Stone & Wood steps into new territory today with the release of the 3.5% Green Coast Lager.

The brew takes it a step away from the craft beer space and pits it alongside the likes giants Great Northern and Iron Jack.

However, for Nick Boots, General Manager at Stone & Wood, this is not about competition but about ‘creating beers that bring new people and grow the size of the Australian beer market’.

Stone & Wood’s philosophy is to create beers that ‘invigorate and interest’ people.

“The dominance of this beer style in the Australian market has given us the confidence to expand our range into an exciting space, and we’re eager to dip our toes into a what is a new brewing style for us,” says Mr Boots.

Launching in NSW and Queensland bottleshops this week, the 3.5% Green Coast is a modern, sessionable lager and the second in Green Coast range. The original Green Coast Lager, a fuller-flavoured 4.7% lager, was the official beer of the Wallabies for the first time this year.

Mr Boots has been General Manager of Stone & Wood for three years now.

For the first year of his tenure, he commuted between Sydney and the Gold Coast– “to make sure we were still in love with each after a year,” he says – before making the move with his family and settling into Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.

Formerly of CUB, Mr Boots now spends his time flitting between Stone & Wood’s brewery and office in Byron, the production facility in Murwillimbah and the tap room in Brisbane.

While construction has not commenced, and is unlikely to before the summer, the Murwillimbah expansion by parent company, Fermentum, is advancing well with professional project manager and designers now on board. They are building what Mr Boots describes as a “Coopers size brewery” which will accommodate the business for many years of growth.

“Beer is a force for good,” says Mr Boots, “We make good beer, do good business and employ good people.” Mostly in t-shirts, boardshorts and thongs.

And surely with an easy drinking 3.5% Green Coast Lager in hand?

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