A chance meeting at a dog park and a shared love of home-brewed beer put Steve Martin, Heath Shirtcliffe and Andrew Cronin on a path to custom build and operate their own independent brewery in Melbourne’s west with plans to expand overseas. Steve and his cousin, Andrew had been brewing their own beers to save money while studying when Heath went along to learn more about the craft. An opportunity to put their beers on tap at a friend’s restaurant led the team to develop Cavalier Microbrewery. Three weeks later, they won best brewery and best wheat beer the Microbrewery Showcase at Federation Square and demand for their products grew beyond what they were able to produce. Two years later, Cavalier Brewery is based in Derrimut and has a 10,000-litre capacity with a taproom available for hire as an event space.
The core range consists of three beers: a pale ale, a pilsner and a brown ale. They also brew an Imperial Stout once a year which is available until sold out. This stout pours jet black with dark chocolate aromas and a hint of liquorice. Taking its inspiration from Europe, the Cavalier Pilsner is pale gold and with a foamy head and soft, spicy hop flavours. A well-rounded beer, the Pale Ale has citrus, stone fruit and melon characteristics that sit above the malty base. The Brown Ale completes Cavalier’s core range and delivers a burst of roasted caramel and toffee with creamy hazelnut and dark chocolate undertones.
Cavalier also produces a range of brewing specials – some in collaboration with bars and restaurants. The Cavalier IPA series give their brewers an opportunity to explore hop varieties across the world and experiment with bold and unusual flavours.
Cavalier beer is unpasteurised, unfiltered and free from artificial ingredients.
