Sydney Brewery is celebrating 20 years of craft brewing with the opening of its newly launched brewpub in Alexandria, which will see the brewery increase its brewing capacity.
Formerly known as Schwartz Brewery, the brewery was opened by Dr Jerry Schwartz in 2005 and began operating from an 800-litre wood-clad brewhouse in the basement of the Macquarie Hotel.
Thanks to brews like Paddington ‘Paddo’ Pale, Darlinghurst ‘Darlo’ Dark, Surry Hills Pils and Potts Point Porter, the brewery quickly rose to prominence and unveiled a new image in 2012, when it was renamed Sydney Brewery.
Sydney Brewery has since become firmly rooted in the city’s brewing industry and expanded its operations with the opening of a major production facility at Lovedale in the Hunter Valley and the Sydney Brewery Surry Hills brewpub and bistro.
Now, 20 years since it began operating, the brewery has opened the doors to Sydney Brewery Alexandria after acquiring the production site and venue from Rocks Brewing Company earlier this year.
With the acquisition of the 20hL brewhouse in Alexandria, along with a new 30hL brewhouse at Lovedale scheduled to open by July, Sydney Brewery will almost triple its brewing capacity this year.
The brewery has also expanded its physical presence with the rebranding of the Rocks Brewing restaurant and bar as Sydney Brewery Alexandria.
Schwartz says the opening of the new site is a perfect celebration of the brewery’s 20th birthday, and an important milestone for not just the brewery, but the industry as a whole.
“When I established Sydney Brewery the craft brewing sector was in its infancy, and we have managed to grow our capacity and range progressively ever since then.
“We will more than double our production capacity at Lovedale in the Hunter Valley, and by the time everything is operational, our total potential capacity will exceed three million litres annually across our various breweries.”
Although it has been a challenging couple of years for the craft brewing industry, Schwartz says Sydney Brewery has bucked the trend, and its continued investment in expansion demonstrates the potential that still exists in the market.
“Having popular public-facing brewpubs such as our Surry Hills and Alexandria venues has really helped, as has our long-time support of events such as the Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival. We also have direct access to a network of 15 Schwartz Family Ccompany-owned hotels in NSW, ACT, Queensland and Victoria, and our team has built a strong presence in the retail trade.
“Sydney Brewery’s longevity and success are no small part due to the fact that many of the people working for the business date back to the early years of the operation and have ensured the business and our partnerships have grown organically over the years.
“The newly launched Sydney Brewery Alexandria introduces a new chapter to our story and with its new menu, drinks selection, branding, website and management we believe it will be a highly successful addition to the inner-south hospitality scene,” he concluded.
Sydney Brewery Alexandria is now open at 160 Bourke Road, Alexandria.