Sydney Craft Beer Week: Yulli's and the Tassie Pepper Devil (Part I)

And so it begins. Another Sydney Craft Beer Week (SCBW) has started, with it beginning on 18th October until its completion on 26th October. It's eight days of stunningly beautiful and absolutely fantastic craft beer being served from selected venues across Sydney. If last year's event wasn't phenomenal enough, this year's SCBW has started in the most awesome of fashion!
 
Why? Well, I had the privilege of actually participating. Back in August, I was invited (via Nick, from Crafty Pint, through Dave Padden, head brewer at Riverside Brewing) to take part in Yulli's Australian Spice Bonanza. The idea was for a lucky few Sydney home brewers to choose a native Australian herb or spice and introduce it into a beer they brewed (some 100L). It was then to be matched with dumplings and form part of Yulli's SCBW event. Needless to say, I accepted the challenge.

I was soon in contact with James "Harvs" Harvey, head brewer at Yulli's in Surry Hills. We chatted a little and talked about ideas that I could use and my possible herb/spice that I would be willing to try. After much thought (and recovering from the dreaded flu) I decided to select Tasmanian Mountain Pepper. It was an unique ingredient in which I had never known anyone to use it in a beer before, so why the hell could I not use it?

Of course, it is illegal to ferment a beer at home and sell it on tap. So, for the first time I used the "no chill" method. Rather than chilling the wort, transferring it to a fermenter and pitching the yeast, I waited until the boil completed then transferred the wort into food grade plastic containers near 100C (boiling point). After expunging the oxygen from the containers, I closed the lids and let them cool down naturally. The wort was then transported to a brewery in which they fermented legally and followed appropriate procedures until such time as the beer was on tap.

So, last Sunday 19th October the home brewers were invited to Yulli's to try out the beers, to chat and just do everything "beery".  What a night it turned out to be! I had a good mate, Dougal, come along with me so he, too, could enjoy the my beer being on tap at a restaurant. The owners and staff at Yulli's were absolutely terrific and generous. And so, here is my journey at the beginning of SCBW and what took place on this wonderful evening.

Yulli's

Located in the heart of Surry Hills, Yulli's is perfectly located on Crown Street and is only a short 15 minute walk from Central Station. This part of town is full of vibrant people enjoying the many eats and treats available. For me and my mate, Dougal, our intention was to try out my beer for SCBW for the very first time, and Yulli's were kind enough to make that happen.

Yulli's has a very snug feeling to it, and with the addition of being quite hip lots of young folk happily wile away time with a great selection of food and drink, chatting endlessly with friends and loved ones.

Tassie Pepper Devil, 4.1%

As Dougal and I made ourselves known, up pops James "Harvs" Harvey, head brewer at Yulli's. We all have a quick chat and pop upstairs for the beer taste testing. Although the stairs were tricky to navigate, I easily navigated to the bar and found my beer on tap. The "Tassie Peper Devil" uses Tasmanian Mountain Pepper in a mild ale with an alcohol content of 4.1%.

Tassie Pepper Devil

So what does it look and taste like? Well, the orange-red hue, beautiful lacing and subtle mint/sage aroma provides the backbone to the all but subtle hint of pepper on the tongue. My only personal criticism of this beer is that there could a bit more Tasmanian Mountain Pepper. However, it can easily be overpowered so I was quite cautious in my approach when adding it to the boil during brewing. On a side note, here is what a writer for The Guardian, Australia had to say about my beer.

Yulli's menu

As both Dougal and I, along with Harvs, start settling in we noticed that the menu was "up in lights". Well, actually it was on a projector unit above the bar area. So, not only do I get to have my beer on tap but it is proudly displayed by the good people at Yulli's . By this stage I was pretty stoked.

Dougal and I enjoying the beers

Most importantly, though, was that it gave Dougal and myself the opportunity to try out the beers brewed by the lucky few home brewers taking part in this event. It was a privilege to have been able to taste their creations.

Every brewer taking part should be congratulated on their efforts. Harvs should also be congratulated on taking a leap of faith with us and giving us the the opportunity. Overall, Yulli's has done a magnificent job for SCBW and for the home brewers that took part. For that, we very much thank you. It was certainly an awesome way to get SCBW up, up and away.

Until next time.....
dann