“Citra is like salt – you kinda need it… but also we have a lot contracted so we need to get through it!”

Banks Brewing hold a place in many Aussie beer drinkers’ hearts, not least as one of the country’s finest brewers of all things hop-forward and hazy. Yet the Seaford brewery launched by Chris and Penny Farmer back in 2016 has – usually without fanfare – pioneered many other styles and techniques over the years.

These days, West Coast pilsners are at the very top of both Chris and Penny’s list of favoured beers; we wrote about them alongside Cali IPAs in late 2024, yet they released their first all the way back in 2018. That beer was inspired by one of many fact-finding missions (holidays?) to the States, and a fondness for studying what’s happening in other beer cultures is often behind their desire to keep pushing forwards.

We sat down with the couple at their brewery, one that’s much-changed from its earliest days. Then, they only ever envisaged having a tiny, winery-esque cellar door before they realised very eager drinkers wanted more, which has led to Banks – formerly Mr Banks – evolving and expanding ever since.

We discuss building a business alongside a young family, the beers that showed them who they were as a brewery, the beauty of collaborations, forging new outlets, constant renewal, and their brush with a Hollywood icon.

Before we get to that, however, we discuss the moment Albo seemed to offer hope for small producers in an election promise only to dash those hopes once the details were revealed. And Will talks about a good news story from the Central Coast, where Six String have this week opened their new venue ready to host live music once more.

We also reveal the first winner of the Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month: Cypher Brewing in Canberra.

Start of segments:

• 9:30 – Chris & Penny Part 1
• 32:24 – Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
• 37:58 – Chris & Penny Part 2

Relevant links:

• Banks Brewing
• Labor's Promise Too Little, Too Late 
• Six String's Big Move
• Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
• Cypher Brewing 
• Have You Done A Rallings? 
• OPM Design

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