Cracking into Cider with Head Brewer Toby

You might already know Toby as our Senior Winemaker at Idyll Wine Co, but did you know that Toby is also our Head Brewer? Responsible for all things cider and ginger beer, Toby gives us an insight into what it takes to make some of Australia’s favourite brews!

What are the differences between being a winemaker and a brewer?

Toby; The brewing process is a little more calculated, we don’t have to deal as much with the seasonal fluctuation that you see in wine grapes, we also don’t have to jam an entire years’ worth of brewing into two months like we do with winemaking – which is nice.

What are the key parts of the brewing process?

Toby; The key to our brewing process is consistency. We work closely with all of our suppliers to ensure we produce the freshest and best product we can, we monitor all of our ferments closely and tweak each batch to ensure we deliver the same product our customers expect, every time.

How does contract brewing work?

Toby; It starts with a conversation – we determine the style and specifics of the product our customer is after, and make sure that we are going to be able to deliver to expectation. We then move into a trial development phase, where we will produce a small batch of the product to ensure it is what the customer is after. If the product passes the test, we can move to a commercial quantity. We also have an additional canning line coming to our facility later this year. (Learn more about contract canning and contract bottling at Idyll Wine Co).

Is there a product you are most proud of?

Toby; I have enjoyed crafting the lower sugar products, tweaking the palate weight to balance with the lower sugar level can be difficult. Nothing that I am the proudest of, but if we develop a product that we are not proud of, it never makes it to market. We are proud of them all. I personally taste every batch and during the fermentation stage I taste through them every day.

What does it take to make a great Cider or Ginger Beer?

Toby; Both have the same fundamentals – cleanliness and high quality inputs. We ensure our processing gear is spotless and our ingredients, whether it be apples and pears for the ciders, or Ginger for the beer, are of the highest quality - every time.