Queensland Fightback cuts red tape for craft brewers

The hospitality industry has been decimated by the coronavirus crisis, but craft brewers are doing better than ever thanks to strategic law changes to keep them afloat. FULL LIST OF QLD BREWERS

RAPID red tape busting has kept the craft brewing industry alive, with changes to the law allowing for online sales as well as phone and home delivery orders meaning some artisan operators have even put on overtime for workers.

Queensland's more than 90 independent brewers and 28 small distillers had faced massive hits after corona rules forced them to close their bars and tourist outlets, but a rapid change allowing them to sell direct to customers meant they could keep going, Manufacturing Minister Cameron Dick said.

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The licensing laws relaxation on March 27 lets craft brewers who produce between 2500 litres and five million litres of product per year and artisanal distillers who produce between 400 litres and 450,000 litres of product per year to sell their products online, in person or take phone orders for home deliveries, Mr Dick said.

The Queensland Fightback series, in partnership with the Department of State Development, is celebrating the way manufacturers are innovating in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help their fellow Queenslanders.

Granddad Jack’s distillery owner David Ridden said the closure of bars and tourist attractions had craft producers faced a total shutdown but the rule change meant he’d been able to keep his eight workers in jobs.

“This new law is going to be a lifesaver for us,” Mr Ridden said.

“We would have had hundreds of people out of jobs.

David Riddenn of Granddad Jack's distillery. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“It’s meant I’ve been able to keep on eight staff, including overtime, to keep up with

demand.”

Black Hops Co-owner Dan Norris said without the law change they were looking at losing at least half their sales.

“Before the shutdowns, we’d sell about 50 per cent of our product in bottle shops and

the rest at bars, including our own,” Mr Norris said.

“So potentially we were looking at having 50 per cent of our business wiped from the

map.”

Laceys Hill Distilling co-owner John Bradbury said the change opened up a new market.

“From my perspective this is a huge opportunity to sell to local people in our local area and bring them world-class products made locally,” he said.

“If we couldn’t sell online things would have been pretty dire in a couple of months.

“I hope Queenslanders dive in and take this chance to try a local product.”

Qld’s craft brewers

10 Toes Brewery Alexandra Headland

27 South Brewing Brisbane

4 Brothers Brewing Toowoomba

4 Hearts Brewing Ipswich

Aardvark and Arrow Microbrewery Varsity Lakes

Aether Brewing Milton

All Inn Brewing Banyo

Archer Brewing Company Brisbane

Bacchus Brewing Company Capalaba

Baffle Beer Brewery Baffle Creek

Ballistic Beer Co Salisbury

Balter Brewing Co Currumbin

Band of Brewers Brisbane

Bargara Brewing Company Bundaberg

Barrier Reef Brewing Co Cairns

Big Pineapple (Brewery and Distillery) Under construction

Black Hops Brewing (Biggera Waters) Burleigh Heads

Blackflag Brewing Mooloolaba

Boiling Pot Brewing Co Noosaville

Bonsai Brewhouse Cooran

Brass Monkey Brewhouse Severnlea

Bravo Brewing Brisbane

Brendale Brewing Co Brendale

Brewditos Brisbane

Brews Brothers East Brisbane

Brewtal Brewers Brisbane

Brisbane Brew Partners Morningside

Brisbane Brewing Co West End

Brouhaha Brewery Maleny

Burleigh Brewing Co Burleigh Heads

Catchment Brewing Co West End

Copperhead Brewery Cooroy

Coral Sea Brewing Co Cairns

Croft Brewing Company Currumbin Valley

Currumbin Valley Brewing Currumbin

Danger Brewing Co Brisbane

Duck & Cover Brewing Co Brisbane

Eagle Heights Brewery Eagle Heights

Eco Brewing Co Elanda Point

Eleven hawks Craft Brewing Brisbane

Felons Brewing Co Brisbane

Copperhead Brewery, Cooroy

Fick Brewing Company Northgate

Fonzie Abbot (Brewer and Distiller) Albion

Fortitude Brewing Company North Tamborine

Fritzenberger Broadbeach

Glass House Brewery Sunshine Coast

Granite Belt Brewery Stanthorpe

Green Ant Brewing Co Cairns

Hoppy Puppy Brewco Brisbane

Headricks Lane Brewery Rockhampton

Heads of Noosa Noosaville

Helios Brewing Co Yeerongpilly

Hemmingways (Port Douglas) Port Douglas

Hemmingways Brewery (Cairns) Cairns

Horny Wombat Brewery Redcliffe

Hub Brewing Geebung

Kenilworth Hotel Brewing Co Kenilworth

Loose Moose Brewing Co Browns Plains

Lost Palms Brewing Co Miami

Macalister Brewing Company Smithfield

Madocke Beer Brewing Co Pacific Pines

Milton Common Milton

Moffat Beach Brewing Co Moffat Beach

Mongrel Brewing Milton

Monkey Pig Brewing Yeppoon

Monkey Tree Brewing Co Underwood

Monty Brewing Co Highfields

Newstead Brewing Co Newstead

Noosa Beer Company Land & Sea (Brewery and Distillery) Noosaville

Ocean View Brewing Co Ocean View

Ornith Brewing Co Brisbane

Paddock and Brew Company Mackay

Patch Brewing Brisbane

Red Baron Brewery Mount Tamborine

Red Bay Brewery Cleveland

Red Dragon Brewery Cairns

Revel Brewing Co Bulimba

Rusty’s Brewing Sandgate

Scenic Rim Brewery Mount Alford

Sea Legs Brewing Co Kangaroo Point

Semi-Pro Brewing Co Brisbane

Sick Puppy Brewery Boyne Island

Silverback Brisbane

Slipstream Brewing Co Yeerongpilly

Soapbox Beer Fortitude Valley

Stalwart Brewing Co Palmwoods

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Stone and Wood Brisbane

Straddie Brewing Co Stradbroke

Sunshine Brewery Kuluin

Sunshine Coast Brewery Kunda Park

Sunshine Coast Cider Kunda Park

Ten Toes Alexandra Headlands

Terella Brewing North Arm

The Good Beer Co Brisbane

The Lake Brewhouse Varsity Lakes

The Range Newstead

Thirsty Chiefs Brewing Co Northlakes

Thursday Brewing Company Mermaid Beach

Townsville Brewing Company Townsville

Volcanic Brewing Toowoomba

White Brick Brewing Northlakes

White Lies Brewing Company Sumner

Whitsunday Islands Brewing Co Airlie Beach

Wild Rocket Microbrewery Montville

Your Mates Brewing Co Warana

Black Hops Brewing’s (from left) Dan Norris, Eddie Oldfield, Curran McCathy, Michael McGovern and Satoshi Tamura

Qld’s craft distilleries

1770 Distillery Agnes Water

20 20 Distillery Cooroy

Airlie Brewery Cidery and Distillery Jubilee Pocket

Art of Booze Chelmer

Bingil Bay Distillery Mission Beach

Bottle Tree Distillery Black River

Bundaberg Distilling Company Pty Limited Bundaberg

Castle Glen Brewery (Brewery and Distillery) Tamborine Mountain

CAVU Distilling Pty Ltd Pinkenba

Copper Pot Distillery Indooroopilly

Darren Stewart Tamborine Mountain

Distillery King Burleigh Heads

FNQ Spirits Bungalow

Granddad Jacks Distillery Miami

James “Jamie” Miller Maryborough

JMH Distilling Pty Ltd Haigslea

Hopscotch (Brewers and Distillers) Upper Brookfield

Humpybong Distilling Co. Brisbane

Kalki Moon Distilling and Brewing Company Pty Ltd Svensson Heights

Laceys Hill Distilling Co Laceys Creek

Milton Rum Distillery Milton

Mt Glorious Distillery Brisbane

Mt Uncle Distillery And Winery Walkamin

Noosa Heads Distillery Noosaville

OGS Distillery Acacia Ridge

Pomona Distilling Co Pomona

Pure Organic Wine Co. (Flinders Peak Winery and Distillery) Peak Crossing

Saleyards Distillery Allenstown

Sarina Sugar Shed Distillery Sarina

Stillmaker and Sons Distillery Montville

Swift River Distillery Mackay

Tamborine Mountain Distillery Tamborine Mountain

The Tabu Vodka Co.

Waterview Distillery Bundaberg East

Wild River Mountain Distillery Wondecla

Winston Quinn Handcrafted Gin Fortitude Valley

Wildflower Gin Distilling Varsity Lakes

Winston Quinn Handcrafted Gin Brisbane

Wolf Lane Distillery Cairns

Originally published as Queensland Fightback cuts red tape for craft brewers