A trip ‘north’ was just what the Doctor ordered for the family after too many days of minimal sunshine, permanent cloud and an apparently never-ending school term. It seemed Melbourne had been watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in particular the scene involving brave Sir Robin in which Spring skipped Summer and went straight into Autumn before rushing headlong into Winter again.

It was time for some sun.

Head of Pilsner Family Holiday Planning and Operations, Mrs Pilsner, worked her way up a map of Australia until she found a region which boasted seasonal temperatures of more than 25C and the finger settled on Cairns in Queensland’s far north. How far north, I hear you ask? Well, at the furthest point of our travels we would find ourselves (and our trusty Hyundai Getz) about 15 kilometres from the end of sealed roads. That’s pretty ‘north’.

Before embarking on a tour of the various ‘must-see’ locations (as determined by the company of a 5 and 7 year old) we headed into town to seek supplies and suggestions. Mrs Pilsner headed to the travel agent with The Littlest Pilsner while I took the Middle Pilsner and headed straight to the Blue Sky Brewery. If you want to find out what really makes a place tick – find a local, I reckon. And what better local is there than a good beer local?

Blue Sky brewmaster, Hayden Mokaraka

Hayden Mokaraka is the Brewmaster at Blue Sky Brewery and after welcoming us warmly and checking to see that I had a full glass he showed us around. I should point out here that The Middle Pilsner has something of a fascination for all things sciencey and loves nothing more than a good brewery tour. Give her some malt to chew on and some hops to sniff along with shiny tanks and miles of plumbing with shut-offs and couplings and she’s set for hours.*

If you’d like the full rundown on The Blue Sky Brewery there is no better travelogue/guide than this one from James Davidson which eloquently paints the picture of Blue Sky’s charms. This piece looks at the brewery from another perspective.

For those who have not been to Cairns let me tell the story. It’s a very, very, very long way away. From everything. That’s OK if you’re looking to escape the rat race, visit the Great Barrier Reef, immerse yourself in the rainforest or deny yourself reliable internet access. If you are, for example, from Melbourne and wish to continue your quest to savour the joys of the widest range of the finest craft ales – probably not. When it comes to beer, up this way they have both kinds – cold AND wet.

Which is one of the reasons that Blue Sky is such an oasis in a beer desert. Along with the standard range of easy drinking, thirst quenching, backpacker-friendly beers, Hayden, Mark and the brewing team knock out a smaller side-range of ‘different’ beers to tempt and refresh the weary traveller. Alongside a stout sits a cracking wheat beer full of clove and sweet banana aroma and packed with cheek-clenching tartness all wrapped up in a beautifully balanced mouthfeel. Drinking it with the brewer straight from the bright beer tank was an added bonus.

In the tank next to the wheat beer sat another pleasant surprise in the form of a one-off Golden Ale ready for kegging. The beer was selected from entries to a beer competition at a local show with the prize being the opportunity to run a full-scale brew at Blue Sky. Another cracking ale and one which actually suited the wet tropics climate nicely with a deeper amber hue and brilliant fresh notes from the Nelson Sauvin hops.

The last beer tried on this first visit was another beaut and one which highlights one of the advantages of having all the brewing kit and ingredients at your disposal. In what might rather kindly be described as a ‘slight technical hitch’ a junior brewer made a reasonably large quantity of the flagship Blue Sky Pilsner using wheat malt instead of the barley that is generally accepted as the norm. Rather than throwing out the batch – and possibly the junior brewer – and starting again, the boys sat for a minute, scratched their heads and had a bit of a think.

“What’s the go with that cider in the other tank?” said one.

“Nah, no good. Didn’t quite attenuate fully and it’s a bit thick and syrupy.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked the first.

“We’ve stuffed up two brews this week?”

“No. We should put the two ‘less-than-perfect-batches’ of pilsner and cider together and make a cracking good Tropical Wit Bier!”

“Mate, you’re a fair dinkum brewing genius!”

That’s the advantage of being a brewer who owns and controls all his kit. Unlike the strength that comes with commercial size, the small brewer has the distinct advantage of being ‘nimble’ and able to react to adversity or opportunity. You also don’t have to explain these ‘decision-on-the-run-beers’ to the Board or to your shareholders.

This independence also allows you to offer services to your guests that others would never even think of. Allow me to elucidate.** as it turned out the good people at {Company name removed} from whom we rented our car were unable to provide us with the requisite car seat for the Littlest Pilsner. As we left the Blue Sky Brewery the afternoon before, Hayden waved us off with a promise – “If there’s anything at all you need while you’re up this way, just give me a call.”

We tried every Car Hire place within 50 k’s with no success. Long story short – one SMS and a phone call response later and Hayden had loaned me his own car seat and we were on our way the following morning. You just don’t get that sort of service from the ‘big breweries’…

And the best thing of all was that the generous offer required a return visit to the brewery. And a few more beers. And another visit to the brewery for the Middle Pilsner. Thanks Mark, for indulging her.

Blue Sky Brewery is well worth the visit if you ever find yourself up that way. Look out for the subtle hints that you are, in fact, a fair way from rest of Australia. Signs intoning the message ‘Do Not Swim – Crocodiles’, the serving of every single beer with no glass but a foam stubby holder in all restaurants, bars and cafes and more ex-Victorians than native Queenslanders – “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”.

Blue Sky allows blokes using the gents to watch the brewing process via thoughtfully placed windows over the urinals. This brings you strangely closer to your beer when you can see where your next beer is coming from while you’re saying goodbye to the last one. A mirror within the brewery assures you know that a beer is good “when you have to FNQ for it”. That’s gold.

Just don’t be surprised if, when you get there, you find they have added to the food, beer and entertainment a ‘holiday needs’ hire service.

*No, really. She loves stainless steel and working out where and how beer gets from one stage of brewing to the next and how pumps and whirlpools work. Handy, huh?

**This is not a word you will hear much in FNQ***

***Far North Queensland

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