MEPHISTO BREWING CO FAUST
When we take time to support a mate’s emotional state, it triggers a similar behaviour directed toward those around them, which in turn triggers those folks to do the same. By sharing this craft, you will help the first domino to fall in the removal of mental health stigma.
Origin Royal Park, South Australia
ABV – 4.9%
Size – 375mL can
Style – Pale Ale
"I nothing had, and yet enough for youth - joy in Illusion, ardent thirst for truth.”, declared Heinrich Faust in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s masterpiece of German literature. First published in 1790, the tragic play tells the tale of a theologian (Faust) who trades his soul to Lucifer (Mephisto) for 24 years of youth and an orgy of earthly pleasures. Thought he would be the first to admit he is far from a scholar of lore and mythology having struggled with dyslexia throughout his school years before going to become a chippie, it was these words from Faust that struck a chord with Pete Wellington, the now owner and head brewer of Mephisto. “I was a qualified carpenter but it was never a passion” says Pete. “Then I read that line somewhere and thought, I have youth and a thirst for truth, so let’s not waste it’. Taking it as a sign from above, he packed his bags and set off German only to discover it wasn’t just truth, but also an insatiable thirst for beer that need quenching.
Spending the next three years working in Germany’s hospitality and the wine industries, Pete not found a fondness for their Helles, Bocks and Dunkels but also the traditional brewing culture. Already an avid home brewer, returning home he set about turning his passion and art into an income. Book after book and beer after beer, Pete educated himself in the theory of brewing before making the leap to help shape its direction in 2016.
As Australia's only brewing company with a German literature-inspired name, Mephisto is one that stands out just as well as the characters that grace the beers with which they share a name. Yet it’s more than just the breweries name that has been attracting attention. Brewed with the help of Big Shed Brewing Concern, it’s the fusion of modern techniques and old world means that has crafted the likes of this pale ale that has become the talk of the town. Big-hitting hops Mosaic, Cascade and Simcoe deliver citrus on the one hand, candies tropical fruits on the other, plus a touch of resin at the end. It's not a bitter pale ale, however; instead, it slides soft and rounded across the palate, making for one genuinely accessible and flavourful pale.
"Blood is a very special juice.” asserts Mephisto as Goethe’s greatest single piece work draws to a close. As is this Faust!
