2025 has dawned, and I wonder what it will bring for beer in Australia. There is scant hope of a better environment for Australian beer than the one that preceded it in 2024, and that has me pessimistic.

In my local area of Geelong and the surf coast down in Vic, we lost two breweries, Valhalla Brewing and Sou'West Brewing, along with their associated taprooms and, in Valhalla's case, their distribution business. The White Rabbit Beer Hall on the Little Creatures site is now shuttered and available only for events. We've seen one brewery emerge in the last few years, with Great Ocean Road Brewing taking over from Cockies Beer after its owner retired. Great Ocean Road also took over Sou'West's old taproom, but I don't think it's open for business yet. While things might not look good for breweries around here, an hour up the road, things are even worse, with legendary OG brewers like Deeds falling over in Melbourne and many others just holding on after administrator-approved restructurings.

A craft beer bar did open in the CBD here, right at the edge of the food district, but it has weird opening hours. On Fridays, it misses the lunchtime crowds and closes rather early on weekends. It doesn't seem to have the cozy ambience I associate with good craft beer lounges (like the recently closed Penny Blue in Melbourne), but with time and effort, I'm sure that will change.

Of course, I will do my part to keep these businesses alive, but I am one angry old man shouting at the clouds. With the cost of living continuing to rise, I fear for the future of the remaining beer-related businesses.

How do things look in your area?

Cheers!

Good on ya, Mate! Do they have any interesting breweries in Perth, I wonder?

They sure do! If you're old enough to remember the 80s when all things Australian captivated your homeland, one of our shadier businessmen, Alan Bond, took over G. Heileman Brewing Company in America. He drove it to his knees, like everything else he touched, but his old Swan Brewery in Perth is still going strong!

Cheers!

I was in the very first round of crowdfunding for Valhalla when they brewed their first beer, the Obsidian Black IPA. It's a real shame they went under because their beer was excellent and was recognised with a heap of awards. But I suppose brewing good beer and being a good business owner isn't always the same. But I've said the same thing about Deeds and the improbability that a place that brewed such good beer would go under. Yet here we are.

Cheers