The doors to Goulburn Brewery opened to the public on Wednesday, 13 August after undergoing a two-year restoration and brewery modernisation project.
Located in the town of Goulburn in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, the brewery is one of the oldest on Australia’s mainland, established in 1836 as an industrial complex hosting a flour mill and maltings.
The site was also once home to Bartlett & Co., Tooth & Co. and later served as a distribution depot before re-opening as a brewery in 1989.
In 2021, a local family with ties to the Goulburn region since the 1850s, acquired the property with plans to restore the site as a destination for locals to celebrate community while also sharing the history of the region with tourists.
The restoration has seen the existing heritage features enhanced with new hospitality offerings including the Maltings Bar and dining room, the Goulburn Brewery Shop, improved brewing facilities and the soon-to-be-opened beer garden and function spaces.
The Wayback range
To celebrate the reopening, the brewery is debuting a new signature craft beer range named Wayback – a nod to the traditional call to sheepdogs to ‘go back’ or ‘wayback’.
The range features a total of eight beers spanning styles including the ‘local lager’, sparkling ale, hazy and extra hazy pale ales, dry stout, hoppy lager, classic IPA and daily draught.
Speaking to the historical significance of the site and the inspiration behind the range Head Brewer Neal Cameron said the range is about storytelling.
“The Goulburn Brewery site has such a detailed brewing history, and we hope that Wayback acts as a vessel to share these stories through techniques, ingredients and the styles of beer we produce.”
Cameron also has a personal connection to the brewery through his own experiences, which made the project especially meaningful.
“I first visited the site in 2001 when it was under the previous ownership and immediately fell in love with what is an extraordinary building and sense of history. As an English ex-pat, this kind of history, which is commonplace in the UK, is something rare and to be treasured in Australia,” he told Beer & Brewer.
With over 20 years’ experience in the industry as a brewer, educator and director, Head Brewer Neal Cameron aims to craft beers that tell the rich history of the Goulburn Brewery site while looking ahead to the future.
“I think that the market for beer is already heading back to more traditional styles of beer, so it’s been easy. Lighter, fresher, more balanced beers with less crazy stuff are bang on trend.”
Cameron added that championing the region and produce of the Southern Tablelands has helped this process.
“Having Voyager Malt just down the road also allows us to embrace local and heritage with what they’re doing – and me being a more traditional style brewer (i.e. old) it’s not been a challenge. That said, there’s plenty of beers on tap so we’re still embracing plenty craftiness.”
This focus on heritage also extends to the styles of beer in the Wayback range, with Cameron choosing to make beers based on brewer’s notes from Goulburn Brewery’s rich archives.
“There were recipes in bushels or half bushels, hops from Bohemia, molasses and cane sugar and a very limited range of malts available (pale, black and amber) and meant that the range of recipes was very small.
“This fitted in nicely with beers at the drinkable end of this range but also required a fair amount of creativity to create the kind of range that customers expect nowadays. Also, brewers nowadays record detailed notes during the brew day – a 100 years ago, not so much…”
Hospitality offering
At the heart of the brewery and its hospitality is recognising the region’s producers.
“This region is full of talented growers and producers, and we want the brewery to be a place to showcase their work. We have already developed our menu incorporating locally sourced beef, mushrooms, olives and wine from local wineries,” said Cameron.
Led by Head Chef Marian Christine Abeleda, the Maltings Bar offers an elevated a la carte dining experience, highlighting local farmers and produce from the Southern Tablelands and its surrounds such as Tathra, Musset Farm and Morella Grove.
“Championing local producers and their products is something we are very proud of here at Goulburn Brewery and we hope our menu shares the story of these important businesses in our local community,” said Abeleda.
The Wayback beer range is used as a key ingredient throughout the menu in marinades, sauces, and batters, with Abeleda continuing to experiment with new ways to feature the beer.
Menu highlights include a pork-knuckle dish, which sees the protein from Andrews Meats brined in Wayback beer before being cooked sous vide for a day and air fried to achieve the perfect crispy crackling.
The hero dessert on the new menu is a chocolate brownie served with a wattleseed and Wayback beer ice cream, which she describes as “creamy, aromatic with an unforgettable Aussie flavour”.
Restoring a piece of history
As the Goulburn Brewery has been part of the town’s story for generations, Cameron said when it came to restoring it, the team wanted the community to be at the heart of the process.
“Many local trades and passionate collaborators were involved in helping this iconic venue back to life. It’s taken a village (a whole town in fact), and we couldn’t be more grateful.
“Locally, there’s a sense of ownership and pride in seeing it restored. The connection has shaped both our approach to the restoration and the beer itself. In fact, one of the first we brewed was ‘Local Lager’ named in honour of the locals who rolled up their sleeves and helped make the restoration possible”
Work on the site maintained its historic integrity and raw materials with a “do less” approach.
The solid brick walls were treated with scratch-made slaked limewash to protect the brick and original lime mortar while the red roof, timber roofing, and floors were also preserved.
This extended to the grounds, with the reinstating of the levee bank, reviving the brewers’ and kitchen gardens, and planning for farming to support the brewery’s needs.
“We’re growing the hop trellises and barley so we can grow our own ingredients right here locally. Even the spent grain will be fed to local livestock. It means fresher beer, fewer food miles and a true paddock-to-pint story. It’s all part of the circular economy goal,” said Cameron.
Abeleda added: “We hope this new chapter for the Goulburn Brewery encourages locals and visitors to our home to not only visit the venue and enjoy our offering, but to further understand and explore the rich history of the Southern Tablelands and all it has to offer.”
