Something has been brewing at Capital Brewing Co. - and we don't just mean the beer.
The Canberra business has announced that they have acquired one of the country's most renowned cider brands, Batlow Cider.
It's a cider brand that Capital Brewing Co. regulars will be more than familiar with. Since the beginning, Batlow Cider has been on tap at the Fyshwick brewery, with founders Tom Hertel and Laurence Kain always having been a fan.
So when the duo set out in search of a cider company to bring into their fold, they knew they wanted something like Batlow - or, of course, the real deal.
"We were considering entering the cider market for a couple of years - we've taken a really slow approach," Mr Hertel said.
"But we want to try and lock down something like a brand like Batlow Cider just given the high level of authenticity and the established brand that it is.
"It's always been in the tap room at Fyshwick ... so that'll continue, obviously. And there's also a cider tap in every venue, in every pub. So that you'll also be able to buy Capital beer and hopefully Batlow Cider, will be right next to it."
Batlow apples are a household name, with the fruit being grown and traded continuously in the New South Wales town since 1922.
The cider - which is only made from apples grown in the Batlow region - also uses fruit that is deemed too "imperfect" to be sold in supermarkets. That is they're perhaps not the right size or colour to be sold in supermarkets.
This - aside from the cider's great taste - is part of the reason why Capital Brewery wanted to acquire the brand.
The Canberra company is one of a handful of B Corp-certified breweries, meaning it has met high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
Capital Brewing Co.'s venture into cider means they can continue - and increase - the amount of apples that are turned into cider, rather than heading to landfill.
What's more, instead of cider being created across three locations - the juicing plant in Batlow, the cider fermentation in Tumbarumba and then bottled in Goulburn - there will just be one route between Batlow and Canberra. This means a reduction in existing freight and the overall carbon footprint to make the product.
"At the moment there is more apple waste than cider being produced," Mr Kain said.
"So there is a real opportunity to reduce the apple waste, by making more cider, and reduce the carbon impact of fruit going into landfill.
"Because we've got quite a large sales force and footprint on the East Coast, we will be producing more cider, and that's going to help with jobs in regional areas like Batlow where the apples are grown and pressed, and then sent out to us. So there will be more demand on the juicing plant, which means more staff."
Batlow Cider fans can also be rest assured that the drink will have the same flavour as there are no plans to change the recipe.
Why fix something that isn't broken?
"You can taste the Batlow apples in it. It's super crisp and easy to drink and just delicious," Mr Hertel said.
"We recently went to visit the growers and they told us a little bit about the trademark crisp style of the Batlow fruit and we think we can taste that in the cider. And a good crispy apple cider is what people love."
