PRIMARY FLAVOURS

• Grains
• Pine
• Porridge
• Grilled nuts

Story

Talk about small; the average brew size at Red Duck Brewing is just 510 litres - which is basically a rounding error when Australian breweries have 1,000,000 litre tanks.

Importantly, Red Duck isn't just a microbrewery; it's one of Australia's oldest microbreweries, starting way back in 2005 when local craft beer was not a thing and lager was pretty much the main flavour of every beer, every time.

Intriguingly, unlike so many of those original early noughties breweries that sold out to big multinational companies years ago, Red Duck continues to be owned by founders Scott and Vanessa Wilson-Browne, who proudly craft these beers with the same level of handmade care as ever in their Ballarat brewery and distillery.

This ethos says it best: 'There are no shortcuts or cheap ways to make beer the way we do. It’s labour-intensive, our ingredient costs are high, and our overheads for small-batch brewing are high. We don’t make cheap beer! What we strive for is to make world class beers'.

The Silver Wolf IPA shows this wonderfully. Paying homage to some of the original North American India Pale Ale styles, this is aromatic and punchy beer with personality. Made using an absolute smorgasbord of different hop varieties, it's a beer of hoppy freshness and clean lines, with refreshing bitterness rather than juicy tropical fruit, and a hint of grilled nuts and toasted bread from the malt.

Specs

PAIRING GUIDE

The team at Red Duck Brewing certainly knows its way around a quality IPA, and this delicious release certainly hits the high notes when it comes to flavour and lasting refreshment. All that crisp character and delightful hoppiness makes it a perfect pairing for homemade burgers, chicken or fish curries, crispy chickpeas and loaded fries. Nachos, fajitas, fried rice dishes, noodles and grilled fish will all work brilliantly, and it’s also excellent with savoury pastries and pies, too.

RECIPE MATCHES

• Vietnamese Pork Belly
• Greek Island Lamb and Chickpea Burgers
• Cheats Vegetarian Curry