‘Tis the week before Christmas and we’re getting very, very excited. As we count down the days before Santa makes his grand entrance, we reflect on all the beer-worthy moments we’ve had this year, and my goodness, there’s been a few….

LIVE MUSIC

We partnered with UK-born rock music festival Download in Sydney and Melbourne. With heavyweights Slayer, Alice In Chains and Judas Priest all topping the bill, it was a huge tick off the bucket list! We decked out a bus, dubbed it ‘Metal Machine’ and took our metal mates to the festival in style. One of our best ideas so far, check out some highlights below.

We headed to Berry for Fairgrounds Festival, bringing with us The Pinheads to headline the Windmill Stage. Huge vibes, stunning weather and cold beers enjoyed with mates, all weekend long.

Our Best Served Loud motto turned into a live music series in VIC. Visiting some of our favourite live music venues, Best Served Loud showcased the best in local talent with bands like Hobsons Bay Coast Guard, Dumb Punts, Pinch Points, Jade Imagine, Fraser A. Gorman and heaps more all serving it loud at our monthly free parties.

We debuted our Rock & Roll Circus in Melbourne. Featuring Sloan Peterson, Chrissie Aubry (Batz), Ben Marwe (Bad//Dreems), Jae Laffer (The Panics) and stacks more performing classic rock & roll covers, backed by the YH house band - Monte & Elliott of The Delta Riggs, Jack Moffitt of The Preatures & Adam Della Grotta. Spirits were high as punters piled into Northcote Social Club on a Wednesday night and witnessed one of our biggest Melbourne shows to date.

We supported a tonne of bands hitting the road to tour across the country. Thanks for having us DZ Deathrays, The Pinheads, Lime Cordiale, VOIID, The Delta Riggs, Crocodylus, Pagan, Totally Unicorn, Ball Park Music, Johnny Hunter, The Cherry Dolls, Los Tones, Nick Nuisance & the Delinquents, BATZ, Rosa Maria, You Am I, The Dead Love, Seaside, Hot Glass, PLANET, Polish Club, Scabz & all the other legends we sunk tinnies with at gigs this year!

SPORTS

We were bloody stoked to become the official beer of South Sydney Rabbitohs! To celebrate, we released a super limited long-sleever, with the help of local illustrator and bestie Sindy Sinn. We even re-skinned our beloved Natty Lager tinnie in the lead up to the footy finals.

Our mates at Volcom invited us to sling tinnies at their ‘uge party at The Pink Hotel in Coolangatta. Pro skaters swarmed the place, taking turns skating a half-pipe on the roof, while Ezra Lee serenaded fans on a grand piano inside. A truely insta-drooly affair.

The Newtown Jets took home two massive victories - 2019 Canterbury Cup NSW Premiers and 2019 NRL State Championship Winners - both games won in last seconds from a freakishly good kick from Billy Magoulias. Who said lightening doesn’t strike twice?

BREWS

Our rock star brewers churned out five new additions to our Brewer’s B-Sides Collection following some wacky, yet successful experiments:

1. Brut IPA - a boujee, refreshingly dry IPA made with oaked chardonnay and champagne bubbles.

2. Captain Ahab’s - a creamy stout made with Campos coffee with notes of coconut and chocolate.

3. Rumming with the Devil - a rum & raisin brown ale made in collaboration with Brix Distillers.

4. Doubletowner - a 7th birthday present to ourselves, taking our Newtowner and doubling down on hops and malt. An extra strong decision for an extra strong beer.

5. Imperial Pilsner - a Southern Czech-style imperial pilsner, paying homage to Old World tradition with five different New World Hops.

We declared a Summer of Stayer shining light on a staff favourite, Stayer. A gentle beer for gentle people who care about having a good time whilst ensuring that their good time doesn’t ruin the good time of others.

CULTURE

Joining forces with pals FBI Radio, we showcased some of Sydney’s finest emerging talent through our Independent Play series. Hosted at FBI Radio HQ, the series welcomed artists like Bachelor Pad, Jessica Jade, Stevan, Yibby, Shady Nasty and most recently 100 to play an intimate set over a few afternoon frothies.

We sipped Lageritas at the Museum of Contemporary Art for our Sounds on the Terrace series. The free mid-week party featured lush performances from local artists and stunning harbour views.

Plus, we were cheersed at over 1000 events Australia-wide! A big thank you to everyone who we’ve had the pleasure of working with this year. Proudly independent, let’s bring on 2020!