The ubiquitous Carlton Draught continues to blur the lines between craft and big beer as ‘Fresh and Unpasteurised’ permeates all manner of pubs.
Unpasteurised beer is not heated (to 70 degrees) during the brewing process, and its delicate nature is considered one of the hallowed grounds of beer production.
One of the most wide-spread draught beers in the country, the special batch Carlton is tankered to hotels to be consumed within 14 days. Its unique point of difference in a mainstream beer makes a tempting middle ground that effectively bridges the void between big brewers and artisanal ‘craft’ brews.
“There’s no doubt it’s a customer favourite … the craft beer drinkers and traditional Carlton drinkers both love it,” John McGurk, licensee of Redcape’s Willoughby Hotel told PubTIC.
“It almost doubled our Carlton Draught sales. We get it delivered on a Friday morning, and go through around 500 litres a week. It’s the freshest beer, and does taste great.”
The Willoughby has positioned itself in recent years as a very beer-focused pub, and runs an annual craft beer fair.
Narissa Matthews, general manager of the Newtown Hotel in trendy inner-Sydney says the pub took on the unpasteurised Carlton as something unique in the beer-soaked suburb.
“It’s fair to say drinkers at the Newtown are pretty passionate about their beer, so being able to offer them something different like this is unreal. It gives our loyal customers something we know they want – the freshest possible beer.”
One of Sydney’s biggest pubs, the famous Coogee Bay Hotel, is now serving the tank offering. The latest New South Wales venue to take on Carlton & United Breweries’ Abbottsford-produced fresh brew is Solotel’s The Sackville.
Other interstate venues include The Royal Oak Hotel (Double Bay, NSW), The Gully Public House and Garden (Tea Tree Gully, SA) and The Moseley (Glenelg, SA), and in CD’s home state The Grovedale Hotel (Geelong, Vic), The National Hotel ‘The Nash’ (Geelong, Vic).
For more information visit the website: Brewery Fresh Tank Beer.