Frenchies Bistro & Brewery will present the inaugural Fresh Harvest Beer Week in May, a multi-day celebration of Australia’s annual hop harvest.
Moving away from the Fresh Harvest Beer Festival, which was founded in 2018, Frenchies Co-founder and Brewery Director, Vince de Soyres, says the team were inspired to do things a little differently this year, introducing the six-day festival with an evolved format and more diverse experiences.
“From a complimentary beer tasting night to unmissable food and beer pairing experiences, and a one-day IPA tap takeover where beer lovers can stroll into our taproom at their leisure, this year we were really keen to provide a varied range of activities that appeal to peoples’ different interests, budgets, and busy schedules,” he explains.
Taking place at The Cannery in Rosebery from 5-10 May, the debut Fresh Harvest Beer Week will host a series of events and experiences designed to celebrate Australia’s hop industry and fresh, hoppy beers.
Kicking off the celebrations, Frenchies will unveil two limited release brews, The Cool Kids Vol. 34 – Ryefield WCIPA and Double Phresh IPA, on Monday 5 May. Produced in collaboration with Bemboka-based hop growing farm Ryefield Hops and Australian cooperative brewery Hopsters, both beers will be available in the brewery and online.
“We’re passionate about supporting local wherever we can, and so are excited to be showcasing Ryefield Hops’ sustainably produced hops in our Fresh Harvest Beer Week brews. All will be revealed soon, but beer lovers can expect to find their Beedelup and Victoria hop varieties in the mix, among a few others,” de Soyres added.
From Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 May, beer lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy the two limited-edition beers with a hop-infused dish created by the Frenchies Bistro team especially for the occasion. The special dish will be available to sample with a schooner for $49 per person.
For IPA Tasting Night, visitors to Frenchies will be able to taste a selection of Frenchies’ hop-forward beers including Ryefield WCIPA, Double Phresh IPA, Cryo Nelson Hazy IPA, Giant Sequoia Dark IPA, No Flower West Coast IPA, Pale Ale and Hazy XPA. The complimentary experience will be held on Thursday 8 May, with a hoppy beer-focused quiz and prizes to be won.
The following day, Frenchies invites beer lovers to enjoy an after-work knock off with the aforementioned IPAs available on tap from 12pm on Friday 9 May.
Other food-led events include Raclette Night, rounding out the festival on Saturday 10 May. For $89 per person, guests will receive their own raclette grill for melting premium Swiss raclette cheese with accompaniments, to be paired with a schooner of either Ryefield WCIPA or Double Phresh IPA.
De Soyres concluded: “Overall, we’re looking forward to hosting everyone for what we’re sure will be a tasty, fun, and educational week, as we talk all things hops and this year’s harvest season!”