Sip Back and Relax

Craving something crisp and refreshing? Put down the wine glass and work your way through the Valley’s Cider and Ale Trail, paddle by paddle.

By FERGAL GLEESON

Funk Cider House

Txoko Brewing Elmar’s in the Valley

Elmar’s in the Valley

Elmar’s brings a little taste of Germany to the Swan Valley.

German expats Elmar and Annette Dieren founded Elmar’s with the intention of bringing people together through good food and beer, inspired by their home country. Think crispy pork knuckle (schweinshaxe) complemented by a crisp and original German pilsner.

All Elmar’s beers are brewed to the 1516 German Beer Purity Law, which means only barley, hops and water can be used. Malts and hops are imported directly from Germany. The beer is free from colours, preservatives and chemicals.

Pilsner is the most popular choice, closely followed by the Kolsch, perfect for a summer’s day in the Biergarten.

For the more adventurous, there’s a wheat beer, a classic Dusseldorf-style Alt Bier and a dark, Schwarz bier. There are also seasonal brews.

German and Australian food options are on the menu. The vibe is local, wholesome foods including what Germany is famous for - bratwurst, schnitzel, shanks, apple strudel as well as Australian fare.

Oktoberfest is particularly exciting. Think flowing bier, sizzling barbecues, lederhosen and dirndl on show and an array of Perth’s best local musicians. Festival goers can grab a spot under the gumtrees. Life doesn’t get much better! elmars.com.au

Txoko Brewing

“‘Txoko’, pronounced Cho-Ko, is Basque for cozy nook,” says Txoko Brewing founder, Gabriel Rodriguez.

Historically, a txoko began as a social space for friends to meet regularly and eat, drink, sing and dance. Today they’re cooking clubs, spread across all towns in the Basque region of Northern Spain.

“People gather at least once a week to cook for each other and enjoy some pretty fine drinks.

“We draw inspiration from the practice of having a comfortable and safe space for the community to gather and hang out,” says Gabriel.

Txoko has a seasonally rotating range of beers.

“This allows us to make beers that are suitable for the environment.

“For example thick, rich, stouts in winter and light, crushable tart beers in summer. Luna Pale is our only mainstay given its popularity.”

Txoko has a simple short-order menu of humble classics ranging from wood-fired pizzas to hand-prepped calamari.

“Our fish and chips use juicy sweetlip snapper and a lot of our leafy greens will soon be coming from our on-site organic farm.” txoko.com.au

Mash Brewing

Mash Brewing has been on the go since 2006 and is a staple brewery of WA, backed by numerous awards.

Its core range includes all the classics: Little NEIPA, a New England IPA, XTRA Pale Ale, an IPA, lager and the Bad Adams Cider. The seasonal and limited release range, on the other hand, gets esoteric. burgers, steaks, and kebabs. But there’s plenty on the menu if you’re seeking meatfree. Baked cauliflower or pumpkin and chickpea curry might tickle your fancy.

Drink for less at $5 dollar Fridays starting at 3pm, available for the core range of brews. Kids eat for free from 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays. mashbrewing.com.au

Funk Cider HOUSE and Funk 2.0

Funk Cider is doing for cider what microbreweries have done for the craft beer industry.

Established in the Swan Valley by Dustin and Martin Michael, two country brothers from Toodyay, the duo started with Michael Brothers cold-pressed juice and later, added cider and craft sodas to their repertoire.

What began with orange juice has now spawned a dizzying range of ciders and craft beers. There’s even a range of Funk Wine.

The vision for Funk Cider is to “unshackle cider from the chains of its dark commercial past, and return it to its rightful artisan origins”.

Four different paddle options are available at the original Funk in Caversham.

The first paddle is made up of apple ciders ranging in style from traditional French to scrumpy. The second paddle comprises ciders with a little extra pop, using fruits such as passionfruit, lemon, pineapple and ginger. The two beer paddles span IPAs to funky flavoured beer.

At Funk 2.0 in Henley Brook, the fermentation playground and home of Funk hybrids, you’ll need two friends to help get through the mega paddle of all 18 drinks on tap. Challenge accepted.

The Caversham restaurant serves up hearty fare, including the mega meatboard selection of wild wood smoked meats, pickles, pork sausage, relish, slaw, crusty bread and sweet potato husks. Try the zucchini schnitzel or groovy salad for something lighter.

Local produce is the focus at Funk 2.0 – don’t miss the cauliflower fried in cider batter and slow braised lamb shoulder for two. funkcider.com.au

Elmar’s in the Valley

Beers include the Chinese restaurantinspired No. 88 Special Plum & Pineapple Smoked Sour Ale, and the Wham Bam Thank You Jam Sour, which is raspberry and blackberry flavoured. If that’s still too mainstream, try the Mango & Coconut or Pavlova Sour.

A mixture of small and large plate options are available at Mash’s restaurant, which surrounds its brewery. The large plates span some pub classics featuring parmies,

Mash Brewing Funk 2.0