Gold Coast brewer releases peculiar coloured beer that ‘packs a punch’

You know the saying — never judge a beer by its colour. A Gold Coast brewery has released a refreshing beer that might look sweet but its creators promise it’s not for the faint-hearted

Burleigh Brewing Co. co-founder Peta Fielding says make no mistake — it may be pretty, but their berry-bathed Wild Berry IPA packs a punch.

“Yes it’s pink, and the can is pink too, but it’s 6.8 per cent alcohol so it’s a pretty full-on beer,” she says.

“The underlying style is an IPA and there’s quite a lot of hoppiness so it’s really substantial.

“The colour is natural from the berries and it has a fresh real-fruit tartness to it.”

The Wild Berry IPA is one of four newly announced flavours from the Burleigh craft beer pioneer, but it’s the only one set for broad release.

Peta says the hot-hue brew was originally developed as a taphouse exclusive, but proved so popular they’re taking it to a wider audience.

“It’ll be going to about 40 bars and we’ll do a limited release in cartons of cans in mid-September through independent bottle shops,” she says.

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Burleigh Brewing Co's Wild Berry IPA is set for a wider release in September.

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“We have a mini version of our big production system, so we’re creating new beers pretty much every week, but usually they don’t make it further than our taphouse.

“September is beer festival season, so this time we’ve brewed some extra ones.”

The Ruby Cherry Sour was made for Beer InCider in celebration of headline act Ruby Fields.

Hop Nectar — a re-imagined American Pale Ale/IPA with juicy grapefruit, berry and mango character — and Burleigh Scotch Ale will be exclusive to the taphouse.

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“About 50 taphouse exclusives a year is pretty much the rhythm we’re on now,” Peta says.

“We have a whiteboard down in the brewery with a very long list of new ideas, so there’s no shortage of inspiration.

“Coming up with new beers is a team effort and sometimes it’s quite cool when it’s not a brewer who comes up with the idea because they’re not as limited by what’s (usually done).

“We’ve done a beer based around ANZAC bickies before and another one with dates in it. Our brewers love the challenge.”

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Peta Fielding is the CEO of Burleigh Brewing, the company she started with husband Brennan about 10 years ago. Photo: NIGEL HALLETT

Peta says there are plenty of ideas to go around in the Coast’s thriving craft beer scene, viewing the industry’s local growth as a positive for everyone involved.

“Nationally people talk about the Gold Coast as being a bit of a standout, certainly recently with the amount of action (in the industry),” she says.

“I always say competition was its hardest when we first opened because there wasn’t a craft beer market and people weren’t looking for it.

“We had to create a market and that felt like us against the world.

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Burleigh Brewing Co's Hazy Hop Nectar.

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“All this activity helps build awareness. The days of pubs saying they don’t need a craft beer are long gone because consumers want to have some options that go beyond the big national brands.

“Maybe if there was a brewer on every corner it would start to feel a bit different, but at the moment it feels much more vibrant and we’re finding opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago.”