Katoomba's Mountain Culture Beer Co has been voted Australia's best brewpub on the global beer app Untappd.
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The craft brewery and brewpub, run by DJ and Harriet McCready, opened in the old Civic Video store last year after they did a massive rebuild from the inside out.
The couple also nabbed a top 10 spot in the overall ratings, coming in at number seven of all breweries and brewpubs.
Given Australia now has over 700 breweries and brewpubs, this is no mean feat for the business that is just over five months old.
"Untappd has over seven million users globally rating beers so it's seen in the industry as an authority as to what good beer is, so this is really exciting for us," said owner and head brewer, Mr McCready.
"From the day we got the green light to open a brewery, my wife and I made a deal that we would throw everything we could at it to ensure we created something that not only we could be proud of, but the entire community could feel proud of. It's nice to see that our commitment to quality is paying off."
Opening at the end of October 2019, the brewery has not had a straightforward start, navigating bushfires, floods and now COVID-19, which has forced them to close the doors to their brewpub.
Mrs McCready said: "it's a really tough time right now and we're doing all that we can to keep the lights on, like most people up here. But we're actually really positive about the future. We're not being all doom and gloom."
And they are still open for takeaways.
"The great thing about this is ranking is that it's based on the ratings of the beers themselves, so locals can still drink these by purchasing takeaways while maintaining social distancing," said Mr McCready.
The brewpub's highest rated beers are their limited releases, which they are releasing weekly in 500ml cans because, despite economic uncertainty, Mr McCready has also not slowed down on the brewing front.
"We've got some awesome beers in tank right now, including some juicy NEIPAs that have been selling out within a few days.
"We've also got a pastry stout coming out that is going to be pretty cool. We collaborated on it with the best guys I know who make actual pastries - Black Cockatoo bakery in Lawson. It's going to be thick, rich and roasty - but with a sweeter base that will come from adding 250 caramalised Black Cockatoo croissants."
Untappd is a geosocial networking app that allows users from around the world to discover and share great beers, breweries and venues. Consistently rated the best beer app/website in worldwide polls, it allows consumers to share ratings, reviews and photos.
