It doesn't get more Ballarat than a locally-brewed beer that uses locally-sourced wild yeasts.
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Dollar Bill Brewing's Learning to Breathe golden sour ale won a prestigious Indie award at BrewCon recently, which is huge recognition for the craft brewery.
It is now the champion mixed culture beer, and brewer Ed Nolle couldn't be happier.
"It's our base beer, it's really nice that they recognised it's such a good beer," he said.
"It has a nice mouth feel, complexity, it's got this nice deep level of sourness, it's not this light sour, it's really quite sour - you get a bit of funk in the background without being overpowering, and the mouth feel, the rye malts, that brings it together."
Mr Nolle's partner Fiona said the award was a complete surprise.
"It's blind tasting you send it in so there's no marketing, friendships don't come into it," she said.
"We were just chuffed, we were up against incredible people, brewers we really respect like Boatrocker and Three Ravens and Van Diemens."
Mr Nolle said he was proud to use indigenous yeasts in the brew, which is sold exclusively in Ballarat.
The brewery excels at sour beers, making them at once more accessible and experimental - its seasonal releases reflect often surprising flavours.
Sours have seen something of a renaissance in the craft brewing scene as well, providing an alternative to heavy stouts and bitter ales.
"We see the future of pairing with the wine industry, more native Australian yeasts coming through - it's limitless really," Mr Nolle said.
"It's kind of this merging of brewing and wine, it sits between wine and beer."
The local connection is something Ms Nolle is keen to emphasise, with plans for a cellar door under way.
"We're stoked about Ballarat, and doing Ballarat proud," she said.
"The next step is making a beer that can be available in most of the bars in Ballarat, that Ballarat can own and it can be a go-to - don't walk in and order a lager, here's an approachable beer that everyone can feel like they own."
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