Blackman's Brewery

Brewer

Name
Blackman's Brewery
Address

26 Bell Street
Torquay
VIC 3228

Phone
(03) 52615310
Open Hours

Tues to Thurs: 4:30pm to 10pm
Fri & Sat: 3:30pm to midnight
Sun: Midday to 9pm

After witnessing the success of the first Great Australian Beer Festival in Geelong, the organisers told The Crafty Pint that their aim was to turn the city into something of a craft beer capital for Australia. The festival's ongoing success and the boost given to the local beer scene by the arrival of Little Creatures in 2013 suggests they were on to something.

But developments in recent years suggest one of Geelong's near neighbours, the surfing hub of Torquay, may have lofty goals of its own. Leading the way in Torquay is Blackman's, opened by local boy Renn Blackman and his wife Jess Guidice.

When we say "local boy", it's strictly true as Renn was born and raised half an hour down the road, but it's equally true that he's well travelled too. Before taking over the iconic Surfrider restaurant in Torquay's Bell Street, he first trained as a brewer at Edith Cowan Uni in WA before embarking on stints at The Monk in Freo embellished with a spot of keg washing at the Sail & Anchor across the road before the brewery was closed down. There followed a spell at the Old Swan Brewery on the banks of the Swan River in Perth before he joined the Aussie enclave at London's trailblazing Camden Town Brewery.

The lure of home brought him back to True South in Blackrock in 2013 and, when he and Jess were ready to head to the other side of Port Phillip Bay to open Blackman's, they brought the True South brewery with them. The Newlands kit was installed at the rear of the building and rapidly expanded while the former restaurant was given a stripped back industrial aesthetic, complete with taps protruding from white tiles behind the bar. Meanwhile, Mr Blackman senior was on hand to help turn Blackman's into the welcoming venue it is now, not least by building his son a beer garden from reclaimed WA timbers.

His input hasn't gone unrewarded as Renn and Jess decided to name the beers after members of the Blackman family; there's Bob the spiced witbier, Reg the IPA that Renn hopes will be the beer his brewery becomes known for, and so on. And fine beers they are too, with Renn showing from the off that his time on the road wasn't wasted. The quality of those beers have been noticed by the brewery's peers too, with Blackman's declared 2019's Champion Small Australian Brewery at the Australian International Beer Awards.

A friend he met on his travels was brought in to ensure the food side of the business was in step with the beers too. Mitch, the man behind Beersine – the Perth-based business that specialises in cooking with beer and creating beer dinners, worked with Renn at The Monk and spent three months helping set up the kitchen, designing the menu and guiding the chefs so they better understood the relationship between beer and food. He left a few of his goodies, such as Brettanomyces chilli sauce, behind too.

It's proven to be a combination of friends and family that saw Blackman's hit the ground running and keep going, with significant expansion of the brewery, the opening of a venue in Geelong, a second brand called The Barrel Farm and much more besides. And quite right too. After all, who doesn't love a tale of local boy done good?

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Stories featuring Blackman's Brewery

Core Range

Blackman's Brewery Pivot City Lager
Australian Lager
4.3%
Blackman's Brewery Patsy Wildberry Sour
Fruit Sour
4.6%
Blackman's Brewery OG XPA
XPA
4.4%
Blackman's Brewery Juicy Banger
IPL
5.8%
Blackman's Brewery Mervyn Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
4.6%
Blackman's Brewery Bob Wit
Belgian Witbier
4.3%
Blackman's Brewery Ernie Aussie Pale Ale
Aussie Pale Ale
5.0%
Blackman's Brewery Reginald IPA
IPA
6.2%
Blackman's Brewery Arthur Smoked Porter
Smoked Porter
6.3%
Blackman's Brewery Winnie Cider
Cider
4.6%
Blackman's Brewery Lager
Unfiltered Lager
4.6%

Limited Releases

Blackman's Brewery Needs More Vic Secret
West Coast IPA
6.5%
Blackmans Brewery Citra Cryo & Flanders Red
Pale Ale & Flanders Red
4.6% & 5.0%
Blackman's Brewery Angry Reg (2024) & Hang 10
Double IPA & IPA
6.0% & 8.8%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Galaxy
Single Hop IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Dark Lager & Hollywood Haze
Dark Lager & Hazy IPA
5.2% & 6.0%
Blackman's x Collective Arts x Heartbreaker Ice Cold IPA
Cold IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Enigma IPA
Fresh Hop IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Blood Orange IPA
Blood Orange IPA
5.5%
Blackman's Brewery Milk Choc Easter Egg Stout
Chocolate Stout
5.0%
Blackman's Brewery Spicy Dill Pickle
Sour Beer
4.0%
Blackman's Brewery By The Power Of Thiol
Thiolized IPA
6.4%
Blackman's Brewery Easy Roller & Mango & Passionfruit
Hazy Pale and Oat Cream IPA
4.0% 6.0%
Blackman's Brewery Juicy Juicy Bang Bang
Double IPL
7.0%
Blackman's x Hawkers Juicy West Coast & Peach Sour
West Coast IPL & Peach Sour
6.3% & 4.3%
Blackman's Brewery Radical Haze
Hazy IPA
6.3%
Blackman's Brewery Continuous IPA & Angry Reg (2023)
IPA & Double IPA
7.1% & 8.8%
Blackman's Brewery Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (2023)
Barrel-Aged Stout
10.0%
Blackman's Barrel Farm Dark Barrelled Funk
Barrel-Aged Dark Beer
5.5%
Blackman's Brewery Salted Caramel ESB
Salted Caramel ESB
5.5%
Blackman's Brewery Galaxy Fresh Smash
Fresh Hop Pale
4.8%
Blackman's Brewery Ice Cream IPA & Paradise City Black IPA
Oat Cream IPA & Black IPA
7.0% & 5.8%
Blackman's Brewery How's Your Day?
Hazy IPA
6.0%
Barrel Farm by Blackman's Barrel Aged Golden Sour
Barrel-Aged Golden Sour
5.5%
Blackman's Brewery Happy Pants
West Coast IPA
7.2%
Blackman’s Brewery Czech Pilsner
Czech Pilsner
5.2%
Blackman's Brewery Super Wonderful Hazy
Hazy IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Barrel Farm: Lemon Sorbet Sour
Fruited Kettle Sour
4.4%
Blackman's Brewery Just Another IPA: Mosaic + East Kent Golding
IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Barrel Farm: Whisky Barrel Aged Gin Infused Cherry Porter
Barrel-Aged Cherry Porter
6.5%
Blackman's Barrel Farm Double Yuzu Wit
Yuzu Witbier
6.0%
Blackman's Brewery Just Another IPA: Simcoe + Topaz
West Coast IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery & Pink Boots Society Australia Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
6.0%
Blackman's Brewery Just Another IPA: Citra & Motueka
IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Angry Reg
West Coast Double IPA
8.8%
Blackman's Brewery Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 2022
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
10.0%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Strata & Laid Back
IPA & Nitro Stout
6.5% & 5.3%
Blackman's Brewery Super Hop
West Coast IPA
7.2%
Blackman's Barrel Farm Autumn Ale
Belgian Brown Ale
5.5%
Blackman's Brewery Funky Town & Party Town
Cryo Hazy IPA & Party Town
7.3% & 8.2%
Blackman's Barrel Farm: Cherry Sour
Cherry Gose
5.0%
Blackman's Brewery Beer Garden Lager & Big Happy Tears
Hoppy Lager & West Coast IPA
4.6% & 7.5%
Blackman's Brewery Cold IPA & Incredible Haze
Cold IPA & Hazy DIPA
6.5% & 8.5%
Blackman's Brewery The Barrel Farm: Table Sour
Table Sour
4.5%
Blackman's Brewery Happy Tears
West Coast IPA
7.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Idaho 7
Single Hop IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Mosaic
Single Hop IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Amarillo
Single Hop IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Mosaic & Simcoe
TDH IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Tiramisu Imperial Milk Stout
Imperial Coffee Milk Stout
7.5%
Blackman's Brewery Raspberry Shortcake Imperial Pastry Stout
Imperial Pastry Stout
8.7%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Sabro
Single Hop IPA
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Simcoe
Single Hop IPA
6.5%
Hops to Home & Blackman's Hopsie & Homie
West Coast IPA & Raspberry Hazy IPA
6.6% & 6.7%
Blackman's Brewery Vanilla Choc Mud Cake Stout
Vanilla Choc Stout
7.5%
Blackman's Brewery Needs More Citra
IPA
6.5%
Barrel Farm By Blackman's Sours
Various Sours
5.2% & 4.5% & 6.0%
Blackman's Brewery Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
7.0%
Blackman's Brewery Indie Ale
Kolsch Style Ale
4.4%
Blackman's Brewery Milk Choc Dark Lager & Hop Smash
Dark Lager & XPA
4.8% / 4.4%
Blackman's Brewery Coffee Lager
Coffee Lager
4.8%
Barrel Farm By Blackman's Quince & Honey Saison
Quince & Honey Saison
6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Super Hop West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA
7.2%
Barrel Farm By Blackman's Sour & Sour NEIPA
Sour Ale & Sour NEIPA
4.5% & 6.5%
Blackman's Brewery Strawberry Gose
Strawberry Gose
4.8%
Blackman's Brewery Sea Spray IPA
Seawater IPA
5.8%
Blackman's Local Standard Ale
Session Ale
3.9%
Blackman's Brewery Loral Or Yanny IPA?
West Coast IPA
6.2%
Blackman's Brewery Tomato & Basil Gose
Tomato & Basil Gose
4.8%
Blackman's Brewery Smooth Stout
Stout
4.7%
Blackman's Brewery & IGNI Soured Lager
Spiced Sour Lager
4.6%
Blackman's Brewery Juicy Juicy Bang Bang Double IPL
Double IPL
7.5%
Blackman's Brewery Angry Reg DIPA
Double IPA
8.8%
Nowhereman & Blackman's Coast To Coast IPA
American IPA
6.0%
Blackman's & Barrow Boys You're Turning Violet Gose
Fruit Gose
4.8%
Blackman's Brewery Lager Collective: Citra Black Dynamite & Zinger Slinger IPL
Hoppy Lagers
5.9% & 5.8%
Blackman's Brewery Smokin' Beets
Smoked Beetroot Saison
5.2%
Blackman's Brewery Blackberry Gose
Blackberry Gose
4.8%
Blackman's Brewery Festbier: Hopfen Weisse
Dry Hopped Hefeweizen
Blackman's Brewery Angry Reg Double IPA
Double IPA
8.8%
Blackman's Brewery Reginald IPA (cans)
American IPA
6.2%
Blackman's & Barrow Boys Wet Hop Red Bock
Wet Hop Red Bock
5.8%
Blackman's Brewery Bells Pro Session Ale
Amber Ale
4%
Blackman's & 3 Ravens Sylvan Berry Berliner Weisse
Berliner Weisse
3.2%
Blackman's Brewery Imperial Smoked Porter
Imperial Smoked Porter
9.0%
Blackman's Brewery Rye Dark Lager
Dark Lager
5.5%
Blackman's Brewery Versus Camden Town Imperial Pils
Imperial Pilsner
7.8%
Blackman's Brewery Bells Pro Pale Ale
American Pale Ale