An annual event and brewing ritual to honour ancient brewing traditions was held at Stone & Wood’s Byron brewery last week.
The brewery’s media spokesperson told The Echo, ‘The Stone Brew Day is a nod to medieval brewing, it’s a tradition held dear for the last 17 years since Stone & Wood’s humble beginnings’.
Caolan Vaughan, Stone & Wood head brewer said, ‘On this day, we pay homage to tradition and the way things used to be done long ago, before electricity or any of our modern luxuries.
‘Each year, we change recipe and select only the best ingredients we possibly can’.
Heated stones
Caolan says the tradition includes heating up stones until they glow a fiery red and then brewers carefully lower the stones into a kettle, creating a big cloud of steam.
‘Stone & Wood has been brewing this special beer since 2008, ever since their founder, Brad Rogers, brought back some special rocks from Fiji.
‘These rocks are perfect for heating things up and adding a unique twist to the brew’, said Caolan.
Friends of the brewery, local media, local hospitality venue managers and folks from the Australian beer scene were invited for the event, which was catered for by 100 Mile Table.