S Haslam
Possibly because I haven’t attended any big live music events over the pandemic, I liked the Festival of the Stone on Saturday night more than any previous year, including those when it was just a few people standing around a brazier. It’s more like a big party now than a ‘festival’, but the night was sold out, the street outside was blocked for safety, the whole check-in process was friendly and well organised, and there was a big, younger crowd who seemed to all be having a good time. Surely this couldn’t be right – but it even seemed to me that the Stone Beer itself tasted better than any other ‘vintage’, which I followed up with a Bay Pilsener before becoming lost in the vibe of the DJ area. As I was the designated driver to the next party, I had to leave before JK47 came on, and I left many beers undrunk, so I’m looking forward to next year.
You can now buy the Stone Beer from the Stone & Wood website (it’s described as a dark brown porter with rich and chocolately aromas, followed by coffee, dark chocolate and biscuity flavours on the palate and finishes with a firm bitterness). Or it’s available in cartons and on tap at select local venues, and there is also Stone Beer in barrel-aged crocks, which look pretty cool. Taking it to the next level, the super-limited Uber Stone Beer is a double barrel aged imperial porter with richer chocolate, truffle, rum cake and ripe cherry notes. See stoneandwood.com.au for more info.
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