Margaret River’s Bootleg Brewery will be a name familiar to most in Western Australia and many in other parts of the country too. The South West stalwart first started brewing in 1994, pioneering the beer scene in the region and pouring beers for visitors long before Australia’s craft beer industry really started to boom.
Initially a retirement project for Tom Reynolds, Bootleg enjoyed a period as the Margaret River region's sole brewery. Given its global reputation as one of the country’s premier wine regions, the situation prompted the founder to adopt the moniker “an oasis of beer in a desert of wine”.
Over its history, the picturesque venue and brewhouse has pumped out many iconic beers, including Raging Bull strong dark ale and Tom’s Amber Ale. They even knocked out a batch of Stone Brewing’s Arrogant Bastard Ale in 2016 with full endorsement from the San Diego brewery’s founder Greg Koch as part of the "Arrogant Bastard Hits the Road" project.
Along with those iconic beers, the brewery also produced plenty of talented brewers – two of them are still working in the South West at time of writing: Wild Hop’s Dillon Hunter and Southcamp’s Ryan Nilsson-Linne – as well as hospo pros who have taken their skills elsewhere, spreading good beer appreciation across the country. What's more, Bootleg's first official head brewer, Rolf Vickers, who worked at the brewery back in 1995 went on to become head brewer at Guinness in Ireland.
While much has changed since those early days, three decades on Bootleg has been rebooted under new owners eager to lean into the brewery’s unique history with a refreshed look and a vision to the future. Having moved in during 2024, their intention is to give punters the same iconic beers with a few new touches.
“Early on, we talked about a name change, but it just didn’t feel right. With Bootleg’s rich history and deep connection to the community, we knew it had to stay,” is how head of marketing Joaquin Robredo puts “the challenge of bringing back everyone’s favourite spot.”
With one eye on the past and one on the future, the team behind the relaunch also includes Sean Carter in the kitchen. The well-respected chef has been working in the region for years and is taking the menu in a new direction, based around his talent for protein-centric dishes with South American flavour, with pub and brewery classics in the mix as well.
Gavin Williams (formerly of Black Brewing Co, where he picked up Indies Champion WA Brewery in 2023, and Cheeky Monkey) oversees brewing operations, which includes recreating those iconic Bootleg staples as well as fresh additions such as an XPA and a New World IPA.
“The greatest part of a brewery refresh is getting stuck into some new beers. We will absolutely keep a couple of the classics, but I’ll be putting my own twist on those concepts and giving them a rebirth,” he told The Crafty Pint, citing how he’s “pumped” about the limited releases.
“A nice, boozy hazy IPA is high on the list as it’s a great way to test the limits of a new kit. We’ll have a full cross-section of Aussie, European and American releases. I want to mix it up and keep it provocative.”
At time of writing, a new brewkit was under construction alongside some venue upgrades that will see the brewery return to producing everything on site.
While the Bootleg name is an iconic one in WA’s brewing scene, it was an unfortunate reality that, over a few years, the venue didn’t quite live up to its hard-earned reputation, which ultimately led to its closure in early 2024. The disappointment of craft fans across the state proved to be short-lived, however, with the energised team looking to return the legendary Bootleg back to brewing quality craft beer and doing Margaret River’s dynamic brewing scene proud.
Jono Outred
