After our own recent visit to Hop Hen in Lilydale, and with nearly half the beers in this edition of Hop Quest being collaborations, we thought it only fitting to talk about the origins and benefits of working together in the brewing world!
In the world of craft beer, collaborations aren’t just about making a beer, they’re about creating something new and unique with your best beer buddies! The collab allows brewers (and little old cellar-workers) to swap stories, drink beers, and learn a few brewing secrets along the way. The end result is a beautiful blend of techniques from across the board to create something truly unique and usually limited, never to be seen again!
Another benefit of collaboration in the beer world is the attention from a chosen partner’s fan base. For example, when it comes to ‘Riding The Pine’, it allows both West Coast Brewing to get some exposure to the Australian market, while Mountain Culture can start to build a brand in Japan.
In our own collaboration with Hop Hen, we had the opportunity to work with brewer Ben to develop a recipe that we thought would be a great representation of some old school West Coast style IPAs. This included hop selection, where we went through a myriad of hops before settling on Chinook, Simcoe, Sultana and Apollo.
So next time you’re cracking open a collaboration brew, raise a glass to the mateship in the craft brewing industry – after all, the more the merrier!
What to explore collab brews further?
Shop Carwyn Cellar's full range of collab beers!
