A limited edition fresh hop beer, packed with Tasmanian ingredients, has been brewed for Cascade’s 200th birthday celebrations, and it is available now in other parts of Australia for the first time in more than a decade.

Cascade Brewery’s First Harvest can only be made once a year, with the beer brewed less than a day after the hops are picked fresh off the bine in March.

This is the fourth year in a row the historic brewery has created a fresh hop beer, having first trialled it 20 years before.

Beer connoisseurs couldn’t get enough, with each year’s First Harvest selling out. This year, the distinctive brew is also sold in Victoria, taking a taste of Tassie to beer drinkers
everywhere.

Brewers are taking no chances, adding an extra 220 kegs to the already limited run, to ensure pubs don’t miss out. This year 400 kegs will be brewed, served fresh on tap.

First Harvest is a Pale Ale brewed using fresh Enigma® hops grown by Hop Products Australia (HPA) at their Bushy Park Estates farm in the Derwent Valley, combined with dry Tasmanian Cascade and Galaxy® hops.

Cascade Brewery’s Head Brewer Brendan Flanagan said a special beer was needed this year to celebrate the historic milestone for Cascade’s 200 years.

“This year’s Cascade First Harvest is a well-balanced fresh hop Pale Ale, with a tropical passionfruit and melon aroma and red fruit undertones, complemented by biscuity malt character and a crisp finish,” Mr Flanagan said.

“Fresh hop beers have a distinctive, earthy flavour, which beer drinkers have grown to love as they experiment with new tastes and smells.”

“It’s as much an adventure for us in the brewery, as the hop aromatics develop over time.” Most beer is brewed using dry hop pellets due to the once a year harvest, which ensures aconstant supply of beer.

Head of Sales & Marketing, Owen Johnston from Hop Products Australia said: “First Harvest is a true celebration of Tasmanian beer and Tasmanian agriculture. At no other time of the year can you enjoy a beer that is perfectly seasoned with hops that were
harvested mere hours before they arrived at the brewery. It’s an opportunity not to be missed!”.

First Harvest is available at a limited number of venues in Victoria and Tasmania, including at the Cascade Brewery Bar.

ABOUT CASCADE
The Cascade story began in 1824 when pioneering industrialists Peter Degraves and Hugh Macintosh used a 2000-acre grant to establish a sawmill on the lower slopes of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington in South Hobart. But, eight years later, and after Degraves had served a stint in gaol, Degraves and Macintosh created a brewery on the site. Notwithstanding the site didn’t commence brewing until 1832, we’re proud to be celebrating 200 years of Cascade in 2024.

Cascade Brewery is Australia’s oldest brewery and a leading tourist destination. It is also a vital part of the Tasmanian community, employing more than 80 people across the brewery and bar and supporting hundreds of local businesses. It stands as a unique example of Australia’s industrial heritage.

The original historic homestead remains and is home to the Cascade Brewery Bar. Its doors and heritage beer garden are open to the public seven days a week, serving up the best of Tasmania in a glass, on a plate and accompanied by our warm Hobart hospitality.

Media enquiries – HeadlinePR:
Lisa Gilbert 0412 822 673