First published 1986 in Beer Matters, the magazine of the Australian Beer Society. Republished with permission.
Who could forget the story of the ‘Loaded Dog’? The story of Dave Regan, Jim Bently and Andy Page who, being fond of fish (in the gastronomic sense, that is, not the benevolent!), decided to blow up the fish in the big waterhole with a cartridge; the story of the foolish, slobbering but lovable retriever dog who got away with the cartridge, scared the town half to death, nearly blew up the pub … yes, that story.
Well, just in case you had, the name of Henry Lawson’s famous short story has been immortalised in a new pub-brewery in Melbourne – its first.
Those Melbournians who take the tram to work through North Fitzroy, along St. George’s Road may have noticed some changes to the old Aberdeen Hotel lately. The slow but steady transformation from rundown suburban watering hole to Melbourne’s, and Victoria’s, first pub-brewery culminated in the official opening of the ‘Loaded Dog Pub Brewery’ in August.
Pub breweries are something of an institution in Britain where in recent years, with the support of organisations such as The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), they have undergone a resurgence. Australia, where brewing and retailing have been, historically, separate activities, does not have a brewpub tradition. Thus licensing regulations have presented, indeed still present, obstacles to the establishment of such small scale brewery/pub operations. Despite these problems and others – excise tax disadvantages to small operations, the fear of large commercial brewery bullying perhaps – the movement is now underway in Australia.
The first brewpub to be established in Australia in recent times was the Sail and Anchor Pub-Brewery in Fremantle, Western Australia. Brewtech Pty Ltd, who operate this brewpub, also has a boutique brewery (about three times the capacity of the Anchor Brewery) at Nedlands, a suburb of Perth, called the ‘Matilda Bay Brewery‘.
In 1985 Brewtech lost two of its employees; Mr Geoff Chamberlain, who was the manager of the ‘Sail and Anchor’ and Mr Tony Barker, who was brewer at the anchor brewery, as well as assistant brewer under Mr Phil Sexton at the ‘Matilda Bay Brewery’.
Geoff, a graduate in Hotel Management from the William Angliss College in Melbourne, and Tony, an Applied Science graduate from the Ballarat College of Advanced Education, both returned to Melbourne, but went their separate ways.
In June 1985 they got together again and decided to start work on establishing a pub brewery in Melbourne. The Aberdeen Hotel was purchased from Carlton & United Breweries and on 9 December the Hotel and Brewers licences were obtained. The hotel was renamed ‘The Loaded Dog Pub Brewery’ and extensive renovations began in February this year.
The brewery produces four continuous lines of beer, with the possibility of occasional “limited release” specialties. The standard lines will be Traditional Mild (OG 1040), Ruby Bitter (OG 1055), Milk Stout (OG 1065) and Thunder Ale (OG 1075-80). All ingredients are locally produced except for the two strains of yeast which have been imported from the U.K. “Pride of Ringwood” pressed hops from Tasmania are used in the Loaded Dog’s beers which are “all natural with no chemicals or preservatives” says Mr Barker, proudly.
The vessels are the standard open type for traditional ale fermentation and have been manufactured in Melbourne using high quality grade 316 stainless steel. A mill has been installed with a capacity of 1500 kg of malt per hour, and all the malted barley is milled on the premises.
As skilled coopers are a dying race, and difficult to trace, the Loaded Dog has opted for aluminium alloy casks which have been imported from the U.K.
As well as brewed-on-the-premises beers, the pub offers a generous selection of the familiar commercially-brewed draught beers, and a substantial range of bottled beers, both local and imported.
Beer Matters, Vol 3, No 3 – August 1986
Historic character and contemporary style are impressively fused in this meticulously renovated apartment on the upper corner of the grand Aberdeen Hotel (1889). Once a bustling hotel, later the Loaded Dog pub and brewery, the building is now home to boutique apartments. Gone are the days of raucous carousing in the bar, as the latest incarnation of the Aberdeen extends its welcome to culture-seeking urbanites in search of North Fitzroy’s myriad current attractions – eclectic cafes, bars and restaurants, tram and train transport, Merri Creek and the Edinburgh Gardens.
The listing description for 4/166 Holden Street, Fitzroy North.
