PRIMARY FLAVOURS

• Stonefruit
• Funk
• Grapefruit
• Spice

Story

Hard Road is a great way to describe how it feels to start a craft brewery and keep it going over the past ten years. There have been plenty of surprises on the road for Lein Jenkins & wife Angie, too, especially as they managed to open their own standalone Hard Road Brewing brewpub in Nov 2019, leaving just months of trading before COVID shut it all down.

Thankfully, they've managed to make it out the other side, with this half-Californian, half-Victorian couple producing a range of beers in their east-Melbourne brewery that aren't your usual suspects, including traditional English bitters and an array of Belgian Ales.

While Hard Road itself is a newish venture, Lein & Angie first started brewing as Caltoria (get it, California-Victoria) back in 2017, when they rented a little space in the corner of a drilling company's warehouse and started a basic setup to make some beer on a proud microscale.

Then, things kicked up a gear when the drillers decided they wanted to move out, and Lein & Angie made the jump from side hustle brewers to full-time commercial operation. Interestingly enough, the owners of the drilling company are also silent partners, helping tiny Caltoria become Hard Road Brewing, complete with a 20-tap brewpub plus canning line and for us to discover these unique Victorian brews.

There's no shortage of diversity in the Hard Road range, but it's hard to go past this charismatic Belgian Pale Ale. For starters, this style is a fair jump from your usual hop-forward modern American Pale Ale. Instead, this would be more at home in a Brussels pub, with its fruity and gently funky character all about mouthful and complexity.

There are all sorts of interesting flavours in this beer, too—it tastes of grapefruit, berries, and fruit, with a roundness and generosity without losing refreshment. Delicious AND interesting.

Specs

PAIRING GUIDE

With its hint of funk and tart edges, this crisp Belgian-styled ale will really demand that a dish has a little extra flavour to match. Chips and mayonnaise, roasted vegetables and roasted meats, fermented vegetables (like kimchi or sauerkraut) and richly textured pasta dishes will all work wonderfully here, especially if your beer is served ice cold.

RECIPE MATCHES

• Posh Fish and Chips Recipe
• Pork and Sauerkraut Stew
• Red Onion Soup with Camembert Toast