Margaret River is well known for its wineries. But Graham Reeks takes a look at the local breweries where winemakers unwind on a Friday afternoon.

With thanks to The West Australian Travel WA Liftout and Author Graham Reeks

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Rushing through the bar at Bootleg Brewery Michael Brookes, general manager and head brewer, points out the brewery motto — something that was first written in the visitors’ book: “An oasis of beer in a desert of wine.” Considering there are more than 100 cellar doors in the Margaret River region, it’s a valid point.

Bootleg isn’t the only oasis in the area, but dating from 1994 it is the oldest. There is a handful of craft breweries nestled among the paddocks, vineyards and spellbinding trees in this part of the South-West, all with their own distinct personalities.

Bootleg’s beers range from light-coloured lagers to dark and more challenging ales. My personal favourite is the Settlers Pale Ale. Brewed as an American pale ale, it’s less brash than some in this style can be, while imparting a divine hoppy aroma and a bittersweet grapefruit flavour.

When I visit Michael Brookes, he is darting around the weatherboard brewery in the bush overseeing production of his famed gold medal-winning Raging Bull. With a sweeping motion he surveys the big open lawn that overlooks the lake out front and gleefully explains: “On a Friday afternoon, this place is full of people who work in the wineries.” It’s a story I hear repeated as I visit the other brewers in the area.

Bootleg has provided a point of reference against which other local breweries measure themselves, and Duckstein — known as the “almighty German beer palace” by another local brewer — is very different. Ascending the curving driveway from Caves Road I imagine I’m entering Disneyland: kitsch cartoon-ish heroic Saracen statues adorn the gateposts. Get ready for the lolly water, I think.

Inside it’s a modern, sophisticated beer hall, with timber details highly polished to reflect the capacious ceilings. Old-school copper kettles shine from the immaculate brewery on display behind the glass.

You should never trust a thin chef, but what about a thin brewer? Head brewer Paul Gasmier, a West Australian who learnt his trade at the World Brewing Academy in Munich, is decidedly young and svelte compared with many beer makers.

He tells me that he’s “the worst possible beer snob”. I can tell that from his range of German beers made adhering to the Reinheitsgebot,the medieval German purity law that insists only natural ingredients are used.

Attention to detail has paid off. Duckstein’s Pilsener won an Australian International Brewing Award silver medal just two months after the brewery opened. I’m impressed by the silky dark Dunkel and especially the Altbier (meaning old-style beer) tasting every bit as ripe and fruity as it should. Gasmierworks tightly within the definitions of his beer styles, but there are others nearby who have different approaches.

Take Bush Shack Brewery close by Yallingup; as the name suggests, it’s fairly low key — but it’s well worth a visit to try the range of more experimental beers that Danial Wind concocts.

Its all-natural beers are light on hops and heavy on malts, tending towards sweetness, like the Chef’s chocolate beer — the rich dark flavours coming from chocolate-roasted malts rather than the glass-and-a-half variety. It would team well with the tartness of a strawberry or raspberry dessert, and you’d be welcome to bring along some of your own if you liked, because Bush Shack has a BYO policy — bring your own food, that is, to enjoy on the big open paddock-like front lawn.

The Colonial Brewing Cois spreading its roots with imperial ambitions to match its name. Having recently purchased a number of hostelries in WA and Victoria, the Colonial Leisure Group is about to increase capacity four-fold to ensure the taps don’t run dry.

Effervescent venue manager Richard Maloney tells me that the brewery motto is festina lente— to hasten slowly — and claims Colonial is embracing the slow food concept: “We’re not in the business of just selling beer. We want to educate people, making the world a better place, beer by beer.”

Judging from my Brewer’s Plate full of locally produced ingredients, the philosophy is already in place. Chicken chorizo, juicy Kalamata olives, plump capers and an almost molten fetta partner in a merry jig on my tastebuds in unison with the rum and raisin of the rich black porter. I take on the superbly bitter India Pale Ale (IPA) — the smack of fresh floral hops almost overpowering. I’m in heaven as the beer chases the salty antipasto. Head brewer Mal Secourable brews other great drops such as the soft, dry award-winning kolsch and a witbier, but I take away a “Growler” (a 2-litre resealable glass jar) of the IPA.

Expat Pom and IT high-flyer turned brewer Jeremy Good is looking to make his Cowaramup Brewery beer available for people to take away, too. Regular requests mean that he’s working towards putting his most popular beers, a golden pilsener low in bitterness, and a dry, dense hefeweizen, into distinctive bottles.

After 25 years of brewing at home, Jeremy and his partner Claire opened to the public in 2006. Quietly spoken but enthusiastic, Gooddescribes his ales as “English style with more earthy, spicy notes, rather than American style”. His IPA is a little drier than other brewers’, and his stout not too sweet, letting the creamy coffee flavour break through on to my palate.

As the evening draws in, Cowaramup’s location comes into its own. The rammed earth brick harmonises with the countryside, views cascade down the hill to the paddocks and forest beyond. I’m watching a gaggle of geese meander across the lawn and enjoying an SPA — Cowaramup’s Special Pale Ale that has a subtle toasted flavour. It’s a perfect location to reflect on the diversity in the Margaret River region. People flock here for sensory experiences: to be dazzled by the unique wildflowers and forests; to try the staggering range of wines and eat the abundant fruits of the Mediterranean climate. Likewise, the breweries are worth looking for. They’re not just places that produce beer: they’re artisan’s workshops, sorcerers’ dens, sites where craftsmen combine natural ingredients with skill and panache.