Brewer making the hop north
POPULAR Gold Coast brewer Black Hops is expanding to the city’s northern reaches.
It is planning to establish a second brewery 30km from its Burleigh base, at a site on Pine Ridge Rd at Biggera Waters.
Black Hops founders Dan Norris, Eddie Oldfield and Michael McGovern opened the Burleigh taproom in June 2016 and said establishing a new location was a logical step.
They hope it will be open early next year.
“We were always going to expand,” Mr Norris said. “We knew the Burleigh site would be a good place to start building the brand, with the right culture.
“But it’s not a legitimate industrial area.
“We liked the idea doing it on the north end.
“We were conscious there wasn’t a lot up there when it comes to breweries.
“We have a lot of people who come down from the northern suburbs and even Brisbane, so a larger location made sense.”
Mr Norris hoped of the expansion would mean they could increase the 200 venues that currently stock Black Hops.
“We only sell in Queensland and a small amount in NSW,” he said.
“The new brewery will be large enough to allow us to distribute to more places around Australia.”
The expansion, predicted to cost between $2-3 million, will include a 1300sq m warehouse, a taproom of about 150sq m; a 700-litre pilot system and fermenters; U-shaped bar area and fixed tables; and seating for about 70 people.
“We’ve had the keys for about a month” Mr Norris said. “We haven’t got to do all the fun stuff like putting the bar in, painting etc. The equipment is due at the start of December, so from there, we’ll be able to get more done.”
Black Hops will sell their core range across both locations, but will also have a site specific Recon Series.
“It’s going to be interesting for us,” Mr Norris said. “Not too many local breweries have opened a second location, most expand at their sites, so it’s a challenge.”