This week, Matt ventures to tropical north Queensland in search of the beer from up there.

Cairns is an interesting city – 1,730 kilometers north of Brisbane, it is a tropical city with a population of 160,000. It’s a town where frosty glasses and stubby coolers are mandatory and refreshment the finest quality a beer can offer.

This conversation was recorded in early November at a time when the rest of the country is welcoming summer and brewers are expecting their busiest time. In Cairns however, that’s the end of ‘the season’. The very tourist dominated nature of the city means as as the heat of summer comes on and brings the wet season, the city closes down as the backpackers and tourists depart, and the seasonal workforce leaves.

Previous breweries in Cairns have very much catered to the seasonal tourist market with offerings geared towards volume. While Hemingway’s also draws the tourists, it’s also something very Cairns for the locals who have responded enthusiastically.

During the visit Matt got to chat with co-founder Tony Fyfe, head brewer Anthony Clem and assistant brewer and sales rep Andrew Gowdie to learn about the background to Hemingway’s, their philosophy, and the challenges of taking beers with flavour to a town seeking refreshment first.

Enjoy the conversation.

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