Cascade Brewery

We’ve strummed our fingers and tapped our toes awaiting the big announcement from Cascade Brewery. A quick jaunt to Old Hobart town revealed all the information required for me to give our readers the latest scoop from Australia’s oldest brewery. An enormous amount of effort has gone into shaping the future direction of the brewery to enable its proud tradition to continue in an ultra competitive premium/boutique beer market. But you’ve been waiting long enough, so without further ado here goes.

Beer product development requires the use of traditional brewing methods with the freshest local ingredients that are readily available at a reasonable price. And if you’re fortunate enough to have a rich and colourful history as is the case with Cascade Brewery, then use that background to infuse some local pride and product loyalty into the mix. “The history of the Cascade Brewery Co is something we are immensely proud of and we’re happy to be honouring Peter Degraves for his vision over 180 years ago,” said Dominic Baker, General Manager, Cascade Brewery Co. Degraves fostered a legacy, built from his commitment to consistency, purity and quality, and Cascade continues his passion today. Cascade Premium Lager and Cascade Premium Light showcase the perfection of fine Tasmanian ingredients when handled by expert brewers.

The newly released beers have been re-named the Degraves Collection, which groups together Pale Ale, Stout and newcomers Amber Ale and Blonde wheat paying tribute to Cascade’s highly successful seasonal beer favourites that are now permanently available. Each beer has its own unique story, inspired by the characters that have been a part of Cascade’s colourful and rich past. Gone are the four packs, and replaced with traditional 6-packs at a very reasonable price, allowing punters to have a go at these new products without spending a fortune.

Cascade Blonde is a re-jigged version of Summer Blonde from the Four Seasons collection According to Head Brewer Max Bursom “We’ve instilled more wheat to the wheat/barley mix resulting in lighter, clean, crisp ale with passion fruit tartness and a delicate back palate bitterness which should please females and the younger beer enthusiasts.” Legend has it that this style was inspired by a local fair haired barmaid famous for being zesty and sassy whose picture adorns the label.

The exclusion of Cascade Pale Ale would have caused a revolution in Van Demens land as ‘Pale’, as the locals call it, has been a part of the brewery since the 1850’s. Tradition has it that the flavour must be big and bold with a clean hop finish on the back palate and just a hint of fruitiness from the ale yeast .In recognition of its historical importance, Cascade Pale Ale received the honour of having the famous brewery façade on the label.

Cascade Amber Ale is the newest recruit to the Degraves Collection and enters an already crowded small brewery favoured style category. A blend of three malts to drive the flavour profile, it’s a pleasant well balanced drop with hints of toffee and caramel. It’s smooth and refreshing, rather than going for a rich heavy amber style. The character on the label is Jim Stoner who invited locals for a free beer during the depression if they brought their own drinking vessels. Understandably, large jam tins were a favourite ‘glass’.

I’ve often mentioned to fellow beer enthusiasts that Cascade Stout is a real sleeper beer that often falls below the radar screen. A deep rich creamy brew with a slightly nutty roasted flavour, and pleasant bitter coffee laced finish. On the label is another local character, Fatty Appleton who was famous for his ability to carry two firkin kegs under his arms that came in handy when crowd control issues arose.

No self respecting report about Cascade Brewery would be complete without a mention of their newly renovated visitor centre including their spectacular botanical gardens. According to Baker, ““Visitors to Tasmania have long been seeking out the Cascade Brewery, and we’ve now improved the experience. A complete refurbishment of the popular Visitor Centre now boasts a spectacular extension with a view to Mt Wellington, and a new bar that has the complete suite of Cascade beers on tap, enabling visitors to sample the range. Cascade’s rich history can also be further explored with memorabilia on display. Our botanic style gardens, yielding some unique and rare flora species, have also been regenerated to ensure its historical significance is retained,” added Dominic. “It’s really is one of the most picturesque historical sites in the country.”