Media Release

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Pirate Life Brewing releases a signature Aussie Pale Ale with one of the oldest and more prestigious sporting clubs – Melbourne Cricket Club.

Most Aussie cricket or football fans will have at one time or another sat in the grandstands at the G, watching two teams do battle with 100,000 fans cheering them on. While the on field contest often sharply divides the crowd there is one thing most sports fans will agree on. And that is that the best way to enjoy these great moments is with a beer in hand…

We’ve given a lot of thought to this because, at first, we were confounded by the odds. Like, what were the chances that one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious sporting clubs would engage one of the world’s renegade, street-smart young breweries for a … culture clash.

Available at The MCG in March 2019, this great Australian pale ale has bright fruit aromas, engaging hop grip and a beaut splashing mouthfeel that will add to our Aussie identity.

The MCC and Pirate Life

Founded in 1838, the Melbourne Cricket Club’s first beer is another wicket in its long history of firsts. It was the club that, in 1859, outlined the first set of rules for Aussie footy. It hosted the first tour by a Pommy cricket team, in 1862, and the first Test match, in 1877. It laid Australia’s first asphalt tennis courts in 1879. And by the time Lillee regarded his preferred post-match debrief as swigging a longneck in the change rooms, it had hosted the first one-day international, in 1971.

Today the MCC is a canopy organisation for football, baseball, croquet, golf, hockey, lacrosse, netball, tennis, target shooting, squash and real tennis alongside its famous cricket heritage.

MCC CEO Stuart Fox is excited to begin pouring MCC Ale for members on March 21.

“Because of the success of our MCC branded wines, we’ve been exploring how to do the same with our own beer for a number of years,” Mr Fox said.

“We approached a number of craft brewers and were delighted that Pirate Life, with the support of our icon partners CUB, accepted the challenge to brew a beer that’s unique to sports stadiums across Australia. We are meeting the demands of our members for quality food and beverage offerings in our Reserve and we’re excited to start serving MCC Ale to our members and guests from the opening night of the AFL season.”

Founded in 2014, Pirate Life Brewing quickly established itself as an agitator on Australia’s beer scene. Its no-rules approach to expressive aromas, flavours and styles, all in cans, helped propel a community approach to its surrounding subcultures in art, music and sport.

The brewery collaborated with the Hilltop Hoods label, Golden Era, on a beer for its core range, it sponsors skaters, festival circus performers and mountain bikers to keep them doing what they love.

From its South Australian HQ, via its founding home in WA and all the way to Singapore and beyond, its patch in the global beer scene is built on a Respect for All and All for Respect.

Pirate Life Founder Jack Cameron calls this beer a shot to the heart for all Australians’ passion for sport, competition, fun and lifestyle.

“This is a beer that truly resonates,” he says.

“Not only for its aromas and flavours which typify the powerful emotional sustain we get from the great outdoors, but also for our sense of vibrancy and group celebration. We love a good competition; we love a challenge and we love to have fun. It makes sense the MCC has come to us to create the beer that celebrates this Australian sense of freedom, unity and camaraderie.”

Carlton & United Breweries

With a history stretching back to the nineteenth century, CUB is synonymous with Melbourne and the city’s sporting life. Generations of footy and cricket fans have watched some of the all-time great sporting moments while enjoying a fresh CUB beer in the MCC. CUB and Pirate Life’s partnership is relatively new, going back to only 2017, when this great Australian company and upstart brewer came together.

We were thrilled to be able to introduce Pirate Life to one of our oldest partners – two Australian trailblazers who will do great things together.

The Beer – 4.5% Pale Ale

The Melbourne Cricket Club approached Pirate Life for a unique rendering of a beer that would strike a chord with its members, guests and sporting fans in general.

The brief was to brew a beer that would prove evocative, with aromas and flavours redolent in the embodiment of Australian spirit. A beer that calls on our sentiment for the outdoor lifestyle; that conjures the wide panoramas of our sporting life – working hard for well-spent time off, travelling, game day, and staying the course no matter the odds.

The MCC Ale is a 4.5% Aussie Pale ale. Brewed with Pale and Vienna malts to provide a pleasant, malty backbone. A combination of Rakau and Taiheke hops give the brew stone fruit and citrus aromas. Soft fruit characters dominate the palate which finishes crisp and refreshing, with a light, moreish bitterness.”