I’ve had a little bit of writers block for the last couple of weeks, but don’t worry plenty has been happening behind the scenes. It’s looking more & more likely that The Year of Local will stretch into a third year, something that probably could’ve been anticipated given my track record with deadlines.

I thought I’d pen this little Victorian Brewery Update given that there have been lots of interesting things happening, both good & bad, over the last few weeks. Some of this is discussed on the latest episode of the Beer O’Clock Australia Podcast. The first & most welcome bit of news is that Victorian brewers are finally able to welcome back drinkers after over 3 months of lockdown! Please everyone get out & support your local brewers, they need the support more than ever!

We’re going to start the rest of the news, with the news that Fall & Rise Brewing have fallen & risen again. In mid-September the contract brand announced their decision to cease operating after brewer Yiannis moved back to Greece in part due to the effects of COVID-19. By late-October a buyer had been found for the business & a new batch was in tank. I’ll be updating the post in the coming days when I have a few more details.

Club Brewing Co, one of the most interesting models in Australian brewing, announced via email in late-September that their next pack will be their last – in part due to the challenges their model has faced due to COVID. Malt Shed, the first Victorian casualty of 2020, announced on social media that they will be back! Further details are non-existent at this point, but they will be gladly welcomed back to the Victorian scene!

Small Melbourne contract brewer/social enterprise A Local Beer announced on 31st October 2020 that they were changing their name to Local Brewing Co.. I assume that this is the next step in their plans to one day own their own sustainable brewery & taproom. I’ve reached out for comment but have yet to hear back.

In other name changing news, Brookes Beer will now be known as Brookes Brewing Company & be produced by a new entity, East Bendigo Brewing Company. The new entity is a collaborative effort between Brookes owner Doug Brookes & Roy Lever, a beer sales professional who has worked for a raft of the industry’s big players. Beers under the East Bendigo label will begin to make their way out into the world in December 2020.

Mountain Goat, one of the original pioneers of the Victorian scene, has opened a second venue in Newtown. For those who don’t know Newtown is a trendy suburb in Sydney’s inner west. It adds to the recent trend of brewers opening more hospitality sites that have become prominent in the last couple of months & it’s a venue I’m very keen to check out when restrictions ease.

I’m sure I’ve missed one or two interesting tid-bits, but that’s the last month or so in Victorian beer. Thanks for your patience over the last month as I’ve just been flat out & haven’t been able to dedicate as much time here as I’d like to have. I’ve been meaning to catchup on the Beers of the Week posts, so that may well be up in the coming hours, whilst there are a number of Year of the Local posts in the works.

Remember it’s always Beer O’Clock somewhere in the world!