Mountain Goat Beer turns 25, with head brewer Alana Rees

Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

Melbourne brewery Mountain Goat sold its first bottle of beer on October 4, 1997, which means the company is currently celebrating its 25th birthday.

That first beer was Hightail Ale. And a few years back, when I put together a list of the most formative beers in modern Australian brewing history, it was right at the top of my ten selections.

I’ve republished that article on the Drinks Adventures website here.

A hell of a lot has changed in the last 25 years since Dave Bonighton and Cam Hines made what was – at the time – a pretty crazy move: Launching full-flavoured craft beers for an Australian public that weren’t really ready for them yet.

This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Mountain Goat.

In 2015, the company has acquired by Asahi, which today trades locally as Carlton & United Breweries.

Dave and Cam are no longer in the picture so our guest this episode is Alana Rees, head brewer, who is a veteran of the company – she’s been there since before the sale.

Much of our discussion surrounds the evolution of craft beer in Australia, and of the product mix at Mountain Goat. Hightail Ale is no longer in its core range, having made way for some beers that are a little more in keeping with current trends.

But I asked Alana first up what Goat has planned to mark its 25th anniversary.