An afternoon at the farm

I’ve written about how much I love Two Metre Tall before. When I lived in New Norfolk, we were regular visitors on Friday evenings or Sunday afternoons. Or both.

Two Metre Tall is a farm-based brewery focused on naturally (spontaneously!) fermented, barrel-aged ales and ciders using ingredients grown on the property and sourced from other Tasmanian farmers. Ashley and Jane Huntington started the brewery in 2004 and since that time have built up a loyal client base and a reputation for beverages that are anything but ordinary.

Hand painted red lettering on a wooden pallet FARM BARB & CELLAR DOOR with a left-pointing arrow
This way!

Some of the products I’ve been exposed to (and loved) over the years have included sour cherry ale, wild plum ale, mulberry ale, pumpkin ale (brewed especially at my request, or so I like to keep telling myself), salty sea stout, Forager’s Ale and Farmhouse Ambigua, which was brewed specifically for Kylie Kwong in Sydney. There’s also been an ale called A Farmer’s Resilience and the Seven Year Itch. You’ll need to ask Ashley about that one because it’s his story and he tells it so much better than I ever could.

A clopse up of a hop vine backed by more hop vines
Humulus lupus

Now you might be wondering, Barb, you’ve quit drinking. What are you doing visiting a brewery?

Well, yes, that’s true and drinking establishments aren’t high on my go-to places any more. But we went on Saturday to celebrate a family member’s birthday, which is something we did a lot back in the day. The idea of dinner, even at an exceptionally nice restaurant, was one that not many of us were enthusiastic about. Being in any indoor space with people not wearing masks for the bulk of the time, which is kind of necessary in a restaurant, is on my “absolute no” list right now. The thought of being in close contact with unmasked people is, quite frankly, terrifying for me. That is, the common sense definition of “close contact” not the government’s definition.

But I digress.

An outdoor space is perfect!

Yes, it is a brewery, and yes, there are plenty of delicious alcoholic beverages to choose from should you wish to do so. But it’s also a beautiful, covid-safe setting far away from crowds and bad news and e-scooters cluttering up the pavement or knocking you over . . .

A rusty water tank in the foreground of dry hills, a fence and looming clouds
The views aren’t bad either

If we still lived in the area, I’m sure I’d have been there more than once in the last 12 months because, drinking or not, it’s a fantastic venue.

You can bring a picnic, bring beef to cook on the wood fired BBQs (which give it the best flavour that you can never replicate on anything you have at home), you can read a book, talk to friends at a (social) distance and, with the recent addition of some fabulous sculptures by local artist Duncan Rush, you can look at quirky art pieces too. You can, and I did, have a wonderful time without drinking a single thing.

Steak cooking on a wood fired BBQ
Lunch

I’d also add that if you aren’t self-isolating from alcohol, the beverages are sensational. If I ever were to drink anything again, it would be Two Metre Tall products and, yes, there are several stored in the cellar that are designated as mine. And one day I will have to make a decision about what to do with them.

But in the mean time, I had a fabulous time checking out Duncan’s sculptures and exploring the property with a lens I don’t normally use on my visits there.

Sculptures

Sculpture of a snail made from salvaged materials
Snail sculptures
Sculpture of a snail made from salvaged materials
The other snail
Sculpture of a snail made from salvaged materials
More snail
Close up inage of as culpture of a snail made from salvaged materials
Snail detail
Sculpture of a wood louse made from salvaged materials
Woodlouse
Back view of a sculpture of a wood louse made from salvaged materials
Woodlouse surveying what used to be a tree
Sculpture of flowers made from salvaged materials
Flowers brightening up the BBQ area
Close up of sculpture of flowers made from salvaged materials
More flowers
A sculpture of gum leaves ad gum nuts made from salvaged materials, under a gum tree
Fallen leaves
A sculpture of gum leaves ad gum nuts made from salvaged materials
Fallen leaves and nuts
Detail of sculpture of gum leaves made from salvaged materials
Leaf detail
Sculpture of a small snail on a wooden shelf, made from salvaged materials
Baby snail
Sculpture of gears embedded into a wooden bar with hop vines in the background
Gear

Things that caught my eye

An orange spider in a arge spider web
Not a sculpture! A real spider
Dry, low cut grass in a paddock
Textures
The side of an old sandstone cottage, a red brick chimney in a field of dry grass and dark clouds overhead
The old farm cottage
Close up of big dark fluffy clouds
Ominous
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