Last weekend Mrs Mac and I, in the company of two good friends who wish to remain anonymous (let’s call them ‘Paul’ and ‘Jenni’) made a day-trip to Langhorne Creek, one of the oldest wine growing regions in South Australia, and according to wine expert Jenni, home to some of the very best Shirazes and Cabernet Sauvignons to be found anywhere in the state.

We stopped off for lunch at The Winehouse (www.thewinehouse.com.au ), which acts as a cellar door for five local, independent wineries as well as having a kitchen showcasing local produce, and all set on lovely spacious, shady grounds. And to cap it all off, The Winehouse is also home to the Meechi Brewing Company (www.meechibrewing.com.au ).

Launched just over two years ago, Meechi Brewing (‘Meechi’ is the Aboriginal name for the River Bremer, which flows through Langhorne Creek and on into nearby Lake Alexandrina) are small batch producers who have to date focused on and continued to refine their two core beers, namely a lager and pale ale.

The current iteration of the lager (batch #2) is a lovely crisp and slightly malty beer, edging towards a European style but with a really clean and refreshing finish. A perfect warm weather beer, and indeed a great cleanser after tasting some of the splendid Langhorne Creek reds. Paul’s verdict was that it was both sensational and had (temporarily) cured him of various age-related ailments.

Burnt orange in colour, the latest version of the pale ale (batch #4) is an absolute beauty that tends towards the American style. Big fruity aromas and flavour give way to a bitter and slightly resiny finish with just a bit of alcohol warmth at 5.5% ABV. It reminded me a little of a maltier version of Sierra Nevada’s iconic Pale Ale, but regardless, this is a really well made beer, full of flavour and depth.20161129_101154_resized

Meechi Brewing has some small scale local distribution at the moment, but I’m sure that will change as the quality of their product becomes more widely known. In the meantime though, if you are planning a visit to Langhorne Creek (and it is a gorgeous part of South Australia) I can thoroughly recommend both The Winehouse and Meechi Brewing.

 

Jimmy Mac