Murray's

Starting out as the brewery that gave the Pub With No Beer its beer, the Murray's operation moved to Port Stephens, a short drive up the coast from Newcastle, once word of its high quality brews meant they could no longer be contained by a pub in regional New South Wales.

These days, the ever-expanding brewery is housed in a former wine storage shed next to rows of vines just up the hill from a modern bar, restaurant and function room.

The original brew system was a wonderful copper clad piece of engineering, the likes of which would have filled Heath Robinson's dreams. It had, however, become incapable of meeting demand alone so has been replaced by a rather larger and more contemporary beast, with the old trooper now in operation at Hope Brewhouse in the Hunter.

With a fondness for pushing the bounds of brewing and mixing and matching styles, they've long been known for producing full-flavoured beers at every point in the spectrum, from lower alcohol examples like Punch & Judy and Retro Rocket to the big and bold Wild Thing and Spartacus – beers that were ahead of their time in the context of the Australian beer market. More recently, they've put out IPAs of all shapes and sizes, taken Wild Thing in all manner of directions and continued to fire out the weird and wonderful as well as adding more sessionable beers – a lager and XPA, for example – to the core range.

The ongoing expansion of the brewhouse has been in keeping with Murray's aim of seeing good craft beer all along the East Coast; every nook and cranny of the shed has steadily been filled with beer and the gear with which to make it, including the wooden barrels used for their annual Anniversary Ale releases, which tend be anything from barley wine to a Belgian ale featuring brettanomyces.

Having gotten by in the original buildings for years, in 2017 the cellar door and restaurant underwent a major makeover and it now looks every bit the modern destination, with a huge outdoor deck where you can bask in the Port Stephens sunshine, take in the scenery of the vineyard and the bush beyond and tuck into a pizza cooked in the outdoor oven. That winning combo has made it a hugely popular place for functions and an even more attractive proposition for the myriad of concerts that have been held on the grounds almost every long weekend for years.

During the renovations they also went to the trouble of installing a small still which they use to produce their own spirits under the Gentleman Smith label; there must be few, if any, other places in the country where you can sit down with a beer, wine and spirit made on site – not to mention the myriad of sauces and spreads that get made with the beer.

In recent years Murray’s adopted the tagline of “No boring beer”, and you’d be hard pressed to find anything boring at this place.

Name
Murray's
Address

3443 Nelson Bay Rd
Bobs Farm
NSW 2316

Phone
(02) 4982 6411
Open Hours

Cellar door
Mon to Fri: 10am to 5.30pm
Weekends from 10am
Restaurant
Lunch: Open 7 days
Dinner: Friday and Saturday nights in January (bookings essential)

Tours

Public tours daily at 2pm. $5 per person. Bookings recommended.
Groups of 20 or more and private tours by appointment.
Extreme Brewery Tours via helicopter. (Murray is not the pilot - but he'd love to be). By appointment.

This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

The Specials

Murray's Kick! Passionfruit
Murray's Frother Late Sesh Newcastle India Pale Lager
Murray's Laguna Brut IPA
Murray's Wild Thing Whisky Imperial Stout
Murray's Jaffa & Raisin' Hell
Murray's Gardenia IIPA
Murray's Ginni Hendrix Pale Ale
Murray's Anniversary Ale 12
Murray's Thunderbolt IPA & Black Bear Black IPA
Murray's Coffee Wild Thing
Murray's Hell of the North
Show 38 more

Murray's Regulars

Murray's Whale Ale

A wheat beer with a difference, Murray's Whale Ale is created in the American Wheat style, making it a lighter, crisper alternative to hefeweizens and witbiers. Named in honour of the creatures that grace the shores of the brewery's home of Port Stephens, this unfiltered wheat beer has low bitterness and is very easy-drinking, making it the brewery's most popular. They suggest pairing it with white meats and salads.… Read more
Style
American Wheat Beer
ABV
4.5%

Murray's Angry Man Pale Ale

A mainstay in the Murray's range since the mid noughties, Murray's signature pale ale has changed a lot over the years. It used to be called the Nirvana Pale Ale but at some point towards the turn of the first decade the pursuit of Nirvana turned to rage and it was renamed Angry Man Pale Ale and had its recipe tweaked. However, a little extra angst certainly didn't do the beer any harm as it's gone on to be the brewery's flagship ale, available in all parts of the country, now in a tinnie that displays… Read more
Style
APA
ABV
4.5%

Murray's Fred West Coast IPA

In the realms of beer geekery, Murray's is perhaps best known for its collection of imperial stouts - and with good reason. But it shouldn't be forgotten that they do love to create the odd IPA too - or several. From the pint-sized, drink-it-by-the-pint, Retro Rocket to the aptly named Icon 2IPA via Big Wednesday and the occasionally spotted Spartacus Imperial IPA, they've got the full range covered. And with Fred joining the family in 2014, the hoppy waistline got fatter still. Being a classic… Read more
Style
US IPA
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
75 IBU

Murray's Dark Knight Porter

They're rather fond of a dark beer or several, are the Murray's team. Each and every winter they unleash a barrage of dark beers – up to ten different kinds in a month – based around anything from chocolate to rye to raisins to rum. And while they're especially well regarded for their imperial stouts (they were one of the earliest in the country to brew such big beers with any regularity) arguably their most well known dark beer is the Dark Knight Porter. Amidst a core range that's changed a… Read more
Style
Porter
ABV
4.5%

Murray's East Coast XPA

From being nothing and nowhere, the XPA style has become one of the big achievers when it comes to crossover craft beer successes. With its key tenets (for most brewers anyway, as it's a loosely interpreted style at this stage) being that it’s light enough to appeal to the everyman, registers high enough on the hop scale to interest those accustomed to a little more flavour and also comes across eminently quaffable, this is increasingly a style you’ll find on many a not-quite-crafty pubs. As… Read more
Style
XPA
ABV
4.5%

Murray's East Coast Lager

The area around Murray's home of Port Stephens is, quite frankly, beautiful. Filled with scenery encompassing brilliant blues and greens aside white sand beaches it is, in many ways, an archetypal Aussie location. And what could be a more appropriate beer for enjoying in such a setting than an easy drinking lager? Murray's East Coast Lager is based, they say, on traditional German Pilsner malt and lager yeast with a subtle addition of their preferred New Zealand hops which combine for a fruity and… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
4.8%

Murray's Specials

Murray's Kick! Passionfruit

Published December 3, 2019
When people first taste Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale (a nostalgic time for many of us), the common descriptor is “passionfruit” - and some are surprised to hear that there’s no actual fruit in the easy-drinking beer and that the passionfruit characters are all derived from the now iconic Galaxy hops. In 2019, however, seeing the word “passionfruit” attached to a beer generally means you can expect full-on tartness, as brewers now use fruit additions in sour beers for a tangy and refreshing… Read more
Style
Passionfruit Wheat Ale
ABV
4.2%

Murray's Frother Late Sesh Newcastle India Pale Lager

Published September 27, 2019
It’s not overstating things to call Newcastle a surf city. It has prime surfing spots, surf shops, a surf school, and even a surf festival. Makes sense for it to have a surf beer. Hence, the Murray’s crew have collaborated with their friends at Sanbah Surf Shop to make an India pale lager for long days and long beaches. While its name may be hard to get your mouth around - Frother Late Sesh “Newcastle” India Pale Lager - the beer inside the can certainly isn’t. Sweet aromas of grain, flowers… Read more
Style
India Pale Lager
ABV
4.5%

Murray's Laguna Brut IPA

Published August 1, 2019
A beer that reeks of hops but drinks like a champagne? How very on-brand for a brewery that’s spent the majority of its life in a former wine storage shed. Perhaps Laguna is haunted by the ghost of brut wines past... Brut IPAs in Australia vary wildly, so it’s hard to know exactly what the style is “supposed to be like”. Murray’s rendition seems to hit all the right descriptors, though. High carbonation shoots the hop aromas right up your nose, giving you a buzz of pine and mandarin cut… Read more
Style
Brut IPA
ABV
7.0%
Bitterness
60 IBU

Murray's Wild Thing Whisky Imperial Stout

Published June 16, 2018
If you were attempting to establish some perspective on how much the Australian beer scene has shifted over the past decade, one of the clearest views may be seen by squinting through the impenetrable black prism of Murray’s Wild Thing. While reserving the right to be corrected, a rough calculation suggests that 2018 represents the tenth year the Port Stephens brewery has released its iconic imperial stout. Such milestones can be dismissed as being no big deal – just another big beer, you might… Read more
Style
Imperial Stout
ABV
10.0%

Murray's Jaffa & Raisin' Hell

Published June 2, 2018
To kick off the 2018 edition of their annual dark beer month, during which different ten dark beers will pour from the brewery’s taps, Murray’s released a coupe of typically off-centre new beers that seem to stir thoughts of pudding. The first is the Jaffa, a Chocolate Orange Belgian Ale. They say the beer is based on a blend of Belgian styles, one where chocolate wheat is used to give a dark colour and aroma of mocha while the yeast provides “subtle banana, clove and hints of bubble gum”.… Read more
Style
Belgian Ale & Wheat Porter
ABV
5.5%

Murray's Gardenia IIPA

Published May 25, 2018
Anyone who's followed Murray's over the years will know the brewery has a fondness for hops and, indeed, for creating IPAs of all shapes and sizes. The Icon was one of Australia's first double IPAs, while they've been bigger with beers like the Spartacus IIPA too. And now, as we hit winter 2018 and they begin rolling out beers in cans, they're back with another IIPA. It's not as big in terms of alcohol content as some of its predecessors, but it's no slouch on the hop front either. It's built around… Read more
Style
Double IPA
ABV
8.5%

Murray's Ginni Hendrix Pale Ale

Published May 19, 2018
Pretty well everyone knows that Murray’s has been brewing beer for ages, starting at the famous Pub With No Beer in 2006 before moving to their current home in Port Stephens. But, unless you’ve been to said home you might not know they have vineyards on the property and produce their own wine too. And, unless you’ve been there really recently – as in this year – you might not know they’ve completed the trilogy by installing a still to produce their own range of gin and vodka. So, when… Read more
Style
Gin Pale Ale
ABV
4.6%

Murray's Anniversary Ale 12

Published December 30, 2017
When the story of Australian craft beer comes to be told, Murray's deserves to be recognised as one of the country's true pioneers. While some of their peers and many far younger brewing companies enjoy more hype these days, take a look at what the NSW brewery has done since launching at the Pub With No Beer and it's an almost unmatched legacy. Whether it's big, hoppy beers such as the Icon 2IPA and Spartacus Imperial IPA, outrageously good imperial stouts such as Heart of Darkness (particularly… Read more
Style
English Barleywine
ABV
10.0%

Murray's Thunderbolt IPA & Black Bear Black IPA

Published July 27, 2016
Having spent time on the road recently, there's been something of a backlog of new beers at Crafty Towers that require sampling and writing up for the site. Thus, while it might sound like sacrilege to some, there has to be a spot of realism involved, a balancing of not wishing to pour away beer with keeping one's liver and family onside, if you will. Yet sometimes there are moments when you have to risk health and home life, like when you come across Murray's Thunderbolt for the first time; it really… Read more
Style
IPA & Black IPA
ABV
7.0% & 5.6%
Awards

Thunderbolt – Champion IPA Craft Beer Awards 2016

Stockists

Murray's Brewery

Other good beer stockists across Australia

Murray's Coffee Wild Thing

Published June 7, 2016
They've brewed a lot of big stouts over the years at Murray's – plenty of damn good ones too. There was the Belgio style Heart of Darkness (and its incredible oak-aged sibling back in the day when barrel ageing was still a rarity), the huge Seasons in the Abyss and the smoked imperial Belgian mussel and oyster stout we somehow ended up brewing with them. Yet first and longest lived is Wild Thing, their 10 percent ABV take on the style that sets a wall of hops into battle with a mountain of dark… Read more
Style
Coffee Imperial Stout
ABV
10.0%

Murray's Hell of the North

Published June 7, 2016
They've been blessed with head brewers at Murray's. Since launching, one or both of Graeme Mahy and Shawn Sherlock (now at Foghorn Brewhouse) has been running things in the brewery, both of them highly innovative brewers with a penchant for big and Belgian beers. Among the many beers Shawn created before Graeme returned from New Zealand was Hell of the North, a massive Belgian-inspired strong dark ale that, at its release, he told us he rated as one of the best three beers he'd ever brewed. As part… Read more
Style
Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV
11.5%

Murray's Brewery Spartacus Imperial IPA

Published April 17, 2016
A few years back, in the earliest days of The Crafty Pint, we were notified, rather excitedly, of a beer that was to make its debut at Beer DeLuxe in Fed Square as part of a Murray's tap takeover. The NSW brewery that had given Australia its first widely available double IPA – Icon 2IPA – was set to unleash Spartacus, a 10 per cent ABV, 100 IBU imperial IPA. Today, such beers might not raise eyebrows quite so high or drop jaws quite so low, given the hop-based armed race that has engulfed much… Read more
Style
Imperial IPA
ABV
10.0%
Bitterness
100 IBU
Stockists

At good beer stockists nationwide

Murray's Skully Red IPA

Published April 12, 2016
To coincide with American Independence Day 2015, Murray’s jumped on board the celebrations and released four US influenced IPAs: Icon, Black Bear, Fred and Skully. The latter was a red IPA that was well received to the point they had to do another batch. And after that batch disappeared, they were again hassled with: “When are you going to bottle it?” The problem was that even if they wanted to they couldn’t as the requisite hops weren’t available. Now they are and Skully is back again,… Read more
Style
Red IPA
ABV
5.6%
Stockists

At good beer stockists nationwide

Murray's & Bloodhound Bar Get Rich Or Die Ryeing

Published March 17, 2016
For Brewsvegas 2016 the team at Brisbane’s Bloodhound Bar decided to resurrect Hopfields, an event they’d held once before, towards the end of 2015, during which they dispensed a huge range of very hoppy beers over the course of a weekend. For round two they teamed up with the hop fiends at Murray’s to add a collaborative beer to proceedings. The recipe development was a joint back and forth effort, with the Bloodhounds deciding on a Red Rye IPA, the Murray’s team taking ownership of the… Read more
Style
Red Rye IPA
ABV
5.8%
Stockists

And select craft beer venues around SE QLD

Murray's & Brother Burger USEB

Published July 27, 2015
What do you do if you're desperate to get your hands on a particular beer but, to the best of your knowledge, that beer doesn't exist? For most people, your best hope is to keep hunting or to try your hand at home brewing. If you run a couple of popular beer venues, however, you could try to lean on a friendly brewer. And that's what Matt Heron, who manages the two Brother Burger & The Marvellous Brew venues in Melbourne did, calling on one of his favourite Australian brewers to help him achieve… Read more
Style
American ESB
ABV
6.8%
Stockists

Brother Burger South Yarra

Murray's Brewery, Port Stephens

Murray's Wild Thing, Wild Thing Chocolate & Night Demon

Published June 6, 2015
It's been a tradition at Murray's in recent years to celebrate the start of winter with the release of multiple big, dark beasts. Since former head brewer Graeme Mahy became returned head brewer Graeme Mahy it also seems to be becoming a habit to release multiple new beers every month. So this year's Dark Beer Month at Murray's promises to be a busy one. Leading the charge is an Aussie cult icon, the Wild Thing Imperial Stout that was originally brewed in Graeme's first stint at the NSW brewery and… Read more
Style
Imperial Stout / Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV
10% / 10.8%
Stockists

Launched at Murray's Brewery in Port Stephens June 6

Then nationwide at good beer venues

Murray's Brewing Benny Belgian Ale

Published May 10, 2015
The new beers keep coming at a fair old trot from the new brewing team at Murray's. This time around, complete with the somewhat troubling decal artwork, it's a Belgian ale called Benny. More precisely, it's their take on a Belgian red ale. It's described as having a "light reddish/brown colour from the European crystal malts" plus "a malt aroma and flavour of light caramel, as well as a slight banana and clove profile from the yeast." It's got a fair bit of punch too at 6.5 percent… Read more
Style
Belgian Red Ale
ABV
6.5%
Stockists

Murray's Craft Brewery

Gilroy's

Small Bar, Kirribilli

Chook & Brooksy, Newcastle

Others TBC

More stockists...

Murray's Chocolate Easter Egg Beer

Published April 3, 2015
Every Easter weekend it’s become tradition for Murray’s to open their Port Stephens brewery up to a mini festival of blues music, brewery tours and an Easter egg hunt through the venue’s vineyard and surrounds. They also use the occasion to release an Easter beer. Most recently that’s tended to be some variation of a spiced ale which recreates many of the cinnamon and other spice flavours you’d expect from Easter’s ubiquitous hot cross buns. But for 2015, new/returning brewer Graeme Mahy… Read more
Style
Chocolate Beer
ABV
4.5%
Stockists

Murray's Brewery

Murray's Brewing Scratchley's Itch

Published March 16, 2015
So, a brewer, a motorcycle company owner, a tattoo artist and a promoter walk into a bar... But this is no dumb joke, it’s the cast of characters who conspired on the latest collaboration brew from Murray’s. The beer is called Scratchley’s Itch, a play on Fort Scratchley, the historical and iconic Newcastle fort which dominates the entrance to the Hunter River. In a similar vein to Stone & Wood’s Mash Collective offshoot, the creation of Scratchley’s Itch brought an array of people… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
4.5%
Stockists

Murray's Brewery

The Edwards Bar

Other venues in Newcastle

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Murray's Ed Session IPA

Published March 6, 2015
When Fred, Murray’s take on a West Coast American IPA, was released mid-late 2014, it plugged one of the very few gaps in the IPA style spectrum that Murray’s hadn’t brewed via its use of US instead of Kiwi hops. Well, it seems they’re now determined to plug every gap because hot on the heels of Skully – a Red IPA which was as delicious as it was limited in supply – comes Ed, Fred’s younger cousin. Ed is, goes the official description, “not quite as grown up, but just as brash”.… Read more
Style
Session IPA
ABV
4.5%
Stockists

Murray's Brewery

Various good beer outlets

Draught only

More stockists...

Murray's Brewing Anniversary Ale 9

Published December 6, 2014
Murray's Anniversary Ale always used to make us think of Sir Alex Ferguson. Not because it's big and ballsy and tends to improve with age. No, for the rather more tangential (and possibly somewhat OCD) reason that it was released each year on his birthday at New Year. This time around, the beer is coming out earlier in time for Christmas but, if we're going to keep flogging that tangent like the racehorses that once got Lord Fergie into a wee spot of bother once, then there's still a link insofar… Read more
Style
English Barley Wine
ABV
10%
Stockists

Murray's Brewery

Murray's / Crafty Pint Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep '14

Published July 25, 2014
The unlikely tale of the Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep rolls on, getting smokier and fishier as it goes. For those new to the beer, it began as an idea at Crafty Towers for a beer to enter the Beervana 2012 Media Brew competition, became a 10 percent smoked imperial oyster and mussel stout brewed with a Trappist yeast, won the competition with a perfect score and was scaled up from that 20 litre batch to a commercial release last year. Murray's head brewer Shawn Sherlock said it would never be repeated… Read more
Style
Smoked Imperial Belgio Mollusc Stout
ABV
10.0%
Stockists

Murray's

Good craft beer stockists around Australia

Beervana 2014 Australia Bar

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Murray's Anniversary Ale 8

Published January 1, 2014
Every year on its birthday, which falls on New Year's Day, Murray's releases its Anniversary Ale. Always big, always oaked and always an evolution on the previous year's recipe, past years have also tended to see the beer get bigger year in, year out, with the ABV percentage climbing, the number of yeasts used on the rise and sometimes even the number of types of oak used increasing too. For number 8, however, they've decided to head back to where it all started with the first Anniversary Ale. It's… Read more
Style
Barley Wine
ABV
10%
Stockists

Murray's

Murray's Moon Boy

Published December 30, 2013
The Crafty Pint legal team is considering taking action against Murray's if they don't cough up fees for image rights for their newest beer. OK, not really - the website's founder doesn't own a maroon sweater like the bearded, bespectacled chap on Moon Bay's decal and given we allowed them to use our rippled physique as the basis for the Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep label, we can't really start playing funny buggers now. OK, that's a lie too as the only thing rippling about the site's founder's… Read more
Style
Golden Ale
ABV
4.5%

Murray's Brewing Hell of the North

Published August 8, 2013
You know you could be in for something special when the man responsible for beers such as Icon, Wild Thing, Punk Monk and Heart of Darkness says his new beer is one of the very best he's ever brewed. When word comes back from its pre-launch tapping that it's "the Australian Chimay Reserve", anticipation for said beer only heightens. The beer in question is the latest - and biggest to date - Belgian style ale to be dreamt up by the Murray's Brewing brains trust. The Hell of the North - a… Read more
Style
Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV
11.5%

Murray's Angry Man Brown Ale

Published August 2, 2013
When we carried out last month's brown ale Blind Tasting, more than one panelist commented that it was a shame Murray's Angry Man wasn't there as this year's release wasn't out. Turns out, a few of us rather like it. And so, it transpires, does its brewer, Shawn Sherlock. When we asked him what the favourites were from all those he brews / has brewed at last week's Bicep launch, this US style Brown Ale (but with Murray's signature Kiwi hops) warranted an "I have a real soft spot for it",… Read more
Style
American Brown Ale
ABV
6.5%
Stockists

Rubber Duckie Taphouse

Murray's (over the bar or direct order)

The Australian Hotel

The Beach Club Collaroy

[Beer Cartel](/beer/bottleshop/beer-

More stockists...

Murray's / The Crafty Pint Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep

Published July 9, 2013
We've said plenty about this beer created in collaboration with Murray's so won't say much more here. What's more, as it's kind of our beer it would be wrong to say much about it anyway. That's part of the reason why we've decided to run a little competition inviting you to review it for us in 50 words or less, with the best and most entertaining received by August 9, 2013, winning a t-shirt. What we can say is that it's a 10 percent ABV Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel & Oyster Stout featuring… Read more
Style
Smoked Belgio Imperial Mussel & Oyster Stout
ABV
10.0%
Stockists

Grain Store

Murray's

Rubber Duckie Taphouse

Oak Barrel, Sydney

Beer Cartel

[Union Hotel Newtown](/beer/bar/union-hote

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Murray's Anniversary Ale 7

Published December 7, 2012
Among Australia's craft beer cognoscenti, Murray's annual anniversary releases are one of the year's most anticipated releases. The beers have generally followed a few common traits: big and barrel-aged for a start, with each vintage usually an evolution on the previous year. Last year's was a 15 per cent Belgian style barleywine featuring a handful of different yeasts and made from a blend of French and American oak-aged versions. This one follows a similar line but with the addition of cherry wood… Read more
Style
Smoked, Barrel-Aged Belgian Barleywine
ABV
15%
Stockists

Murray's - online shop and Cellar Door

Murray's At Manly

Murray's Smashing Pumpkin Ale (2012)

Published November 3, 2012
A collaboration between Murray's brewery and kitchen this one. It starts with head chef Adam Ritchie and his kitchen team peeling and dry roasting 60 kilograms of pumpkin before selecting the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice that also goes into the beer. At that point brewers Shawn Sherlock and Ian Watson take over to create "pumpkin pie in a glass". This is the third year that Murray's has brewed its special spiced beer, which features British and German malts and cooked pumpkin in the mash.… Read more
Style
Pumpkin Ale
ABV
5.2%
Stockists

Annual Halloween release available on draught only

Murray's

Murray's At Manly

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Murray's Big Wednesday IPA

Published October 5, 2012
They love their Kiwi hops at Murray's and they know how to use them to make some great hoppy beers, such as the Icon 2IPA, a beer that was the first Aussie beer to really knock The Crafty Pint's socks off back in the day. They're at play again here, in the brewery's first IPA to appear in a bottle, which fills the gap between the Angry Man Pale Ale (formerly Nirvana) and said Icon. This time around, brewer Shawn Sherlock has done away with any bittering hops (in other words, those added to the kettle… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.0%

Murray's Libertine

Published March 21, 2012
Murray's brewers Shawn Sherlock and Ian Watson unveiled a range of rather extraordinary Belgian styles at a dinner this month. Of these, only the Libertine is on wider release, found on draught at Manly and good beer venues. Given the brewery has its residence at a place called Bob's Farm, perhaps it's fitting that they should release a farmhouse style ale. At a relatively light 5 per cent, this isn't a heavy-hitter in the mould of so many modern farmhouse ales. It was brewed to be fairly light,… Read more
Style
Belgian farmhouse ale
ABV
5.0%

Murray's Anniversary Ale 6

Published December 23, 2011
Is there anything the brewers at Murray's won't give a Belgian twist? Is there a level of alcohol content that will ever prove a step too far for them? Who knows, but it's generally plenty of fun finding out. It's the time of year when the NSW brewery brings out its Anniversary Ale, which in the past has tended to be a barleywine of one sort or another, occasionally with a touch of funk added. This time, they've given it the aforementioned Belgian twist, creating a 15% beast of a beer of which less… Read more
Style
Belgian Barleywine
ABV
15%
Stockists

Murray's

Or via online order from the brewery

Murray's Smashing Pumpkin Ale (2011)

Published November 2, 2011
A beer we first tasted at the brewery this time last year is a spice-laden Halloween special designed by the Murray's brewers to be as close to pumpkin pie in a glass as possible. To a mix of British and German Malts are added more than 50kg of dry roasted pumpkin to the mash, adding "a subtle sweetness and pumpkin aroma and flavour that is enhanced by the spice additions". Those spices are cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, all added late in the boil to blend with the malts. Launched for Halloween… Read more
Style
Spiced Pumpkin Ale
ABV
5.2%
Stockists

Annual Halloween release available on draught only

Warners at the Bay

The Albion Hotel, Newcastle

Union Hotel, Newtown

The Pumphouse, Darling Harbour

[The Local Taphouse Darlo](/bee

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Murray's The Natural

Published October 4, 2011
A beer conceived in honour of Cadel Evans' Tour de France triumph, The Natural is a tribute to French country ales, those that are typically yeast driven session strength beers with heaps of character. Using a unique and distinctive French Ale yeast, it boasts "strong earthy, country aromas" according to Murray's with a "light acidity on the palate followed by the driest of cracking dry finishes". Featuring a high malted and unmalted wheat content and pouring a hazy, pale straw… Read more
Style
French Farmhouse Ale
ABV
5.0%
Stockists

Murray's

Murray's Oak-Aged Heart of Darkness

Published July 30, 2011
To mark the brewery's 500th brew, Murray's decided to put a twist on one of their most twisted beers, the big, dark, clash of styles Belgian Imperial Stout. It has spent time in American oak barrels previously used for Shiraz. According to the brewery, it's added a "beautifully integrated oak character. The beer features classic light tannins and vanillin oak character, which accentuate the strong chocolate notes of Heart of Darkness." It's only available in very limited numbers from Murray's… Read more
Style
Belgio Imperial Stout
ABV
9.6%

Murray's Shawn's Fault

Published June 10, 2011
It seems that Black IPAs or India Black Ales or CDAs or Those Black Ones That Taste Dead Hoppy are ten a penny these days. But when this beer first appeared last year, it was a rarity - if not a first for a commercial Aussie beer. So called because when brewer Shawn Sherlock first announced to Murray what he wanted to do with the beer, he admitted not everyone would like it "but those who do will love it". "If nobody likes it, it's Shawn's fault," came the reply. Given it's back… Read more
Style
India Black Ale
ABV
7.5%

Murray's Vesuvius

Published June 10, 2011
When word first came through that Murray's was producing a "premium lager", shock spread through Crafty Towers. Surely just because they've opened a new venue in Sydney doesn't mean they have to knock out a 5% Eurolager to appease the masses! Isn't that everything that the brewery rails against? We needn't have worried... "It's a piss take on the concept of a premium lager," says brewer Shawn Sherlock. "It was a standing joke that we'd never brew one and obviously we never… Read more

Murray's Spartacus (bottled)

Published May 16, 2011
On the day they open their new venture in Manly, Murray's is also unleashing two of its biggest releases from 2010 in bottled form. One is Spartacus, their 100 IBU Imperial IPA that registers a whopping 10%; as the label says "It kicks arse". Although inspired by the American beers of this style, it maintains the Murray's tradition of favouring Kiwi hops and their tropical fruit character. If memory serves Crafty right, those aromas are a little subdued in the bottle compared to the draught… Read more
Style
Imperial IPA
ABV
10%
Bitterness
100 IBU
Stockists

Murray's

Murray's Heart of Darkness

Published May 16, 2011
There have been plenty of intriguing beers out of the Murray's stable in recent times, but perhaps none as wacky as this. The beer inspired by Joseph Conrad's novel about the darkness of the human condition combines a Belgian yeast with heaps of chocolate malt and dark sugar in a beastly Imperial Stout. It's an intriguing affair, one in which two vastly different and powerful elements somehow come together without one overpowering the other. Both on the nose and in the mouth the fruity esters and… Read more
Style
Belgian Imperial Stout
ABV
9.4%

Murray's Easter Ale

Published April 22, 2011
Never ones to hold back when there's an excuse to try out something new in their tanks, Murray's have brought out an Easter Ale in time for the holidays. A spiced ale, making it something of a distant cousin of the Pumpkin Ale released by the brewery for Halloween, it's a seriously limited released. Described by Murray's as "an Easter spiced beer to celebrate the season" it boasts "strong cinnamon and nutmeg spice aromas blended with bready British malts". Sound familiar? Well,… Read more
Style
Spiced Ale
Stockists

Annual Easter release, available in draught only

Murray's

Murray's at Manly

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Murray's Retro Rocket

Published April 2, 2011
Now here's a beer that's got Crafty intrigued. Billed as Australia's smallest IPA, it's a 2.8% beer that somehow packs in a lot of flavour - including pretty fierce bitterness, according to brewer Shawn Sherlock when we caught up with him last month for an interview we'll be running on the site soon. According to Murray's, it's brewed with British malts, "carries a big, almost over the top hop flavour and aroma" and is coppery red in colour. Perfect with tandoori chicken or a tikka masala… Read more
Style
Light IPA(!)
ABV
2.8%

Murray's Angry Man Brown Ale

Published March 29, 2011
Given his regular musings online, one wonders if this is a beer based on Murray himself. Either way, when we tasted last year's batch, it found favour with Crafty. Big Brown Ales are a treat if done well (think Baird's from Japan) with everything - hops and malt characters - cranked right up for a palate-coating beer journey in every mouthful. We're yet to taste this year's version, which is the first time the Angry Man has ever been bottled as well as kegged, but are told it's "bitter up front… Read more
Style
American Brown Ale
ABV
6.5%
Stockists

Murray's

Slowbeer

Penny Blue

Newcastle: BYO on Beaumont (Hamilton), Bottle O Lambton, Bottle O Wickham, Cellarbrations Adamstown, Delany Hotel, Warners At The Bay

Sydney: C

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Murray's Imperious

Published February 12, 2011
A massive beer to launch a massive new range from Murray's, the Imperious is to Belgian beers what the Wild Thing is to stouts. This experimental Imperial Belgian Blond is the highest ABV beer Murray's has brewed to date. It contains a blend of British and German malts, fresh New Zealand-grown hops, and a classic Belgian yeast strain. This gives it a classic Belgian yeast profile ' strong esters and light phenolics - along with a tropical hop character (sweet mouthfilling apricot/stonefruit-like… Read more
Style
Imperial Belgian Blond
ABV
11%

Murray's Punk Monk

Published February 11, 2011
Punk by name, yet refined by nature, this seasonal from Murray's might sport a ravishing pink label but inside it's all rather elegant. For those who've gorged on some of the brewery's big, bold expressions of intent in recent months, it's a chance to give your palate a different sort of work out, one in which it is caressed by what brewer Shawn Sherlock claims is a hybrid of a few Belgian styles, influenced by Saisons and Belgian Blond Ales with a nod to Belgian Trippels. The classic estery and… Read more
Style
Belgian hybrid
ABV
7.5%

Murray's Anniversary Ale 5

Published January 7, 2011
Usual practice at Crafty Manor when it comes to the Anniversary Ales from Murray's is to buy a couple and hold onto them for a later date to allow them to age, only to get scared of ever opening them as once they're gone, they're gone. Thankfully, a special occasion recently saw bottles of 3, 4 and 5 opened one after the other. Crafty felt the love particularly for 3, general consensus elsewhere favoured 4, while 5 - with the addition of darker chocolate malts and roasted barley to the old recipe… Read more
Style
Wheat and Barleywine
ABV
10%

Murray's Punch & Judy

One of Crafty's picks for beers that said something about the state of the craft beer market in 2010, the Punch & Judy shows just what can be done with a lower alcohol beer. Weighing in at less than 4%, it takes the classic English pub ales designed to be quaffed by the pint and throws a load of tropical NZ hops at them to create a really wonderful beer. Strong British malt flavours combine with the rich nutty caramel flavour of the dark crystal malt and are joined by the strong hop flavour and… Read more
Style
English Ale
ABV
3.9%

Murray's Rudeboy Pilsner

A crisp, refreshing take on the North German style of pilsner but given a New World twist thanks to the use of New Zealand's motueka hop, a derivative of the European Saaz used in classic pilsners. It pours a pale straw colour with an almost meringue-like head. The citrus aroma is balanced by sweet biscuity malts, and finished with a refreshing bitterness. Made with classic German malts and using a traditional pilsner/lager process of cold fermentation and extended conditioning periods, Murray's… Read more
Style
German Pilsner
ABV
4.8%

Murray's Icon 2IPA

We'll never forget our first encounter with the Icon. Encouraged by an enthusiastic beer lover to try it soon after arriving in Oz, it sparked a chain reaction in which I became the one persuading others to give it a go. A big and bold marriage of powerful aromatic hops with a chewy malt backbone, all rounded off by a hefty and lasting bitterness, it's rightly regarded as among the best Aussie craft beers and one plenty were delighted to see added to Murray's permanent roster.… Read more
Style
American Double IPA
ABV
7.5%

Murray's Rudeboy Pilsner (Bottled)

With their new brewery taking shape in their shed on Bob's Farm, Murray's is preparing for the next stage in its existence, one that's moving ever further away from its beginnings in the famous Pub With No Beer. First up is the addition of a third beer to its year round packaged range as the Rudeboy Pilsner takesits Quadrophenia-esque stylings from tap to bottle. Head brewer Shawn Sherlock is a bona fide Kiwi hop man and Kiwi hops love few beers - if any - as much as a pilsner, with this New World… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
4.8%