The brewpub opened in 2017 and is popular year-round. Photos: Tenele Conway.
When Karl Veiss began brewing beer at home, it was to fulfil a need for cheap beer.
Little did he know that it would lead to a full-blown brewing business with an accompanying brewpub in the mountain town that he loves, Jindabyne.
“What really led to it all was that a venue in town said to me, ‘It’s really good beer; if you get your licence, we’ll put you on tap,” Karl tells Region.
With his licence in hand, Karl took his product to a few beer festivals and was well received by the people whom Karl refers to as ”all the big guys”, breweries such as Young Henry and Modus Operandi.
Forming the company Jindabyne Brewing in 2015, it wasn’t until 2017 that Karl took the leap and opened a brewpub, and he did so with the goal of not being boring.
“I just felt like all the breweries were doing the same thing: pizzas and burgers. I don’t really enjoy going to them. There’s no individuality to it anymore.”
With a surname like Veiss, which Karl tells me has its roots in Latvia, the traditions of Europe helped shape the brewpub that Karl built.
“When I’ve travelled through Europe, I just loved seeing their connection to food. You’ll tell someone you like cheese or wine or beer or whatever it may be, and a local will grab you by the arm and take you to their favourite place that makes it. I wanted that for the people of Jindabyne.”
Karl Veiss and Matthew Thompson brew their beers with a European influence.
Seven years on, Karl and the family who joined him on his business venture are nicely settled in, and the pub is buzzing year round, with Karl having cracked the code to perennial business in a ski town governed by the seasons.
“We’ve got really good local support, people who are here week in and week out; we tend to look after them,” laughs Karl, keen to keep his special treatment of the locals a secret.
Chatting with Karl, you get the sense that the mountain lifestyle is a big motivator for the business and how he lives his life. He might just be a beer-wielding philosopher when it comes to why the mountains attract creatives and entrepreneurs like him.
“The mountains give people space and some perspective on things. They can take a step back and form new ideas and rejuvenate themselves,” Karl muses.
“It’s better to look from the outside in when feeling too cluttered.”
I always find that when life gets too cluttered, it’s best to have a beer, and I’m in the right place; there’s beer here for most tastes, and these days they are primarily crafted by Karl’s head brewer, Matthew Thompson.
“I did it all myself when we started, but we’ve had a head brewer now for four years,” Karl says.
I ease in with the Island Bend Pilzner, which was inspired by Karl’s travels through Europe. It’s malty but still very approachable and a good place to start on your journey with Jindabyne Brewing, as is the Lakeside Lager, a great session beer.
The XPA promises and delivers an easy adventure with its Aussie-grown barley and hops, and I quite enjoy the Alpine Red X, which takes things up a level without kicking you in the teeth.
The menu touches on global flavours with generous serves, such as pulled-pork tacos.
Steering clear of the pizzas and burgers that Karl finds to be a yawn-fest, the menu is a global mix.
Steamed mussels, calamari with a Thai-style marinade, chermoula chicken skewers with Greek salad and tzatziki, and pulled-pork tacos offer an extremely generous serving, loaded with meat and popping with flavour.
If you really want to get into the mountain spirit, I can highly recommend the Kassler. The description of a grilled pork loin served with sweet and sour red cabbage and spaetzle doesn’t really do it justice. Kassler is a German cured pork loin and presents more like ham than grilled pork. It’s salty and rich, and alongside a traditional German wheat beer like the Hefe Veiss Bier, you will be left wondering what continent you are on.
Like most breweries, the space is vast, and the dining room sits side-by-side with the beer-brewing vats. Karl may have moved to the mountains for the fresh air, but inside the brewery, that fresh air comes tinged with the earthy, yeasty aroma of the brew. A heady mix that might just see you have more than one or two beers.
Jindabyne Brewing is at 5 Nettin Cct, Jindabyne, and is open Wednesdays to Fridays from 3 pm until 9 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from noon until 9 pm. Keep up with them via their website or check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
