Tasmania might by our smallest state – both in terms of population and geography – but it's also one that's become increasingly flush with breweries. Today, than 20 are spread across an island that's home to just half a million people – and new operations continue to open with regularity too.
By and large, you'll find them in the state's eastern half, most typically in the region around Hobart, a situation Josh and Cora Roberts were keen to resolve when they launched Buttons Brewing in Ulverstone, a town 20-odd kilometres west of Devonport on the north coast.
On a 100-litre brew system, Josh (pictured above right) develops new recipes that – as of late March – visitors can enjoy from one of the brewery's seven taps.
With Buttons now open to the public, we invited Josh to tell us more about their story as part of our ongoing Who Brews? series.
Buttons Brewing
Who are you?
Josh Roberts, brewer and part-owner with my wife, Cora.
Where do you brew?
We have a prototype 100-litre nano brewery at 32 Short Street, Ulverstone.
For any batches that receive enough positive feedback we contract brew through Morrison Brewery in Invermay.
Why do you brew?
I started brewing during my Ag Science degree at university to make the cheapest possible beer but, as my knowledge of science and microbiology grew, so did my passion to make better beer.
What beers have you released to date?
Our core range consists of the following:
- Hazard Pale Ale - Named after my Kingswood Ute, Hazard is an American pale ale brewed with a ute-load of Australian hops.
- North-West Draught Kolsch - An easy-drinking German ale brewed with summer in mind
- Clocktown Brown Ale - the name comes from where it originates: Ulverstone and the town's iconic clock tower.
We also have several limited release prototype beers which are exclusive to the cellar door.
Was there a beer or a moment that set you on the path to becoming a brewer?
There were a couple of beers that inspired me to brew better beer than a Coopers tin. One was Little Creatures Pale Ale, the other was Moo Brew Pilsner – I loved that you could pack more flavour into a beer than I had previously thought.
We started the business after the birth of our first son, Oliver, and realising that life is too short to just dream.
What’s the inspiration behind the brewery name?
The name is based on Buttons Creek in Ulverstone, which leads to the main beach, Buttons Beach. Everyone from Ulverstone knows about or has swum at Buttons Beach.
What would your desert island beer be?
Hmm, sounds warm... Hard to go past Stone & Wood Pacific Ale!
What local beers have been impressing you in recent weeks?
Little Rivers beers always really impress me and they make great beers.
More widely, Modus Operandi are just killing it and every beer they release is just phenomenal.
If your brewery was a band, who would it be?
Haha, it would have to be Luca Brasi! Lovers of punk rock and proud to be from Tassie.
Where can people find your beers?
You can find a list of stockists on our website.
Where do you hope your brewery will be ten years from now?
I would like to expand our brewery so as we don’t have to rely on contract brewing for larger batches. When we started we had the goal to provide Tassie north-west coast beer drinkers with a local beer option – if we can achieve that in ten years I will be happy.
Keep up with what the Buttons team is up to by heading to their Facebook page.
You can find all past Who Brews...? Q&As here – and hundreds of great beer venues across Australia in the free Crafty Pint app.
Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO have told him to please send his fan mail elsewhere. He can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
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Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
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Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."
The last beer you enjoyed:
Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.
Three things that represent you:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ken Burns
- The State Library of Victoria
