When a new brewery launched in 2019 (or 2020 or 2021…) it generally meant more work for me on the Year of the Local project; not in the case of Hard Road Brewing Company! The company was formed by a merger, of sorts, with the owners of Caltoria Brewing Company & Yellingbo Brewing Company joining forces under a new moniker.
Both operations were run by expat Californian’s. Brad Merritt, probably more well known for Oscar’s Alehouse – his craft beer bar in Belgrave – was looking to increase the reach of his Yellingbo Brewery whilst Lein Jenkins & wife Ange, who is Australian, were looking to expand their Caltoria brand. They occupied a 30sqm corner of a drilling company’s 700sqm warehouse. The drilling company had outgrown the space & they either had to find a new location, with associated licensing issues, or stick where they were & expand.
Brewery Type
Physical
Region
Eastern Suburbs
Tasting Room
31 Holloway Drive, Bayswater
It was a real case of the stars aligning. The two companies merged in late-2018 and spent the best part of a year slaving away to get their space open to the public. The origins of the name should be apparent to anyone who’s attempted to open a brewery or even has a passing interest in the industry. They opened in November 2019, but that wasn’t the end of the “Hard Road” with COVID striking about 4 months after opening! Fastfoward to September 2021 and they’ve been unable to trade for less than 50% of the time since they opened…
As mentioned above, Hard Road Brewing is housed in an industrial warehouse in Bayswater. They’ve got a 1000L Brewhouse, made by Lein from upcycled dairy equipment, and fermenters that they had fabricated in China – a process which Ange travelled over to supervise and ensure they got what they needed. Since I’ve visited the brewery they’ve done some renovations to make the stainless steel more prominent, which can only be a good thing. Their initial plan to offer no packaged products had to be shelved due to COVID & they’ve brought in a small canning line from Bojak to can some of their wares for easier takeaways than Growlers/Squealers.
For an industrial warehouse brewery it’s got a nice feel to it. It’s been painted black & is fitted out with a number of timber tables of various sizes & heights. There’s wooden light panels that hang from the ceiling, some couches over to one side, plenty of stools & a long bar fitted out with 24 taps – about half are dedicated to their own offerings with the rest pouring beers from other local breweries. For the time being they’re focused on the beer side of things and are utilising food trucks to keep people fed. They’ve had a wide array of different cuisines showcased so be sure to check their social media to check what might be on during your visit.
Brad & Lein have both brought recipes from their previous brands over to Hard Road. They both had quite different approaches with Brad more hop focused, as you’d expect for someone with his own hop farm, whilst Lein is more into malt forward beers. This has led to Hard Road having a more diverse range of beers than many. Lefty’s IPA is where I’m going for this review. It’s an IPA that references the IPA’s from the bitterness wars of the early 2010’s. It’s got a good malt base with earthy & resinous hop notes accompanied by plenty of bitterness. The beer features Centennial & Columbus hops from Brad’s Yellingbo Hops project in the whirlpool.
Remember it’s always Beer O’Clock somewhere in the world!
