As the winter chill settles across the coast, Sailors Grave Brewing is preparing to host a Yule-inspired, mid-winter long-table feast this Saturday, July 11.
Titled Embers & Ales: The Long Night Feast, the event is a major highlight of the ongoing East Gippsland Winter Festival program.
Held at Sailors Grave’s Dunetown venue in Marlo, the evening will be hosted by popular TV presenter, cook, and gardener Paul West, who will prepare a four-course feast centred on seasonal, local ingredients.
The menu has been designed to showcase the very best of East Gippsland and South Coast regional produce, with each course carefully matched to a Sailors Grave craft beer. Diners will also have the option to select alternative pairings, including Lightfoot Wines, warm mulled wine, or a selection of non-alcoholic beverages.
The winter feast will begin with a first course of freshly shucked South Coast oysters served with hot seaweed brown butter, sourdough crumb, and chives, followed by a second course featuring a gözleme-style silverbeet and three-cheese flatbread with burnt butter, herbs, and garlic yoghurt. For the main course, guests will enjoy dark ale-braised beef accompanied by winter root vegetables, celeriac-potato mash, bay leaf, and a horseradish gremolata. The dining experience will conclude with a comforting winter apple crumble topped with burnt honey cream, toasted almonds, and vanilla.
Beyond the dining experience, organisers have incorporated a traditional mid-winter ritual to encourage a sense of reflection among attendees. Guests will be invited to write down something they wish to leave behind from the past year and cast it into a central bonfire.
The event will run from 4pm until late at Dunetown, located at 85 Marlo Plains Road, Marlo.
This is a strictly ticketed event. Attendees are strongly advised to dress warmly for the coastal winter conditions. For further details, transport options, or to secure bookings, community members can visit the official East Gippsland Winter Festival website.
