Beer by Vic Crossland

From The West Australian 27 July 2006

Indie Makes a Waterfront Splash.

If location is an indication, then WA’s latest brewpub must rate as top of the pops. Indian Ocean Brewing is on the Waterfront at Mindarie Marina. It is on a boardwalk surrounded by new housing, as well as harbour views. Locals can walk to it, boaties can tie up at it, and - most importantly - customers can see beer being crafted in it.

Dominated by a magnificent arched window whose design is echoed in the bar fonts, the “Indi” is a well-realised blend of comfortable “local” and cosmopolitan stylish café. It has an open fire, wood-fired pizza oven, water feature, decked courtyard around a lovely plane tree, several contrasting lounge areas, a granite-topped curved bar and the copper-clad brewhouse. Here, brewer Deo Lule operates a 2500-litre mash tun and steam-heated kettle to fill three fermenter-maturation vessels.

He is pledged to follow traditional brewing methods on the modern custom-built Canadian equipment. Dry hopping for fragrance is on the cards, and Mr Lule’s plan to fit a hop-back for extra hop character in Indi beers is typical of his approach. His Belgian-style wheat beer, for instance, was completely hands-on.

“I’ve used raw wheat as well as malted grain, and it’s a very delicate and complex process,” he said. “Then there was the citrus peel – mandarins were in season so I used those rather than the more usual oranges. Plus I added secret spices, ground up by hand along with the dried peel.”

Mr Lule was formerly head brewer at Fremantle’s Sail and Anchor, renowned for crafted ales. For his initial Indi IPA, he has bucked the trend of Americanising this beer style and plumped for traditional English ingredients. “I’ve used a heap of Fuggle hops and East Kent Goldings,” he said. He also brewed a lager for the opening and will bring out a seasonal beer every three months.

Marina food and beverage manager Clive Fentum, involved with the Indian Ocean Brewing project for two years, regards it as more than a brewpub. “The Boat ale house nearby will remain as a family oriented place – with a children’s play area - while the Indi is more for adults to relax and enjoy special beers.

“Assistant brewer Mark Cox will supervise and train staff in beer culture. We will have tastings in the brew lounge next to the glass-walled brewery. Food will be served to all parts of the Indi, with great emphasis on matching beer and food. It’s all very relaxed, but with a sophisticated, stylish edge.”

Mindarie Waterfront general manager Martin Smith agrees. “These are exciting times . . . the newly redeveloped Boardwalk at the marina will give residents a wider choice of state-of-the art social and dining facilities,” he said.

For information about the opening go to www.indibrew.com

Deo Lule’s brewpub career started before his stint at the Sail and Anchor. After a course at Herriot Watt brewing university in Scotland, he spent five years at the pioneering Scharer’s Little Brewery in the George IV Inn, Picton, NSW. He calls “the defining moment for my career” his first brew for commercial sale - Scharer’s Burragorang Bock.

“Terrified at the thought, I nicknamed it Killer Diller,” he says. “I was following in the steps of Geoff Scharer’s first brewer, by the name of Herman, who had written all his notes in German. And by translating these notes I was supposed to brew his beer. I recall the concerns: would the locals chase me out of town if I ruined this prize drop? What would Geoff do if the locals spared me?”

Fortunately for Mr Lule, the 6.4 per cent lager passed the Scharer taste test and still scores 4 out of 5 on a ratings website. Unfortunately, unfiltered, unpasteurised Burragorang never makes it across to WA.

Founder Geoff Scharer recently sold the brewery.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it