Based out of New South Wales’ Blue Mountains, Mountain Culture is a brewery that’s been going from stride to stride since its inception in 2019. Co-founder brewer DJ McCready draws on his experience working for some of the biggest craft breweries in the US, all while appreciating the burgeoning craft beer scene in Australia. This has resulted in Mountain Culture’s vehemently loved core range, plus a unique slew of research and development beers that keep keen craft brew drinkers and newbies alike wanting more. While the product speaks for itself, we sat down with DJ to learn more about the process behind creating the cult-worthy brews.
Each beer they make has a sense of place, thanks to their Katoomba brewery location providing plenty of inspiration
Distilling a sense of adventure into a beer is no easy feat, but it’s much easier done when inspiration is drawn from the immediate surroundings. That’s how Mountain Culture captures the fun and vibrancy of Katoomba and beyond. “The Blue Mountains is such a great place for unplugging from the real world,” says DJ. “It’s such a playground area and I’ve always found it so cool and so vast. There’s so many different things to explore, trails to get lost on and adventures to be had. We wanted to create something that is very enjoyable after a big day out in the wilderness.”
Status Quo was crowned as Australia’s best craft beer, with a prestigious 2022 GABS Hottest 100 win. Co-founder DJ McCready says, “We’ve been recognised as the number 1 rated brewery in Australia on Untappd for the past couple of years, but to take the GABS win also… is mind blowing.” And the winning formula? “This beer encapsulates so much of what we are about at Mountain Culture. It’s bold and full flavoured but at the same time a great, easy-going drinking experience.”
They are serious about crafting an excellent brew, but they’re also big on finding the fun in the process (and the results)
Each of Mountain Culture’s brews are distinctly canned in bright and bodacious packaging that channel laidback fun. But it’s also what’s on the inside that counts. “We take our product very seriously. But also, we’ve always wanted to keep it fun and engaging, with an approachable allure to it. We’re not in the wine industry – we’re in the beer industry, and that’s supposed to be fun, and we’ve stuck to that as we’ve grown.”
A flavour-first approach requires finding the best ingredients, and combining science with experimentation is the key to making something delicious
Quality ingredients are paramount in crafting great brews. DJ shares, “We go over to the US and hand select hops. We go over to New Zealand and we work with a few Aussie farms here.” He highlights that while brewing involves science, it’s also an art. “Brewing beer is based on microbiology and chemistry, but there’s also an element of stepping away and being led by your palate as opposed to basing it all on science. It’s the art of practice,” says DJ.
Tweaking and evolving the beers is part of how they push themselves creatively
While the core range is made up of Mountain Culture’s consistent brews, they also have limited releases, which are the results of research and development that span collaborations and plenty of experimentation. “We produce small batches, we make tweaks to recipes, we try new hop products, we try new brewing techniques, and we put it out there and we see how people respond to it,” says DJ. In less than four years they’ve produced more than 300 limited release beers.
One of the most important things in their beer making process is you, the beer drinker
Taking feedback directly from beer drinkers is one of their sources of inspiration, and DJ notes Australians know a good quality brew when they taste it. “The craft beer scene in Australia has really kicked off in the past 6-7 years, and I think it’s because Australians have sophisticated palates. The wine and coffee scenes here are phenomenal. So craft beer has really taken off quickly because people have more discerning palates with other drinks.” Whether it’s getting feedback directly from drinkers at their brew pub in Katoomba and their Emu Plains HQ; or scouring through socials to read reviews, the team leave ego at the door when it comes to their craft. “We’re really about bringing people along for the journey. And we keep our ear to the ground to listen to that.”
Brought to you by Mountain Culture Beer Co.
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