It's been 18 years since Bright Brewery came to life and it's safe to say a lot's happened in that times. The High Country Brewery Trail continues to grow, Bright's built a production brewery and their beers now have a greater footprint than ever before.
To mark their 18th birthday, the brewery has looked back on 18 years by digging into their top beers - according to Untappd anyway.
Their media release is below.
Our top 18 beers of the past 18 years…
Today, June 12, Bright Brewery celebrates our 18th birthday! 18 short years since we opened the doors to our little tin shed in heart of Bright.
Bright has changed a lot over that time – and so have we! Our family-run business now spans three sites in Bright, a commercial scale production facility, and more than 70 staff across three states.
But one thing has remained constant – 18 years of brewing beautiful MountainCrafted beer right here in the High Country.
We’ll be celebrating our 18th year with the release of a special birthday beer in a few weeks (dark beer lovers will get their hands on it first in the Carwyn Cellars Black Box).
So as we look back on the past 18 years and raise a glass to our founder Scott, we remember some of our favourite beers from over the years.
Our top 18 beers, according to Untappd.
#18: WET-HOPPED NEVIPA - 6.7%
Celebrating the taste of North East Victoria! Wet hops picked fresh from Rostrevor farm formed the base of this hazy IPA brewed and wet-hopped in 2022. A mix of Australian hops were used for the dry hop, and a pinch of locally foraged botanicals, picked by our brewers, create a flavour unique to our hometown.
#17 WET-HOPPED M.I.A. IPA – 6.5%
We refreshed the recipe of our core range IPA in 2023, adding fresh wet hops from Rostrevor Hop Farm in Eurobin to celebrate that year’s Hop Harvest.
#16: HYPE BOI OAT CREAM NEIPA – 6.9%
Introducing - the most heavily-hopped beer we’d ever brewed (in 2020)!
We’ve joined the haze craze and ramped it up one step further by jamming this hazy New England IPA full of oats and lactose.
Bru-1 dry hops add pineapple flavour bombs to this creamy, tropical NEIPA that’s definitely a little bit extra.
#15: CEASTER AND DESIST CARAMELISED WHITE CHOCOLATE WHITE STOUT – 5.8%
With a pale golden hue, and a creamy body, C’Easter & Desist (which previously went by a previous, unmentionable name) was a white milk stout brewed for tipplers with a sweet tooth and a wicked sense of humour. Delicate tendrils of caramel blend with cacao nibs, vanilla and lactose to recreate the caramelised white chocolate flavour of the iconic Aussie confection.
#14: Le Monstres Du Chateau #2 Rum & Banana Brandy Barrel Aged Imperial Stout – 11%
Release #2 of our Le Monstres collab with Carwyn Cellars, released in early 2024, was a Rum and Banana Brandy blend designed to showcase sweeter notes with candied banana, burnt caramel and hints of coconut. An imperial stout so delicious it is sure to raise even the dead from their slumber.
#13: AFFOGATO STOUT – 5.5%
A perennial favourite – this is a hearty & full bodied stout brewed with locally roasted coffee beans from our friends at Sixpence Coffee, Bright. The addition of creamy lactose & vanilla makes this Affogato Stout sweet, rich & roast, just like our favourite caffeinated dessert. First brewed in 2019, Affogato Stout remains a staple of our year round releases!
#12: IMPERIAL LEAF PEEPER RED IPA – 9%
When the Autumn leaves start to change, all roads lead to Bright! The 2022 version of Leaf Peeper was an Imperial Red IPA with a bigger, bolder, and redder taste than ever! It was bursting with red malt, caramel sweetness, and a huge burst of hops.
#11: STUBBORN IMPERIAL STOUT 2023 – 16%
Stubborn 2023 had a silky mouthfeel with moderate carbonation, strong hints of banana and fruit bowl open up into cherry and caramel as it warms up. There were heavy notes of molasses as it continues to warm. It's about this point the heat from the rye we used in the brew becomes evident. The ABV was well hidden for something that sits at 16%; it is more reminiscent of something around the 12% range.
#10: JAM BAND VOL. 1 Hazy IPA – 7%
With a recipe concocted by Bright, Molly Rose and Mr Banks, Jam Band Hazy IPA with Bergamot was the inaugural Darker Days collaboration from 2021. A hazy, juicy IPA by an all-star line-up of the brewers that were scheduled to attend the postponed Darker Days 2021, and lead by a stellar line-up of hops. On lead vocals, Strata brings the tropical juice. Mosaic hops direct the backup dancers, while Idaho 7 lays down the beat on drums. Finally, a late addition of Bergamot citrus zest on jazz flute kicks things up a notch. Expect a luscious hazy IPA with juicy flavours and a hint of seductive perfume from fresh Bergamot
#9: O’JAFFA CHOC ORANGE STOUT – 6.7%
Dripping with chocolate and bursting with vibrant orange, O’Jaffa Choc Orange Stout was an irresistibly delicious treat of a beer, released for St Patrick’s Day 2022. The only thing better than easting a choc-orange ball, cake or biscuit? Drinking one! O’Jaffa brings the iconic flavours of a chocolate-orange cake to life.
#8: ABOMINABLE S’MORES IMPERIAL MILK STOUT – 10%
Our GABS2024 Festival Beer – which is still embargoed for sale and has only been enjoyed at one GABS festival so far. Picture this: a moonlit camping trip, where chocolate rivers flow, vanilla bean vines hang low, and graham cracker bridges lead to a marshmallow wonderland. Suddenly, the elusive Yeti appears, armed with marshmallow magic to cast a creamy spell on your beer choices. Heartwarming but a little bit wild. And it smells a lot better.
#7: INVERSION NEIPA – 8.4%
When the weather Gods collide, our mountain home experiences an inversion. In a wicked twist of fate and science, all the frosty, snowy air is forced into the valley, under a blanket of foggy, hazy clouds – the inspiration for our Inversion HDHC Imperial Hazy IPA, released in 2021. Hiding amongst the haze is a fusion of juicy flavours and huge hop flavour from the High Density Hop Charge combination of Citra Incognito, El Dorado pellets, Amarillo Cryo hops and Simcoe Cryo hops.
#6: STUBBORN IMPERIAL RYE STOUT 2024 – 12%
Every year of Stubborn has its own story, and this year was no different. The ‘Stubborn Curse’ is alive and well! Whenever we brew this beer, something unusual, unexpected and unpredictable will happen – without fail. Over the years, our brewers have learnt to expect the unexpected with this brew. 2024 Vintage Brewer’s Tasting Notes: “A rich and decadent imperial stout with a complex interplay between caramel sweetness, earthy rye spice, and dominant chocolate notes. The smooth mouthfeel and warming finish make it perfect for sipping and savouring on a chilly night.”
#5: KAIJU! FRESH HOP MONSTER DOUBLE IPA – 9%
Could this be our biggest ever collab? A monstrous collab with our friends at Kaiju! Fresh Hop Monster is our fresh hop beer for 2024, brewed with 100% HPA hops, right here in Bright, with a unique Kaiju! flavour. Bursting with a monstrous blend of fresh-from-the-bine Galaxy, Eclipse, Vic Secret and Cascade Hops, we’ve unleashed the raw power of ferocious, freshly picked Aussie hops grown by HPA which will have you howling for more!
#4: IMPERIAL DOUBLE SHOT AFFOGATO STOUT - 8.5%
Make mine a double! A hearty & full bodied Imperial Stout, brewed with a double batch of locally roasted coffee beans from our friends at Sixpence Coffee, Bright in 2021. The addition of creamy lactose & vanilla makes this Imperial Double Shot Affogato Stout sweet, rich & roasty, just like our favourite caffeinated dessert!
#3: PIONEER RUM BARREL AGED STUBBORN IMPERIAL STOUT – 12%
Dark, decadent and aged in Jamaican Rum Barrels, our Anniversary Pioneer Rum Barrel Aged Stubborn Russian Imperial Stout is luscious, smooth and strong. Named in honour of our first ever beer - Pioneer Ale - our 15th Anniversary Pioneer Rum Barrel Aged Stubborn Russian Imperial Stout deserves to be cherished, savoured, and revered.
#2: INFINITE BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT 2019 – 12%
INFINITE represents a cyclical collaboration, three years in the making, with our friends at Backwoods Distilling. Our Stubborn Imperial Stout became a barrel-aged whisky and those barrels were then filled to age another vintage of Stubborn Imperial Stout. INFINITE 2019 seamlessly blends the woody, floral character of the Stubborn Whisky and the sweet, chocolate flavour of the oak barrel-aged Stubborn Imperial Stout. Brewer's Notes: In 2019 we distilled Stubborn Imperial Stout into whisky that aged in French Oak barrels for 2 years. Once the whisky was decanted we re-filled those barrels with 2019 Stubborn Imperial Stout we had saved and aged the beer for 1 year in the whiskey casks.
#1: INFINITE BARREL WORKS STUBBORN WHISKY BARREL AGED IMPERIAL STOUT – 16%
Infinite Barrel Works – a project brought to life this year (2024) - was derived in the depths of the High Country with our good friends at Backwoods Distilling. In 2019, we sent off a batch of our Stubborn Imperial Stout (then called Stubborn Russian) to Backwoods for distillation into a whisky. That whisky was then aged in these barrels, and both the whisky and the barrels were given to us when the whisky had matured. We then aged another round of imperial stout and whisky in those barrels, and the cycle continued, creating a closed loop of barrels that are infinitely used.
