Country Brewers offers more than just beer kits

Whatever your brewing, distilling, curing, culturing, smoking, or preserving needs, Darrell “Dazza” Mogford is your man.

 Orange’s “My Country Brewer”, Darrell’s Lords Place centre provides much more than just craft beer kits.

 “We also provide cider kits and supplies, distilling kits, stills, and flavourings, and everything you need for sausage-making, cheese-making, food preserving, and home-cured bacons and jerkies.”

 Home beer brewing still provides much of his custom with the appeal for craft beer makers coming from the sense of achievement as well as the convenience and straight financial benefits.

 “It’s the satisfaction of doing it yourself and seeing the results,” Darrell said of the home beer-brewing craze. “But cost is always an issue, you can brew two for the price that you pay for one at retail,” he said.

 Home distilling kits for a variety of spirits is another big-seller with cost-benefits that retail just can’t compete with.

 “The home-brewing kits are only one of our lines, we sell everything to home brew or distil your own scotch or other spirits,” he said.

 The explosion of interest in home-making your own healthy, unique preserved and cultured foods; is another growing venture.

 “We also provide everything you need for cheese-making, sausage-making, yoghurt-making and also stock everything for smoking and barbecuing,” he added.

 The pandemic lockdowns have only accelerated a trend of back-to-basics and an interest in the ancient crafts and skills of our forefathers, he believes.

 “I think people are getting back to wanting to try the skills and traditions of grandma and grandpa,” he explained.

 “Also, it’s something to do, to keep yourself active when your caged-up and stuff,” he said.

 Darrell also offers a range of options for those who have an interest in the craft skills of the past, but not the training or knowledge to dive right in.

 “We offer really popular beer brewing and cheese-making classes which we’ll have up-and-running again in a few months from the warmer months from about October,” he said enthusiastically.

 “These courses will get you started in whatever craft you want to become proficient in and they run for about one afternoon for four–five hours each.”

 His brew-brewing classes also incorporate one of the great dishes from the Iberian Peninsula. “With the brewing classes, you learn to do an all-grain and boil-in-the-bag beer, with Reuben Lopez Mesa from ‘Table of Ten’ in Orange coming along to do a fantastic paella for up to 10 people,” he said.

 “He’s a great guy, he supports me, and I support him… that’s part of the local thing we have, we try and look after each other,” Darrell said.

 The courses are held out the back of his Shop 2/143 Lords Place base in two purpose-fitted classroom areas for convenience and privacy.

 With hundreds of separate lines available, Country Brewers is designed to be your one-stop shop for everything you want from beginners to accomplished regulars.

 “Country Brewer prides itself on providing everything you need for your craft creation even down to bottle tops and cleaning equipment.

 “We even sell beer taps, kegs, woodchips and smoking equipment, barbecues, bottles, pre-made beer, and home-brew starter kits.”

 “We even have everything you need for making your jams and preservatives at home, another real growth industry,” he said.

 With lockdowns now a feature of our lives as we battle the coronavirus, what better way to spend your extra time at home than making your own beer, sprits, wine, and preserved foods?

 “It’s the best-kept secret in Orange, this place,” Darrell concluded.

 My Country Brewer, Shop 2/143 Lords Place, Orange. Ph. 5353 1162.