A Tweed brewery is adapting a centuries-old European brewing tradition to local conditions, using native ingredients and sustainable practices to produce barrel-aged beer.<\/p>\n
Caldera Brewing and Blending Co has drawn on traditional European techniques to create mixed-culture, barrel-aged saisons, a process that can take up to two years.<\/p>\n
Run by Nick Loeve and his wife Hayley Gaulton, the brewery is among a small number in Australia specialising in the style, which relies on the fermentation of multiple yeasts and bacteria.<\/p>\n
The term saison dates back to 18th-century farm workers in France and southern Belgium, who brewed beer using excess crops to drink during summer months.<\/p>\n
For Loeve, the style reflects a close relationship with agriculture, an approach he applies by sourcing locally produced and ethically farmed ingredients.<\/p>\n
He said the use of native plants such as lemon myrtle and mugwort helped tie the beer to its local environment.<\/p>\n
“We’re taking a traditional European style of beer making and changing it to fit a tropical climate,” Loeve said.<\/p>\n
The couple started the business in 2022 and recently received Tweed Shire Council’s Sustainability Award in recognition of their practices.<\/p>\n
They plan to use their space in the South Murwillumbah Industrial Estate to host collaborations with other local producers, pop-up chef events and beer launches.<\/p>\n
Since December, the brewery has opened its doors on Saturday afternoons for guided cellar tours and food-and-beer tasting sessions.<\/p>\n
Caldera’s beer is also sold at Murwillumbah and Byron farmers markets, and is stocked by select bottle shops and restaurants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Tweed brewery is adapting a centuries-old European brewing tradition to local conditions, using native ingredients and sustainable practices to produce barrel-aged beer. Caldera Brewing and Blending Co has drawn on traditional European techniques to create mixed-culture, barrel-aged saisons, a process that can take up to two years. Run by Nick Loeve and his wife […]<\/p>\n