Big plans brewing for new city venue
TWO Tasmanian grog gurus who have played key roles in beloved local brands have set an opening date for their massive new “brewpub” and revealed why they believe they’re surfing the “cultural zeitgeist”.
Du Cane Brewing was founded in 2019 by Morrison Brewery assistant brewer and nature guide Will Horan, in partnership with Sam Reid, a co-founder of Willie Smith Cider in the Huon Valley.
Now Du Cane is opening its first brick-and-mortar brewpub, the $2.5m Du Cane
Brewery and Dining Hall, at the former Allgoods Tent City story at 60-64 Elizabeth St, Launceston.
Mr Reid said the 1500sqm brewpub was set for a soft launch to coincide with Junction Arts Festival in September — Elizabeth St runs along one side of Princes Square, which hosts the festival hub.
Full service, including food, is likely to follow in October.
Mr Reid said the brewpub location would cement Princes Square as Launceston’s main night-life precinct.
“Launceston doesn’t have a North Hobart or Salamanca,” he said.
Noting its proximity to venues such as Saint John Craft Beer Bar and Geronimo, as well as the impending Tatler Arcade development, Mr Reid said locals and visitors would be able to head out on a more casual basis without having to plan in advance.
Referring to its designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Mr Reid said Launceston was at a “tipping point (in the) cultural zeitgeist” — a feeling he last got in the Huon Valley amid his co-founding of Willie Smith in 2012.
Mr Reid also revealed further details about the new brewpub, which will feature 12
beer taps, an artificial-turfed function space for up to 150 guests, an atrium, laneway seating, a children’s playroom and a private dining room for up to 24 guests.
He said the overall capacity of Du Cane once fully operational would be several hundred patrons.
Mr Reid said Du Cane, which currently brews about 20,000 litres of beer a year from Morrison, would eventually need to scale up to a couple of hundred thousand litres per annum once it begins brewing on-site.
Mr Horan, who is Du Cane’s head brewer, said he
would expand his core range of beers, moving more into the “dark beer and IPA” space, because he will be able to experiment more and respond to consumer demand.
Architect Pippa Jensen said the space would be designed with an eye on Mr Horan’s background as a nature guide and the building’s history as Tent City.
She is collecting disused canvas reminiscent of 1970s caravan annexes to clad surfaces in the main taproom and will be repurposing the existing original Tasmanian oak floors produced by the former K&D Sawmill.