Crescent Head Brewing Co: Dave and Chris Robbins’ bid to transform tourism in popular town
David and Chris Robbins are embarking on a major business venture that could transform tourism and trade in the town of Crescent Head.
Mid-North Coast
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Two brothers with beer running through their veins are embarking on a major business venture that is set to put the popular town of Crescent Head on the map – for reasons other than its amazing surf.
Business partners David and Chris Robbins have just announced the successful completion of their first batch of beer, which will be sold and marketed under the same name of the town where they have major plans to establish a brewery.
While The Crescent Head Brewing Co. business currently comprises of just one craft-style XPA, – this is just the tip of the iceberg for the two men who from Tarana who relocated to Crescent Head with their families five and six years ago.
“We grew up west of the Blue Mountains, at Tarana, and our old man owned the Tarana Pub for about 22 years before he got crook and he had to sell,” David ‘Tiger’ Robbins said.
“When that happened we moved up here, and we decided ‘let’s get back to something that our old man used to do.’
“Beer was always in our DNA … we sat here [at the beach] and made the decision to do it, we went ‘you know what, Crescent Head needs a brewery’.”
The blokes from the Blue Mountains first came to Crescent Head 21 years ago on a surfing trip, and were blown away by its beauty.
“We came with another mate from Sydney and he said ‘hey we’re going away on a surf trip, do you want to come?’” David said.
“We’d never heard of Crescent Head 20 something years ago … when we got here, we thought, awe, how good is this?! There were parts of Crescent Head that reminded us of where we grew up, even though it was more bush, it’s still that bush location here.
“This place has the best of both world’s – you’ve got the ocean – and you’ve got the bush and rural lifestyle – still largely untouched.
“I started bringing my kids here every Easter for years and then one day I just didn’t want to go home anymore.”
David, a plumber, and his brother Chris, a builder will launch the Crescent Head Brewing Co. XPA next month, and they’ll be stocking it in pubs and clubs around town, before eventually pouring it from the taps of their yet-to-be built brewery – some time in the near future.
They’ll also be be offering a next-day alcohol delivery service.
“We have got our XPA down pat,” Chris said.
“It’s like most XPAs on the market, it’s got florally notes to it and fruity undertones. It’s nice summery, craft beer for sitting around after a surf, easy to drink, sessionable.
“We are still refining the art of beer making and developing the product. We just want to keep improving and keep getting better.”
David said now that their first brew is ready, they can set their sights high over the next couple years to pinpoint and plan for their big ticket item - their brewery.
“We are looking at two or three different sites at the moment, so we’re just doing all our homework.
“It’s going to be somewhat of a tourist-type attraction, with food and dining as well.”
Chris said conversations with Kempsey Council for a couple of possible sites have been positive.
“They seem to think that will be cool, but it’s a matter of what’s going to work best for us and what’s going to work best for the town.
“Being a small town, the people have to be involved in the process, you have to think, how’s this going to affect the town positively? And hopefully they're going to get plenty of benefit from it.”
The pair have been brewing their XPA locally through a process referred to as ‘gypsy brewing.’
With no site of their own at present, gypsy brewing allows them to rely on other breweries elsewhere, in this instance Port Macquarie and Sydney, to chip in an manufacture it.
When their product is finally ready to launch in February, they’ll be aiming to stock it in bottle-shop shelves, pubs and liquor outlets locally and across the state.
“We’re trying to build a good relationship with breweries in Sydney,” David said.
“There’s heaps of boutique little bars and places there that work.
“We’re just so excited to do it. It feels like we’re on the right path.
Chris said: “I’m a big believer in word of mouth, all word of mouth and referrals, in a place like Crescent Head, if you’ve got a good venue selling good food and good beer, it’s going to sell itself.”
While the pair have done plenty of market research and taste testing to get their first beer to its selling point, David said it’ll be ultimately up to the customer to decide if its going to be hit or miss.
“We’ll be judged by the consumer,” he said.
“Our dad was a no nonsense kind of guy, that’s how he ran his pub, and that’s how we want to run our brewery – no arsing about, just a nice beer, that’s it.”
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