Now it’s finally time to announce that this incredible beer is here.

It’s called the UNIFIKATOR.

Meaning ‘unifier’ in German, it represents the coming together of the old world and the new. Utilising the centuries of tradition and knowledge embodied in the experience of Weihenstephan 1.Braumeister Frank Peifer and the maverick approach of Temple’s head brewer Ron Feruglio, the result is a truly unique beer.

So when can you get it?

The first keg will be tapped at Temple this Friday 4 May, 2012 at midday.

To celebrate the release, we’re pairing the UNIFIKATOR with some incredible German-inspired food on Friday and Saturday, including:

Schweinshaxe

A slow roasted pork hock (cooked in the UNIFIKATOR Weizenbok, caraway seeds and garlic brine before being roasted until the skin is perfectly crisp) served with rotkohl (braised red cabbage and apple), and heiss kartoffle salat (a warm potato and bacon salad).

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But you probably want to know a bit about the beer too…

What is the UNIFIKATOR?

Ruby brown in colour and weighing in at 7.0% ABV, UNIFIKATOR is a wonderfully complex Weizenbock… with a difference.

The seductive aroma of dark fruit blends beautifully with light banana esters and spicy phenolics, courtesy of Weihenstephan’s iconic yeast strain.

While a backbone of dark German wheat and Munich malts provides a familiar structure of rich melanoidins and bready malt, the judicious use of both malted and chocolate rye adds a spicy dryness to the palate, with gently warming alcohol balancing the finish. Extended cold maturing provides a smooth and distinctive mouth feel.

Eminently drinkable, it’s sure to please beer lovers and connoisseurs alike.

Quantities of this historic beer are strictly limited with only 4000 individually numbered bottles and a limited number of kegs available nationally through our distributors Phoenix Beers.

Over the years, from our humble beginnings with Temple Pale Ale to our latest Extra Special Bitter, you’ve all been asking when we were planning to make a wheat beer.

But the time was never quite right.

Until we were given the opportunity to brew a wheat beer with someone who makes beers that we love.

Not only are we pleased to announce we’re about to brew our first wheat beer, but we’re also about to embark on Temple’s first collaborative brew. Given the number of firsts, loving a beer wasn’t enough. We had to team up with the best.

Enter Frank Peifer, 1.Braumeister, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, Germany.

At that point our very own head brewer, Ron Feruglio, will contact the person who nominated the winning beer and begin work on a recipe so that the beer can be brewed ready for launch at a Good Beer Week event on Monday 14 May. The six beers to make the cut are:

• Grassy Noel
• Burning Red Heart
• Double Hoptendre
• Chocolate and Cigars
• WalkAbout
• This One Goes To 11

You can read all about them and vote for your favourite on the People’s Pint website.

They were selected from scores of entries submitted from all over the country that included smoked beers, spicy beers, massive beers, aged beers, mainstream Aussie lager hybrids, beers featuring native herbs and spices, beers to create hangovers and beers to cure hangovers. There were some that couldn’t make the cut as they couldn’t have been brewed within the six week period (no barrel aging in that time, folks!), others that simply wouldn’t work, some that were a little XXX-rated for a people’s comp and others that were simply too darn out there to be considered. Some were humorous, others were very detailed, while we’d hoped for a few more entries that told a tale or were inspired by classic beer memories – perhaps you’re saving them for People’s Pint 2013!

“We tried to choose the ones that were most inspiring and creative but also beers that were brewable and we knew would work,” says Ron. “They had to be inspired but work within the timeframe and be appropriate for a draught beer. We also looked for beers that fitted the context of The People’s Pint.”

To choose the shortlist, we looked at a list of beer names and descriptions – nothing more. We then went through their favourites to nut out the six above. All came from men, despite a strong representation from women in the submissions, so there will be, among others, no Princess Porter, cheesy wheat beer, spiced pumpkin ale or Slip, Slop, Slap this time, ladies.

The person who submitted the winning beer wins tickets to the launch plus a case of the beer. So, don’t waste any more time reading this – head here and get voting! And take note – it’s one person, one vote, so choose carefully!

Well guys, you’ve been asking about the Special Bitter since the first day we opened.

We promised it’d be back this Autumn and well, Autumn is here and so is the Special Bitter.

But not quite as you know it.

You see, we decided that to mark its return to the line-up, we should give it a little more of everything – extra malt, extra hops and extra flavour.

And so, we present to you the super-charged…

TEMPLE EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER

Available NOW on tap at the Brewery & Brasserie

When James Smith from The Crafty Pint came to us with an idea called The People’s Pint, we knew it was something we wanted to be involved in. The thought that the people of Australia could submit ideas for their perfect beer for us to brew was too good to pass up. If you’ve no idea what we’re talking about, the new People’s Pint website sums it up best:

Shangri-lager. Twist ‘n’ Stout. Vlad The Imp Pale Ale… Get creative, get inspired. Whether you’re a beer geek, occasional quaffer, master brewer or simply someone who’d like their name on a beer to be enjoyed by thousands, send us your ideas. Frothy fame awaits!

All you have to do to be in with a chance of having your beer idea chosen as the first People’s Pint is head to the form here and fill in the boxes. We need your name, email address and postcode so we can find you. Then we need the name of your perfect beer and, in no more than 50 words, what it is, the idea behind it, the feeling it should inspire – basically, whatever you want to tell us about it that will make it stand out as the choice of the people.

Temple Midnight IPA is here

The Midnight IPA was resurrected on Friday the 13th, and fast became one of our best sellers. Why not get down to Melbourne’s newest brewery and try it out for yourself?

First brewed for a showcase run by Bintani (importers of malt, hops and yeasts), the beer was a hit amongst the select group of beer fanatics. It was so good that James Smith from Crafty Pint named it as one of the ten best beers for 2010, despite its very limited run.

Check out the full profile on Temple Midnight IPA.

Opening day was a massive success at the all new Temple Brewery & Brasserie. Thanks to everyone who came along on the first day (or even in the first few weeks) to try out the old favourites and the new beers on the block.

Check out some photos on the Gallery page, or head over to Facebook and tag yourself.