10 minute read
FOCUS: CRAFT BEER
Tapping in to craft
The take-up of craft beer in clubs has been a slow pour that’s about to come to a head, writes Grant Jones.
WHILE THE FAMILIAR brands have yet to be crowded out by quirky craft beer tap talkers, and VB, Carlton, Tooheys and XXXX remain the most consumed beers in the country, Australians are also developing a taste for locally-owned and locally-brewed beers.
That shows in the stats too, with the Independent Brewers Association listing 568 members, and the number of indie brewers in Australia at about 600-plus.
Bankstown Sports was one of the early craft adopters, establishing Basement Brewhouse seven years ago. Pale & Kölsch are its two highest-selling core range beers, closely followed by its own Aussie Lager. While only a few clubs have entered into the microbrewery territory, most have opted to put a lot more craft on tap.
Distributors like Ben Malouf, who established the consumer-focussed Craft Cartel, are looking to create new relationships with clubs who want real craft on tap.
The new microbrewery at Wests Cardiff.
“Once traditional clubs tied to big breweries are now breaking out of the mould and looking for a point of difference,” says Malouf, who has launched Liquid Link, a new trade website for craft beer orders.
“Once they dip a toe in the water, club members seem to love it, with club managers realising what they are missing out on, so we are looking to do a lot more in the club space.”
That includes venues such as Petersham RSL Club, which recently opened its new home in Sydney’s inner west with craft beer on tap, including Bright Brewery Pale Ale, from Victoria’s High Country.
Bright Brewery’s marketing manager Laura Gray said special interest clubs are currently one of the brewery’s fastestgrowing customer bases.
“While clubs have historically been tied to mainstream tap contracts, the appetite of the clubs, their staff, and their customers for craft beer is definitely on the rise,” she said.
“Independent craft beers are made with fresh, local ingredients and by local people. They’re brewed by small familyowned businesses that are integral to their local communities and that are employing local people – just like the clubs are. So, there’s definitely a natural fit between these clubs, which are often at the heart of their local communities, and family-owned independent craft breweries like Bright.”
Richard Clarke, marketing manager at Aether Brewing in Brisbane, says community clubs are also looking to partner with local independent craft breweries.
“Savvy club operators have considered how to evolve and thrive,” Clarke says. “It’s about business viability – local independent craft breweries are offering a high-quality, differentiated product, and keg pricing that is often considerably more affordable than the foreign-owned brewery giants.
“You’ll probably find you’re getting a better price for a schooner, and the club will be making more profit,” he says.
“And a differentiated product offering is about attracting a broader demographic of patrons, but it’s not just youngsters getting around quality craft beer, it’s the good ol’ boys and girls that made these clubs great, too.”
Brew Clubs
Wests Cardiff, Newcastle, NSW
While the Hunter Valley is already wellknown for its wineries, the area is fast becoming a hub for craft beer with Wests Cardiff joining several other small batch breweries in the district. Enter through the archways and Wests on-premise brewery features custom-built fermentation vessels room and exposed copper pipes of the beer-making process, overseen by Master Brewer Pete Merrington. Merrington and his crew have been busy behind the fermenters concocting a range of craft beers onsite and a variety of flavours for taste-testing events throughout the club’s 2023 calendar.
Then there is the 7.2mx2m big screen, tables and booths, arcade games room, pool tables and darts. The Cardiff Brewery logo pays tribute to the past incorporating local history including the Tickhole Tunnel and Winding Creek, both heritage-significant connections to Newcastle’s railway history. There is also Mr Peattie’s Place, named after the fruit orchards of a local farmer.
Basement Brewhouse, Bankstown Sports, Sydney
This is the venue that got the ball rolling big time in NSW clubs establishing its brewery seven years ago. The fitout features copper pipes along the ceiling, beer-barrel shaped booths with TVs in each, plus a family-friendly dining area overlooking the chilled keg room, viewed through a warmed glass panel so it doesn’t fog up. Since its inception Basement Brewhouse has tapped 880 unique craft beers.
“Our core range and seasonal beers and ciders are produced on a 4 x 10bbl SmartBrew system allowing us to produce approximately 60,000 litres of beer PA [per annum],” the club says. “The SmartBrew system we have installed allows us to produce a wide range of high-quality beers with a minimal equipment footprint, which is the perfect solution for a Brew Club. We also have a 50L Speidel Braumeister ‘All Grain’ nano brewery with 4 x temperature controlled SS Conical fermenters that we use for pilot brews, single keg limited releases and hands on brewing experiences for customers and staff.”
Basement Brewhouse at Bankstown Sports Club.
To further extend its reach outside of the venue, the club recently purchased a Wild Goose Gosling Canning machine to package fresh batches regularly for patrons to take away. Apart from its own brews, it also offers an additional 20+ beers on tap and in cans from some of Australia’s finest independent craft breweries.
Oak Haven, Gosford RSL, NSW
NSW Central Coast beer lovers can be assured that craft will be on the menu at the new Gosford RSL club which is rising from a car park adjacent to the existing club. Back in the day, Gosford RSL purchased Oak Haven, land that once belonged to George and Agnes Fagan, so its brewery name, Oak Haven, is a significant tribute to the history of the club. Opening a few years ago, the brewery’s first Kölsch-style pale ale was named ‘Sly Grog’ (4.8% ABV) in memory of those first members who swapped coupons for a cold beer while the brewery’s first dark ale, a porter, was named ‘The Bolthole’, in recognition of the original basement bar where members once retreated to enjoy a quiet tipple.
Today they are joined by Dr Paul’s Pils, Rusty Sail, Little Galaxy and a Bone Dry Lager which will soon be poured at the club’s new second floor microbrewery. Designed and manufactured by NDL Craft (China), Oak Haven’s sparkling 10HL Signature Series Brewhouse has the flexibility to produce between 1000L to 8000L of its award-winning beers; a more than 300 per cent increase on its current brewery. The bespoke-designed brewery layout will include all visual heating, refrigeration, pumps, valves, pipework and controls.
On tap
Club Rivers, Sydney
After dipping a toe in the craft beer market with six taps in 2016, Club Rivers got a taste of success. Those six taps increased to 10 in 2018 and the south-western Sydney club now offers a constant rotation of options for those keen to try something new, from sours and popular craft mid-strengths to IPAs and imperial stouts +12% ABV.
“It has attracted a diverse range of new clientele but also converted many of our existing patrons to become more adventurous with their beer selection,” says club CEO Paul Millar. That includes members of the board and traditionalists who favour The Bunker bar which, apart from the usual mass-market offerings, now also features two craft beer taps. The Bunker is part of the most recent renovations at the club, which includes a new indooroutdoor space, The Canopy, and custom-made furniture by Mint.
The Bunker Bar at Club Rivers.
“With the addition of The Canopy, we see that this wide range of beer offerings really complements the experience that the area is looking for,” says Millar.
The Beach Club Collaroy, Sydney
This hotspot in the heritage-listed Arlington Hall on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, is a cool place for cold craft with 28 taps, including five permanents pouring Mountain Culture Status Quo, White Bay Sunny, Breakers Refreshing, Gage Road Single Fin and the club’s own Beachie Lager, made by locals, Nomad Brewing, in Brookvale. There are also seven rotating taps of craft all year round.
“Our craft sales are very strong. We are fortunate to have such a loyal member base that knows they can get such a wide variety of breweries both local and afar here at The Beach Club,” says Operations Manager Warwick Hamlin.
Your Mates, Cooroy, Queensland
When some struggling bowls clubs are closing down, having a craft beer maker give one a new lease on life is like offering pure nectar to the gods. Your Mates Brewing has opened in the Noosa hinterland town of Cooroy with the Warana-based brewing company launching a crowd-funding campaign, securing $2.5 million to get the venue open. It aims to be “lively entertainment, barefoot bowls, lawn games, cracking craft brews and food, all in a fun family-friendly atmosphere.”
A reno is also on the cards. “Your Mates Bowls Pub is going to inject the sense of fun and good times Your Mates is known for into an Aussie staple – we’re turning the traditional bowlsy on its head and giving it a fair old shake-up,” the operators say.
Fremantle Football Club, WA
This AFL team has teamed up with craft brewery Pirate Life first forging a partnership in the 2022 season. While based in SA, Pirate Life’s founders hail from WA and are passionate supporters of Fremantle, with Michael ‘MC’ Cameron a former staff member at the footy club and his son Jack being a childhood friend of former club captain Nat Fyfe, who is also an early investor.
Pirate Life’s flagship beer, South Coast Pale Ale, pays homage to their founders’ journey across the Nullarbor from WA to Adelaide. Pirate Life beer is served at the club’s four function rooms on game days, including the Pirate Life Pavilion in Freo.
Jacks Brewery, Parramatta Leagues, Sydney
Jacks Brewery is named after Parramatta Leagues’ founding fathers Jack Argent and Jack Boyle. In partnership in 1955 they created “the house that Jack built” which today is represented in Parra Leagues Club. Jack’s Brewery celebrates their legacy which includes the Jacks Brewery range of craft beers which, in the past, has included a pale ale, summer ale, IPA and XPA, a red ale and even a lightly hopped Belgian Ale with coriander seed and lemon myrtle.
The club even offers takeaway Squealers (1L) and Growlers (1.89l). The beers can be found throughout the club, including Sterlo’s and Members Lounge bars.
