Fresh is best for Gold Coast’s Black Hops Brewery

THE owners of this boutique brewery have one goal — to spread joy through their beers.

Pouring the goods at Black Hops Brewery.

WHEN it comes to getting the most out of a beer, fresh is best — just like milk.

It might sound like a convenient excuse to drink more beer — and who could argue with that — but it’s this and other nugget’s of beer wisdom that the lads at Black Hops Brewing are sharing at the bar of their newly opened tasting room and cellar door.

Black Hops’ Michael McGovern, Eddie Oldfield and Dan Norris. Photo: Adam Head

“It’s like milk in a way — it’s best drunk fresh and kept cold,” says Eddie Oldfield, Black Hops co-founder.

“If you go to drink it at the local brewery, it’s straight out of the tank and in the best condition it could be.”

It’s been brewing since a random idea between three mates to make some beer in 2014 but the doors to Burleigh’s second, and the Gold Coast’s third, boutique craft brewery have just opened to the public.

Liquid gold at Black Hops Brewery.

Situated in a light industrial pocket just metres from the sands of Burleigh beach, the Black Hops operation has an intimate and friendly neighbourhood feel the founders are hoping will appeal to locals first and foremost.

Initially with four beers on tap to try and with plans to offer up a keg of something ‘different’ on a weekly basis, the Black Hops bearded business partners and mates — Eddie, Michael McGovern and Dan Norris — have set out to differentiate themselves from the city’s other two breweries — the award-winning Burleigh Brewing and newly minted Balter Brewing which was established by some of the city’s top professional surfers.

Tasting paddle at Black Hops Brewery.

Eddie estimates the set ups costs to be around $500,000 — a lean start up for a brewery and cheaper than buying a house in the prestigious beachside suburb — but they set out to keep the operation smaller than the million-dollar big factory spaces.

“We wanted to become the locals brewery,” he says.

“In Sydney and Melbourne, the breweries there are nestled around where people live and we were jealous of that because we didn’t have it here. So our focus shifted to establishing that.

“This is about meeting the people who make what you drink — you see it happen, talk about beer, and drink it fresh from the tanks.”

The lads at Black Hops Brewery.

Eddie says he wants to keep beer appreciation simple and the boys bring a sense of humour and larrikinism to their business, from their easygoing natures, to the fun monikers for their brews, through to the ideas and brewing ‘experiments’ they plan to offer regularly.

Initially on tap are their staples: Beach House, which Eddie describes as an Australian version of the French-style farmhouse saison and is the Black Hops version of a traditional beer; Bitter Fun, a hoppy Australian pale ale; and 30 Cal, a Californian mid-strength lager.

Black Hops Brewery: Who’s thirsty?

The last litres of their popular Assault Trifle, brewed with the ingredients of trifle to enter in this year’s Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular in which they placed 9th in the people’s choice category, are going quickly.

It will be replaced shortly though with their Eggnog Stout as well as a few other brews currently in the making. The plan is to have a new and ‘interesting’ brew on offer each week.

Black Hops Brewing is at 15 Gardenia Grove in Burleigh, and is open 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, and 12-4pm on Saturday. Friday is brew day.