Apr 12, 2023Spud suds: Australian brewer debuting sparkling ale made with potatoes
An Australian brewing company is kicking off a local potato festival with a special edition potato sparkling ale.
Spud Sparkling Ale from Wollongong-based Five Barrel Brewing is brewed with potatoes from Hills Family Farming in Robertson. The beer will be featured at the Robertson Potato Festival, to be held May 6-7.
“We’ve always wanted to brew a potato beer,” Five Barrel Brewing owner Phillip O’Shea told foodmag.com.au. “We had the idea a while back, and when we saw the invite from the festival, we thought it would be a perfect opportunity.”
The potato festival, which touts itself as a “Spud-tacular Weekend,” will feature cooking demonstrations, potato-eating contests, mead-making classes, helicopter rides and more.
Five Barrel Brewing, which opened in 2015, is a family-run business dedicated to making fresh craft beer.
“I make a mean roast potato at home and absolutely adore Robertson spuds, so I couldn’t resist using them in a beer, too,” O’Shea said. “We will peel and boil them up and use them in the mash.
“The enzymes on the barley we use will convert the starches in the potatoes into sugars that then get fermented into alcohol. We’re using some absolutely classic Aussie hops in this beer to re-create a style that we don’t see enough of anymore.”
Spud Sparkling Ale will be available in four packs of 440-milliliter (14.8-ounce) cans at fivebarrels.com.au following the festival launch while supplies last.
