On Thursday the 28th of September I visited the Hunter Beer Co. in Nulkaba, New South Wales. This is a brewery in the heart of wine making country. It is situated in the Potters Hotel, Brewery, Resort which is just outside of Cessnock. The brewery has been in operation since 2003. It is a hands on brewery that is all manually run, a real labor of love for good beer. They brew 600 litres at a time and 95% of this is sold on site, with the remainder being consumed within 50 km of the brewery.
The beers that I sampled were:
Hunter Kolsch, 4.5% abv, this is a golden coloured beer with a malt flavour. It is crisp, dry and refreshing.
Witbier Evolution, 4.5 % abv, this is a hazy straw coloured wheatbeer with a yeasty, wheat and herb aroma. It is made with orange zest and coriander and has a lovely spicy wheat flavour.
Aussie Lager, 4.8% abv, this is a beer that is made with 100% Australian ingredients. It has a straw colour and a crisp taste with a gentle bitterness on the finish.
Hunter Lager, 4.8% abv, this is an European style Bohemian Pilsner. It has a golden colour and an apple yeast aroma. The flavour is sweet, clean and crisp on a dry finish.
Hunter Pale Ale, 5.2% abv, this has a golden colour and a sweet tropical fruit aroma. It is well balanced with a sweet malt flavour and then a mild tropical fruit taste and a gentle bitterness on the finish.
Hunter Bock, 5.5% abv, this is a dark amber colour with a roasted coffee aroma. It has a nice malty flavour. Very true to the style.
Cheeky Chocolate Indulgence, 4.8% abv, this is a Porter that was made by Jordie for the Aroma Festival in Maitland. It is a black coloured beer with a very strong chocolate aroma. It has a wonderful malt flavour which is dominated by the chocolate. Fantastic!
Provenance Ale, 3.5% abv, this is an ale that is made with 100% Australian ingredients. It has a golden colour and a subtle citrus aroma. It has a mild malt and then fruit flavour.
The Bridesmaid, 7.7% abv, this is a double Bock style beer with an amber colour and a malt aroma. It has a nice sweet malt and fruit flavour, a little like a mild Christmas pudding.
Magnum Wolf IIPA, 10% abv, this is a golden colour with a strong fruity citrus aroma. It has a wonderful sweet malty taste and then a strong fruitiness on a big hop bitter finish.
Cranky Pants IPA, 7.5% abv, this is a cloudy, golden orange colour with a strong orange citrus aroma. It has a great sweet fruity orange flavour on a good hop bitter finish.
Slaked Magpie, 4.3% abv, this is a black colour with a sweet vanilla aroma. It has a lovely sweet malt flavour with strong hints of vanilla, chocolate and coffee. Very nice!
Liquid Bacon, 5.0% abv, this is an amber coloured beer with a strong smoked meat aroma. It has a wonderful flavour of smoked meat and bacon. Very nice, a true Rauchbier.
The beers at Hunter Beer Co. are great! They have a wonderful selection and a true passion for producing great craft beer. I would like to thank Jordie for her hospitality and time while I was there.
Hunter Beer Co is open seven days a week 10am – 5pm, with food being sold in the adjacent Bar and Brasserie and entertainment featured on Friday and Saturday.
