Boutique beer plan brewing in Hunter wine country

Plans for a brewery at Hope Estate in Pokolbin will be lodged with Cessnock Council in coming weeks.

Owner Michael Hope says boutique beer could be another way to attract visitors to the Hunter Valley, with another brewery also planned nearby.

He says he is about to buy his micro brewery, but it could be months before the first schooner is poured.

"I'm about to order mine so I am hoping to lodge the DA in a few weeks to Cessnock Council, and hoping we can have it in place by the end of the year.

"I quite like my beer, and as we say in the wine game, it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine."

Mr Hope plans to sell his boutique beer through his cellar door and at on-site events from later this year.

"Well I think it's just a natural extension of all the activities and experiences that people have now based on the wine business," he said.

"But when you think about it, we sell a lot of beer at concerts and we have a lot of functions, and we're seeing it in other wine regions around the world.

"It's just a really really good fit."

Source: ABC News, 19 March 2013