Craft beer producer, Sydney Brewery, has celebrated its 20th anniversary in style, with the opening of a new facility in Alexandria, formerly owned by the Rocks Brewing Company.
Sydney Brewery has been operating since 2005, starting out with an 800 litre wood-clad brewhouse in the basement of the Macquarie Hotel on Wentworth Avenue and creating beers under the Schwartz Brewery name.
After rebranding in 2012 to Sydney Brewery, the company has since added a major production facility at Lovedale in the Hunter Valley, the Sydney Brewery Surry Hills brew pub and bistro and now, Sydney Brewery Alexandria.
The Rocks Brewing Company entered voluntary administration in October last year, and was acquired by Sydney Brewery owners, The Schwartz Family Company, in February.
The 20hL brewhouse in Alexandria will help cater for the massive increase in demand for Sydney Brewery beers and ciders, along with a new 30hL brewhouse at Lovedale, scheduled to open by July. It will complement the existing 18hL brewhouse, more than doubling the company’s current capacity to allow it to produce over three million litres annually.
SFC director, Dr Jerry Schwartz, said the official launch of Sydney Brewery Alexandria was an important milestone for the company and the industry as a whole, as craft brewers across the country face challenges.
“When I established Sydney Brewery the craft brewing sector was in its infancy, and we have managed to grow our capacity and range progressively ever since then,” said Schwartz.
“Unfortunately, the past few years have been very unkind to the craft brew sector, but the fact that Sydney Brewery is investing heavily in increased capacity highlights there is still strong potential for craft brewers that produce the right sort of product.
“Having popular public-facing brewpubs such as our Surry Hills and Alexandria venues has really helped, as has our long-time support of events such as the Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival. We also have direct access to a network of 15 SFC-owned hotels in NSW, ACT, Queensland and Victoria, and our team has built a strong presence in the retail trade.
“Sydney Brewery’s longevity and success are no small part due to the fact that many of the people working for the business date back to the early years of the operation and have ensured the business and our partnerships have grown organically over the years,” he said.
Sydney Brewery Alexandria is in the Sydney Corporate Park, with access from Sydney CBD and the Sydney Airport precinct.
