THREE TAILS BREWING THE POSTMISTRESS
A beer perfect beer for sharing as we climb the mental health mountain, bridging the great divide that results in so many not seeking help early.
Origin – Mudgee, New South Wales
ABV – 6.9%
Size – 440mL can
Style – New England IPA
The origins of tall tales are seen in the bragging contests that occurred when the rough men of the Australian frontier gathered to whet the whistle. They all seemed to have a mate called Crooked Mick, a giant of a man who sheared six sheep at a time, kicked crocodiles up to the moon, and did what everyone else could do, but 100 times better. Or there was Charlie McKeahnie, the legend of Banjo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River. He was every bushie's old pal who could ride like the wind and once spurred his pony down a seemingly impassable steep gully to catch the prizewinning colt of old Regret.
When Mick Ash, a cattle farmer and craft beer nut, local publican Ned Kelly, and Nomad Brewings Kerrie Latta meet for a cold one at Mudgee pub, it was tall tales such as these, or similar, that kick off the conversation. It was an exchange that morphed into discussing the idea of bringing a new craft beer venue to the town. Having owned a farm in the rural village for over 20 years, Kerrie had toyed with the idea for some time. 'It's changed a lot - being transformed by the migration to the bush brought on by COVID', she shares. 'But it's still less advanced as to what beer can be'. Together the 'three tails' behind the Three Tails hope to tell the tale of how they transformed that.
Opened in early 2021, with former Endeavour head brewer Scott O Brien at the helm, locally-crafted beer runs through many of the 18 taps. It's also home to Smokin Bro & Co and their absolute beast of a purpose-built smoker made out of an old gas cylinder that looks like something out of Mad Max. The meat cleaver-adorned beer taps a visual representation of the venue's dual aspiration. While for the first few months, the beer that most locals reached for to go with their brisket was the Mudgee Draft, it is the likes of the more adventurous limited releases such as this NEIPA that are increasingly the offering of choice. Soft and luscious, The Postmistress is surprisingly easy to drink for a 6.9% ABV. The first sip evokes mango, soon joined by pineapple, tangerine and the softest touch of pine.
With a slight bitterness and the sort of beer you might return to repeatedly, it's well placed to lubricate your next tall tale, be it about the one that got away or the time your arm-wrestled Crooked Mick!
