Hi all

I own a small brewery in Wales UK and I am thinking of starting a similar brewery in Australia. What I need to know is what style of beer should I brew? Would a traditional British Draught Beer be welcome by the expats? If so, would it be best sold in bottles or through Hand Pumps in a bar. Cheers!

If I could buy a decent pint over the bar that would be great, but realistically it would probably have to be in bottles to have any market at all. The locals don't go much for anything except lagers, so a draught bitter just wouldn't sell. There might be a few pubs dotted around that would sell draught beer, but not enough to make a commercial go of anything.
The pubs are dominated, in large parts of Australia, by the 'Working Mens' clubs, some of which are huge. This is my 'local'
http://www.shellys.com.au/

The "Great Australian Beer Spectacular" is on here next weekend.

http://www.thelocal.com.au/gabs/where-when

There are links to Brewers websites so you can get a feel for the current market.
Hope it helps

Just in the 4 years i have lived in Melbourne i have seen an explosion in the boutique beer market. It is now seen as very cool to drink different style beers than just your standard larger. IPA is a beer style i find suits the Australian climate very well. At the BBQ's i have attended this summer it is rare to see anyone drinking VB or Carlton. Either they are drinking an import or a local boutique brew.

Please please please. A bar, with real pumps pouring real ale.

I used to go to the pub several times a week in the UK. Think I have been half a dozen times in 4 years here. Crap, overpriced beer, poor surroundings and often bloody closed.

Traditional bitter and Hand Pumps in a Bar.... Inner Melbourne is probably ready for this. Problem you would have would be the hot summer days. I doubt you would sell any decent quantities through Jan/Feb/March.

Try an affiliation with the Mountain Goat people. Have a freindly chat with them and see what they reckon. On the basis that expanded availablity of Beer should improve demand.

http://www.goatbeer.com.au/

There are one or two now in Brisbane. They have to cope with heat most of the year.....should not be a problem with modern cellar cooling.

To the OP.

Traditional brewing (home brewing) ie mashing and sparging grain etc. is pretty popular here so there is definitely a market.

The real issue is what pubs are charging for proper ale....anything up to $15 a schooner in some of the pubs in town.

There would be a real market if you could sell it at a reasonable price but, I suggest, that duty and ground rents and rates would make it unviable.

The flip side is that the winter months in Melbourne are ideal for real ale, and selling a summer ale isn't exactly unknown for the UK.

My guess is you could probably find a market for putting a hand pulled real ale on the bar of some of the inner city establishments, and bottles in the rest. Also scope for to-your-door delivery of minipins for expat home events. Stouts would do well, and IPAs seem to be in vogue.

Sourcing decent hops might be an issue.

I think if I were addressing the market I'd devise a summer ale that specifically smelled and tasted good at warmer temps; and work off a marketing angle that stubbie holders are obsolete - plenty of TV coverage possible.

To the OP, I guess you have a visa planned or at least in the pipeline?

I would aim for something similar to what the Masham brewery in Yorkshire do with their bottled Black Sheep, which you can get in Australia in a few places.

http://www.foxandhounds.net.au/id28.html

you ca get a pint here

There's a James Squire's micro-brewery in Perth CBD that sells UK style 'beer'. I don't drink it but people who do say they brew some nice stuff. I think there is a market here for it.

Good luck.

if you are looking for brewery equipment, contact me, I'd like to supply something useful.

Very welcome indeed. Personally I would become a regular of any readily accessible establishment with hand pumped British style draft beer (real ale).
I think your best bet would be an inner city, where you might catch an after work crowd and the novelty could really take on. However beer drinking per head seems much less than in the UK (mainly I think because the quality is so poor) and there is a liking for low alcohol beers.

If you won't be opening your own outlet, you may well have a hard job promoting the real ale idea because it is so unusual. And bottles of British beer are readily available already in the bottle shops and some bars, although very expensive.

If you are opening your own outlet, then to be successful it would need also to cater for the Australian taste: a variety of draught and bottle beers, various wines, good coffee, snacks, possibly dinner. A hand pump as a centrepiece I would applaud.