Western Australia's most remote distillery and a brewery 4,000 kilometres away, have teamed up to create the state's first corn beer — direct from paddock to keg.

Key points: Beach to Boab, WA's first corn beer, is the result of a collaboration between farming communities from opposite sides of the state

Beach to Boab, WA's first corn beer, is the result of a collaboration between farming communities from opposite sides of the state Corn from the Hoochery Distillery in the Ord Valley is combined with barley from Esperance and brewed at Lucky Bay Brewing in the state's south

Corn from the Hoochery Distillery in the Ord Valley is combined with barley from Esperance and brewed at Lucky Bay Brewing in the state's south Using raw corn direct from the paddock is what helps make the product unique

The unlikely collaboration has seen Ord Valley corn grown by the Hoochery Distillery, and barley sourced direct off farms in Esperance, brewed together by Lucky Bay Brewings on the state's south coast.

Lucky Bay owners Nigel Metz and Robyn Cail said it was rare to create an end-product like Beaches to Boab, that connected farming communities from the far north to south of the state.

The Beach to Boab beer was a collaboration between an Esperance brewery and a Kununurra farming operation which are located about 4,000 kilometres apart. ( Supplied: Lucky Bay Brewing )

"It's totally unique because we're using raw barley direct from farmers Esperance [and] raw corn direct from farming communities up in the Ord Valley," Ms Cail said.

"For us the key thing is about using something that's connecting people in a community where they grow something, to then turn into a product you can hold in your hand.

"The fact we can bring two farming communities together over beer, we are so proud to be part of it."

From paddock to keg

Mr Metz, who is a former grain researcher, said brewing with raw grains direct from farm was what made their product so unique.

"Obviously using corn in beer is not unheard of; its been used in the States for a long time, but using corn in its raw form straight from the farm is quite unique," he said.

"The grain we use hasn't gone to the malt factory, it's come straight from the paddock into the brewery, where we mill it and it gets brewed.

"It proved a challenge converting the starch in the corn for the brewing process, but with a little help and some science behind it, we got there and we're really happy with the outcome."

Lucky Bay Brewing owner Nigel Metz with ground, raw bass barley inside his brewery. ( ABC Rural: Tara De Landgrafft )

A new brew for WA's oldest legal distillery

The Hoochery Distillery's location, nearly 3,000 kilometres north of Perth in the far-east of WA's Kimberley region, makes it the ideal climate for distilling spirits.

The combination of the tropical conditions and near-limitless supply of water has been perfect for rum-making, with the Hoochery becoming a dual gold medallist in the World Spirit competition.

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But when it came to creating beer with a Kimberley twist, Ms Fletcher knew she needed some help from a brewing expert.

"I think some farmers get a bit scared of the idea of creating food from their raw product," she said.

"But by bringing in that collaboration; we have a product that's from our environment, we've got a great story around it, but we haven't had to invest in beer equipment or learn a whole new skill."

Ms Fletcher's late father, Raymond "Spike" Dessert III, established WA's oldest legal brewery with the same pioneering spirit.

Landing in the Ord Valley to set up a seed business in the early 1970s, Mr Dessert established his distillery in 1995 to take advantage of the skyrocketing expansion of sugar cane in the region.

The Hoochery Distillery is located in WA's Ord Irrigation Scheme. ( ABC Rural: Courtney Fowler )

An a-maizing crop

Ms Fletcher, who also heads up the family's seed business, said diversification was important for remote farming enterprises.

She said maize had been grown in the Ord for more than 30 years, but a recent export deal with a South Korean grain company had seen it become a vital crop for the future of the Valley.

"The valley is known for its high value crops such as chia, melons, pumpkins but you can only grow certain about of them for marketing opportunities and the risk around it," Ms Fletcher said.

"Corn is that base, broadacre crop you can use [for] large hectares; it's quite consistent and manageable and also is it has a fantastic crop rotation element to it.

"And now local growers through ORDCO (Ord River District Cooperative) and working with Pioneer Seeds, have started exporting corn to South Korea and it's allowed production to increase."

Around 20,000 tonnes of grit corn from Kununurra was exported to Seoul last season, destined for the corn chip market.

Around 20,000 tonnes of Ord corn was exported from Wyndham Port last season. ( ABC Rural: Courtney Fowler )

Ms Fletcher said it was pleasing to see local maize also making its way into a beer that captured the spirit of Kununurra.

"It has been enjoyable seeing the local Ord River farmers come in and try the corn beer," she said.

Connecting farming communities

Ms Cail said collaborating on a product while being separated by thousands of kilometres was not without its challenges, but hoped it was a partnership that would continue into the future.

"For Esperance farmers the tyranny of distance and freight is on par with the Kimberley," she said.

"In some ways it was simpler logistically to deliver up here then going to Perth; the complexity of operating in that urban environment can be quite expensive because you've got multiple deliveries to small locations."

Corn has been grown in the Ord Irrigation Scheme for more than 30 years. ( ABC Rural: Courtney Fowler )

Mr Metz said Lucky Bay Brewing was getting increasing interest from WA farmers to create beer from local grain.

"That pride of providence is coming through and it certainly something we started to do with other regions with my specialty brews," he said.

"[Farmers] bring their particular grain and they asked for a particular type of beer we converted into that beer for them.

"It's something that can capture both the Kimberley and the south coast and become more than a seasonal option for us."