TheBintani Brewery Radar keeps the brewing industry up to date with the progress of planned breweries and brewpubs in Australia, where they are in their development process, the installation of brewhouses and proposed opening dates. This month, breweries begin to finalise approvals and opening dates as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and the end of the year draws closer.Additional reporting by Vivien Topalovic and Clare Burnett.

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New South Wales

Thirsty Messiah Brewery has found a location opposite McDonalds Jones stadium in Newcastle and is currently awaiting development approval from council. Founder Thomas Delgatto left his full time job years ago to undertake this venture to, as he says, “share good beer with good people.”

A seemingly simple goal which has proven to be anything but, as Delgatto spent the first 12 months working to create a proposal for council, which ended up being rejected. Delgatto believes this was due to bad advice and advised other brewers of the importance of finding the right planning consultant and double checking advice. Even after writing to the Lord Mayor, the goal became seemingly unattainable.

“I considered folding the whole show up and suffering the financial loss and embarrassment of a failure to complete.” Delgatto admitted.

However, despite the setbacks, Delgatto made the decision to continue to pursue his venture, thanks to encouragement from friends and family.

With the help of Allan Kentwell from PRD Newcastle and an amenable landlord, a plan was set for a venue.

“We have started a little tidy up in a fantastic location about 400 metres from a 33,000 seat stadium, regional hockey fields, regional tennis courts and about 3,000 workers, just off a main road,” Delgatto explained.

He advised breweries-in-planning to be resilient and determined in their resolve.

“Our eyes are on the prize, we are so close, it took two years to do about six to eight weeks of work, in order to share good beer with good people.”

Broulee Brewing Co. located on the NSW South Coast at 71 Coronation Drive is currently halfway through construction with licensing finalised and the brewkit is ready to be installed.

It will initially operate as a restaurant and bar for locals, and lead brewer, Mark Brain is optimistic about opening before Christmas.

“We have been very lucky with the community where we live, as everyone’s really excited and keen,” Brain explained.

In addition to the bricks-and-mortar site, Broulee has invested in a 1947 Bedford brew truck, which will operate as a mobile taproom.

“The brew truck is currently ready. It will be on-site for private functions, however the main plan is to hire it out for different functions locally,” explained Brain.

Hop and Clover Brewing Co. is due to set up in Mudgee next year after three years of nomad brewing. Founded by David and Shiree Henderson, hop and Clover is currently open as a venue with plans underway to bring in brewing equipment.

Modus Operandi Brewing Co. has opened its Newcastle brewery in Merewether, initially for takeaway and plan to open for the public in October depending on restrictions.

The venue will have 36 taps of Modus beers as well as a selection of wines, cocktails, seltzers, ciders and non-alcoholic beverages. Customers can currently buy take away beers on tap in 1-litre cans and 2-litre bottles.

Common People Brewing Co. is currently building its new brewery in Bungalow, but there are not yet solid plans for an opening date.

Two Mates Brewing Co. has officially opened its brewery in South Lismore.

On the Coffs Coast, King Tide Brewing Co. is set for opening before the end of the year with final details yet to come.

The Spangled Drongo Brewery in Murwillumbah, home to Stone & Wood Brewing as well as a number of other new breweries, is progressing its development application with the Tweed Shire Council.

The brewery is planning on opening in the former 1940’s Regent Cinema with a restaurant and brewery and an additional skate ramp.

As a stepping stone, it has submitted a smaller DA and is opening a boutique beer and wine bar before Christmas 2021.

Spangled Drongo is currently contract brewing at Wandana and will have its first brews on the shelves in October 2021. They will sell their beer and that of other independent Northern Rivers breweries in the bar.

The team is also in the middle of a fundraising campaign, selling 1 per cent of its business. Interested customers can express their interest now.

Victoria

Marty Ryan is the founder of 3 Griffins Brewing, currently a small production brewery in suburban Melbourne with major plans to expand with a new site. The team are currently hunting for a location on the Mornington Peninsula to scale up with a taproom and food offering.

Kaiju Beer is set to open its location at 27 Hume Street in Huntingdale. The brewery lodged its application at the end of 2019 so the process has been a relatively long one.

But the Melbourne brewers are optimistic about opening their new brewpub by the end of the year. The venue will hold a 160 person capacity and 16 taps of exclusively Kaiju beers. Originally set to open in 2020, chief boss Callum Reeves is ecstatic about the possibility of finally opening.

“I’m confident we can say it’s going to be awesome,” Reeves said.

This news comes after the installation of a new 50 hectolitre brewhouse and centrifuge into their brewery, whilst also receiving the first two of five fermenters which will hold 15,000 litres. These additions are set to increase capacity by 50 per cent.

Brewmanity announced that it has been given the green light for its first venue and brewery earlier this year and the team are well underway with the project. The brewery design is being undertaken with the team at Bespoke Brewing Solutions, and some minor internal changes are being made to the design of the bar. But thankfully, said co-founder David Neitz, this will not mean that planning and building approvals need to be sought again.

However, with these design challenges and extended lockdowns ongoing in Victoria, there will be a delay of around eight weeks.

In the small town of Alexandra, nestled between Lake Eildon and Goulburn River, On Point Brewing Co. looks to soon open its beer garden to the public.

Sout’West Brewery opened earlier this year with a little help from FB*PROPAK.The project included the brewhouse, bottling line, labeller, keg washer and filler as well as tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn5yyrvR_MY

Escape Brewing is set to open in Capel Sound on the Mornington Peninsula by the start of Summer 2021.

Located in an industrial estate, the brewery will utilise two adjoining warehouse spaces with the set-up consisting of a 1,200L brewhouse and 6,000L fermentation tanks, all of which have already been installed.

A taproom is also currently being fitted out.

Co-Conspirators Brewing Co. is set to open its new brewpub before the end of 2021 after fundraising $619,348 from a total of 407 investors. The venue will have a 195 person capacity with 24 taps serving freshly brewed beer from a 1200 litre brewhouse.

Since initially opening the first Mill Brewery four years ago in Collingwood, founder Mirek Aldridge has begun work on a second location to keep up with demand. The new site is currently waiting on the delivery of a 30hL brewhouse, with roughly 180hL of fermentation capacity.

South Australia

Cordial brand Bickfords, is set to unveil a new taphouse and microbrewery in McLaren Vale by May 2022, after acquiring Vale Brewing Co. in 2017.

The Vale Brewing Taphouse is currently being constructed and will be situated on a hill overlooking the vineyard in the Beresford Estates site. This site will include a micro-brewing facility, a hotel and commercial restaurant to accommodate up to 200 people.

Queensland

Flat Lizard is waiting on approval from council after submitting a request for changes to its original application.

The brewery in Stafford on Harvton Street looks to have live music throughout the week, however residents have voiced their concerns about the level of noise this could produce. Looking to open before the end of the year, the brewery will be adjacent to the successful Happy Valley Brewing Co.

Local Brisbane pub the Ploughman has moved to Fortitude Valley to operate whilst waiting to finalise licensing for their first brewery, which will open in Enoggera.

Gavin Croft, former brewer for Newstead Brewing Co., Bacchus Brewing Co. and Archer Brewing will join forces with Collingwood Black owners James and Kirstie Rennell to open Craft’d Grounds.

Looking to open this October, Craft’d Grounds will be a warehouse that encompasses current cafe and bar Collingwood Black, as well as a new 20 tap brewery dubbed Brewtide.

“We’ll have scope to do collaborations and produce lots of fun, interesting beers,” explained Gavin Croft.

“We want to have the guests on tap and support other local businesses”. Brewtide will anchor its brand on one main brew, a mid-strength lager which will be a staple at the brewery, whilst most other taps will be collaborations.

Developer Jamie Larson is at the final stages of a proposal for the redevelopment of an old function venue into a brewery on the Scarborough Marina. Scarborough Harbour Brewing Co. are set to brew out of this stunning location on the Redcliffe Peninsula.

Brouhaha’s new site in Caloundra is progressing well, and the stainless steel is leaving the USA and China for delivery by mid-October.

The plan is to be installed, commissioned and brewing by November, with a view to opening the doors before the end of the year.

Valley Hops Brewing Co. unveil their new rooftop brewpub this spring on top of Brisbane’s Cloudland. Find out more here.

After 18-months of delay due to covid, Straddie Brewing Co. have begun construction in Dunwich on a three-storey brewpub.

“The production area will occupy the ground floor housing a 10hL brewhouse and 200hL cellar, the first level will feature a 60 seat taproom for beer tasting and food service, with views out towards Moreton Bay; and the top floor will feature a ‘sunset’ roof deck area for public use and two private studio apartments,” owner, Kylie Taylor.

This venue will be built by Apollo Property, the same team that completed the Brewdog project at Murrarie and has been architecturally designed by Mayhill.

The team has been contract brewing with Ballistic in Salisbury whilst awaiting completion of the new brewery.

The plan is set for an opening to the public by late Winter 2022.

YEPP Brewing Co. is set to open its brewhouse and adjoining taproom in Yeppoon this December. The brewhouse will hold four tanks of 4hL and will look to brew 35,000 litres of beer per year. YEPP is looking to brew easy-drinking beers, starting with a sessionable tropical pale ale, followed by a crisp light lager, locally grown-fruit sours.

Founders Justin and Tanya Adams had always planned to open in Yeppoon based on their love for the town and a potential gap in the market. After researching several sites, the pair decided on a new industrial area in Hidden Valley.

YEPP looks to build a connection with the small community town by bringing in local musicians and food trucks once open.

“[The goal for YEPP Brewing Co. is] to have a successful brand and beers that people love to drink, in a venue that we get to run ourselves and enjoy hanging out at with all the locals having a good time,” Tanya outlined.

Parched, the West End Craft Brewery, is 70 per cent completed and founder Carl Hillion expects the site to be open by November.

Sobah Beverages is undertaking an equity crowdfund campaign to help get its Gold Coast zero-alcohol brewery underway. Founders Clinton Schultz and Loren McDiarmaid-Shultz have raised nearly $1 million at the time of writing for their project.

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Listen to the Beer is a Conversation podcast to find out more.

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Mackay local Jamie Woods, founder of Red Dog Brewing Co. has secured approval to begin building his brewery along the Pioneer River in Mackay. The plan arose in 2020, after being made redundant from his job in financial services, Woods was inspired to follow his dream.

The Red Dog brewery will have a 6hL brewhouse installed to brew IPA, Pale Ale, Aussie Lager, Pilsner and Amber Ale style beers.

“We’ve got a heap of different beers and we’ll be sticking to the traditional styles because I understand the beer market is heavily weighted towards the mass-produced,” Woods explained.

The venue has a capacity of up to 150 people and will also feature an outdoor mezzanine area for food trucks and live music.

Madocke Brewing Co. is set to open its new Belgian style brewpub in Southport this Spring.

Belgian owners Jimmy Van Eetvelde and Annelies Nijskens want to brew beers and create an atmosphere that reflects their heritage. Currently brewing out of South East Queensland’s smallest brewery this will be a major step forward from their home garage.

Western Australia

After launching its Parker Point Pale Ale Geordie Bay Brewing Co. are currently developing a core range of lower abv, of less than 5.5%, which will be completed over the next 12 months.

“The plan for the core range is to establish ourselves through an interpretation of current and classic styles familiar to the Western Australian consumer.”

Plans have also commenced for a brewery facility on mainland Western Australia and a tap house on Rottnest Island.

The founders of Brugan Brewing Co. opened their brewpub earlier in the year in Wokalup just off the highway. The venue is a redeveloped old tavern built in 1906 complemented by a modern design. The plan has been developing since 2019 but many obstacles got in the way before opening.

“In terms of development and trying to join the two buildings together, building regulations wise it was quite difficult” founder Meaghan Hardwick explained.

Meaghan explained that for new brewers “it’s important when building in rural settings, to be really open with the Council and the Shire with your plans from the beginning. Let them know what are the difficulties that we are going to face.”

Spinifex Brewing Co. is well underway with its new brewery at the WA Food Innovation Precinct which has been helped along by a major $2 million raise through equity crowdfunding.

Spinifex will use $1.25 million of the raise to get the brewery over the line, with an expected opening date of May 2022.

A $7million application for a microbrewery, retail hub, and boutique accommodation on the corner of Dunn Bay Road and Cape Naturalise Road in Dunsborough has been approved by council. Miles Hull from Little Creatures Brewing Co. will be overseeing the microbrewery.

Tasmania

Communion Brewing Co. looks set to open its Burnie brewery for the public on 24th October. Using a Brewtique 500L brewkit, the Communion team has brewed its first batch of beers on site and looks to have a second batch complete for opening. The venue will have 12 taps, a commercial kitchen and seat 120 patrons.

“Seven of the taps will be our own beer to start off with and the rest of the taps will be local,” founder Andrew Turner explained.

This venture looks to bring a strong emphasis on operating and working with the local community.

“The whole idea of our brewpub is to make the beer here and sell the beer here, I’m not looking at distribution at all. We have done two tap takeovers locally in the past few weeks and that’s as far as I want to go with it distribution wise.

“The name Communion comes from the shared participation in something good and that’s what this space is about,” Turner reiterated.

Turner offered some advice for other independent brewers and venue owners.

“Get your budget and triple it. Don’t underestimate the hospitality side of things, this place is all about the hospitality and all about the right vibe, you have to nail that.”

Penguin Beer Co. has opened its venue in the Northwest Tasmanian town of Penguin, but its brewery, Island State Brewing, won’t be open until mid-November.

The brewery will open in Devonport with four core beers under the Island State name along with Penguin Beer Co. beers, according to founder Scott Seymour. It will also have a taphouse as part of the brewery.

Currently, Penguin’s beers are brewed under contract at Morrison’s Brewery in Launceston.

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Have we forgotten a new brewery in your area? Let us know clare@brewsnews.com.au.