January 2024

Brewery Radar serves the brewing industry by keeping it up to date with the progress of planned breweries, expansions, and tap rooms in Australia. We aim to track where they are in their development process from concept to opening.

The activity over the last month was well spread across Australia. We have updates from 10 breweries or brands with:

5 brewery openings;
1 development application approved; and
another 4 in various stages of planning and development.

Keep us updated on your brewery in planning or brewery upgrade plans so we can include you in Brewery Radar at radar@brewsnews.com.au

All QLD NSW VIC WA SA

QLD

Coolum Beach’s Coolum Beer Co celebrated its grand opening on December 15, 2023. The venue offers food and live music.

On December 22, Matso’s Brewery opened its second location, Matso’s Sunshine Coast, in Eumundi. The Sunshine Coast hinterland venue includes two bars, a restaurant, a beer garden and a pool room, with the business brewing Matso’s full range of beers on site. Owner Good Drinks renovated the Queensland pub which was previously known as Joe’s Waterhole.

NSW

David Gander, founder of Pacific Ocean Brewing in Tuncurry, said via email in December that constructing his brewery “hasn’t been an easy process, especially with COVID-19 impacting [the] project and the demands from the council.”

However, he and his partner Jane “have successfully completed the installation of the brewery with the assistance and support of Brewtique.”

“Looking ahead, our next steps in the new year include building the bar, kitchen, and restroom facilities,” David said.

Breakwall Brewing Co opened in Narooma on December 22, 2023, with a 10hL system.

According to recent media reports, Pickled Monkey Brewing is set to open in Marrickville in mid February. The brewery ran a crowd-sourced funding campaign via OnMarket in December, aiming to raise $2 million on a valuation of $5.1 million. Unusually for a brewery crowd-sourced funding campaign, the raise was private with no details of the amount raised released, though Brews News understands it exceeded the $100,000 minimum for the raise.

VIC

Brewmanity shared via Facebook that its tanks started arriving in late December and installation is underway.

Smart Brothers Brewing announced via Facebook on January 19 that its 10hL brewery had been installed at the business’s new venue in Hastings. It follows the closure of Smart Brothers Brewing’s Somerville taproom in December.

WA

Spinifex Brewing Co opened Spinifex Cable Beach, a 400-seat venue, on December 29. The venue’s grand opening will be held on February 10, 2024.

SA

Redevelopment plans for The Big Orange, a landmark near the town of Berri that has been closed since 2004, were approved in December 2023. Owner Fred Vallelonga will develop the site into a distillery, brew house and restaurant, a $1.5 million project.

After receiving their liquor licence, Beer No Evil, Lone Gum Farmhouse and Night Works Distillery opened their joint venue, called United Three, on December 22.