FLAT ROCK BREW CAFE PALE
Nothing says love like a mixtape! Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Perhaps the next best way to show you care is sharing one or two of these ‘liquid I love you’s’ with a mate instead?
Origin – Naremburn. New South Wales
ABV- 5%
Size- 375mL can
Style- Pale Ale
Flat Rock Michigan was emboldened on the map in 1925 when Henry Ford set up a little motor company there. Though not quite as prominent as the location that manufactured the first affordable automobile, if you drive the highways and byways of Australia you'll pass by dozens of Flat Rocks. They include everything from lookouts to beaches, headlands to national parks. While some are marked clearly on the map, there are a few hidden gems that mostly only the locals know about.
One of those is a tiny brew café on Sydney's North Shore that was named after the local creek. Hidden between a few non-descript shop fronts, including a hairdresser, patisserie and Thai takeaway joint, you'll find Karl and Jenny Riseborough's Flat Rock Brew Café. Yet you'll have to look even harder again to find the jewel in the crown that is Karl's Nano Brewery. In fact, you have to head past the bar (that serves three house brews on tap, including a traditional hand-pumped ale) and duck around the tables full of diners (enjoying good English fare such as Beef Bourguignonne Pot Pie and Fish & Chips) to find the stairwell that leads down to Karl's 200L system.
While the brew café first opened its doors in 2013, the story dates back two decades, when the British-born Riseborough moved to Australia and began brewing up a storm in his own kitchen after being frustrated with the limited cleansing ale options. After many years of sharing his crafty work over conversations with the neighbourhood weekend after weekend on a pro-bono basis so to speak, he figured why not formalise the deal and create a community meeting place that would both feed the locals and his passion for the liquid amber. As to be expected from a nano-size brewing operation, most of the batches never left the four walls it was brewed within, however, from time to time one of these cans of Pale can be spotted in the takeaway fridge. Made in the American style, Karl has used a blend of English and Australian malts, blended to great effect with US Simcoe hops, to deliver a highly aromatic, full-flavoured pale that finishes with a wonderfully bitter taste.
While perhaps affordable in 1925, if you're a little cash strapped, stick to a six-pack of these Flat Rock ales, as trying to get your hands on a one Flat Rock’s originals Model T's will leave you flat broke!