Follow one beer lover’s journey of discovery as he deliberates on how the cold one in your hand can affect climate change and how every drinker has the power to turn beer into a force for good.
From the brewing tanks of Stone & Wood to the lush hop and barley fields of regional Australia, filmmaker and change maker Jack Toohey tours the state in search of the answers on how we can make beer more sustainable.
With the support of our good friends and growers at Ryefield Hops and Voyager Craft Malt, we're very proud to announce the launch of our most sustainable beer yet, Northern Rivers Beer. We've used 100% Certified Sustainable Ryefield Hops and 70% Certified Sustainable Voyager Malt in this brew all of which is regeneratively farmed.
"I think it's vital for punters to know how beers made but not just how it's made, but where it comes from. It's an agricultural product and without agriculture here in Australia, we wouldn't have beer...Stone & Wood has decided to use Regen ingredients in our beers and that's for a higher purpose and that's really to bring it to the mainstream." Says our Head Brewer, Caolan Vaughan.
WATCH: SWX video – Commemorating 10 Years of Beers
Today marks 10 years since the first kegs rolled out of our brewery in Byron Bay.
A fair bit’s changed since the three boys first sat around the kitchen table, dreaming up what would be the original and handcrafted Pacific Ale, back in 2008. What hasn’t changed are our values, being proudly independent, being ingrained in our communities and our focus on treading as lightly as we can on our Earth.
There are so many special moments and achievements we’re proud of over the last decade. Check out a few of our most memorable ones below.
We’re humbled and proud of where we’ve come from but more excited for where we’re heading with our incredible team. From all of us cheers for the support and ten years of beers!
Find Stockist - The Father of Pacific Ale that never was.
WATCH: THE PREQUEL IS BACK!
After the overwhelming response to the release of The Prequel earlier this year, we have decided to bring it back for round 3. From today Aug 14th, venues along the east coast of Australia will start pouring The Prequel – The father of the Pacific Ale that never was….
We’ve been brewing hazy beers and using the Galaxy hop for close to ten years now. The Prequel was brewed in celebration of Galaxy, so for this brew, we used bucket-loads of them!
The Prequel is an ultra-dry-hopped Australian style ale that pours hazy gold and full strength. It has more than 25 times the number of galaxy hops than Pacific Ale, 99.5% of which was added into the whirlpool for maximum flavour and aroma. The copious additions of Galaxy hops offer powerful aromas of passionfruit, pineapple, mango and citrus. Its bold hop character is refreshingly balanced by a low bitterness, finishing dry and crisp…
ABV 6.6 | IBU 45 | OE 14.5 P | AE 2.0 P
Malts – pale, wheat and flaked wheat Hops – Galaxy
Celebrating 10 years of Galaxy Hops with The Prequel...
The father of Pacific Ale that never was…
The Prequel is an ultra-dry-hopped Australian style ale that pours hazy gold and full strength. The copious additions of Galaxy hops offer powerful aromas of passionfruit, pineapple, mango and citrus. Its bold hop character is refreshingly balanced by a low bitterness, finishing dry and crisp…
“Pacific Ale I am your father” (cue Star Wars theme music).
THE PREQUEL STORY
10 years ago, Stone & Wood co-founder Brad Rogers was brewing up a storm on a tiny brew kit in his hinterland shed. Those initial batches were hazy, cloudy and aromatic, driven by the then relatively unheard-of Galaxy hops.
The first trials shaped the future of not just our beers, but the Stone & Wood story as well. We were committed to brewing beer for the drinking occasions in our local area, and we knew that sessionable beers were an important part of that. So, from those early brews in Brad’s shed, we headed towards a beer sitting somewhere between four and five percent ABV, so that our drinkers could enjoy a few schooners of it.
These days session beers tend to be a lower ABV succession version of a stronger beer, but we skipped the stronger beer step and went straight ahead with brewing and launching our Draught Ale in 2008 that was then renamed Pacific Ale after we put it into a bottle in 2010.
Now looking back, we wondered if we had taken a different course 10 years ago and released a stronger higher ABV version of the beer what would it have been like.
“As a species it is stories that distinguish us”Richard Flanagan
Profiling passionate people from the Northern Rivers who lead a conscious lifestyle, Stories of the Sea tells tales of salty locals and their connection to our community, the environment, their craft and the water…
Our latest short film, launched at the Byron Bay Surf Festival’s 2018 Sunset Cinema, features local surf photographer Anrielle Hunt, alongside Uncle Ray, who with a smile, has been surfing The Pass every day since 1964.
Despite being from different generations, discover how these two salty souls share the same love for the ocean and on living a slower life… The way it should be.
Born and raised in Byron Bay, Stone & Wood is proudly local, brewing approachable, sessionable beer in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Inspired by the idea of creating a village brewery and with the vision of building a conscious business, we’re striving to do good in our community with beer that is simply good to drink.
Our people make Stone & Wood what it is. A down to earth and diverse bunch, who all share a love for beer, it is their shared passion, values and community spirit that bind us together as a team. We place great importance in bringing the right people on, who respect our vision and contribute to cultivating our unique culture.
“I love the fact that we’re all so different…everyone’s unique and it’s nice that we’ve promoted such a culture where we can be so different, but share the same values and the same passions…which makes for really good drinking buddies.” –Lou Klatte, Stone & Wood Road Crew member.
Blair has contributed 31 years to the independent beer revolution.
WHO IS BLAIR HAYDEN?
There are pioneers among us who have paved the way towards today’s burgeoning beer industry…This annual limited release is a tribute to theseForefathers.
This year’s Forefather is Blair Hayden, a publican and patriarch ofone of the oldest pubs in Sydney. Refusing to bow to what beers should line the taps, he built a brewery so he could pour his own. 31 years later, Blair’s contributed to the independent beer revolution.
We had the pleasure of meeting the passionate and animated Blair Hayden when he was in town to brew this year’s Forefathers release alongside our co-founder Brad and our brewers Sam and Caolan.
Using the finest English Maris Otter malt, Blair and the boys brewed an English Pale Ale. With hints of citrus zest from the addition of bergamot tea, the spicy and floral hop aroma is balanced with a medium bitterness.
Get to know this lovable legend, watch our latest Forefathers video featured above.
Check out our venue listing below for where to find this year’s Forefathers beer, it will be hitting shelves and pouring through taps at select bottle shops and pubs across the country from this week. Alternatively, you’ll be able to purchase through ouronline store.
SHARE A BEER WITH BLAIR…
Share a beer with the year’s Forefather at his brewery and pub,The Lord Nelson. This Thursday 24 August, join him and some of our crew from 6pm to share a few and talk all things beer…
You can spot a “wood sniffer” by the way their eyes light up when they spot a piece of timber. Their rough hands run tenderly along the fibres and you can see the satisfaction when they take a big ol’ whiff. They have a grounded passion and appreciation in the potential of transforming a lump of local wood into something special…
As a part of The Way It Should Be series, our latest film follows fifth generation wood sniffer, Andy Ceglinski from sawmill to surf.
Profiling people who’ve gravitated to the Northern Rivers for a more conscious lifestyle, the series tells the stories of locals and their connection to our community, the environment and their craft…
“It seemed like such a rewarding idea to be able to mill the wood and handcraft this board then surf it…It’s a combination of all the things I love.”
Andy’s sustainable approach is not to make a heap of surfboards to sell and pocket millions of dollars. He’d rather enjoy the experience of making a quality product, and he’d be stoked if he could after it all, make a humble living from it.
For us, Andy’s story reminds us of our own. Many of our team, have chosen to move to the Northern Rivers for the life it offers, to work with purpose and be a part of this special community. This area has helped us bring to life our philosophies around what was great about village breweries, and what a conscious business should be.
“Like any good honourable business, we’re trying to do good things for the community and for the environment.”
Watch Andy’s humbling story through his approach to doing business and how he sees his responsibility as a leader in the community.
Board Designs: Joel Fitzgerald & Dana Watson. Surfers: Joel Fitzgerald, Dana Watson, Andy Ceglinksi Supported by:Joel Fitzgerald
When Eddie Brook, founder ofCape Byron Distilleryinvited us to collaborate on an experimental project, we were absolutely thrilled! As close friends ofBrookfarm, we’d been waiting patiently for any opportunity to work with the distillery, their latest project.
Inspired by the local distillery’s dedication to rainforest regeneration and use of native botanicals during distillation, a small crew began working closely with Eddie. Carefully planning how their idea would come to fruition, the team exchanged secrets of their crafts, initial visions while experimenting with flavours and taste testing a few breakfast gins…
Lip-puckering and thirst quenching, the kettle soured beer has added botanicals of Juniper berries, crushed coriander seeds and lemon peel… Collectively dubbed the Gin Sour, due to it’s tart, refreshing and cocktail-esque qualities, our collabPilot Batchbeer is now out of tank.
To celebrate the release of our moreish collab brew, Brookie’s Dry Gin and Stone & Wood, are holding a fundraiser “When Gin Meets Beer” Sunday 21 May at the Cape Byron Distillery. The arvo will kick off at 1pm, with theStock Pot Kitchenfiring up the BBQ and our latest Pilot Batch, Gin Sour pouring from the taps.
All ticket sales and profits from the day will be donated to those affected locally, by the recent floods through the Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased viaEventbrite. So, join us in the rainforest….to celebrate the release of this unique brew and support a cause close to our hearts.
Have you ever heard the tale of the Murwillumbah Swamp Beer?
Have you ever heard the tale of the Murwillumbah Swamp Beer? It’s a story that’ll make you smile and thirst for a beer.
Good Friday 2001– a day that will go down in history for the community of Murwillumbah, and the birth date of the infamous Murbah Swamp beer.
At 2.00 a.m a truck carrying over 40,000 bottles of beer ran off the road and crashed into a river along Tweed Valley Way. The load of beer was cut loose to pull the truck from the water but the salvage operation was postponed by police due to the heavy Easter traffic along the highway.
As the word spread across town, the locals of Murbah took the clean up into their own hands with a mission to rescue every last beer that entered their river. The amateur rescue operation consisted of anything that floated; canoes, bodyboards, boats, eskys and jetskis to surface and save the beers. By the time the police salvage divers came to the crash site, there was not a beer to be seen, and the small town of Murbah celebrated the Easter long weekend over many cold brews and stories about their involvement in the great Murbah beer salvage.
The news made national headlines putting the town of Murwillumbah on the map. The mini doco above features key characters of the Murbah community telling the story of the greatest event to hit the small Northern Rivers town.
Here at Stone & Wood, we love a good story, especially one that brings the community together. So to celebrate the epic occasion, we’ve brewed an exclusivePilot Batchto commemorate the Murbah Swamp Beer which will be tapped at ourMurwillumbah BreweryOpen Day, March 4.
Come along with the family to theMurbah Open Dayand support the community’s charity of choice, The Wedgetail Retreat and Tweed Palliative Support with a gold coin entry donation. Enjoy brewery tours, entertainment (Dos Loona, Holly Tapp and Tim Schou), food (JR’s Smokehouse, The Backyard Chef, Keith Coffee & Barber) drinks ($5 beers, water and soft drinks) and some fun for the kids. Gates open from 11am-5pm (NSW time). We’ll see ya there!
Profiling passionate people who’ve gravitated to the Northern Rivers for a more conscious lifestyle, The Way It Should Be series tells the stories of locals and their connection to our community, the environment and their craft.
Our latest video, featuring coastal custodian Dave Rastovich, reminds us that we are all visitors on this Earth and so we have a collective responsibility.
Rasta’s message is that by being conscious and treading lightly, we can move forward as individuals, as conscious businesses and as communities.
He shares his passion for the ecology of the Northern Rivers, its eclectic community and the growing number of businesses doing good.
For us, it’s about walking the path together. It’s a long journey and undoubtedly we will continue to make some mistakes but it’s about taking steps in the right direction and helping others along the way.
We’re so lucky to call the Northern Rivers home and we hope you can share the stoke and be inspired by this special place and its people too.
We’ve joined a growing global community of B-Corp companies dedicated to being agents of positive change.
Recently we became a certified B-Corp, affirming that our philosophies of brewing good beer for the community and supporting the people who support us, while always looking at new ways to tread lighter on our Earth, are on the right track.
B-Corp is an independent accreditation for profit businesses that meet rigorous standards set around governance, workers, community, environment, and business impact models. It certifies companies that are concerned for their communities and the environment.
What it means for Stone & Wood is that we’ve joined a growing global community of companies dedicated to being agents of positive change, including Patagonia, New Belgium Brewing and Ben & Jerry’s. These businesses have all proven that they meet high standards of social, economic and environmental accountability and transparency.
When we refer to brewing good beer, of course the quality of our product is our highest priority but ‘good’ goes beyond the rational attributes of our beer. It’s about what we do through ourIngrained (community),Green Feet (environment)and Brewlife (people) programs. We believe it is our responsibility, as the local brewer, to positively impact our communities.
We’re humbled to join a community of like-minded companies determined to set a new standard for how business can be used as a force for good.
Check out theB-Corp website to learn more about our report and find a community of like-minded companies determined to set a new standard for how business can be used as a force for good.
This special part of the world that we get to call home, inspires how we live and work.
Passionate people who are after a slower more conscious lifestyle gravitate to the Northern Rivers, bringing with them incredible talent and artisanal skills that tend to come into their own through local collaboration, a shared understanding of craftsmanship, creativity and the energy and inspiration of the area.
Making this video was a whole lot of fun, with thanks going to the boys (Neil, Zach and Nick) from the brewery who despite needing a couple of beers to feel comfortable talking on camera were stoked to be able to show what gets them out of bed each morning, also to local guys Pete Rogers (Cape Productions) and Justin McMillan for everything behind the scenes.
To top it all off and have Angus Stone keen to allow us to use his music, was for us, the perfect addition to a very local project.
Working with good people and having fun while you do it, is all a part of it.. The way it should be!
Shout out to:
Legends – Neil Whittorn (Brewing Team Leader), Zachary Wright (Brewer) and Nick Cornish (Engineering Manager)
Stone & Wood x McTavish – The craft of brewing and shaping We’ve taken a different approach to the traditional brew to style model. We make handcrafted beer in a part of the world where people enjoy having a beer when relaxing after catching a wave, catching a band at the pub or just […]
Stone & Wood x McTavish – The craft of brewing and shaping
We’ve taken a different approach to the traditional brew to style model. We make handcrafted beer in a part of the world where people enjoy having a beer when relaxing after catching a wave, catching a band at the pub or just catching up with friends. We shape our beers to compliment these local conditions.
Co-Founder and Head Brewer Brad Rogers of Stone & Wood used the feeling of coming straight out of the water on a Summer’s day, with boardies still dripping, running across the hot sand, past the sunbakers, over the grassy knoll and straight into the beer garden to grab a beer that would satisfy that insatiable thirst to create our Pacific Ale…
Brewing as a craft takes a connection to the community, applied skill, experience, creativity and knowledge. Likewise, so does shaping a surfboard.
Godfather of surfing and pioneer Bob McTavish, founded McTavish back in 1962. Still surfing everyday, his connection to the industry, the local area and innate understanding of how to shape a board for a certain break and ability have ensured his surfboards have remained the benchmark.
While both enjoy creating things, the real connection between the craft of brewing and shaping is the shared passion for using them.
Stone & Wood x McTavish – The craft of brewing and shaping We’ve taken a different approach to the traditional brew to style model. We make handcrafted beer in a...
