article by Keith Anderson reporting for Warragul & Drouin Gazette. Article originally published on Tuesday September 25th, 2018. To view original article in full subscribe to Warragul & Drouin Gazette here
Nyora footballers celebrated their Ellinbank and District league premiership last Saturday in the traditional way a “few” after game drinks. But it wasn’t with “any old drinks” but their own special beer; the Nyora Premiership Draft in specially labelled cans.
Lang Lang boutique brewery Howler Brewing Company took a punt on the Saints taking out the premiership and made the one-off beer and had cans specially made. Brewery owner Matt Payne said he was at the game at Warragul against Longwarry and “had never been as nervous” as he was during the low-scoring grand final that Nyora won by four points.
Five slabs – 120 cans – of the Nyora Premiership Draft were emptied in quick time in the dressing rooms after the game by players, officials and die-hard supporters. Few of another 33 slabs available at the Nyora football social club remained at the end of the Saturday night celebrations, many people buying them as keepsakes.
Mr Payne said another 20 slabs were held in reserve but expected the club, that he said was sold the brew “at cost”, wouldn’t have them for too long. The premiership beer wasn‘t the first made under the club’s label. Howler Brewing made another special batch earlier in the year when it became a sponsor of the club. Mr Payne said he’d established the brewery only 18 months ago in association with a restaurant at Lang Lang and thought “why not” when Nyora president Gavin Doig approached him about a sponsor’s package. Gavin had some novel ideas as to how to make the sponsorship work effectively and with the clubrooms at the Nyora club a social hub for the small community and home to its football, netball and cricket teams it has been a good fit, he said. It was also a case of “why not” when the pair chatted about the Nyora senior football team’s progress during the season – it lost only one game for the year – and taking a chance on it eventually lifting the premiership cup.
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