Wollongong based Five Barrel Brewing has created a special edition potato beer for the Robertson Potato Festival.

Spud Sparkling Ale is being brewed using potatoes from Hills Family Farming in Robertson, which also supplies potatoes to the likes of The Natural Chip Company.

The potatoes will be added, very fittingly, in the mash tun during the brewing process. One of the only potato-based beers brewed in Australia in the last few years, the brew is designed to be consumed alongside a bowl of salty chips or cultural fave, a chip on a stick.

Celebrating all things potato, the Robertson Potato Festival will take place from May 6-7 at the Robertson Showgrounds and feature cooking demonstrations, kids activities, hessian-themed fashion shows, mead-making classes, live music, potato eating competitions, helicopter rides and more.

The Spud Sparkling Ale will be showcased along with other local breweries and distilleries such as SoHi Spirits with their Potato Crisp Vodka.

Five Barrel Brewing Owner Phillip O’Shea said: “We’ve always wanted to brew a potato beer. We had the idea a while back, and when we saw the invite from the festival we thought it would be a perfect opportunity!

“I make a mean roast potato at home and absolutely adore Robertson spuds, so I couldn’t resist using them in a beer too. We will peel and boil them up and use them in the mash. The enzymes on the barley we use will convert the starches in the potatoes into sugars that then get fermented into alcohol. We’re using some absolutely classic Aussie hops in this beer to
re-create a style that we don’t see enough of anymore.”

The Sparkling Ale will be available in 4 packs of 440mL cans online at https://fivebarrels.com.au/ following the launch until stocks last.