A quiet little fishing village in a picturesque location, Amity is something of a hidden gem on an island that is often described in similar terms. Located on the northernmost tip of the island, Amity takes in views to the south and west of Moreton Bay, Brisbane City and the Port of Brisbane, the Glasshouse Mountains in the Sunshine Coast hinterland to the north-west, Kooringal on the southern tip of Moreton Island to the north, as well as north and east across the Pacific Ocean.
Amity’s sunsets are spectacular – over water, interrupted only by the blinking port and distant brooding mountains beyond. It was this everyday miracle, coming and going with a minimum of fuss and fanfare, that inspired the orange colour on the can and the character of the beer inside – effortless and understated, but undeniably lovely.
“Amity’s sunsets are spectacular – this everyday miracle, coming and going with a minimum of fuss and fanfare, has inspired the orange colour on the can and the character of the beer inside – effortless and understated, but undeniably lovely.”
Pale Ale rose to prominence because of beers like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the US and Little Creatures Pale Ale here in Australia. It is still the most popular ‘craft’ style in Australia which is not surprising – it is the perfect alternative to dull, mass produced and lightly flavoured mega-lager. Other styles are showier, more intense, more surprising, but good pale ale relies on freshness, balance and drinkability to beguile rather than blow you away. The use of new world hops like Cascade and El Dorado impart fresher, more vibrant citrus, stone and tropical fruit aromas and flavours compared to the more savoury, herbal and floral characters of traditional European varieties. The malt base, while still pale, has more body, richness and complexity of malty flavours than pilsener style malts. A clean ale yeast strain allows the hops and malt to shine and is key to the balance of a beer like Amity Pale Ale.
The connection between Amity and the Pale Ale named after her isn’t only one of sunsets and mindsets. A pair of seahorses float across the front of the can, a nod to island stories past and present. It may be hard to imagine now, but there was once a sandy racetrack at Amity where bush races were held, run by local workhorses and their owners. Over time the racetrack washed into the sea – the only horses running there now are Hippocampus whitei, a species of seahorse that can be found in the waters off Amity. There’s something very Amity about this cute little creature, just holding on, hanging out and letting the current rush by without getting caught up the busyness of it.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of soaking up the splendour of a sunset at Amity, or maybe it has just been a while, do yourself a favour and make a date to enjoy one of life’s great, simple pleasures.
Cheers to that!
Beernote:
Until our Island brewery is constructed, we are brewing our beers a batch at a time, whenever there is some brewery space to spare at Ballistic Beer Co, Salisbury. For this, we are forever grateful. The Ballistic team have a well-earned reputation of making award winning beers of exceptional quality and have the water treatment (reverse osmosis) equipment necessary to create a good representation of the water profile we will eventually be brewing with on Straddie.
