Byron Bay brewery, Stone & Wood, has released a second collaborative brew with Mountain Culture, led by head brewer, DJ McCready. The Backpack West Coast IPA follows on from the previously released Backpack Ale, and offers a bold second instalment of the brand’s first-ever collaboration with another brewery.
The Stone & Wood team initially visited the Blue Mountains, and dropped in on Mountain Culture, Australia’s Best Craft Brewery (GABS Hottest 100 winner in 2023 & 2024). The brewers quickly bonded over a shared passion for epic nature, good times and even better beers, and it wasn’t long before they were trading secrets and ideas for a collaboration.
Originally from North Carolina, McCready refined his craft in Colorado before taking his love of fresh beer and crisp air to the Blue Mountains, where he founded Mountain Culture.
“I'm pretty sure Stone & Wood was the first brewery I was introduced to when I moved to Australia and when I tried Pacific Ale, it was easy to see why it holds such a place in people's hearts so to get to work on a collab with them is a personal highlight for me,” said McCready of the collab.
“We decided on Backpack Ale because our brewery homes are both in iconic backpacker destinations and this beer represents the love our brands have for not only exploration but also for where we come from.
“The beer itself is a bit more classic in style than the original brew, even though it has the same hops. It's super balanced and crisp, perfect for summer,” he said.
Inspired by Mountain Culture’s bold American brewing techniques and the shared origin in, and passion for, vibrant backpack towns, the approachable 6.2% ABV tipple is brewed with Idaho, Amarillo, Galaxy hops and bursts with flavours of mango, citrus and stone fruit.
The Backpack West Coast IPA blends American and Australian hops into a vibrant spin on Mountain Culture’s big, delicious IPAs.
Stone & Wood head brewer, Caolan Vaughan, said: “Being our first-ever brewery collab, we could not be more honoured and excited to team up with the amazingly skilled and epically awesome crew at Mountain Culture.”
“It’s been a lot of fun and also invigorating to share the passion that we all have for this wonderful industry,” he said.
