The newest concoction from Mountain Culture Beer Co. – Juice Trip – will take the GABS Beer Festival by storm this weekend.
The Fruit Enhanced Hazy is described as a party volcano that causes an eruption of tropical fruit juices on your taste buds and takes you on a mind-bending, eye-opening journey.
The brewery’s Chief Marketing Officer Bradley Firth said they have used new techniques, new equipment and juice to make the beverage bigger, more intense, more aromatic, and more flavourful than a typical hazy.
“The entire process – from concept to the refined product – took us the best part of a year,” Firth began.
“Our business is driven by innovation and a desire to lead the market, we actually secretly tested an early recipe at GABS last year!
“I still remember it selling over 50 per cent of our beers during the festival, so we knew we were onto something.”
Since then, Mountain Culture brewers have made countless recipe tweaks with guidance from regular customers to reach the final product.
“We’re focused on making really good beer available to more Aussies, while staying authentic to the community that built us. This is part of that,” Firth stated.
“It’s something the core craft drinkers clearly love, but it does open doors with younger drinkers that, until now, have just flirted with craft beer.”
The process from concept to refined product took the company roughly one year to enact, and the launch ahead of the GABS Beer Festival is perfect timing.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say we planned the launch around the GABS Festival, but it has given us a great opportunity to activate within the craft beer community across New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland,” Firth explained.
“We like to refer to Juice Trip as the ‘party starter’, so having it on tap at festivals is a perfect fit and something we hope to build on over the next year.”
It might even give the mega-award-winning Status Quo a run for its money.
“With the feedback we’ve been receiving and the sales coming through, it’s on track to be our second-best selling product,” Firth revealed.
“I don’t know about being as popular as Status Quo, I mean that beer has been voted best craft beer in Australia three years running for a reason, but who knows!
“We definitely believe in its potential and it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.