Ministry of Beer – The Beginning

In 2016, the Ministry of Beer came to life when Brett Reimann, a passionate homebrewer, embarked on a journey to craft barrel-aged sours. Nestled on his farm in the Barossa Valley, Brett’s initial set-up, a modest shed with a 200-litre brewhouse and 400-litre fermenters, reflected the humble beginnings of what would become a remarkable brewery. As the craft beer scene in Australia was still adapting to sours, Brett played the long game, patiently awaiting the optimal maturity of his brews in single barrels before introducing them to a small local market. Some of the first venue’s to host Brett’s beers were Stein’s Taphouse, Prince Albert Hotel, The Kings Head, Nola and The Franklin Hotel. Many of these venues still stock the Ministry’s beer today. See our Beer-finder to view all stockists.

The breakthrough came with the release of “Old Timer,” a golden sour that spent a year in the barrel. Premiering at the 2017 Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival, it garnered instant acclaim, earning a spot in The Crafty Pint’s Best New SA Beers Of 2017. From these modest origins, Brett steadily expanded, cultivating fruited sours, developing a core range, and nurturing a growing barrel collection.