Slowbeer

26/08/2026

Latest tap line at our NE Melbs venue “The Grape & Hop”………

19/08/2026

Public service annoucement for Melb's NE burbs. Our current tap line-up at 'The Grape & Hop' in Montmorency. Another ~100 beers in the fridge at super sharp drink-in and take-away prices (ie essentially all the beers we have listed on the website).

13/07/2026

Wilimee first caught my eye with a string of strong ratings from Jeni Port @ The Halliday Wine Companion. Some further digging revealed that Ben Ranken and Sally Richardson had acquired the Portree Vineyard in 2013. This site, with plantings as early of 1982, is bona fide 'old vine' material in the Macedon Ranges.

I worked through a range of the wines with Ben last month and, as expected, the local hereo varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir led the way. There are 2 tiers in the range - the Estate grown wines and a 'lower' tier that sources fruit from Macedon and Heathcote. For the wine nerds out there you will love the fact that the Estate wines are made/bottled according to soil types in the vineyard (Cambrian & Granite). Awesome!

And.....for good measure Ben and Sally are very serious about organic preparation and farming to ensure they can produce the best possible fruit from the 100% dry grown vineyard.

A few brief thoughts on the wines.......

2024 'Cambrian' Chardonnay - "1982 plantings @ 600m; good generosity; dry grown; good weight; fruity edges; less than 1kg per vine; 12 barrels. Huge presence for a MR chard."

2024 'By Wilimee' Sangiovese - "5 barrels; Kennedy vineyard in Heathcote; juicy early; firms a touch; easy going style."

2024 'By Wilimee' Fiano - "Heathcote (Kennedy) sourced; dry, almost savoury; 8yr old vines; made like chardonnay; pressed direct to barrel; old oak; wild ferment; full malo; it's very good; 350 cases made."

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Slowbeer & Wine is the dedicated e-commerce sales division of Slowbeer, Australia's first beer retailer to focus exclusively on craft beer. Our founder also established Melbourne retailer Cloudwine, Australia's only wine retailer devoted to small-producer wines at the time.

06/07/2026

I have a real soft spot for Hargreaves Hill as it was one of the first breweries we ever stocked back in the Cloudwine days. At the time I thought the Pale Ale was the first local craft brew that could really compete with the likes of American beers like Sierra Nevada.

Fast forward ~20 years and I'm still excited about the range but for me it's the Imperials that get the blood racing. The vintage dated RIS is a ripper and surprisingly sells really well in my bar (read CUB heartland!) whilst the annual release of the Phoenix is a constant reminder of just how decedant strong beers can be. This year's release is an Imperial Red and we snaffled just 6 bottles of the tiny 500 production.

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Slowbeer & Wine is the dedicated e-commerce sales division of Slowbeer, Australia's first beer retailer to focus exclusively on craft beer. Our founder also established Melbourne retailer Cloudwine, Australia's only wine retailer devoted to small-producer wines at the time.

02/07/2026

Some pretty handy top-ups to the Old & Rare portfolio over the past few weeks....the full range can be found on the Slow Beer & Wine website.

Bass Phillip
First time we've been able to get our hands on this house through 'official' channels. Complex cool climate fruits and mineral laced, the BP wines will live for some time.

Rockford
Additional vintages of the 'Rod & Spur' Shiraz Cabernet now on the shelf.

Vintage Ports
No better birthday present we reckon? Vintages spanning 2001 to 2006 from Stanton & Killeen, Noon and Campbells.

Wines in this collection will be defined as either (1) rare or luxurious or (2) have more than 10yrs bottle age. These wines are perfect for gifts and particularly for 'birthday year' themes. Please note some of these wines will be purchased from private cellars that we know and trust. Where relevan...

02/07/2026

Some pretty handy top-ups to the Old & Rare portfolio over the past few weeks....the full range can be found on the Slow Beer & Wine website.

Bass Phillip
First time we've been able to get our hands on this house through 'official' channels. Complex cool climate fruits and mineral laced, the BP wines will live for some time.

Rockford
Additional vintages of the 'Rod & Spur' Shiraz Cabernet now on the shelf.

Vintage Ports
No better birthday present we reckon? Vintages spanning 2001 to 2006 from Stanton & Killeen, Noon and Campbells.

29/06/2026

We decided to dip into the Blackmans well once again following the very strong response to the trio of BA stouts (all sold out). These 4 beers are all considered core range but interestingly Blackmans take the relatively unusual step of including a Smoked Porter and an India Pale Lager in the bracket of beers to be brewed all year round.

The Juicy Banger presents as per the moniker and packs some punch for a Lager at just under 6%. Very few examples of this souped-up style in Oz so well worth a look.

The Arthur is a solid and reliable Porter and suits the lead in to winter beautifully. Expect smokey dark malts and a uber smooth palate.

All in stock for drink-in and takeaway at the Grape & Hop in Montmorency if you are looking to buy offline.

Slowbeer & Wine is the dedicated e-commerce sales division of Slowbeer, Australia's first beer retailer to focus exclusively on craft beer. Our founder also established Melbourne retailer Cloudwine, Australia's only wine retailer devoted to small-producer wines at the time.

26/06/2026

I put Rocky Ridge in the Mountain Culture / Range camp......they have an unrelenting ability to push premium quality IPA varients month after month without fail. This group of 6 doesn't stray from the trend line.

Limited quantities available on the website and in the fridges @ The Grape & Hop Wine Bar in Montomrency.

'Clover Rays' Foreign Extra Stout $12.50

'Flaming Dragon' IPA $11.50

Peachocalypse Double NEIPA $14.50

'Resting My Eyes' Oatcream IPA $11

'Reverse Centaur' NEIPA $11.50

'Vibe Vortex' Sour $9.50

21/06/2026

Without doubt Marc Bredif's 'Classic' Vouvray Chenin Blanc is one of my all time favourite whites. It was the first wine I ever tried over 50yrs of age (the 1959) and I have enjoyed vintages from the 70s and 80s over the years. We have assembled 10 different vintages (2006 through to 2024) and these are available for purchase via the Slow Beer & Wine website. All things considered these wines are remarkable value.

We also have each vintage available at our neighbourhood wine bar (The Grape & Hop in Montmorency) via drink in bottles or takeaway. We will honour the online price for takeaways.

14/06/2026

On titles alone these bad boys just sound super tasty (but can confirm they are). Blackman's did a very limited run of barrel Aged Stouts for the 2026 winter season and timing has proved perfect as they have already sold out.

Very limited volumes now available for sale on the website.

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