turning Aussies barley restriction on China into a local new beer opportunity

A West Australian (WA) grain farmer has begun blending his barley and wheat with native ingredients to create a distinctively flavoured beer as part of a bold vision to reverse regional population decline. Timing comes right after the 80% tariff imposed by China to Australia, which is causing more supply of barley locally.

At Mukinbudin, in the heart of the WA wheatbelt, fourth generation farmer Calvin Squire has created a 'nano brewery' in a small shed on his family farm, adding value to the businesses.

"It's very important that we think about where our beer comes from, at our local pub the beer is brewed interstate by a corporation that's based in Japan. It's not a local beer," he said.

"I think it's important that if we grow the ingredients such as barley and wheat for beer then we should probably be brewing beer here. It's a bit silly we don't."