Passion and hobby brews up new pub

A new brewpub opened its doors on Short Street late last month and to start with the venue is offering eight of their own house-made beers on tap.

Known as Brewers Collective, the move comes after years of planning, but the grand opening came in a bit of a rush according to head brewer Brett Davis.

“We literally got the building inspector to come in, give us the piece of paper and open on the same day,” he said. “We were as ready as we could be, we had beer that was the main thing.

“I don’t want to put anybody in it. We just had issues with planning primarily, I think because it was such a new concept to many.

“We wanted to set the business up in a certain way and ended up having to change a few things and concede a few things.

“Anyway, we worked through most of that, but it takes a long time to work through those processes.”

Since launching, Mr Davis said the support for the business has been strong.

“It’s been pretty busy, I think people have embraced it. A lot have said it’s about time we had a brewpub in Bendigo and people love the beer,” he said.

“The main thing for us was making sure the beer was as good as it could be when we opened. The feedback’s been very positive.

“I think people like the small venue that’s not a sports bar or a pub. It is somewhere people can come and catch up and meet friends and talk.”

Brewing beer started out as a hobby for Mr Davis and now he shares his creations and journey with his customers.

“Fifteen years ago, I just got hooked,” he said. “It’s the creative process I really like.

“I like creating with flavours and then you get a product, which is beer and I like beer, so it’s good. It’s art meets science in a way.”

As for what is on offer at Brewers Collective, Mr Davis said there was something for everyone.

“We’ve got eight beers of our own on tap currently,’ he said.

“We have our Hazy IPA which is the beer that started the whole thing. It’s the beer that Neil, our partner, tasted and said, ‘How do we start a brewery?’

“We have a new age West Coast IPA an English-style red stout, we have a lager, which is very easy drinking, plus many others.”