Jervis Bay Brewing Co

This week, for the first time in 4 months, I was able to visit a brewery to sit down and have a few beers and a feed!  And it was everything I remembered it to be, and more.  The brewery I was lucky enough to visit this past weekend was Jervis Bay Brewing.

For those unfamiliar, Jervis Bay is an absolutely gorgeous bay on the South Coast of New South Wales. It’s about a 2 ½ – 3 hour drive south of Sydney.  Jervis Bay Brewing is located in Huskisson, one of the main towns located along the bay.  The brewery itself is situated in an industrial area a little under 2 km from the town centre.

I’d previously sampled their Bright Idea XPA from a local bottle shop and so have been keen for a visit for a while now.  However, due to fairly obvious COVID-y reasons, that wasn’t possible until just this past weekend.  The first thing that strikes you upon walking through the gates is the massive outdoor area.  Tons of seating, tons of space, and perfect to accommodate the varying levels of social distancing restrictions that have been slowly easing.  There’s also fire pits, big tables for games, and just a generally good, relaxed vibe.  It didn’t hurt that there was magnificent weather on the day of our visit either. So the outdoor area, was definitely the ideal place to enjoy a tasty beverage or two. 

They also regularly have food trucks stationed at the entrance (it was wood fired pizzas on the day we were there). So the dining side of things is sorted as well.

Inside is a bit more seating and an impressive array of industrial steel brewing hardware that is apparently set to expand even further shortly.  This last bit of info, coming from the friendly gentleman waiting behind the bar to serve us as we entered.  The bar itself was pretty damn cool as well, with a stained glass ocean themed scene every bit befitting of Jervis Bay.

As for the beer itself, there were currently four options to choose from: the Bright Idea XPA, 11 Days Pale Ale, Black Bevy Session Stout, and the Smokey Porter.  There were a number of others a few days away, but that’s what was on offer when we visited.  So naturally, I tried them all.

The smokey porter was exactly what it sounded like.  It’s a good, solid dark porter, with a heavy hit of smoke wafting up through it.  Not sure I could do more than a schooner of it just due to the degree of smokiness.  But it was an excellent complement to include in the tasting tray.

The Black Bevy was a quintessential Australian stout: dark and rich on the palate, but not too heavy.  And it was perfectly suited to the sunny winter’s day we visited.

I’d easily go back for another Black Bevy in particular. But the standouts were pretty clearly the Bright Idea XPA and the 11 Days Pale Ale.  The Bright Idea has more of a deep amber colour with a good hop kick and a subtle malty undertone.  Whereas the 11 Days is more of the classic straw-coloured ale with a clean, crisp, hoppy bite.

But most impressive was how both the Bright Idea XPA and 11 Days Pale Ale manage to find that elusive goldilocks hop-zone.  Both are hoppy enough to appeal to someone (such as myself) whose tastes run heavily towards the hoppy end of the spectrum.  However, neither are so hoppy so as to be off-putting to someone not as hoppily inclined.  I’ve found it’s not all that common of a balance in the world of craft beer. But it’s one that has been nailed on not one, but two beers from Jervis Bay Brewing.

You really don’t need too many excuses to visit Jervis Bay.  It’s a gorgeous part of the world.  But definitely add Jervis Bay Brewing to the list.  Cool venue, genuinely nice people, and seriously good beer.  I’m very much looking forward to getting back down and trying some of their upcoming offerings.  But realistically, the four they’re currently pouring (highlighted by the excellent Bright Ideas XPA and 11 Days Pale) are easily enough to get me heading back for more.