Over the Easter long weekend, faced with closing our shop due to liquor licensing laws, we raided the shelves before we left. Armed with the latest International arrivals we hit the road to get out of Sydney and enjoyed a couple of days in beautiful Jervis Bay. Hope you had a blast too!

Over a few (highly hopped) beers with family and friends we were asked the question, “What’s in this? It’s definitely different!” Answer: hops – and heaps of them. Hops are a plant closely related to Cannabis – but don’t try and smoke it, it’s far better in your brew. Hops are traditionally added to the brewing process to impart flavour and act as a natural preservative. There are a range of different hop varieties, traditionally grown in cooler climates, which can be added at different times to the brewing process to affect flavour, bitterness and the aroma of a beer. Indian Pale Ales are the most well known hoppy style of beer. Originally brewed for the voyage from Britain to the East Indies, the hops ensured the beer was still in fine form before it hit the shores of India.