The site of the former Brisbane Brew Partners

Brisbane Brew Partners, the self-described $15-million incubator brewery for up-and-coming brewers, closed quietly over Christmas without having brewed a beer.

The business, which since July 2019 had been operating as a hotel and music venue, served its last drinks on 22nd December 2020. The business initially said it would be closed until January.

The site was listed for sale or lease on 23rd December 2020.

Since closing, all social media accounts associated with the business and its website appear to have been deleted, as well as the LinkedIn profile of the developer Shaun Lockwood.

Announced in May 2018, originally as Brisbane Brew Hub, Lockwood said the Morningside facility would serve as an incubator brewery for up and coming brewers, contract and gypsy brewers, and for existing brewers needing more capacity and local production.

“The unique thing about Brisbane Brew Hub is that our brewers will be partners with us, we want to incubate them,” Lockwood announced at the time.

The facility had been offered for lease prior to closure.

“A lot of contract brewers choose to brew at other people’s breweries because they can’t afford to build their own brewery. Once they grow they usually out-grow the brewery they started brewing with. We can guarantee them the capacity and give them the confidence to focus on selling beer.”

In November 2018, Lockwood announced a $5 million per year craft beer investment fund “to help fund the growth of independent craft breweries,” before issuing an amended media release on his now-deleted LinkedIn profile describing it as “an investment initiative”.

Despite announcing the business as an incubator brewery, and installing brewing equipment on site, the equipment on site didn’t appear to have been commissioned or brewing conducted. The facility instead operated as a craft beer and live music venue under a hotel licence, also posting to social media as Keg and Cork.

No formal announcements were made about the change of plans, but in May 2020 Lockwood established a private Facebook group and advertised the brewing equipment for sale, and in late December was advertising the site for lease.

In October 2018 Lockwood described an expansive career to Brews News, including working in Kuwait following the first Gulf War, establishing a chain of coffee shops in the south-east of England, a 30-year investment banking career, working with Richard Branson and establishing child care centres in Brisbane.

Lockwood did not respond to questions from Brews News about the closure.