Cascade Brewery
Encyclopedia
Cascade Brewery is the oldest continually operating brewery
in Australia
. It is based in South Hobart
, Tasmania
. The Cascade estate (originally a saw milling operation) was founded beside the clean water of the Hobart Rivulet
in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England
. In 1826 charges were laid against Degraves for debt and he was taken into custody until 1831. In 1832 Peter Degraves built a Brewery on his property. It is now owned by Foster's Group
. Cascade produces a range of beer
s, homebrew
, apple cider
('Mercury Cider' brand) and non-alcoholic beverages including apple juice, blackcurrant syrup & carbonated
beverages.
The image adopted for its label in 1987, H. C. Richter's nineteenth century illustration of the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), is from Gould
's The Mammals of Australia
.
Cascade is unique among Australian breweries and rare among breweries worldwide in that it operates it own maltings, producing malt
for its mainstream beers (including Premium Lager & Pale Ale) from locally grown barley. Specialty malts for dark beers and the seasonal range are imported from mainland Australia and from overseas. The Cascade name is also given to the sporting event 'The Cascade Cup'.
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Degrave's Collection:
This range was launched in September 2005, it consists of existing products with more focussed marketing and labelling.
These beers are only available in Tasmania.
Seasonal & limited edition beers:
Cascade has also produced an annual premium beer since 2002, "First Harvest", which has an extremely limited production. "First Harvest" refers to the first yield of Tasmanian hops, in which the actual unkilned hops flowers are used for the brew. First Harvest which is brewed to a different recipe every year, is brewed as an ale.
From 2003 until the launch of Degrave's collection Cascade produced a range of seasonal beers:
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is based in South Hobart
South Hobart, Tasmania
South Hobart is one of Hobart's southern suburbs. It is bound by Dynnyrne, Fern Tree, West Hobart and the CBD.A refuse tip is located here within McRobies Gully....
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The Cascade estate (originally a saw milling operation) was founded beside the clean water of the Hobart Rivulet
Hobart Rivulet
The Hobart Rivulet flows down from Mount Wellington and underneath the city of Hobart into the River Derwent.The rivulet was an important source of drinking water for the Mouheneener Aborigines, and later for the first European settlers. The site for Hobart was originally chosen in part due to the...
in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1826 charges were laid against Degraves for debt and he was taken into custody until 1831. In 1832 Peter Degraves built a Brewery on his property. It is now owned by Foster's Group
Foster's Group
Foster's Group is a beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks. Foster's Group is the brewer of the Foster's Lager. Foster's Group Limited is a publicly-listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and is based in Melbourne, Victoria...
. Cascade produces a range of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s, homebrew
Homebrewing
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer, wine, sake, mead, cider, perry and other beverages through fermentation on a small scale as a hobby for personal consumption, free distribution at social gatherings, amateur brewing competitions or other non-commercial reasons...
, apple cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
('Mercury Cider' brand) and non-alcoholic beverages including apple juice, blackcurrant syrup & carbonated
Carbonation
Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. The process usually involves carbon dioxide under high pressure. When the pressure is reduced, the carbon dioxide is released from the solution as small bubbles, which cause the solution to "fizz." This effect is seen in carbonated...
beverages.
The image adopted for its label in 1987, H. C. Richter's nineteenth century illustration of the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), is from Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
's The Mammals of Australia
The Mammals of Australia
The Mammals of Australia is a three volume work written and published by John Gould between 1845–63. It contains 182 illustrations by the author and its artist H. C. Richter...
.
Cascade is unique among Australian breweries and rare among breweries worldwide in that it operates it own maltings, producing malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
for its mainstream beers (including Premium Lager & Pale Ale) from locally grown barley. Specialty malts for dark beers and the seasonal range are imported from mainland Australia and from overseas. The Cascade name is also given to the sporting event 'The Cascade Cup'.
Beers
Premium Range
- Cascade Premium Lager is an Australian-style lager, hopped with "Hersbrucker" to give the beer a distinct spicy flavour. Alcohol Content: 5.0%
- Cascade Premium Light is a low-alcohol lager, which is currently the biggest selling light beer in Australia. Alcohol Content: 2.6%
Degrave's Collection:
- Cascade Pale Ale, also known as "green" or simply "Pale", is in fact an Australian-style lager, not an ale. The Pale Ale name has been used since the brewery was established and was originally an ale style beer. The Pale Ale has an excellent balance of the famous "Pride of Ringwood" Hop and Pale Malt giving the beer a fruity mid palette and spicy end palette. Alcohol Content: 5.0%
- Cascade Stout is a stout beer, commonly enjoyed by an older audience. The Cascade Stout is brewed with a blend of different malts and grains including roasted barley which gives the brew chocolate and coffee overtones. Alcohol Content: 5.8%
- Cascade Blonde is a premium lager beer brewed with a blend of barley and wheat malts, then hopped using the "Cascade" Hop to give a light bitterness. The wheat malt in this brew gives the beer a citrus like mid palette. Alcohol Content: 4.8%
- Cascade Amber is an amber ale brewed with a blend of three malts including the Cara-Malt which gives this brew toffee like flavours and its rich amber colour. Alcohol Content: 4.8%
This range was launched in September 2005, it consists of existing products with more focussed marketing and labelling.
Tasmanian Range
- Cascade Draught is a traditional full strength lager. It is Tasmania's best selling beer. In Tasmania it is the most commonly found Cascade product on tap (draught). Alcohol Content: 4.7%
- Cascade Lager, also known as "blue", is a traditional full strength lager. Although it is not as widely available as the other varieties, it has a cult following, particularly amongst uni students. Alcohol Content: 4.8%
- Cascade Bitter, also known as "red", is a bitter lager. Alcohol Content: 4.8%
- Cascade Export Stout, is similar to the stout featured in the Degrave's Collection however is brewed with a shorter maturation time and has a slightly stronger flavour. The beer is only brewed in a very small volume. Alcohol Content: 5.8%
These beers are only available in Tasmania.
Seasonal & limited edition beers:
Cascade has also produced an annual premium beer since 2002, "First Harvest", which has an extremely limited production. "First Harvest" refers to the first yield of Tasmanian hops, in which the actual unkilned hops flowers are used for the brew. First Harvest which is brewed to a different recipe every year, is brewed as an ale.
From 2003 until the launch of Degrave's collection Cascade produced a range of seasonal beers:
- Cascade Summer Blonde now Cascade Blonde.
- Cascade Autumn Amber now Cascade Amber.
- Cascade Winter Warmer a dark wheat beer. Winter Warmer was available as a seasonal beer in Tasmania for at least 10 years, but only on tap at selected pubs.
- Cascade Spring Fest a Bavarian helles style lager.
Homebrew range
- Spicy Ghost Draught
- Golden Harvest Lager
- Imperial Voyage Pale Ale
- Chocolate Mahogany Porter
Non-alcohol beverages
- Ultra-C Blackcurrant Syrup is a fruit juice syrup made from Tasmanian grown blackcurrants.
- Apple Isle Sparkling Apple Juice is a lightly carbonated clear Apple Juice made from Tasmanian grown apples. It is the largest selling brand in the sparkling apple juice category in Australia.
- Cascade Real Range is a range of 100% fruit juices including Apple Juice, Apple & Blackcurrant, Apple & Raspberry, Australian Orange Juice and other variants.
- Cascade Ginger Beer is a naturally brewed Ginger Beer.
See also
- Beer in Australia
- Cascades FCCascades FCCascades Soccer club was a short lived soccer team which represented the workers of the Cascade Brewery in the Southern Premier league from 1931 until 1936. In the years before World War II it was common for companies to enter teams in local football competitions as a morale building exercise, and...
- List of breweries in Australia
- Tasmanian beerTasmanian beerTasmanian beers include Boags in Launceston and Cascade in Hobart, which are the two largest Tasmanian beer producers in the State.Traditionally people from the South of Tasmania drank Cascade whereas Boags is drunk in the North, however this is becoming less so as intrastate migration increases...