Alice Springs Brewing Co owner shares the successes, challenges pubs face in rural Australia

The owner of a Red Centre brewery says his plan to brew his own beers to drink with his mates has grown into something entirely different. Find out more.

Alice Springs Brewing Co owner Kyle Pearson next to a selection of his beers at the namesake Alice Springs pub in August 2024. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Long hours, hard work, and learning on the go are the secrets behind the “world’s most unsuccessful side hustle”, the owner of a popular Northern Territory brewery says.

Located right in the heart of the Red Centre, Alice Springs Brewing Co is a labour of love by owner Kyle Pearson and his partner Sarah.

With a background in hospitality, Mr Pearson decided go out on his own in 2018 and open the first brewery in Alice Springs.

“I probably had wondered a lot why no one had ever started brewing (in) Alice Springs, and I found out pretty quickly why no one had,” he said with a laugh.

Mr Pearson said he’s overcome plenty of challenges to make the brewery into what it is today.

“There’s lots of things up against you … the water here’s not ideal.

An Alice Springs Brewing Co beer. Picture: Chloe Erlich

“We have to do a fair bit to the water with treatment to make it suitable for brewing.”

But with water hurdles overcome, Mr Pearson said he’d turned “the world’s most unsuccessful side hustle” into a Territory brewing powerhouse.

“I had it in my head I was going to still be able to work full time and do this,” he said.

“This is the world’s most unsuccessful side hustle, because I was supposed to just stand at the bar and drink a few beers with my mates on the weekend, and that was the vision I had in my head, and it quickly turned into something bigger.”

With beers now being distributed Territory-wide and the pub packed every weekend, Mr Pearson said the secret to success is the employees who help keep the ship running smoothly.

An Alice Springs Brewing Co employee makes a coffee at the namesake pub in Alice Springs, August 2024. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Calling it a “lead from the front approach,” Mr Pearson said he doesn’t expect his employees to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.

Taking time away from doing the dishes at the pub to talk with the NT News, Mr Pearson said a communicating employee expectations was also essential.

“We find that the best way to attract people, especially to Alice Springs, is to have a really clear vision,” he said.

“Be really clear on what we’re out to achieve and what we were bringing people into.

“We’ve seen massive shift in results since we’ve done that, people actually want to come and work for us.”

All of this has led to a successful brewery, and more importantly, beers which Alice Springs and the Territory can call it’s own, Mr Pearson said.

“We want to push that out there, that the Territory is unique,” he said.

“We get a bit of a bad rap, especially in recent times, rightly or wrongly, but we still think there heaps to be proud of.”