Morpeth Brewery
Morpeth Brewery, a subsidiary of River Port Brewing Company Pty Ltd, is a small, independent, artisan brewery that has proudly been brewing hand-crafted beers on the premises of the Commercial Hotel since 2012. Although we are a separate company, we brew keg beers exclusively for the Commercial Hotel, working in harmony with the hotel to provide its many customers in the local area (and beyond) the ultimate brewpub experience.
We brew our beers using traditional methods. Unlike many of the big breweries, we do not use additives or preservatives, nor do we filter, pasteurize or artificially carbonate our beers. All our beers are naturally carbonated.
In this way, our 100% natural, living beers – like fine wines – mature and evolve with time, and a glass of beer imbibed early in the life of a batch, may offer a subtly different taste experience from a glass of the same batch several days or weeks later. Of course, as artisan brewers, we celebrate these inherent variations as a traditional way of brewing and a unique point of difference from factory-produced beer.
If you are seeking wholesome beers that offer a distinctive taste & aroma experience then we recommend that you come for a visit and try one of ours.
You will find Morpeth Brewery and the Commercial Hotel in the heart of historic Morpeth in the beautiful Hunter Valley region of NSW.
A Selection of Our Beers
Since we started we have brewed over 40 different styles of beer. We have up to six taps available for our beers on draft, four of which are dedicated to our regular beers, our IPAs on rotation and our seasonal beers. The other two taps are available for use during special events.
Five of our most popular brews are described below. For a glimpse of what we have on offer at any given point in time on draft or in packaged formats, please visit our Facebook page.
Close Call Pale Ale – 5.2%
This is a superb golden ale, brewed with a special blend of North American hops and Australian pale malt. Smooth, with full hop flavour and a refreshing clean finish. This is a pale ale worth living for!
The name of this superb beer celebrates two major events in the colourful history of Morpeth: It’s founding in 1821 by Lt. Edward Charles Close – a veteran of the Napoleonic wars; and the infamous flooding of the Hunter River in 1955, its widespread devastation largely sparing the Hunter River port town of Morpeth – a close call!
Black Tractor Dark Ale – 6.6%
This is a deep, dark beer brooding with finely balanced malty hop flavour. It is brewed with coloured & dark malts, plus Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops. Although somewhat unusual to some beer lovers, it is a deliciously hoppy alternative to the traditional mild dark beers such as stouts and porters.
This style of beer originated in the USA in recent years and was first referred to as Cascadian Dark Ale. Ales of this style range from dark brown to pitch black and showcase malty and light to moderate roasty notes and are often quite hoppy. Some beer affectionados refer to this style of beer as Black IPA.
Trade Winds English Style IPA – 6.0%
This, is an English-style IPA, brewed with Australian pale malt and a small quantity of crystal and biscuit malt, and selectively hopped with 4 varieties of English hops. We treat the brewing water to replicate the high sulphate / carbonate well waters of Burton-on-Trent England, resulting in a beer with clean, smooth bitterness.
India Pale Ales were first brewed in the 18th century in England. These ales were made to be very hoppy and high in strength in order to endure the hot weather and rolling seas on the long journey to India. English-style IPAs are notable for their distinctive flavours and high alcohol content. The malt base is relatively mild, emphasizing the hop character but still retaining a nice balance between hops and malt. Typically, the mouthfeel is light to moderate and the finish is clean and smooth.
Nature Boy West Coast IPA – 6.2%
This, our version of a West Coast IPA, is brewed with a blend of pale and crystal malts, and hopped with exotic, high alpha hops from one of the world’s largest hop growing regions located in north-west USA. Nature Boy has big hop flavour and aroma. It is easy on the bitter with a delicious, distinctive taste and smooth, satisfying finish.
West Coast IPAs are notable for their big fruity flavours and aromas. The malt base is relatively mild, emphasizing the bright fruit notes of the hops and expanding from the aroma into the flavour. Typically, the mouthfeel is light to moderate and the finish is crisp and often dry. The slightly aggressive alcohol percentage is masked by the fruity flavours derived from the hops.
Big Easy – 5.0%
‘Big Easy’ is a smooth tasting Vienna-style lager, golden-coloured with a nice balance of hops and malt with subtle fresh fruity- citrus aromas. It is easy drinking and more-ish. At 5.0% abv, this is a beer that stands on its own as a delicious and sessionable lager.
Named after the city in which it originated, a traditional Vienna Lager is commonly brewed using Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts and oftentimes wheat malt. Its colour usually falls between pale amber and medium amber—there should be a reddish hue to examples of this style. Noble hops are used subtly. The resulting beer has a crisp quality, a toasty flavour and some residual caramel-like sweetness. Vienna Lager and German Märzen (aka Octoberfest beer) have certain traits in common. Popular commercial USA examples of this style of beer available today in Australia are Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Brooklyn Lager.