White Rabbit has opened the doors to its new brewery and barrel hall in the Little Creatures Brewery Village in Geelong.
The brewery closed its operations in Healesville in May this year and relocated the original Little Creatures brewing gear to Geelong.
The new home features a barrel hall that will enable the brewing team at White Rabbit to further explore its ethos of ‘Fermentation with Imagination’ and introduce a range of beers made with the aid of barrel ageing and blending.
“We’ve always been rather enamoured with old-fashioned brewing practices and balancing them with a sprinkling of new world thinking. It all began with the magic of open fermentation and now with the gift of additional space at our new home, will continue with the wonder that is barrel ageing,” said White Rabbit head brewer Jeremy Halse.
“As to our new barrel hall, much like wine, ales take on a new depth of flavour when barrel aged. The addition of wild microflora to the beer within the barrels lends the beer added dimensions.
“Our new home in Geelong allows us to store our lovingly repurposed barrels and get to work creating some intriguing new flavours.”
The White Rabbit Brewery and Barrel Hall will be open to the public offering a beer tasting environment with a ‘general store’ retail component located inside, showcasing the region’s produce. This will include a selection of hand cut meats, local olives, cheese and ploughman’s platters, sitting alongside hand-crafted wares and beer goods.
This complements the existing brewery village experience at Little Creatures where visitors can grab a meal with family and friends at the Canteen and enjoy brewery tours, entertainment and an artisan market on the second Sunday of every month.
The first of White Rabbit’s permanent barrel aged beers is planned for release in March.
White Rabbit Brewery and Barrel Hall
Little Creatures Village – 221 Swanston Street, South Geelong
Open: Sunday to Thursday: 11am-5pm, Friday to Saturday 11am-9pm