Creativity on tap! The Great Artist Market’s Back at Felons Barrel Hall

Sheryl Crow’s all about loving ‘a good beer buzz in the morning’ – and while our own celebrations tend to take place in more nocturnal hours, we do appreciate the good points of a well-made brew enjoyed with friends. Especially if we can do so at The Great Artist Market! 

Our fave day out is back and better than ever on Saturday 5 April, bringing over 70 local creatives together for a free, family friendly celebration of great tunes, crafts, and riverside vibes from the good folk at Felons Barrel Hall. Expect loads of creative wares from crafty folks like Claudio Kirac, Claire Ritchie, Paper Hands, and a TGAM x MoB Crafty Party with Gold Coast-based artist DIY Daisy to make a one-of-a-kind necklace. 

Just like the art, music, fashion and gifts TGAM’s become known for, a beer that’s been crafted with love and attention will stand the test of time (and probably pass the pub test, too). Our friends at Felons Brewing Co know a thing or two about the art of perfecting a barrel-aged brew, so we asked Brand Director Dean Romeo to share a few pointers.

Besides care and attention, what goes into a barrel of Felons Brewing Co barrel-aged beer?

Exploring the introduction of oak as an ingredient in the brewing process, our barrel-aged beers use wood, wild organisms and fruit to craft distinct and one-of-a-kind flavour profiles. Over 300 barrels are housed against the walls of Felons Barrel Hall, where they’re rattled by the reverberations of live music every week, getting that fermentation action happening! There’s also the character, which comes from the barrel itself, its former life storing chardonnay or whiskey lends unique depths of flavour. And, of course, we love to pour in buckets of seasonal fruits, whether it’s macerated cherries, fresh blueberries or the navel and blood oranges of our new release, ‘The Last Orange’.

Also: what, exactly, is barrel-aged beer? How is it different from other beers?

 Barrel-aged beer is the maturation of wood, fruits and different microbes that together shape an inimitable beer. Unlike modern brewing in which almost everything is hyper-controlled and in the hand of the brewer, barrel ageing is quite spontaneous and often unpredictable. Once a barrel has reached peak maturation, it’s time to blend! Tuning into our senses, we blend multiple barrels with flavours ranging from tart to funk, floral to tropical, to yield a beer of balance. It’s expressive and creative, and always an adventure!

What makes Felons’ approach to beer brewing unique?

The lifecycle of a Felons beer is always considered through the lens of environmental impact. Our intention is that our beers will have a positive flow-on effect on the community, environment, and local farmers. We use solar to offset some of our energy requirements in the brewery, and have implemented a technology that captures steam released and recycles it to help reduce our water usage.

We very intentionally source the finest ingredients from sustainable and regenerative Australian farms like Voyager Malts and Ryefield hops – our goal is always to source produce as close to the brewery as possible! And we supply most of our beer to local restaurants within a limited radius from the brewery, which keeps our beer fresh and keeps those k’s nice and low.

Creativity and innovation are important pillars of our brewing philosophy, and this translates directly through our barrel-aged beers and seasonal limited releases, all produced in very limited runs. Just last year we challenged ourselves to brew a beer – New World Pale Ale – with an ambitious goal of reducing our average CO2 by 35% – and succeeded! Not many breweries are experimenting in the barrel-aged space either, so we’re really proud to be championing this slower approach to brewing.

You’ve been actively working towards zero waste, diverting 98% of waste products away from landfill via 17 different waste streams – can you tell us about some of these projects?

 Through our venues we have some incredible processes in place to sort and divert everything from oyster shells to cardboard packaging – as you can imagine it’s a major operation, but we have a dedicated sustainability team on site that champions this every day!

Can you tell us about some of the ways you give back to your community?

Community is a big part of why we exist and we’re passionate about supporting those doing good in our local area. We run a weekly meat tray raffle every Friday and Sunday at the brewery and all proceeds are donated to local organisations such as New Farm Neighbourhood Centre, New Farm RSL, Dangerous Females and more. Throughout the year, proceeds from specialty-brewed limited releases also support important causes like Women’s Legal Service QLD and Movember.

 We support a better Brisbane for all, making our city a place that people can enjoy for generations to come. Since 2023, we’ve been supporting Healthy Land and Water, a local not-for-profit dedicated to cleaning the Brisbane River and local waterways.

Down at Felons in Manly, Sydney, we recently teamed up with the legends at SeaBin on our Japanese Rice Lager. Each glass of Japanese rice lager removes one item of plastic or a collection of microplastics from the Sydney harbour.

Beer is a drink that’s meant to be shared – is this one of the reasons you created The Great Artist Market (TGAM)?

 Absolutely! TGAM felt like a natural next step for us considering our venue, events and beers are all grounded in celebrating the good life! Brisbane is brimming with incredible creatives, and we’re thrilled to have cultivated a vibrant space that’s inclusive of this community. We welcome all walks of life and unique expression to join us, connect, share and celebrate creativity in all its shapes and forms.

What’s your favourite part of hosting TGAM?

Connecting with an incredible community of people that we have around the brewery. Putting over 70+ creatives in the one space and letting the magic unfold! Witnessing the joy from those new connections and exciting exchanges made between the Brissie community and its artists is always special.

And what can visitors expect of this year’s TGAM?

Showcasing more than 70 local artists, TGAM’s a curated artist market full of bespoke and mindfully made items. Free entry, family-friendly, with delicious food, workshops and entertainment throughout the day, we’re welcoming all walks of life to celebrate and empower our local creative community. We’re riding off the strong momentum from last year’s markets and are so pumped to bring all that great energy to our first TGAM of the year!

THIS ARTICLE WAS CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT THE GREAT ARTIST MARKET. THE NEXT MARKET WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, 5 APRIL, 8AM-3PM AT FELONS BARREL HALL IN BRISBANE CITY.