Australia’s insatiable appetite for craft beer has translated to a spate of brewery openings in recent months.
The latest brewer to get the green light to expand was a Scottish brewer that has plans to build in Brisbane’s east.
Brisbane City Council has given BrewDog permission to begin construction on the $30m brewery in Murarrie, which will include a 50hl, 3000m2 brewing and canning facility as well as a restaurant, taproom and visitor centre. Construction will start in July, and the building is due to be completed by the end of 2018. The first Brisbane-brewed BrewDog beer should be released in the first quarter of 2019.
Initially, the Brisbane brewery will focus on BrewDog’s core range, with beers such as Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club and Elvis Juice. It will also brew small batch beers with local ingredients from the Southern Hemisphere. Production volume is expected gradually rise up to 10 million litres per year over the first few years.
In another development, The Squire’s Landing is also now operating at Circular Quay’s Overseas Passenger terminal, housing a two-storey restaurant and freestanding fully glazed microbrewery. The partnership between Mantle Group Hospitality and Lion tells the story of James Squire, a convict on the First Fleet and Australia’s first brewer.
Back in April, Tribe Breweries announced a new facility which spans two businesses and brands: Brewpack and Stockade Brew Co. The new $35 million brownfield brewing and packaging facility in Goulburn, NSW, will come on stream in September.
Brewpack was founded in 2015 as a contract brewer, while Stockade is a fast-growing independent craft beer brand with a portfolio that includes 8Bit IPA and Hop Splicer XPA.
The new plant will include the latest brewing technology from Rolec, and a flexible can and bottling line solution from Krones.
Earlier this year, South Australian craft brewer Pirate Life Brewing also announced plans to build a new brewery and bar venue at Port Adelaide’s historic woolstores.
The project is due to cost $15 million, create more than 80 jobs, and will make it one of the largest craft breweries in South Australia, according to the company.
The pace of craft brewery openings continues on from last year, when small breweries opened at an average of about one a week across Australia for the third year running.
