Kick off the silly season with the Cheers to Beers Northern Rivers Micro-Brewery Tasting & BBQ Feast at Frida’s Field

On Saturday December 7th, Byron Bay hinterland farm-to-table restaurant Frida’s Field will host its inaugural Cheers to Beers Northern Rivers Micro-Brewery Tasting & BBQ Feast event. A collaboration with 7 of the regions best micro-breweries, including –

  • Common People Brewing Co from Bangalow
  • Seven Mile Brewing Co from Ballina
  • Two Mates Brewing from Lismore
  • Earth Beer Company from Cudgen
  • Spangled Drongo Brewing from Murwillumbah
  • Friday Hut Brewing from Murwillumbah
  • Caldera Brewing & Blending Co from Murwillumbah

Guests will arrive at 1pm and sample 13 different beers created by the 7 local micro-breweries, with a representative from each brewery guiding guests through the tasting experience – from bouquet, aroma, palette, and minerality to undertone, tannins, mouthfeel; and finish. An amazing array of flavours will be experienced – like the tropical and citrus notes of Two Mates Brewing Lovemore Hazy Pale to the toffee and dark chocolate of Earth Beer’s Dark Moon Brown Ale. Interesting techniques and ingredients will also be on show – such as the esteemed dry hop with RH01 from Ryefield Hops used in Caldera Brewing’s Saison which is also barrel-aged in a mixture of french oak puncheons and barriques. Common People Brewing is even creating a completely new Frida’s Field beer made with ingredients harvested from Frida’s Field, including galangal, mint, lemon myrtle, and Atherton raspberries.

Once the beer tasting is finished, guests will join long communal tables and enjoy a shared American-style BBQ feast (with a Frida’s twist!). Wood-fired pork ribs with a Davidson’s Plum bbq glaze and Smoked beef brisket pastrami with kraut and pickles will take centre stage; accompanied by smokey baked beans; cabbage slaw with chipotle aioli, wood-fired sweetcorn with jalapeño butter; and cos lettuce with ranch dressing. The menu is a slight departure from the farm-to-table restaurant’s distinctive “contemporary country cuisine”, but Scottish born and trained chef Alastair Waddell will stick to the same ethos of being seasonal, produce-driven and hyper-local. Ingredients will be sourced directly from the on-site market garden and food forest orchard as well as the Byron Bay Farmers Market.

Co-founder, Jeanie Wylie, explains – “we have always been really passionate about supporting local and showcasing the incredible produce of the Northern Rivers region. With the silly season approaching and people looking to celebrate the end of the year with their mates, we thought there couldn’t be a better time to create something really special – to bring together a group of amazing local micro-breweries and showcase their talent at brewing exceptional beers right here in the Northern Rivers. To be able to try so many different beers from so many different local micro-breweries all at the same time; and to have a representative from each brewery on-site is so exciting. Taking some time-out to enjoy the simple good things in life together with others is such an important thing to do, especially at the end of what has been quite a challenging year for many of us. Our on-farm restaurant is the perfect little oasis to gather a group of people together to unwind while enjoying the incredible beauty of the Byron Bay Hinterland. We really wanted to foster a sense of community, so the idea of having a shared communal feast with delicious food that compliments the beers was only natural. And what about the unicorn drinking beer with a straw … well that was just a bit of fun!”

Cheers to Beers Northern Rivers Micro-Brewery Tasting & BBQ Feast at Frida’s Field
1-5pm Saturday 7 December
Tickets, which include the beer tasting and lunch, are $50 per person
Details & Tickets available online

About Frida’s Field
Frida’s Field is a farm-to-table restaurant in the Byron Bay Hinterland. Housed in an architecturally-designed barn with stunning hinterland views, they run 3 set menu lunches per week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The team was recognised with a 2023 & 2024 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Hat award.