Australian Beer Company has launched a new limited release craft beer range, Beyond the Black Stump, with an innovative label concept.
According to the company, the beer range is “designed to evoke the imagination, celebrate Australian native ingredients and give the Aus Beer Co brewers an opportunity to brew the beers they’ve always dreamed of”.
The name of the series takes inspiration from the colloquial saying ‘beyond the black stump’, used to refer to remote or uncharted places.
The first beer of the series, Wattle Seed Ale, launches in specialty craft venues nationwide from June 27, and head brewer Andy Mitchell says that the Aus Beer Co team have relished the opportunity to think outside the box.
“We found lots of stories around Australia and the Riverina that we wanted to link back into our beers,” he says. “We used local ingredients to emphasise just how uniquely Australian those tall tales are.”
This beer’s inspiration, sixteen-year-old Valerio Ricetti, came to Australia in search of fortune in the Goldfields but turmoil soon struck the luckless, yet well-intentioned prospector. From a run in with a bouncer in Adelaide, to an incident with a guy who tried to pawn his jacket, then jail, Ricetti eventually sought comfort as a hermit in the hills. During the storms he took shelter in some overhanging rocks and over seven years he carved out a private utopia, which he would be later recognised for.
In order to convey the story behind the beer, Aus Beer Co’s Sam Johnstone came up with the concept of a foldout label.
“We came up with the concept over a beer,” he says. “No one has done foldout labels with beer before and once we had this first story, we thought it would be even cooler to somehow put that into a label.”
The story of Ricetti is hidden within the label, and can be accessed by drinkers once they have broken the seal. The detailed narrative will then unfold in an innovative seven-page format contained within.
All the beers in the series will hold a narrative label outlining their unique ‘tall tales’ and will be released periodically!
The Wattle Seed Ale is a traditional strong ale brewed with native black wattle seed, giving it “sweet hazelnut notes with a hint of vanilla”. It is reportedly “surprisingly easy-drinking” with a subtle sourness, an ABV of 6.0% and IBU of 20.
“The sweet and sour notes also nicely reflect the character who inspired the beer, Valerio Ricetti,” says Mitchell. “Featuring an intense malt and full-bodied mouth feel, it will leave you wanting more.”
The Beyond The Black Stump series of beers will be presented in 500ml bottles, with the Wattle Seed Ale available nationwide from June 27.