A decade of hoppy goodness

BLACKMAN’S Brewery is this month celebrating the 10th anniversary of its craft beer operation.

The independent brewery has grown considerably since it was established in Torquay in 2015 by Renn Blackman and wife Jess, with additional sites opening in Ocean Grove in 2019 and in Grovedale in 2021.

Mr Blackman said the launch of the Grovedale production brewery had been one of the business’s biggest achievements over the past decade, allowing it to produce more beers and expand its reach both around Victoria and across the country.

The Blackman’s crew has also won multiple awards for its brews on both a national and international level, and in 2019 was named Champion Small Australian Brewery at the Australian International Beer Awards, an accolade Mr Blackman said stands out as a highlight and recognises the quality of beers the team produces.

Today, the brewery is rapidly building a reputation for its events, held across its three locations, with notable recent examples including its dog-centric Doggo Day, outdoor cinema nights and last month’s wood chopping championship.

 

Next month, the Torquay site will host the township’s first beer festival, with nine other breweries slated to participate.

“I think a big part of being a local brewery is engaging with your local community and having awesome events that people can come along to and not just come for a beer and food, they can come and experience a full-on event experience,” Mr Blackman said.

“Especially during winter, it’s good just to create some fun for people, especially in Torquay and Geelong. It gets quite quiet and cold in winter, so it’s fun to have some other things to put on and get people out to the venues.”

He said reaching the 10-year milestone was a “great achievement” for the brewery and attributed the its success to its “great team”.

“We all love what we do and we just like making great beer and having a good time doing it,” he said.

To mark the occasion, the brewery’s Torquay site will host a birthday celebration and family fun day on Saturday, July 27.

Between 12pm and 4pm, there will be face painting, mini golf, live music and roasted marshmallows, and then at 5pm the main party will begin with a bonfire, DJs, mulled cider and the official launch of the 10th birthday edition of Angry Reg, the brewery’s iconic double IPA.

The crew has also launched the Hang 10 IPA in honour of the brewery’s first decade, a new brew with 10 hop additions, while the brewery’s best-selling beer, the Mervyn Pale Ale, has been given a retro makeover, donning its original artwork from 10 years ago.

Mr Blackman said the brewery would continue working to grow its brand and remain a “relevant, great beer brand in Geelong”.

For more information, head to blackmansbrewery.com.au