THE SOCIAL BREWER FORREST ROAD
No matter your age letting go of our physical vanity is difficult. Mental vanity is no different. So next time you and your mate finish the strength, or 'older adults' class, put down the kettlebells and battle ropes and pick up this beer from our OBE Convo Crate. Then 'show' a mate how you look on the inside.
Origin – Mortdale, New South Wales
ABV – 5.8%
Size – 375mL can
Style – IPA
It’s said being made redundant is one of the most stressful things that can happen. It’s recommended the best course of action at the time is to try and keep a level head and not do something you might later regret. JetBlue Captain Steven Slater was not following the advice when he was let go during the early days of Covid after 25 years of dedicated service working with the low-cost American airline. It’s reported that upon landing in LAX, he grabbed the intercom and let loose a string of expletives, exited the cockpit, took two beers from the beverage cart, activated the emergency slide and jumped right out!
Although he admits doing something crazy was tempting, Beau Curtis, the man behind The Social Brewers, looked for the silver lining when made redundant at a similar time. 'I'd spent 22 years in corporate roles, and although it was a shock, I decided this was the time to finally do it'. That 'it' was opening his own brewery. After repeatedly being asked to homebrew for family and friends' weddings and events, Beau knew his beer was good, but being forced into a career shift was what was needed to take it a step further. With the Marrickville craft beer mecca to the north and the likes of Shark Island and Sunday Road pouring beers further south, Beau decided to open up in his home suburb of Mortdale, which sits almost evenly between the two.
Starting modestly, the beers are produced on what Beau describes as a 'homebrew kit on steroids' in a warehouse-style brewery seating approx. 20 people. It's a capacity allowing him to act as head brewer and bar manager at once, certainly delivering on the social part of the name! Designed for social drinking, each beer also references the local area. This Forest Road - the road running down the middle of the suburb - combines the malt backbone of an English IPA with American hops to serve up earthy pine, citrus and stone fruit aromas in what’s an easy-drinking IPA.
Capitan Steve was charged with mischief, but late last year, he was employed by rival Southwest Airlines, who featured him in an advertisement with the tagline ‘fire your current flyer’. I’ll raise another of these IPAs to that while being thankful Beau took an entirely different jump!
