On Thursday the 21st of September, I visited the New England Brewing Co. in the small town of Uralla in New South Wales. This is a small town found in the New England Region inland from Coffs Harbour and only 90km from Tamworth.
The brown brick façade that faces the main street, hides the large shed structure of the brewery, but once you enter the premises there is no doubt you have entered the beer-making hub. The hustle and bustle of the brewery serves as the backdrop to the bar, with plenty of wrap around seating to take in the activity of brewers in action as you enjoy a tasting paddle or a pint or two.
The brewery began in 2013, with the brewers recognising a need for a beer from the region, rather than one from the city. They now specialise in brewing a lot of their beers in an open fermenter. This process removes a great deal of the beer’s aroma.
The beers that I sampled were:
Brown Ale, 4.5% abv, this beer has a dark amber colour and a subtle malt aroma. It has a nice malty taste with hints of caramel.
Coffee Stout, 5.6% abv, this is a black coloured stout with a roasted coffee aroma. It has a strong espresso flavour.
Pale Ale, 4.8% abv, this ale has a hazy straw colour and a very subtle floral aroma. It has sweet fruity initial taste and then a mild bitter finish.
India Black, 6.4% abv, this is a dark brown India Ale with a fruity aroma. It has a sweet initial taste and then a huge fruity hop bitter finish.
Vanilla Wheat, 4.3% abv, this wheat beer has a cloudy straw colour and a subtle vanilla aroma. It has a nice sweet flavour of vanilla and bananas.
India Pale Ale, 6.3% abv, this is a golden coloured ale with a subtle fruity aroma. It has a strong fruity taste and then a generous hop bitter finish.
They also have a Flying Ram Lager at 4.7% abv.
The New England Brewing Co. is producing a great range of beers and has a good following from the locals. I would like to thank Ben for his hospitality when I visited.
The brewery is open Thursday to Saturday 11m – 6pm with the pizza kitchen open on Saturdays.
