When a cider, with an intricate label & bearing a brewers name started popping up at craft beer shops around Melbourne in early 2017, I didn’t think we’d be here talking about the producer as one of the most exciting brewers in Victoria 3 years later. It took me a while but eventually I took the plunge & tried it and then rushed straight back out to buy the remaining 3 bottles.
Dollar Bill Brewing was founded by Ed & Fiona Nolle. Ed Nolle has been brewing for decades, his passion starting after getting a job at a small Canadian brewery whilst on a sojourn from University in 1999. He developed a passion for it & as often happens with homebrewing, equipment began to takeover different parts of the house. Nothing Fiona said would stop Ed brewing & one day she suggested doing it commercially.
Brewery Type
Gypsy
Brewed At: Stomping Ground
Region
Goldfields
Tasting Room
Coming Soon!
The first beer went into barrels not long after, at the Mornington Peninsula winery of Ed’s long term home brew & Canadian travel buddy after the 2012 Vintage. Beer from those barrels eventually made their way out to the public in late 2017. Craft beer has never beer a game to get rich quickly, or at all, but Dollar Bill’s approach is taking it to a whole new level.
Dollar Bill is different to most brewers; there is no flagship Pale Ale driving the bottom line. All their beers are barrel aged &, generally, sour. Dollar Bill employs a strategy far more common to Europe than central Victoria. For wont of a better term they’re a Blendery. They don’t brew their own beer. Their wort is produced at Stomping Ground in Collingwood & then transported to their facility just outside Ballarat where it is added to fermentation vessels or barrels (depening on the style). The process of producing these beers is far longer than your average ale, that can be turned around in a month, with most of the beer living in barrels for 2 years before being blended together. The resulting beers are some of the most complex in the country.
Branding; it’s an area that I’ve rarely discussed in The Year of Local. I think it’s important here as it’s the reason that I, & I assume others, were initially drawn to their product. The labels are designed by Craig McGill, the youngest person to ever design a countries entire currency (PNG), & they’re incredibly ornate. From afar they look like an American Dollar Bill, but the longer you look at them the more references you pick up; right down to the song pairing (generally hip hop influenced) for each beer.
The Dollar Bill Cellar Door has been in the works for years. I feel like I’ve been hearing stories about it being ready later in the year since 2018 (but it could well be early 2019). The latest update is that they hope to open in early 2021, but I’m sure it will be worth the wait! The site is fully off grid & they’ve spent time trying to make the site as friendly as possible for yeast. They’ve planted plenty of fruit trees & encouraged the native vegetation to grow; hopefully drawing in insects & bees that will help make the area more suitable for natural fermentation down the track. I imagine (& hope!) there is a coolship in their future…
Parlay Spring 2019 is where we’re going with this one. It’s a seriously complex beer. There’s dark fruit characters from the time the beer has spent in Lambrusco Maestri Apassimento barrels as well as nice vinous tartness, some chewy herbal quality & something which I’m recognising as nutmeg, but could well be another spice. Trust me, it may not sound appetizing to you, but this is a beer you need to try if you’re at all into sour beer.
Remember it’s always Beer O’Clock somewhere in the world!
