In his utopia, Bridge Road Brewers founder Ben Kraus would make a different beer every time he stepped into his brewery. In the real world he has to keep knocking out a number of staples, but that doesn’t stop him having fun when he can.
He has created a smoky breakfast lager featuring muesli, tea, coffee, honey and fruit toast, and he has taken Australian hops to Norway to create a unique beer with Scandinavian trailblazers Nøgne Ø. Bridge Road has made a beer out of elderflowers (12 kilograms of them), a marmalade beer, a raspberry beer, a green tea IPA and a beer made with chardonnay lees.
That's not to say Bridge Road's nine staple beers are old hat. The Beechworth Pale Ale, the brewery's most popular brew, was voted number nine in GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2017 poll. Three other of the brewery's offerings also made the top 100 list.
The brewery itself is a comfortable space to enjoy a beer and a meal, with a sunny courtyard and a rustic interior. The pizzas are seriously good – our tip is to try the blue cheese and apple. And the Reuben sandwich is also well worth a try. They are the perfect accompaniment to a long afternoon of beer tasting.