Nomad Brewing have announced their decision to sell the business, with founders Johnny and Kerrie Latta saying they'll continue to be focused on indie beer through their Three Tails brewpub in Mudgee and their distribution business, Crafted Beverages (Formerly ExperienceIT). 

Their announcement also reveals a change in career for Johnny and gives them the chance to reflect on their time in beer, which included helping turn Brookvale into a brewery hub. 

Further details are below. 

Selling but NOT selling out!

This July marks the 10th anniversary of NOMAD Brewing Co and what a ride it has been. It’s been a spectacular journey for us as one of the pioneering Sydney craft breweries and we can only marvel at the changes that have occurred since 2013 when we thought up this crazy idea in a bar in Rome to start a brewery in Manly! 

Brewing beers back in 2014 we had to convince people that craft beer really could be pink, fruited, sour, hazy or hoppy all the norm now! Back when brewpubs really weren’t a thing and when only bearded hipsters drank that fancy “boutique” beer we were out there educating and convincing people it isn’t fancy, it just tastes bloody great! And then of all thing to release your first beer as a beer made from seawater from our local beach and Australian Pepper Berries.

It’s been a great journey, we’ve had fun with the great people in this industry and our punters. As one of the first breweries to regularly use Australian natives in our core range, introduced new styles, won numerous awards, exported, and had great collaborations with the likes of Dogfish Head, Yeastie Boys, Stone, Victory, Beavertown, Kylie Kwong, Iron Maiden and many others. 

We’ve been part of Brookvale developing from the dirty, industrial hub that it was to a brewery precinct that now rivals that of the inner west. We always believed that Brookvale would be like the other great industrial beer hubs of the world like Brooklyn, Bermondsey etc and we’re proud to have been one of the pioneering breweries that stood up to doubters at council and convinced them that breweries would be good for the community and boy were we right!

Whilst it has been an incredible ride for us our paths are now changing and it’s time to step away from our beloved brewery. As many people know we’ve got a second brewery and brewpub in Mudgee (Three Tails), and as a family we’re looking at spending more time regionally and enjoying the country lifestyle. 

However, what most people don’t know is Johnny is following a dream and has joined the Army, so as of mid-year, he’ll be committed to training to become an officer (what else do you do when you turn 50)! As such we made the decision to sell Nomad to someone who can take the reins and keep driving the brewery into the future and give it a new focus.

With a large state of the art production facility, ongoing brew contracts, 200+ person venue space, 36 taps across two bars and located in the heart of the Brookvale Brewing precinct, Nomad has massive potential for anyone that wants to take it to the next level or expand on current brewing activities.

While this chapter finishes and we hand over the baton, we’re still committed to the industry and independence through Three Tails in Mudgee and our distribution business Crafted Beverages (Formerly Experienceit), which continues to deliver the world’s best brewers into the local market and only supports independent brewers, hitting a milestone this year of 10,000 unique craft, indep. beverages introduced to the Australian market. 

We are fiercely independent with few people knowing we refused an offer of a buyout by ABInBev many years ago as we feared the repercussions to the industry of this trend of sell outs. We will always and only support independent craft beer. (Three Tails has an only Indep. rule from chips to our beers)

As we look forward whilst there have been challenges in the industry of late, we truly believe that the future is looking bright for the independent craft beer industry. With more punters than ever choosing to drink at their local brewery rather than the local pub, more people knowing the difference between a pale ale and an IPA and of course the thing that makes Kerrie truly happy more people drinking sour beers. 

So, for us we’re selling a little piece of our involvement in the industry but remain committed to supporting and driving this industry that we are incredibly proud to be a part of and fiercely loyal to the fight to stay independent. So, we’ll sell up not out!

Details on the sale can be found here.