Craft beer is taking off in Adelaide in a big way, and the folks at The Highway Hotel are well and truly aware of this. In fact, they’re embracing it with their upcoming Battle of the Beers. Customers have also become more picky about what wines are on offer and where they’re made, a trend which The Highway have made it their mission to have their staff know every little detail about their wines. I spoke with the men behind the scenes, Simon Adami, the Highway’s General Manager, and Jared Birbeck, founder of the Birbeck Brewing Company, about the popularity of these drinks and their thoughts on it.
1. Jared, you made home brewed beer for ten years before founding the Birbeck Brewing Company. What made you take the leap from doing it as a hobby to doing it professionally?
A couple of things, the main one is to enjoy my beer with people. It’s nice to sit at a bar and see someone you don’t know enjoy it. The other was I just really enjoy brewing, I’d rather be doing rather than tax. It’s no surprise I want to get out of tax. (“Yeah, especially this time of year!” I joked). They’re the key drivers, I had a couple of good years of home brewing, and wanted to take the beer to a broader audience.
2. What is it you feel makes craft beer more endearing than beer manufactured by bigger breweries?
Craft beer lovers are in the same category as foodies: they want more flavour, want to know where your beer comes from, and try something different. I was a craft beer drinker before brewing my own. You don’t get all that from trying VB, Tooheys, or Carona.
3. How are you feeling about your beer being placed in a public competition?
A combination of excitement and nerve wracking, like you’d get in any form of competition. In the same way, it’s exciting to share a beer with beer loving people. A little bit of nervousness for sure.
4. Simon, how did the Battle of the Beers come along? Where did you come up with the idea for it?
It was something we looked at a couple of years back. It was a case of having a craft beer market, and we thought we thought we loved the stuff, so we went ahead. It’d be something a bit different, to expose smaller brewers who don’t have the opportunity to promote themselves.
5. It would’ve gotten good feedback with brewers.
Problem is the big brewers and everything’s about them, going against them. It was a great opportunity to give a helping hand in moving things forward, we were excited and passionate about this. Craft beer’s exploded in Adelaide.
6. Why’s craft beer more popular in Adelaide than elsewhere in Australia?
Can do more different things, small bar culture. The bar industry in South Australia is narrower, you can buy VB, Carlton, Smirnoff, but now other things are available, it’s peaked peoples’ curiosity. It’s pub orientated, no gaming involved in new things. That’s helping the scene explode.
7. Why do feel Adelaide diners are more interested in having an extensive wine list compared to other Australian cities? Why do they want to know such specific details such as the region the wine was made in, climate, wine making method, etc.?
We got the best wineries in Adeliade Hills and Barossa Valley. Two or three wineries and started making experimental wines. South Australian wines are more obsucure brands. Over the past 12 months, we’ve had people order these wines. As it’s cheaper, it’s become more accessible to consumers. Bringing wines from the top end, we need staff who are highly educated in wines to top off the experience. They want someone who can answer the questions and have a bit of a story about the wine.
8. Are Australian wines or wines made overseas more popular? What do you prefer?
Aussie wines dominate our wine lists, we’re South Australians, so we’re going to lean towards local one. I’d definitely prefer an Aussie drop. We’re spoiled where we are. That market’s opening up, like craft beer.
9. Has it been difficult to compete against Adelaide’s top restaurants? I would imagine they would give you very tough competition.
It’s something we’re lucky on, the owner/director is an educated passionate man, who wants to keep the hotel in trend. When we made the wine list, we have a day to find 80-100 wines, and we once we got those, we narrow it down to the 50 we want to select. We’re conscious of what the rest are stocking, then we decide whether to stock it or not. We try to get stock, the restaurants don’t stock. We further educate the consumers. It almost forces customers to step out of their comfort zone. Adelaide drinkers are definitely into a fruitier experience rather than for bragging rights.
The Battle of the Beers begins on at 12pm, Friday August 9th. Bookings can be made by calling 8297 8155.
Leave a Comment