Golf and beer have always got along. Even as far back as the 1400s, when shepherds killed time by hitting stones with sticks, ‘frothies’ and fairways were a match made in heaven.
The legend of those shepherds and their brews lives on thanks to a Melbourne brewery with golfers very much the priority.
Bad Shepherd Brewing Co, in the heart of Melbourne’s famed Sandbelt, has launched The Caddie Victoria Ale, a truly local craft beer made with 100 per cent Victorian origin ingredients.
The refreshingly light ale is only one standard drink per can, keeping you on your game and comes from the heart of The Melbourne Sandbelt – host of this week’s ISPS Handa Australian Open.
Victoria is widely regarded as one the greatest golf destinations in the world and is home to the two top courses in the country (Royal Melbourne Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club) as ranked by Australian Golf Digest, making it the perfect place to produce a classic golf brew.
The Caddie Victoria Ale is attentively made using malt from Geelong, proprietary hops by Ellerslie (a fourth-generation Victorian grower), and water from Melbourne. In a rare and exclusive treat, the commercial beer also uses a 100-year-old Victorian made yeast.
Bad Shepherd jumped at the opportunity to partner with Visit Victoria to develop a truly local beer with the golfer in mind. The focus quickly turned to developing an easy-going mid strength pale ale using ingredients with a local provenance and that can be enjoyed on some of the best golf courses in the world
“We have amazing golf courses in Victoria and particularly through The Melbourne Sandbelt where we are situated, and we wanted to focus on all-Victorian ingredients,” said Bad Shepherd head brewer and innovation lead Brendon Guild.
“We selected Astra and Melba hops to give us a light touch of passionfruit, stonefruit and citrus – the perfect accompaniment as we head into summer. Best of all, at one standard drink per can, The Caddie will make sure you stay on course and at the top of your game.”
Bad Shepherd first learned of a yeast strain made in Melbourne in 1889 by famous bacteriologist Auguste de Bavay when it was rediscovered by beer historian and author Peter Symons. Symons said the yeast, Melbourne No.1 pure ale yeast, was so good it was once dubbed the ‘sire of Australian beer’ and was credited with lifting the quality of Victorian colonial beer to world class standard.
Unused since 1936 and preserved at White Labs, a yeast lab in San Diego, Bad Shepherd has exclusively propagated the Melbourne No.1 in 2018 for their Victoria Pale Ale.
“We set ourselves a tough challenge to create a 100 per cent locally produced beer which meant finding not only Victorian hops and malt, but also a Victorian-made yeast,” said Bad Shepherd owner and award-winning brewer Dereck Hales.
The Caddie Victoria Ale is worth the wait, delivering a crisp, easy drinking mid-strength pale with a tropical aroma. Just like a good caddie, it could get you up to par.
The Caddie Victoria Ale is now available at select bottle shops in Victoria and interstate and in most of The Melbourne Sandbelt clubs which are open to interstate tee bookings. For more information, check out https://www.badshepherd.com.au/collections/limited-editions/products/the-caddie-victoria-pale
