The guys behind The Local Taphouse craft beer venues and the GABS festival have launched Stomping Ground Brewing Co. in Collingwood, Melbourne.
Three years in the planning, Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone have partnered with long-term venue manager Justin Joiner and brought on Ashur Hall as the head brewer.
Stomping Ground’s first beer, Gipps St Pale Ale (5.1% ABV) has 42 IBUs and will be on-tap in limited venues around Melbourne soon.
“It’s an American-style pale ale with tropical and citrus hop aroma and flavours,” Joiner told Beer & Brewer.
“In addition to the Gipps St Pale, we currently have a Munich helles and a west coast-style IPA that are just hitting a couple of select venues as we speak. The next group of beers that will be available will be the eight collabs we are doing for our event ‘Breaking Ground with Friends’ as part of Good Beer Week.
“After that there will be a milk stout as well as a bunch of one offs and limited releases.”
Breaking Ground with Friends will be held on 15 May, with the collaboration beers including; a beetroot stout (Garage Project, NZ); red saison with grapefruit (Mornington Peninsula, VIC); rauchbier (Stone & Wood, NSW); Belgian cherry tripel (Willie Smith’s Organic Cider, TAS); apricot sour (Big Shed Brewing Concern, SA); Belgian IPA (Mash Brewing Co., WA); Coffee IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co., ACT) and a tropical Pilsner (Burleigh Brewing Co., QLD).
“For Good Beer Week, we wanted to do something creative with some of our industry friends who’ve helped us along the way and inspired us over the years,” explained Greenstone.
“We were really stoked when they all said they’d love to be involved.”
While the 250 person bar, restaurant and beer garden is not due to open until June/July, the aim of the venue is to be a ‘neighbourhood brewery’ where people can gather and enjoy freshly brewed beer.
“The building itself is a converted sawtooth warehouse with lots of natural light and our fit-out is reflective of the building and the industrial vintage look that we love,” said Joiner.
“With open fires, a large outdoor space and view of the brewery from almost everywhere, we hope it quickly becomes a much loved part of the local community – a place where locals, and those from further afar can get together for a delicious fresh beer poured straight from the tanks and a catch up with mates.
“Drinks wise, there’ll be 18 beers and six wines on tap, and some locally-produced craft spirits. Food will also be a big part of what we do with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients.”
The newly-released beers will be at the Stomping Ground stand at GABS, with a specially-brewed festival beer available as well.
“It’ll be a berry sour using berries from Tassie and a mash-soured Berliner weisse base,” said Joiner.
The first commercial brewery to open in Collingwood in more than 100 years, Stomping Ground is located at 100 Gipps Street.