Page 50 - Tropic Magazine Issue 33

TROPIC • DRINKS

Buy local
90% of the beer sold in Australia is
In good spirits from Japanese-owned companies.

CRAFT LIQUOR
The region’s distilleries and
breweries have formed their The guild is the brainchild of
own guild. Hemingway’s Brewery CEO Tony Fyfe,
who told Tropic it will enable makers
Words: Renee Cluff
who are passionate about their products Asahi products Great Northern
A group of Far North Queensland craft to have autonomy over events like the Brewing Co and Carlton Draught are
beer and spirit manufacturers are Cairns Craft Beer Festival. the most popular, followed by XXXX,
shaping their own destinies through “The breweries kept getting approached which is owned by Kirin.
the establishment of the Brewers and by individuals saying they wanted to do
Distillers Guild. As part of the initiative, craft beers festivals,”
a new map is being drawn up to help he said. “They wanted to buy wholesale,
beer and spirit lovers find locally-made make all the profit and we would do all
products. the work. I rallied the brewers together
and we put some rules in place.
Then, when we set up Devils Thumb
THE DISTILLERS Distillery we started getting
Devils Thumb Distillery approached again. It made sense that we In the distilling space, UK-based
Wolf Lane Distillery put the brewers and distillers together company Diageo has a quarter of
Narrow Tracks Distillery and form an organisation.” the Australian market share for both
Distil on the Hill The map will include all six distilleries spirits and mixed spirits, followed by
Mt Uncle Distillery and four breweries that have signed up to Asahi and Coca-Cola Limited.
Wild River Mountain Distillery the guild, to both promote locally brewed Diageo also owns Bundaberg
and distilled tipples, while acting as a Distilling Company.
THE BREWERS way-finder. “When people come to the
north, I’m sure many don’t realise what’s Sources: Statista (beer)/Goldstein Market
Hemingway’s Brewery on offer,” Mr Fyfe said. “You might want Intelligence (spirits)
Macalister Brewing Company
Coral Sea Brewing Co. to do a day out at distilleries or a day out
Barrier Reef Brewing Co. at breweries and the map will help MORE: brewersanddistillersfnq.com.au
plan that.”

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50 • Tropic • Issue 33