Creating a community space

Surf Coast locals Mick and Renae Ranger have unveiled their latest venture, where brewed beer, community spirit and good food collide at the newly-opened Torquay Taphouse.

The taphouse takes over from the former Sou’West Brewing venue and incorporates the couple’s other business venture, Great Ocean Road Brewing, owned alongside Lesley and Matt Shortal.

Mick and Renae had been wanting to put a footprint on the Great Ocean Road for some time. Their brewery has been in South Geelong for just over three years, and taking over the Torquay venue offered the pair a new opportunity.

 

Mick said they both felt excited and apprehensive to be taking over the site.

“When this opportunity popped up, it was a little bit bigger than we had envisaged, but opportunity doesn’t knock twice so we thought we better bite the bullet and do something crazy.”

Mick and Renae are Torquay locals, giving them a great understanding of what people in the region are looking for.

“We feel like we can make sure the offerings that we have here are in keeping with what they want,” Mick said.

The Torquay Taphouse includes the beer hall, decked out with a projector and able to seat about 200 people, tasting room, dining room and beer garden.

 

“We’ve made some changes to the existing building and we’re looking forward to accommodating more people, locals and tourists alike in the spaces,” Mick said.

“We’ve altered the acoustics with the idea that it’s a little bit more of a pleasant place to come.”

After consulting with their most honest critics – their four children – Mick and Renae decided to remove the playground room previously in the venue.

They replaced it with a dining room, which can also be transformed into a conference room or function space.

 

“That room was particularly noisy when you went in there and now it’s almost like a cocoon, the sheers and the beautiful floor, it’s made that room a lot more pleasant,” Mick said.

Children are now offered activities they can do at the tables, with plenty of games and drawings, encouraging families to come in together for a meal and some drinks.

A curtain in the foyer also means the venue can section off different areas for different functions and events, with the taphouse looking towards hosting weddings.

Although only open for just over a month, Renae believes the people of the Surf Coast are excited to see the space alive again.

 

“It’s hard stepping into where there’s been another venue in the past, people compare it and because we’ve made changes, we’re trying to keep everyone happy, but it’s definitely hard to please everyone,” she said.

The pair hope people will see the taphouse as a place for community connection, welcoming locals and tourists alike.

“Fingers crossed the community get somewhere that they’re excited just to bring their family and friends and people that come to visit them from out of town, somewhere that’s a really nice, inviting place to come and have beautiful food and drink and relax,” Mick said.

As a way of encouraging that community connection, the taphouse hosted a festive market yesterday (Saturday, November 30), welcoming local creatives and small businesses into the venue.

Mick and Renae are also trying to make the venue as accessible as possible, introducing their special nights with lasagna on Wednesdays, steak night on Thursdays, happy hour on Fridays, live music on Saturdays and family nights on Sundays.

 

The taphouse is pouring Great Ocean Roading Brewing beers, with 10 different skews on offer across 30 taps.

“The main point of difference is that we can be brewing our beautiful beers straight from the glass that you can see behind every bar,” Mick said.

“We’re brewing it on site, we’re very confident with the quality of our beer.”

Beers will also be rotated, with the present selection being a seasonal Octoberfest brew.

When it comes to the wine list, a range of local wineries are included.

“By supporting the local wineries, hopefully we can build some great relationships with them and people can come and enjoy their wines as much as they come and enjoy our beers,” Mick said.

In the kitchen, head chef Billy Kung is bringing an elevated pub food style of cooking to the table.

The menu features smaller snack items including crispy chips, wedges and fried chicken, as well as a range of main meals.

The taphouse has a friendly and inviting atmosphere, with the green from the walls and fernery creating a sense of calm while the terracotta floors add a softer feel.

“We are aiming to have it as relaxed as possible for the groups that come in so they can come and feel almost like they’re sitting in their outdoor area with their family and friends,” Mick said.

For more information, head to greatoceanroadbrewing.com.au/taphouse or head to the Torquay Taphouse Facebook page.