He knows it so well, he can tell you about the flavours of 79 of the 80 craft beers sitting on the shelves of his newly opened craft beer specialty store, Coach House Ale, in Lydiard Street North.

For Mr Perovic, his dream of opening Ballarat’s first craft beer specialty store was more than just sharing his love of craft beer with the city. It was about recognising there is more than just big-brand beers in the world worth trying.

“After years of drinking commercial beer, I lost the love of the taste,” he said. “That was until I found myself at the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston; the explosion of flavour and the experience of trying something so different had me wanting to explore it more.

“I’m a Ballarat boy, but after returning I started going to Mel-

bourne and buying different beers. That’s when I realised I wanted to bring a great selection of beers to Ballarat and give everyone an idea of the choice and for them to know there is so much beer out there to try. I wanted people to love beer again.”

While a selection of local craft beers lines the shelves of Coach House Ale, including Red Duck Brewery and Rebellion Brewery, Mr Perovic’s selection has been sourced from as far as Belgium, California and Brooklyn.

“The beers are almost like portraits – there is a story behind all of them,” he said. “What makes them so great is that it comes down to the brewers, they hand-make these beers and generally use the best local ingredients.”

The name and position of the store may ring a bell for many locals – it was the original carrier house at the Ballarat Train Station from 1891.

alicia.thomas@fairfaxmedia.com.au