Catriona at Boag's.
In the engine room at Boag's.
Boag's Brewery.
True beer-lovers can now take a tour of Tasmania's finest breweries and put your taste buds to the test.
J Boag & Son have been brewers on the banks of the Esk River since 1881. James Boag believed in brewing the highest-quality beers using the finest Tasmanian ingredients, and that continues today. The technology and equipment have changed with time, but the craftsmanship has remained as it always was.
Boag's beer has won countless domestic and international awards and medals, and visitors can take a 1.25-hour tour of the brewery to see how the amber liquid is produced.
Starting at Boag's reception area, you will be issued with safety equipment for the tour, which has 19 stops along the way. While you will be behind glass walls, you are very close to the actual process, with workers mingling with you as they perform their tasks. Of course, the aroma of yeast, malt and hops is a constant reminder of where you are!
Your guide will tell you about the types of malts used, how they dispose of any residue (as stock feed), and in the heart of the plant you will see the process of adding yeast. There are four stages of fermentation before the liquid goes into storage tanks, with each different beer requiring different temperatures.
You will see a beer-tasting wheel that was developed to standardise tasting terminology, so that now brewers and beer-lovers can compare and communicate on a level plane. Flavours the experts can detect are wide and varied — fruity, floral, nutty, sweet, salty and bitter. At the end of the tour, you will be able to taste one of Boag's best, and put to the test what you have learnt.
