Tasting Room… for a very limited time only!

#17 Berliner Weisse

Alc / Vol 4.3%

Napoleon’s troops in 1809 referred to this beer as “the Champagne of the North”. We’ve added Guava to this slightly sour beer, providing a tropical fruit element that is the perfect balance to its natural crisp acidity….

Available on tap at Brewsvegas 2017 and our Byron brewery’s tasting room…

#16 Schwarzbier

Alc / Vol 4.7%

German for “black beer” Schwarzbier is a dark lager, that balances smooth, subtle malt flavours with restrained bitterness. Our Schwarzbier beer is light on the pallet with a super refreshing finish!

Available on tap from our Byron brewery’s tasting room and a select number of local venues, to be announced…

#15 Barrel Aged Saison En Chêne

Alc / Vol 6.7%

We love barrel-aged beer and, we know you do too. So to fulfil our tastebuds needs, we worked with local winemaker and owner of Clunes General Store, Jarrad Dixon to create and barrel our latest Pilot Batch. Combining the passion and expertise of both brewer and vintner, our team created a Saison En Chêne.

Our Saison with a touch of oak has subtle aromatics of citrus, coconut and banana. This is a rich and textural beer, with a rounded mouth feel and a long finish. Our fifteenth Pilot Batch has been barrelled and aged for six months to add exciting new depths of aroma and flavour.

#14 Murbah Swamp Beer

Alc/ Vol 4.7%

Brewed to celebrate the Open Day of our Northern Rivers brewery and commemorate the Murwillumbah “Swamp Beer” with the local community. Our fourteenth Pilot Batch is inspired by the German specialty beer, Kolsch. We crafted a light, refreshing well-balanced beer to enjoy on a hot day. Easy drinking and very moreish.

#13 Tallows Gold 

Byron Bay Surf Festival Collab

Alc/Vol 4.5%

Tallows Gold our thirteenth Pilot Batch, is a collaboration beer, brewed exclusively for the 2017 Byron Bay Surf Festival with some of their crew, Patagonia‘s Glen Casey and free-surfer Dave Rastovich.

A belgian blonde, Tallows Gold pours golden and has a citrus aroma from the addition of local finger limes, balanced by a umami taste and crisp finish. The team threw kombu sea-weed and Pacific Ocean sea salt into the brew, to create a salty sea-dog’s delight, thirst quenching and moreish after a long day in the elements…

Tallows Gold is on tap exclusively at the Byron Bay Surf Festival’s Saturday Slide event, 25 Feb at The Beach Hotel Byron Bay and on tap at our Tasting Room over the festival weekend 24-26 Feb.

#12 Brett ISA

Alc/ Vol 4.8%

Our latest pilot batch release is Brett Session IPA. Lots of hops, some earthy funk from the very special wild brettanomyces yeast and a nice refreshing long lasting finish. 100% wild yeast fermented for an extended period of time, this beer offers a lot of fruity characters with many different layers, making this drink complex and unique. This is an Intriguing, satisfying and sessionable IPA.

Only available on tap from our Tasting Room in Byron Bay.

#11 Barley Wine Xmas Beer

Alc/ Vol 11.5%

Big, balanced… and aged in a Lark Distillery barrel!!

Pouring dark with different shades of red under natural light, this complex beer was brewed with only the best of UK and German malt and generously hopped with fruity and sharp English hops. This strong Ale entices you to take contemplative sips and reveals more every time from bright fruit to nutty caramel notes supporting the bitterness and warmth.

Best enjoyed around 12C and only available on tap from our Tasting Room in Byron Bay.

#10 Triple Hopped American Pale Ale

Alc/ Vol 5.5%

Triple hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe it’s deliciously fruity with resinous aromas and a firm bitterness.

 Only available on tap from our Tasting Room in Byron Bay.

#9 Mullumberry Light Golden Ale

Mullum Music Fest Collab
Alc / Vol 4.8%

Our ninth Pilot Batch will be pouring on tap in the Tasting Room and at Mullum Music Festival 2016. This was a collab brewed by the festival directors, comedian Mandy Nolan and a couple of local musos. With the addition of Mulberries from a Mullum tree, the Mullumberry light golden ale has a pinky hue with a snowy white head. Brewed with honey from Byron’s hinterland, the beer is very light and refreshing with subtle floral and honeycomb characters, finishing crisp.

#8 Florida Weisse
Alc / Vol 4.8%

An experimental brew dreamt up by some of the Stone & Wood crew.

The Florida Weisse is our interpretation of a traditional sour wheat beer from Berlin. This very approachable crispy ale has been fermented with fresh guava and pineapple, to add subtle, fruity notes to the beautiful and bready character of the wheat. There is just enough acidity to compliment the complexity of this sessionable beer…

Learn more about this fruity and thirst quenching style or check out our listing to find out where to get your hands on some, going on tap in a select number of local venues.

#7 East Coast Crusher

VIOLENT SOHO COLLAB
Alc / Vol 4.8%

The boys from Violent Soho brewed a Pilot Batch Beer with us to quench an East Coast thirst. An Aussie dry hopped Kolsch, East Coast Crusher is bursting with Ella and Victoria’s Secret hops finishing super crisp to keep them satiated on tour.

Check out The Slow Road – Chapter 2 to watch the banter and brewing of East Coast Crusher.

#6 Saison en Chêne

JILLY WINES COLLAB
Alc / Vol 6.7%

A collab Pilot Batch, brewed with local winemaker and owner of Clunes General Store, Jarrad Dixon and the first time we ever bottled a Pilot Batch brew. Combining the passion and expertise of both brewer and vintner the team created a Saison en Chêne.

Our Saison with a touch of oak has subtle aromatics of citrus, coconut and banana. This is a rich and textural beer, with a rounded mouthfeel and a long finish.

#5 Gose 
Alc / Vol 4.5%

Pronounced “Gose-uh”. This rare German beer style is salty and sour finishing beautifully balanced and very refreshing. Our Gose is cloudy with a light head an exhibits hints of fresh hop and coriander with a touch of funk. It’s also easy drinking at 4.5% ABV.

#4 Saison
Alc / Vol 5.3%

A modern interpretation of a classic farmhouse Saison. Our refreshing, rootsy ale has layers of citrus, cloves and spice from rustic grains, Wallonian yeasts and the dry hopping of Mosiac. It sits perfectly alongside a slow cooked feast, shared with good friends.

#3 Belgian Tripel
Alc/Vol 9.0%
Our version of this beer has a light amber hue, low sweetness from the pale malts and mild spicy fruit ester aromas, which characterise this style. It finishes well balanced with a mousse like head and at 9% this easy drinking tripel packs a punch!

#2 Baltic Porter
Alc/Vol 8.2%
Our second batch is a Baltic Porter, pouring midnight black with a beautiful light tan head. It balances luscious aromas reminiscent of dark fruit such as plums, raisins and cherries with undertones of deep toasted malt, caramel and toffee. A complex blend of dark malts gives a rich sweetness that finishes full and smooth.

#1 Schwarzbier
Alc/Vol 4.7% – 25 IBUS
Our first batch is a traditional ‘dark lager’. Using German noble hops our Schwarzbier has a mild roast character and finishes dry.

Ideas can surface from anywhere and there’s nothing quite like watching one come to fruition… It’s epic. From the initial light bulb moment through to attentive planning, gathering of ingredients, and the brew day. Then there’s a spine tingling wait as we nurse the beer through ferment and conditioning before we can finally kick back to enjoy the first frothy sips of the beery creation…

Our eighth Pilot Batch is an experimental brew dreamt up by a few of the legends from our crew; Karli (Engagement), Tom and Krista (Road Crew), Ryan (Packaging) and Frank (Lab). Led by brewers, Caolan, Louis, Michael and Andy, the team brought different areas of the business together, throwing different perspectives and ideas into the mix. After brew storming, the team decided on a Florida Weisse; a sour beer brewed with local fruits added to enhance flavour.

A regional variation of a Berliner Weisse, Florida Weisses are known for their complex and delicious balance of ‘tart’ and ‘sweet’. Light bodied and lower in alcohol, with a direct addition of tropical fruit during ferment, Florida Weisses are complex thirst quenchers perfectly enjoyed pool or ocean side on a hot sunny day.

Our Florida Weisse puts a ‘Byron’ spin on a traditional German wheat beer. Fermented with fresh guava and pineapple, the beer has subtle fruity notes to compliment the beautiful, bready character of the wheat. The finish is tart thirst quenching and moreish!

Like all our other Pilot Batch brews the Florida Weisse is a small batch…special, limited and once gone, may never return.

Find it locally going on tap at; our Tasting Room in Byron, The Northern Hotel, Welders Dog, Lester & Earl and Bine.