stephen blyth’s blog

It seemed appropriate to get a lead on microbreweries in Victoria in a town with a rich gold mining past. Amidst the brochures for microlight rides, gold panning, ski hire and other alpine activities was an innocuous postcard sized book with a beer bottle on it. “Craft beer” said the label. Within the slim volume is a list, a list of microbreweries. The Beer Lover’s Guide to Victoria’s Microbreweries it’s called. Pleased at my fossicking skills, it was time to work out how to visit as many breweries as possible.

Fortunately a stop-over was called for on the way back to Melbourne after an alpine adventure with my parents. Only slightly out of our way was the Buffalo Brewery, within sight of the Mount Buffalo national park. Boorhaman, where the brewery is based, is a half horse town. Apart from sheds at the golf course and some derelict buildings there wasn’t much else to the settlement. Dry, featureless grazing country stetched in every direction. The nearest sizeable town, Wangaratta, was 15 minutes drive away.

The brewery is at the back of a capacious pub. Its walls are proudly lined with press clippings and Buffalo brewery wares, including the obligatory stubbie holder. At the end of a large garden bar was a stage where hill-billy bands play at weekends. Apparently it is not unknown for 200-300 people to be packed into the place. When we visited, patrons could be counted in single figures.

Lager, wheat beer, ginger ale, dark ale and stout are all brewed on the premises. Rather unusually, they grind their own barely for the brews. The stout is one of the finest I’ve tried in Australia - bitter, thick and rich. The other ales were crisp and fresh, though not without a hint of yeastiness. Buffalo beer is best drunk on the premises - take aways cost a whopping $20 for a six pack. Liquid gold indeed.

As we sat back enjoying the beer and the isolation, I pondered how to visit other rural breweries in the remaining five weeks I’ll be based in Melbourne.