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Bars Brisbane Drinks

The Charming Squire, Brisbane

The Charming Squire is a micro brewery producing small batch in-house brews to complement the full range of James Squire beers and ciders in Brisbane’s South Bank.

The Charming Squire, Brisbane
The Charming Squire

The brewhouse is a partnership between Mantle Group and James Squire and allows the brewers freedom to create small batch styles using the smaller tanks of the micro brewery.

The Charming Squire, Brisbane
The Brewery

Milled grain is put into the mash tun (left), which is first used to convert the grain into fermentable sugars then secondly used as a mash lauter to separate the grain and husks from the sugary wort before going to the kettle.

In the kettle, hops are added to the boiling water and timing of this comes into play. Adding the hops earlier results in a more bitter characteristics in the beer but  if the hops are added later there will be more of the hop aromas and less bitterness to the brew.

The Charming Squire, Brisbane
Serving Tank

From the kettle, the liquor moves through a heat exchanger which takes the temperature down from 95C down to between 12C to 14C. This then rests in an 800 litre fermenter for 7 to 10 days. The temperature and timing is dependent on what style of beer the brewer is aiming for.

Once fermentation is complete, the beer is cooled down to as close as possible to 0C. The yeast is removed and transferred to one of the three serving tanks where it is carbonated before it is transferred via the keg room to the taps at the bar.

The Charming Squire, Brisbane
Main Bar and Brewery

When tasting beer, there are a few things to note. In Australia there is a love for a cold frosty beer but if it is to cold, there will be a loss of aromas and flavour. At around 8C you will have more of the aromas and flavours coming through for the majority of beers. Also, before tasting, give it a swirl in the glass so as to open up the aromas and when tasting hold it on the palate to let the mouth and warm it up and open the flavours.

The Charming Squire, Brisbane
The Beers

The Charming Squire has on its taps atop the copper main bar, as one would expect, predominately beers from Malt Shovel Brewery being James Squire, fresh brews from its own micro brewery and an odd brew from others, most notably the Band of Brewers, a movement between the small craft breweries of Queensland that brings together their love of beer.

On taste during the visit were three different styles of beer. The Swindler Summer Ale from Malt Shovel Brewery is a pale brew with hop characters of pear and watermelon. The Band of Brewers IPL – American India Pale Lager which blends three malts from Australia and New Zealand is a full flavoured malt dominant beer with noticable hops and roasted caramel flavour. And to finish, from the micro brewery the First Fleet IPA was a deeper beer with citrus aromas and a herbaceous character.

The Charming Squire allows you to taste beer the way it should be. Freshly brewed with their in-house batches and to be enjoyed with a food menu that is made to pair with the beer and ciders. So if you are serious about your beer, keep an eye out at what this micro brewery is up to as the brewers are always experimenting.

The Charming Squire
3/133 Grey St
South Brisbane, QLD 4101
www.jamessquire.com.au/brewbars/the-charming-squire-queensland

Gourmantic travelled to Brisbane and visited The Charming Squire as guests of Brisbane Marketing.

Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.

About the author

Corinne Mossati

Corinne Mossati is a drinks writer, author of GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN, SHRUBS & BOTANICAL SODAS and founder/editor of Gourmantic, Cocktails & Bars and The Gourmantic Garden. She has been writing extensively about spirits, cocktails, bars and cocktail gardening in more recent years. She is a spirits and cocktail competition judge, Icons of Whisky Australia nominee, contributor to Diageo Bar Academy, cocktail developer and is named in Australian Bartender Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential List. Her cocktail garden was featured on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and has won several awards. She is a contributor to Real World Gardener radio program and is featured in several publications including Pip Magazine, Organic Gardener, Australian Bartender and Breathe (UK). Read the full bio here.

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