THE microbrewery industry is booming around Australia and South East businessman Lachy Mutton is tapping into the trend.
As owner and operator of Sorrentos Cafe and 5290 Bar and Function Room alongside his wife Taryn, Mr Mutton is no stranger to the business world, often dreaming up new ideas for the region.
Mr Mutton has been brewing his own beer at home for many years, progressing from home brew kits to completing the entire process from scratch.
“I would make batches here and there and everyone who tried it told me I needed to start putting it on tap in our venues,” Mr Mutton said.
“After a lot of research, I decided to take the plunge and give South East residents a locally brewed beer to try.”
He then spent a lot of time perfecting his signature brews before launching the beers in his businesses less than a month ago.
“We started off with a soft launch, just introducing the product to customers who were coming in to test out the market,” Mr Mutton said.
“Our tasting paddles have each of our three beers and give the customer a chance to decide which brew best suits them.
“We have then found people will picke their favourite and then have a pint or two, which is a great response.”
As Sorrentos and 5290 already have a big focus on creating dishes made from locally grown produce in addition to stocking wine from around the region, Mr Mutton knew his brews had to continue the concept.
“Supporting Australia and the Limestone Coast is something that has always been important to us,” he said.
“So it was just natural to use Australian-grown wheat and barely for the beer, along with pristine Limestone Coast water.”
There are currently three beers available in the range – Postmasters Pale Ale, Red Dog Ale and Midnight Porter – but Mr Mutton has plans of expanding.
“I have made everything from coffee flavoured beer right down to your standard ales and lagers,” he said.
“We are looking to have five beers in addition to specialty beers for different occasions.
“It has been great to explore all of the different brews I can make and I am interested to see what else I can come up with.”
Exclusive to Sorrentos and 5290, there has been interest from other establishments wanting to wholesale the beers, but Mr Mutton has no immediate plans to do so.
“At the moment we just want to keep it something special to us and special to the Limestone Coast,” he said.
“Maybe down the track we could expand, but for now it is nice to just keep it low key.
“We are looking at having a stall at the Robe Home Brew Festival though so if anyone can not make it in before then they will be able to get a taste.”
Although Little Rippa is already on tap, an official launch at 5290 Bar and Function Room was held on Sunday.
Patrons tried out a tasting paddle, met the brewer and kicked off the start of the warmer weather.
