- Local Loves
What the locals are loving: Mismatch Brewing Co.
A craft brewery that’s committed to sustainability and community, Mismatch Brewing Co. is your go-to for high-quality sessionable beer made in the Adelaide Hills.
High above the Adelaide Plains, in a fertile valley surrounded by gently rolling hills and blossom-covered orchards, lies a brewery with a difference. The bucolic 84-hectare property that Mismatch sits on is a far cry from the inner-city breweries many beer drinkers are familiar with, and that’s just the way co-owner Leigh Morgan likes it.
“Sustainability has always been a massive focus for us,” he explains. “It’s why we want to be located in the pristine landscape of the Adelaide Hills.” Every Mismatch beer begins with water drawn from the onsite bores, which is purified at a treatment plant that also captures any wastewater so it can be used to irrigate the property. 1600 square metres of onsite solar panelling also drastically reduces power usage, making Mismatch “one of the most sustainable beers on the market,” according to Leigh.
Launched in 2014, just as the first wave of Australian craft beer was beginning to crest, Mismatch quickly attracted a legion of fans thanks to a strikingly simple philosophy. “From the start, our vision was to make high-quality, sessionable beers,” says Leigh. “Some craft beers are so bold and hoppy that you can only have one or two, but we wanted to make something tasty that you could still drink any time.”
Award-winning SA craft beers
Mismatch’s ultra-refreshing Session Ale pioneered the easy-drinking craft beer category in Australia, and it’s still the flagship brew. A gateway beer for drinkers who don’t want to dive straight into heavy hop bombs, “it packs in a lot of flavour without overwhelming the palate, so you can enjoy it all day,” says Leigh.
The classic Pale Ale dials up the flavour while preserving a delicate balance between malt and hops profiles, and the Mismatch Lager is the purest expression of the style in the country. “You can’t hide any faults in lager so you need to do it really well,” explains Leigh. It’s why the incredibly pure water Mismatch uses is such an asset, and the clean, crisp lager reflected the care lavished upon it when it was crowned Champion Australian Beer at the Independent Beer Awards.
At the cellar door
Dubbed Lot.100, Mismatch’s picturesque home is shared with a collective of other producers including Adelaide Hills Distillery, Vinteloper wine and Hills Cider Co. Visit and you’ll see cows fed on spent grain from the brewery roaming between veggie patches used for the onsite restaurant, where chef Shannon Fleming (ex-Orana) plates up seasonality and native ingredients in a true paddock-to-plate dining experience.
If you’re after something more casual, the spacious courtyard next door serves up rustic woodfired pizzas laden with local ingredients. And no matter what you order, you’ll find the perfect pairing thanks to two dozen Mismatch taps pouring freshly kegged brews including a host of limited-edition offerings.
- Local Loves
- View More Posts Local Loves
