The Parramatta Pioneers

June 6, 2011, by Crafty Pint

The Parramatta Pioneers

Slowly but surely, craft beer is creeping across the country. From Wagga to Toowoomba, Forrest to the far north, there are microbreweries and pubs with craft beer taps cropping up at a fair rate as brave souls decide their local area is ready for something better. And soon the people of Parramatta will have beers to call their own as the Riverside Brewing Company’s tiny brewery takes shape in an industrial unit just 100m from the Parramatta River. The man behind it is David Padden who, along with his business partner, hopes to have the first beers from the 250l brewhouse hitting the market in time for spring and summer.

“We put our first brew through a couple of weeks ago and are really pleased with the equipment,” says David. “The brewery is located just outside of Parramatta in Western Sydney, which is commonly known as New South Wales' second CBD and hosts a very diverse range of restaurants and pubs. Similar to the rest of the state, however, there’s a major lack of local breweries and bars that stock a decent craft beer collection. Both Stephen [his business partner] and I live in the area so it was a pretty easy decision as to where we would be located. I actually live within walking distance of the brewery which is very handy!”

He says the dearth of decent craft beer venues in the area opens up plenty of opportunities to work with the city’s bars and restaurants – and that the market is beginning to wake up to better beer in New South Wales.

“I believe we have some way to go before we have the sort of great craft beer culture here that we are experiencing in other states,” he says, “but I honestly feel the tide is starting to turn, judging by some of the great craft beer bars such as The Local Taphouse and Harts Pub, where I’m a regular, and the success they are experiencing at the moment.”

 

Riverside_Final-_1_

 

As one of the founding members of the Western Sydney Brewers and an avowed hophead (he cites his favourite beers as Murray’s Icon, Epic Armageddon and those from 8 Wired), David has focused his home brewing in the past couple of years on refining US style ales ready for the launch. The aim is to both satisfy craft beer enthusiasts and offer more approachable beers for newcomers to craft beer, hence a starting lineup that will include a Summer Ale and US Pale Ale as well as an Imperial IPA, with seasonals to follow.

The 250l brewhouse is pretty much intended to be their “starter kit”, with the plan being to upgrade to a bigger system in a couple of years if everything goes to plan. And while they will operate purely as a production brewery, they are considering the feasibility of opening a bar or pub in the Parramatta area in the future.

Initially, however, Riverside beers will be available from independent bottleshops around Sydney and in growlers direct from the brewery itself. They are also planning to put their beers into some of the local restaurants around Parramatta and Western Sydney.


The Riverside website is due to launch fully any day now. You can also keep up to date with progress via the brewery’s Twitter feed.

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