It’s a micro-brewery, but not as you know it.
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There’s no hipsters with beards behind the counter, just a Mum and Dad operation succeeding in true Australian style.
The Scenic Rim Brewery is located in the old Mount Alford general store, which had laid vacant for the past ten years.
It’s part-brewery, part-cafe and has harnessed the vibe of the building’s previous incarnation, with many of the internal features kept from the original design.
Owner Michael Webster said he hoped to provide a destination experience that encouraged people to visit the small rural town.
“There’s so much history in Mount Alford, we wanted to make sure that we preserved some of that through keeping the heritage-listed facade of the store,” he said.
For the builder turned brewer, the project allowed him to combine his two passions.
“A lot of work has gone into the restoration of the building, making sure it’s up to standard and that same hard work has been put into developing our beer.”
Mr Webster has been brewing for several years and has travelled the world to study different beer cultures.
“I visited a lot of breweries in Europe and completed a course in Berlin, in which I learned a lot about the processes involved with making different types of beers.”
The result is a range of beers that include a pale ale, a mid strength pale ale and a red ale.
Mr Webster said branding was integral in the success of the fledgling label.
“We wanted something that every Australian would be able to connect with, so we’ve used some classic larrikin identities as part of our marketing plan.”
Michael’s wife Wendy, looks after cafe and said the menu combines the best ingredients from the Scenic Rim with some favourite Dutch recipes.
“My family came from the Netherlands, so we’ve included a lot of European inspired dishes utlitising local produce where we can.”
“We’ve now realised there’s a large community of second and third generation Dutch and German people living in the area who love coming in and getting a reminder of food they had as children.”
Mrs Webster said she was optimistic about the future of the business, despite the wave of micro breweries reaching their peak in the past few years.
“Most micro breweries in the big cities don’t last longer than 12-18 months, the fact that we’re a family operation and our unique location will hopefully hold us in good stead.”
The brewery is already proving a hit with locals and tourists alike, with 4000 people reportedly coming through the door in the first five weeks of being open.
