Inside Colonial Brewing Co, where beers are locally brewed in Port Melbourne
AS AUSSIES got ready to fire up their barbecues, a Melbourne brewery was busy crafting, packaging and delivering beer ahead of the nation’s public holiday.
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BEER and beaches — what could be more Aussie than that?
As people across the nation got ready to fire up their barbecues and lamb flew off the supermarket shelves, a Port Melbourne brewery was busy crafting, packaging and delivering beer ahead of the nation’s public holiday.
Housed in the old Bertie Beetle factory in Bertie St, Colonial Brewing Co has pumped out about one million litres of the amber liquid since it opened its doors in September 2015.
Operations manager Jarrod Stivala said the week before Christmas was “out of control” at the Port Melbourne site, with bars, pubs and revellers clamouring to get their hands on more stock.
“We had record sales for the company over that week, it was insane,” he said.
When Leader visited the site last week, a canning machine was pumping out 100 cans a minute of Colonial’s flagship draught beer.
The Australian owned and made beers are distributed across the country from Colonial’s two brewhouses in Margaret River, Western Australia, and Port Melbourne, with the bulk of supply coming from the much larger Port Melbourne site.
And for something really Australian, head brewer Ash Hazell said you couldn’t go past the India pale ale, made with 100 per cent Australian hops and malt making it “big, bold and beaut”.
“We’ve created what we believe to be the first Australian-made IPA,” he said.
The beverage, which packs a hefty 6.5 per cent alcohol content, even comes in a green and gold can.
Hazell, who spent 10 years at Little Creatures in Western Australia, said the future of Colonial Brewing Co was as bright as the popular draught beer it brews.
“There is plenty of room to grow and try new things and the guys here are really open to that,” he said.
“It can be hard to move away from the image that beer is for bogans and bricklayers, but I think we’re doing that here with our locally-made craft beers.”
The brewery also boasts the first canning line of its kind in Australia, meaning quality and efficiency is top notch.
The Palmer Canning Systems rotary line, from the United States, means Colonial’s nine brewing staff can fill and package 100 cans a minute.
Hazell said the peak time to drink beer was between 9am and 11am.
“Your palate is fresher then and you can really taste all the subtle flavours in the beer,” he said.
The brewery is open to the public Thursdays to Saturdays, giving beer enthusiasts the chance to have a pot or a pint in the bar while you watch the fermentation vats do their thing and nibble on something delicious from one of the food trucks that wheel their way into the venue.
Details: colonialbrewingco.com.au
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