Balter Brewing takes hoppy beers to new frontiers

It’s been almost exactly three years since Balter Brewing announced its sale to Carlton & United Breweries. What happens after a buyout like this is always a bit of an unknown. But by all accounts, Balter has been going gangbusters under the new regime. Stirling Howland and Scott Hargrave of Balter are with us this episode of Drinks Adventures. You’re going to hear how CUB’s ownership has introduced Balter’s hop-forward beers to some unlikely venues, with surprising results. But we also explore some of the other contributors to its success. Like the ‘measure twice, cut once’ philosophy that underpins its approach to packaged beer. I'll weigh in with some opinions of my own on that topic, too. And Scott tells us why the ‘haze craze’ is not really a craze, but the latest evolution of the India Pale Ale style. And speaking of style evolutions, I get their thoughts on the Aussie Wheat Ale initiative, which we explored a few episodes ago on this podcast with the participating CUB craft breweries. First up, I asked Stirling whether we’d heard correctly in that episode, that Balter’s Currumbin brewery is struggling to keep up with the popularity of its beers.