The Grifter Brewing Company of today is immeasurably different to the one Trent Evans, Matt King and Glenn Wignall launched in 2012. Back then, they were simply three friends mixing up homebrew recipes in the kitchen with little ambition to be brewers. But timing and circumstance saw them presented with a chance offer to make a commercial batch of their beer in the just-about-to-open Young Henrys brewery in Newtown. It was an opportunity that would ultimately alter the paths of their lives.
They fine-tuned a recipe for a pale ale and launched it with a friendly name: “Edward”. The first keg sold out in two hours. Six months later they had their own tank in the Young Henrys brewery. Pretty soon, demand for the fledgling outfit outstripped supply and it became clear they would need their own brewery.
As luck would have it, that kit they brewed their very first beer on at Young Henrys came up for sale, and so the search for a home began.
During this time the craft beer world was blossoming around them, and other new breweries were capturing attention. Yet the trio continued to keep their heads down and quietly went about their business. You never really saw The Grifter Brewing Co. at beer festivals. They rarely held events more ambitious than sponsoring the monthly pool competition at their local pub. If you knew the right bars you could get their beer, otherwise they weren’t to be seen.
But things were happening in the background. They secured a site in a lint-covered warehouse of a former laundromat and the brewery equipment was hauled out of storage. Their lovingly designed label artwork was becoming more refined and cohesive. They took the leap away from the security of other employment to work on the brewery full time. It took two full years of planning and sacrifice, but the three former hobby brewers were well on their way to establishing a place where people could be welcomed in to see for themselves what TGBC is all about.
At the end of 2015, The Grifter Brewing Company finally opened a home of its own in Marrickville. And what a fine home it is.
The site is split roughly in two, with the brewery running the length of the site and acting as something of a moving backdrop. It’s here they brew each and every beer, with the bold lettering on the top of every tin that states “Marrickville, NSW” – a promise to every drinker about where that beer comes from.
The bar space is slick enough to be a standalone parlour in Surry Hills, let alone one attached directly to a working brewery. Beneath a neon sign the beer menu is presented in the timeless manner of an old movie theatre, its black letters subdued against a glowing orange background. What’s largely a minimalist and industrial grey-and-black interior is broken by flourishes of colour from bright tiles and coasters. The pool room, hidden around the corner from the bar, has the warmth of being in an old boozer – indeed, the carpet actually came from a local pub that had been stripped out.
Their core product range consists of a pale ale (affectionately known as the “Orange Goblin”), lager, West Coast IPA and the mid-strength Moderation, alongside three quite different beers that each enjoy a cult-like status: the Serpents Kiss (a watermelon pilsner), pink lemonade sour and their most-awarded beer, The Omen oatmeal stout. In the tasting bar, they have 12 taps in total. Alongside a range of small batch beers and the staples, there’s a seltzer tap that changes with the seasons.
Whatever your drop of choice is, it can be enjoyed alongside a slice from the brewery’s personal pizza restaurant, Fortune Pizza. Firing pizza amongst their brewhouse and canning line was never part of the plan, but it’s exactly where they’ve landed, with their yeast now used not only to ferment ales but leaven dough. So, today, grain both swirls amongst the mash tun and plays host to melted mozzarella – and the pairing couldn’t be more perfect.
To quote Glenn Wignall: “Pizza is just beer so dry, you can put cheese on it.”
Beyond food and drink, their merch seems to change as often as the beer, with the brewery’s clothes, keyrings, hats, bumper stickers and just-about-anything-else-you-can-wear frequently shifting but always timeless.
As a brewery, they’ve long been passionate collaborators, brewing with some of Sydney’s finest bars, pubs, restaurants, fellow breweries and everything in between. It gives those friends the chance to work with the brewers on a recipe and better understand the beer, while also letting TGBC put the spotlight on their mates and partners.
That commitment to their community is a constant of the brewery, and while TGBC beers do make their way out of Sydney, their roots run deep. Along with brewing everything on site, their own staff ferry their beer across their home city, and they take the greatest care in how their beer makes it into the world.
So, while it took them a long time and a winding road to get here, explore any part of The Grifter Brewing Co experience and there’s little wonder why they remain a standout and cornerstone in Australia’s busiest beer neighbourhood.
