Queensland

At the time of writing, the Green Beacon Brewing Co is on the verge of opening its Teneriffe, Brisbane, premises to the public. A late 2012 opening had been hoped for, but eager observers will have to content themselves with mid or late January 2013. Nevertheless, brewing has commenced at the site, so Green Beacon is included in my list of new starters for 2012. The brewery is a 1200-litre kit from Premier Stainless Systems of San Diego, USA; it was delivered to the site in September.

New South Wales

On the Central Coast, north of Sydney, the Six String Brewing Co has commenced operations at its new brewery at Erina, after receiving both its retail and manufacturing licences in mid-December. Premier Stainless Systems of San Diego also supplied the equipment for this brewery.

Victoria

I reported last year (July Update) that the 3 Ravens Brewery at Thornbury in Melbourne had suddenly closed, and that the equipment had been advertised for sale. I am happy now to advise that the brewery was given a reprieve, and is back in action under a new ownership structure. In fact, brewing ceased for only a few weeks. Some exciting changes are in the pipeline for 3 Ravens, so stay tuned for an announcement early in 2013.

At the Tasmanian Beer Festival in Hobart in November I was fortunate to try some of the first beer from the new Beach Hut Brewery. The brewery is based at Torquay, south of Geelong in Victoria, but owner Shane Ward used the Hobart festival to launch his first beer, Steam 202. Shane and his wife also attended the festival in 2011, and it was then and there that they made the decision to turn Shane’s home-brewing hobby into a commercial operation. Steam 202 is an ‘Australian steam beer’, fermented at ale temperatures using lager yeast.

Rebellion Brewery opened early in December at the former Bridge Hotel in Mair Street, Ballarat, not far from the city’s railway station. It is the creation of John O’Brien and Andrew Lavery, who already run the O’Brien Brewery elsewhere in Ballarat. O’Brien Brewing started making gluten-free beer at Rutherglen in 2007, and relocated to Ballarat later the same year. In 2010 the firm began making a barley-based beer in addition to its gluten-free products, adopting the Rebellion Brewing brand to distinguish its new product from its gluten-free O’Brien range. In 2012 Rebellion Brewing replaced O’Brien Brewing as the name of the company, and now serves as the name of the new Mair Street brewery and bar.

South Australia

The Prancing Pony Brewery is the latest new brewery to open in South Australia. It is situated in an industrial shed at Mount Barker, south-east of Adelaide. The brewery, whose name was inspired by the Inn of the Prancing Pony (where Frodo Baggins first met the Ranger Strider) in Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, is the creation of Frank Samson and Ken Smith. It opened to the public at the end of November.