After 6 long years in the planning & development stages, the first onsite microbrewery ever on the Peninsula, the Red Hill Brewery is unique. Not only do they have their own brewery onsite, they also established their own hop yard where they grow all their own hops organically to use in their beers.

Karen & David Golding have traveled extensively throughout Europe and New Zealand researching beer styles and brewing techniques. David, the head brewer, subsequently studied brewing at the Ballarat University’s Brewing & Malting course, the only one of its kind in the Sthn Hemisphere.

The stunning copper clad brewhouse was carefully selected to meet the specific requirements and imported from the USA. After the 6 month journey, the brewhouse has been installed into the Red Hill South property and is on show to visitors.

HOPS

The role of hops in beer is to impart bitterness to balance the sweetness of the malt, they are a natural preservative in the beer and they also create the aroma of the beer. Most other breweries use imported hop pellets which are highly processed & often old, which don’t compare with the quality of hops being used at Red Hill. Growing hops onsite ensures only the freshest possible hops are used, imparting distinctibe, fresh and unique hop flavours and aromas to the beers.

RED HILL BREWERY WINS TOURISM GRANT

The Red Hill Brewery is producing three main ale styles, handcrafted to suit the palates of people who love the wine and food of the Peninsula. The flagship beer, the Golden Ale, is based on a German style Kolsch Ale. It is a very pale and crisp light bodied ale, fruity with a refreshing tanginess, sometimes described as slightly salty. It has a delicate hoppy dryness created by the use of the hops grown onsite at the Brewery. A very easy drinking style and perfect on a warm day, or all day! The Golden Ale is the perfect match with lighter style summer food, rye sourdough and mild cheeses. If you love the Peninsula’s Pinot Grigio wines that do so well here, then you will love the Red Hill Brewery’s Golden Ale. Scotch Ale is famously known as the “Burgundy of Scotland”, a ripe, fruity ale which is a deep red colour and has a caramely sweetness. The caramel flavours often impart a smoky taste to the beer. The addition of Scotch Ale makes for a beautiful lamb pie, it is also wonderful with full flavoured cheeses and rich desserts such as plum pudding. The Scotch Ale is the perfect beer for Peninsula Pinophiles. The Wheat Beer is in the famous South German (Bavarian) style. A highly aromatic beer, with a banana like fruitiness in the palate and soft clovey spiciness in the aroma. There is no better match for spicy food than a Wheat Beer as the sweetness balances the heat making it ideal with dishes such as green thai curries. However, it is hard to pass up the classic German pairing of Weissbeir with Weisswurst (Veal sausages) with a large dollop of creamy mash and some mustard.

THE FOOD

Set in a beautiful rural environment, the Red Hill committed to serving real food. They use local and home grown produce, wherever possible all food is sourced from the Mornington Peninsula and everything is made in house. The food is a selection of some of the most famous and popular dishes from the great beer loving nations of England, Belgium and Germany where the favourite dishes have developed over centuries according to how well they match the famous beer styles.

WHERE TO FIND THEM