Newcastle’s award-winning Modus Brewing is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a special rerelease of Former Tenant Red IPA, a nod to the roots of the brewery.
As Modus embarks on its 10th year of brewing, Co-Founders Jaz Wearin and Grant Wearin wanted to pay homage to the origins of the brewery site, and a tale that involves a police chase, sniffer dogs, and the accidental discovery of Northern Beaches’ largest hydroponic setup.
“Once upon a time, two young blokes were running away from the cops and dogs with something in their pockets that would make your eyes big and make you dance like it’s 1999,” reminisces Grant.
“That chase ended abruptly at the building, to what is now Modus Mona Vale, when the dogs smelled something far more aromatic and green than the synthetic goods in those blokes’ pockets.”
When a hydroponic setup was located at the site, the subsequent eviction of the hydro growers led to the birth of Modus Operandi Brewing in 2014.
“It was when we were brewing one of our very first beers and shoved our heads into the hop bag that I said ‘geez, that smells like some good bud’, and we knew our basement dwelling former tenants needed to be honoured with a beer in their name,” Grant recounts.
After the original release of Former Tenant Red IPA, the beer quickly gained popularity and even earned the prestigious title of Champion Australian Beer after just three months of Modus opening.
Celebrating 10 years of forward-thinking brews, 20 numbered and signed cases of Former Tenant Red IPA will be released at 1pm on Wednesday 27 March via modus.beer.
A further limited number of cases will be made available via indie stockists, and in-venue and online through Modus, on Saturday 13 April, when Jaz and Grant invite Modus lovers to join them at the Mona headquarters for a celebration.
“We’re pumped to share this special edition, supremely tasty and fresh version of Former Tenant with our loyal fans who have been begging for a return of the cans for some years,” says Jaz.
“It’s a testament to our journey over the past decade, and we can’t wait to party with everyone on the 13th April.”