Home brew with the female touch wins a gong
A QUINTET of female brewers from Yamba won a special mention at the home brew section which kicked off the week-long Big River Brewfest.
An event organiser and Irons and Craig cafe co-owner Anthony Perring said the girls Alexie Miller, Hannah Philbrook, Cindy Ryan, Mel Kelly and Sonya Hayes were promising newcomers to the craft.
"They all play touch footy together on Wednesdays and get together afterwards in Sonya's shed to brew," he said.
Ms Miller said they had only been brewing for about two months.
"We had to get together on Sundays to drink enough tall-ies for us to bottle the brews in. That's where we got the name the Sunday Sips," she said.
Mr Perring said the event, which kickstarted the week-long festival, had been outstanding.
"Considering the conditions with the weather were a bit iffy, we had around 100 through the back yard," he said.
Results
Best lager: Todd Walsh
Best ale: Ben Roberts' Cloudy Blonde
Best label: Colin Gunn, The Donald. A Donald Trump-themed classic.
Best name: Graeme East's Clarence Classic. A dark ale which captured the essence of the region.
Special mention: Sunday Sips, a quintet of lady brewers from Yamba.
