Ringwood bars: 8Track Brewing set to open near Heatherdale railway station

Ringwood is set to get a bunch of new entertainment venues, with a microbrewery, nightclub and shisha lounge all in the works.

8Track Brewing is set to open in Ringwood in April 2021. Picture: Kiel Egging.

Craft beer lovers in Melbourne’s outer east are in for a treat, with a new family owned microbrewery set to open on Ringwood’s front doorstep.

8Track Brewing, owned by Trent Hislop, will open in late April or early May, boasting a rotating selection of 12 beers on tap along with food.

The brewery is located on Yallourn Parade, a short walk from Heatherdale railway station, and

next to the former Sandford Furniture store.

Both the store and its next door factory sold in June 2019 and the brewery will be operating out of the smaller factory.

It is unclear what will take the place of the furniture store, which was family owned for 35 years and is listed as ‘permanently closed’ on its Google listing.

Mr Hislop said he decided to chase his microbrewery dream after doing homebrewing for nearly 15 years and losing his IT job a few years ago.

“I needed a sea-change, I didn’t want to go into the city and work for another corporation, I wanted to try something different,” he said.

“As a hobby I enjoyed it and I decided to give it a crack.

“It’ll be completely independent and family run, we’ll be brewing ourselves and running it ourselves.’’

Mr Hislop said he planned to open with a range of pale ales and lagers, but would also brew different varieties based on public interest and demand.

“Whatever people want is what I’ll brew,” he said.

“There’ll always be a pale ale or pilsner, but we’ll change with the seasons and see what people want, and there will be some full-flavoured crafty stuff for those who like to travel around to breweries and samples their wares”.

8Track’s impending arrival comes as operators of the former Dakota nightclub on Maroondah Highway prepare to unveil their new venue, Baby, on the Easter long weekend.

The nightclub was destroyed by fire in 2016, and a $10 million, three-level entertainment complex was built in its place containing the new nightclub, the Bungalow beer garden and the Hyde function centre.

The Bungalow opened late last month and owner Joe Cossari confirmed Baby and the Fat Franks hotdog shop next door would open on Thursday, April 1 followed by another club night on Saturday, April 3.

Meanwhile, Ringwood could also get its first shisha lounge at a small group of shops near Ringwood Lake Park.

Planning documents show Maroondah Council is considering an application to open the Ringwood Shisha Lounge and Cafe at 2/229 Maroondah Highway.

The lounge is tipped to have capacity for a maximum of 24 people, and would be located next to a Vietnamese restaurant and a Subway store.

The application was submitted on March 2 and is classified as “under assessment” on the council’s planning website.