Pirate Life (CUB/Asahi)

Pirate Life Brewing’s story is one of the most remarkable in the contemporary Australian beer scene. It's a tale that began in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where two young brewers, Jack Cameron and Jared "Red" Proudfoot, met and honed their brewing skills through apprenticeships for BrewDog.

Here, in the bitter cold of Scotland’s icy winters, the idea of one day running a successful craft brewery in Australia was spawned. Jack and Red worked together, studied together, lived together and drank together, always dreaming of the light at the end of the tunnel (or, perhaps, just for the sun to come out). It seemed that craft beer ran in the family’s blood as Michael Cameron, Jack’s father, and later CEO of the company, was also an employee at BrewDog, building their first bar in Aberdeen at one point in a career that has taken in running venues, repping and bringing Coopers and BrewDog to the US.

With an increased knowledge of brewing in their heads and a drive to create their own craft beer brewery, they jumped on a plane back to Western Australia to make it all happen. As the planned out their quest, Jack accepted a job at Little Creatures in Fremantle, where he continued to learn new brewing techniques and methods. Red followed a similar pathway, helping establish the Cheeky Monkey Brewery in the Margaret River region.

Meanwhile, in the background, Michael began accumulating funds to make the dream come true. An opportunity at an already established brewery arose in the Barossa Valley but, after deciding this wasn't for them, the Pirate Life folk explored Adelaide and fell in love: with the culture, the bar life, the festivals and the city itself.

After visiting multiple properties, the right building was finally found in December 2014 in the bustling suburb of Hindmarsh, the place that Pirate Life Brewing now call home. All that remained was the drive from WA, across the Nullarbor Plain, and into their new home.

The original brewery in Hindmarsh was set in a giant tin shed, custom designed to suit all things beer. With a 2,500 litre brewhouse at one end plus what soon became a veritable forest of tanks and, ultimately, twin canning lines, they set about exploding onto the local beer scene like few others via award-winning, hop forward beers in cans that displayed their entire brewing process around the rim, complete with the malts and hops that are used, all the way through to the recycling process.

The core range of beers launched in March 2015: the Throwback Session IPA; a Pale Ale at 5.4 percent; and an IIPA at 8.8 percent. The first two come in 355ml cans and the latter in a giant 500ml tin: a big vessel for a big beer. It's a range that initially expanded steadily, most notably to include the serial trophy-winning Mosaic IPA, before exploding into life with dozens of beers of all shapes and sizes hitting taps and fridges, not least once they'd moved to their current home in Port Adelaide, of which more later.

But what of the name Pirate Life?

"We believe we live our life just like a pirate would, we are carefree, relaxed and brew what we want to,” says Jack.

After enjoying phenomenal success in their first two years – sending beers across Australia and far further afield, while hosting hundreds of events each year – and adding public acclaim via the GABS Hottest 100 to their awards trophies, they were bought by the world's biggest brewing company, AB InBev, meaning they now sit within the CUB stable of craft brands owned by Asahi. It was a move that allowed them to put the pedal to the metal on their long-mooted Port Adelaide brewery and venue.

The vast site opened in March 2019 – a mere four years after the launch of their first trio of beers – and allows for increased production as well as greater freedom to experiment on the original kit, which has been moved to Port Adelaide too, following the decision to close Hindmarsh.

It's a brewery venue of staggering proportions, certainly within the Australian landscape, capable of hosting thousands inside and out for special events, serving up their core beers plus a rotating list of 50-plus new beers a year, and home to shuffleboard tables and a merch stand that sells skateboards and bikes as well as more typical brewery offerings. The former Dalgety woolstores are also adorned with murals and art galore, most notably a 50m peacock strutting its tail feathers along one side.

What's more, the options open to them within the new structure became apparent soon after with the launch of the MCC Ale, a beer created for the members at the MCG, which has been followed by the opening of a brewpub at Adelaide's SkyCity Casino and another in partnership with Sneakers & Jeans in Perth. Now who'd have seen that coming when they first set sail?

Matt King

Name
Pirate Life (CUB/Asahi)
Address

18 Baker Street
Port Adelaide
SA 5015

Phone
(08) 8340 1447
Open Hours

Sun to Thurs: 11am to 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am to midnight


This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

Pirate Life (CUB/Asahi) Regulars

Pirate Life South Coast Pale & Strong Pale Ale

Published May 19, 2020
If you've been watching Pirate Life from afar over the past year or so, you might think they'd eased up on the new beers. And, while hyped nationwide can releases have been lesser sighted, one only needs to have visited one of their bars at a festival (remember them?) or called into their imposing Port Adelaide home to know that's far from the case. Each time I've spoken to co-founder Mick Cameron over the past couple of years the number of new releases planned for the coming 12 months has moved… Read more
Style
Pale Ale & Spiced Strong Pale Ale
ABV
4.4% & 6.0%

Pirate Life Easy Ale

Published December 13, 2019
They've brewed many, many beers in various shades of pale and with various complexions of hop expression, both in terms of potency and character but, as summer 2019/20 kicks in, Pirate Life have made room for one more in their core lineup. Easy Ale is, as the name suggests, designed for easy-going drinking. Yet don't go imagining a light, summer ale style beer, as this sits more in the space set aside for Australian interpretations of American pale ales. "But they've already got an American… Read more
Style
Cream Ale
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
22 IBU

Pirate Life Pilsner

Published April 14, 2018
The brewery may have built its reputation upon a series of acclaimed hop forward ales, yet the appearance of this Pilsner amid Pirate Life’s canned lineup shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. As well as last year's Stout and the odd barrel aged experiment, they've put out a few pilsners in draught form over the past couple of years. This one is the beer you may have seen on tap as Nelson Pilsner, so named as it's a single hop pilsner featuring Nelson Sauvin out of New Zealand. It's a popular… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
4.8%

Pirate Life Brewing Port Local Lager

Published November 9, 2017
The Port Admiral Hotel is Port Adelaide’s oldest remaining building, dating back to 1849. Nearly 120 years after first opening its doors, and following a million dollar resurrection, the hotel has started pouring its first beers in more than a decade. The Port Admiral opened the doors on its latest incarnation on November 8, 2017, under the stewardship of a group of owners who come from a variety of backgrounds but all have one thing in common: knowledge of good booze. So, they enlisted another… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
4.5%

Pirate Life Mosaic IPA

Published June 10, 2017
It is no secret that the Pirate Life crew love their hops. With rare exceptions, the hoppier the beer, the better the beer in their books. It's a tradition that continues with one of a pair of previously draught only beers that made a first appearance in 500ml cans for winter 2017. The Mosaic IPA was originally brewed for their second birthday beach party but proved to be so popular it was soon making its way through the brewhouse again and given the tinnie treatment. It's a showcase for their all-time… Read more
Style
Mosaic IPA
ABV
7.0%
Stockists

Available nationwide

Pirate Life IPA

Published April 15, 2016
Given they opened their account with a session IPA, pale ale and imperial IPA, it was surely only a matter of time before Pirate Life added an IPA to their lineup. And, given how good all three of their previous hoppy releases were, it was surely a given that the IPA would be delicious when it arrived. And so it proved. In a slight sideways step from the previous three, they added a Kiwi hop variety alongside some of their favoured US hops and, at least up front, it's the Riwaka that grabs your attention,… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.8%

Pirate Life Hopco NZ Pale

Published February 10, 2016
In their short lifetime, Pirate Life has managed to squeeze in a fair few collabs: with venues, with the Hilltop Hoods' record label, with a guy that makes beard oil. But perhaps their smartest is this one with Hopco, the Tasmania-based hop supplier. Why? When the world's brewers are undergoing frequent hop shortages, it can't hurt to have a supplier's name on one of your cans. The beer itself is one that makes sole use of New Zealand hops: NZ Cascade, Motueka and Pacifica. They combine to create… Read more
Style
NZ Pale Ale
ABV
4.8%

Pirate Life Throwback IPA

Published March 20, 2015
There's been much debate about the term "session IPA" in the beer world. It seems that a lot of people get rather hot and bothered about what it means, whether it has any validity or is just a marketing swizz, and that the cause of humanity would be advanced if the two words were never uttered in unison ever again. Seems to us there are more pressing matters to get worked up about but if we were to just assume that session IPA is here to stay as a descriptor then what should it be? We'd… Read more
Style
Session IPA
ABV
3.5%
Bitterness
35 IBU

Pirate Life Pale Ale

For their take on the pale ale style, the Pirate Life boys plant their flag firmly on the West Coast of the USA, one of many places the boss, Mick, spent time working in the beer world before helping get Pirate Life up and running. Given the comments of some when we attended their Melbourne launch, it would seem they've done a pretty good job; "If this had been pouring at Alesmith when I was there, it would have been the pick of their beers," was the view of one admiration-filled punter. While… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
5.4%
Bitterness
50 IBU

Pirate Life IIPA

Normally, when a brewery releases a beer that's bigger than the others in its range you might expect them to package it in something smaller than the rest. Not Pirate Life. The third beer in their core range to be released is comfortably the biggest: an imperial IPA weighing in at 8.8 percent ABV. And, while the session IPA and Pale Ale appear in 355ml cans, this bad boy gets the 500ml treatment, making it a beer to approach with care. And, it should be said, more than a little excitement if you're… Read more
Style
Imperial IPA
ABV
8.8%
Bitterness
120 IBU

Pirate Life (CUB/Asahi) Specials

Pirate Life & St Agnes Distillery Sidecar Sour

Published January 10, 2023
2022 was Negroni Sbagliato’s year, what will be the cocktail of 2023? For Pirate Life Brewing, who are no strangers to creating beery spins on cocktails, they’ve entered the new year with a collaborative sour ale, Sidecar. To turn the drink of brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice into a beer, the brewery partnered with St Agnes Distillery with the Renmark outfit’s Bartender’s Cut blend of brandy the star of the sour. It’s certainly particularly sour too, with the added lemon juice packing… Read more
Style
Sour Ale
ABV
7.5%

Pirate Life Sunlit Aussie Wheat Ale

Published June 9, 2022
Either market research by CUB/Asahi (or Endeavour Group) has revealed there's an untapped desire in the local beer market for Aussie wheat ales or there's been a serious case of "great minds think alike" within the teams at a number of their craft brands. Matilda Bay, who let's not forget introduced many an Aussie to the concept of European wheat beers with Redback, released such a beer not long ago, and now there's two more from Pirate Life and Green Beacon respectively. I'm pretty sure… Read more
Style
Aussie Wheat Ale
ABV
4.6%

Pirate Life Best Pilsner

Published February 10, 2022
While it's a fairly common prefix for beers in parts of the world – many a British real ale brewer has a "Best Bitter" in their lineup, for example – it's still a reasonably bold choice to include it in the name of your beer in the home of the tall poppy syndrome. That said, Pirate Life have never been back backward in coming forward, and brought in some pretty decent partners when creating this pilsner: Cryer Malt, founded by the David of the same name in New Zealand three decades… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
4.8%
Stockists

Only available at Dan Murphy's stores

Pirate Life & Belles Hot Chicken Belles Original Draught

Published December 16, 2021
To paraphrase our Prime Minister: how good a combination is fried chicken and beer? Belles Hot Chicken know it, Pirate Life know it and Scott Morrison probably knows it. It’s why the Melbourne-born chicken shop and the Adelaide-based brewery have come together to create a beer with that pairing in mind, the aptly-named Belles Original Draught. It may be a very classic looking beer and one designed to wash down chicken first and foremost but that doesn’t mean there’s no flavour lurking within… Read more
Style
Pilsner
ABV
4.5%

Pirate Life Rum Barrel-Aged Coffee & Molasses Baltic Porter

Published May 28, 2021
One of the very many beers Pirate Life have been pouring at the 2021 GABS festivals is the snappily-titled Rum Barrel-Aged Coffee & Molasses Baltic Porter. It's a beer with quite the backstory too: 4,000 litres of their Coffee & Molasses Baltic Porter went into oak casks previously used for rum back in late 2019; they spent eight months in them before being released and blended not just with each other, but also with some younger porter. Along the way, a spontaneous Brettanomyces ferment… Read more
Style
Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter
ABV
10.0%

Pirate Life 440

Published May 14, 2021
With their new digs progressing behind the cladding at 440 Murray Street, this offering from Pirate Life Perth is made with sessionability in mind, whether those sessions are post-CBD work drinks, or weekend ‘burbs catch-ups. As Pirate Life Perth head brewer Jackson Purser points out: "It’s definitely set to be an ale punters will want to go back for" – especially when the Perth venue opens later this year, with 440 set to be the first pour. 440 takes aim at summer / Pacific / golden… Read more
Style
Hoppy Golden Ale
ABV
4.8%

Pirate Life Citrus Hystrix & Hazy Pale

Published November 26, 2020
I'll be honest: I initially read the name of Pirate Life's mid-strength sour as Hysterics and started wondering whether they'd moved from putting nitro doses into their beers to giving fans a shot of nitrous oxide. But it turns out no nangs were harmed in the making of Citrus Hystrix; it's the name of a type of lime native to South East Asia, which makes plenty of sense once you taste the beer as the lime character isn't your typical one. It reminded me a little of the tingly tea tree and lime shower… Read more
Style
Fruit Sour & Hazy Pale
ABV
3.5% & 5.4%

Pirate Life Idaho-7 IPA & Pumpkin Spice Latte Ale

Published November 12, 2020
If you wanted to capture where the pointier end of the beer geek world was a few years ago and where it sits now, you could do far worse than with these two offerings from Pirate Life. A decade ago, the arrival of single hop IPA series would get drinkers hot under the collar; not only were they a fun concept but there was an educational aspect too. With Idaho-7, Pirate Life put one of the fruitier recent releases from the US to work unhindered in an almost viscous, golden pour. Left alone, it unfurls… Read more
Style
Single Hop IPA & Pumpkin Ale
ABV
7.0% & 8.0%

Pirate Life Lime Gose

Published October 14, 2020
Kakadu plum and lemon myrtle. Lemongrass and ginger. Apple and guava. It's fair to say Pirate Life's brewers have been willing to look a little outside the box when selecting flavour-enhancers for some of their 2020 limited releases. It can make the arrival of Lime Gose seem rather sedate, in itself a reminder of how far the beer landscape has changed in the past half decade: a lightly soured beer featuring native finger limes, coriander and Murray River pink salt can be viewed as one with a relatively… Read more
Style
Lime Gose
ABV
4.9%

Pirate Life DDDH Cryo NEIPA (It's A Beer)

Published September 23, 2020
It's become harder to predict where Pirate Life will turn next over the past year or so, whether in terms of beers, such as light sours with unlikely ingredients, or partners; as I type these words, they've just unveiled a collaboration with Dilmah. That beer is the Tea & Biccies Brown Ale with which the SA brewers "are planning to push the boundaries on what tea and beer can be." For all that, there's been a steady stream of the sort of beers with which they rose to prominence, a spot… Read more
Style
Cryo Hopped NEIPA
ABV
7.2%

Pirate Life & Limeburners Whisky Barrel Aged Stout 2020

Published September 3, 2020
Back in the period when they were enjoying their prime moment in the (thin, reedy) sun, there was a good chance any review of Sigur Rós, whether performing live or on record, would contain the term "glacial". In all honesty, I'm pretty sure I fell into the trap when writing about ( ) back when it wasn't all beer. It was an easy / lazy shorthand for the Icelandic group's distinctive sound, but one that became something of a well-worn trope. I mention this as the equivalent in the world… Read more
Style
Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV
12.0%

Pirate Life & Sneakers & Jeans Kakadu Plum & Lemon Myrtle

Published August 20, 2020
Kakadu Plum has been described as Australia’s native superfood, with many unique properties, among them the highest vitamin content of any fruit and five times the antioxidant properties of blueberries. Whether these contribute any health benefits in this lemon myrtle-laden beer is unclear, however even if there's the of slightest chances, that's good enough reason to sample a can or two. In addition to the Australian adjuncts, a trio of NZ hops – Taiheke, Riwaka and Motueka – feature, although… Read more
Style
Spiced Australian Pale Ale
ABV
4.6%

Pirate Life Zappa IPA

Published August 19, 2020
Pirate Life have a good track record when it comes to singling out new hops for single hop IPA treatment, most notably when they took Mosaic – not exactly shiny and new on these shores at the time but far from its current ubiquity – and turned it into a trophy-gathering, palate-delighting monster. They've also been among the most high profile mothers of invention within the Aussie beer scene since launching a little over five years ago, a habit that, if anything, has only become more far-reaching… Read more
Style
Single Hop IPA
ABV
7.0%

Pirate Life Imperial Breakfast Stout & Black IPA

Published July 20, 2020
There's more than one way of getting two beers from one run through the mash tun. Sometimes brewers split their wort (the sweet, sugar-laden water extracted from mashing milled grains) into more than one batch and change up the hops, yeast or other processes. Sometimes brewers use the first runnings – the densest, most sugar-laden wort obtained when the mash tun is first drained – for one beer and then the second runnings – obtained by putting more water through the grains to extract more of… Read more
Style
Imperial Stout & Black IPA
ABV
11.0% & 6.0%

Pirate Life Loose Lips Sink Ships IIIPA & Smooth Sailing West Coast IPA

Published July 20, 2020
Of the two parti-gyle pairs released by Pirate Life in quick succession – of which you can read more here – our bottleshop spies tell us it's the IIIPA Loose Lips Sink Ships that's been selling the fastest. Given the target audience and the sort of beers that dominate the upper echelons of ranking sites like Untappd and RateBeer, it shouldn't be a surprise, what with all those Is, an ABV of 12 percent ABV and 100-plus IBUs (International Bitterness Units). It's a beer that's been around before,… Read more
Style
IIPA & West Coast IPA
ABV
12.0% & 6.0%

Pirate Life & Sneakers & Jeans Apple & Guava

Published July 14, 2020
With Pirate Life Perth still scheduled for opening this year, this collab with their bespoke venue partner Sneakers & Jeans is, quite literally, the first taste from the forthcoming venture, and it’s one with an energetic yet broad appeal in mind. Apple & Guava pours with a NEIPA-like haze complete with a crisp, white, moussey head which belies the rather nimble beer on the tongue. Sure, there’s a little more weight than the average sour, but the visual density hides a lighter beer than… Read more
Style
Fruit Sour
ABV
3.8%
Stockists

Available from independent WA retailers

Pirate Life Lemongrass & Ginger & Kiwifruit & Cherry

Published May 19, 2020
Think lemongrass and ginger and a few things are liable to come to mind: some form of linctus to tackle a head cold, Thai cuisine, an aromatherapy massage, or maybe a herbal tea. If I were to place Lemongrass & Ginger, a sour from Pirate Life, it would be closer to the massage room at the hot springs than the bowl of Tom Kha at your favourite Thai restaurant. Both key ingredients sparkle from the off, with a zingy sweetness on the palate and a slow-building back palate warmth from the ginger… Read more
Style
Spiced Sour & Fruit Sour
ABV
3.8% & 4.5%

Pirate Life OG Stout

Published September 11, 2019
When Pirate Life first released a stout in cans, the tallboy tinnie'd Stout, it might have taken a few of the brewery's fans by surprise, in that it took inspiration from the traditional beers of England rather than the hopped up versions that followed in the States. Here, with OG Stout – a beer that's proving popular enough it may transition to a permanent slot in the lineup – it's a similar approach, albeit reined in a little on the booze front. As with an OG stout from England, it's dark,… Read more
Style
Stout
ABV
5.8%

Pirate Life Tropical IIPA

Published September 11, 2019
Pirate Life's IIPA might not have been the country's first imperial IPA but its impact in 500ml cans, both in terms of "Wow!" factor and success in competitions both public and industry based, can still be felt, with a series of other brewers following suit and popping such beers into bigger cans than their lower ABV hoppy releases. Here, the SA brewers give their icon a neon-flecked companion piece, albeit in their now standard 355ml cans and at a slightly lower 8 percent ABV. The can… Read more
Style
IIPA
ABV
8.0%

Pirate Life Boysenberry Dark Sour & NW Pale (Dan Murphy's exclusives)

Published September 11, 2019
You never know when a memory is going to be brought back to life – or indeed what those memories might be. In the case of Pirate Life's Boysenberry Dark Sour – one of two Dan Murphy's exclusives from the brewery in 2019 – it's sitting in the dining room of the Holiday Inn in Dover circa 1985 and ordering the ridiculously sugar-laden soft drink they had on the kids menu; I can't recall the name but it was essentially Coke with blackcurrant cordial in it (what were my parents thinking?). Here… Read more
Style
Dark Sour & Pale Ale
ABV
6.0% & 5.8%

Pirate Life & Limeburners Barrel-Aged Stout 2018 Vintage

Published February 23, 2019
The debut Hindmarsh Collection release for Pirate Life began nearly three years ago. Clearly these things take time, however the relationship cemented between the brewery and Limeburners distillery, regarded as one of the world’s best, quickly evolved through mutual admiration and respect, and more than a few beers. The series premiere is a blend of 30, 18 and six-month-old American oak whisky barrel aged stout and arrives in an elegantly noir package that evokes a similar statement of intent… Read more
Style
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV
8.6%
Stockists

Available across Australia and in Singapore too

Pirate Life Unfazed By The Haze & Black

Published September 3, 2018
Considering Pirate Life made such a name for itself in such a short space of time on the back of its brewers' mastery of hop forward beers, it might come as some surprise the Adelaide operation has taken so long to put out a New England IPA in a can. But fear not, that’s all changed with the national release of Unfazed By The Haze – well, sort of... While the beer debuted on tap at their third birthday celebrations may have the smooth body, low bitterness and hopping regime of a typical NEIPA,… Read more
Style
New Holland IPA & India Black Ale
ABV
6.2% & 5.8%
Stockists

Available across Australia

Pirate Life & Cirque Alfonse Alfonse Ale

Published February 27, 2018
When it comes to collaborations, Pirate Life have always been happy to look outside the box and their latest offering is no different: Alfonse Ale is brewed in collaboration with the Canadian circus troupe Cirque Alfonse. In 2017, Pirate Life provided the kegs used in the troupe's juggling routine at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. With the circus stars returning to the festival in 2018, the Pirates decided to welcome them with a beer brewed in their honour. The style brief for the beer was provided… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
5.7%
Stockists

This is an SA only exclusive release, pouring throughout the duration of the Fringe.

Pirate Life & Ballast Point Trans Pacific Partnership

Published June 24, 2017
Given so much of what makes up Pirate Life is inspired by the beers of West Coast USA, there can be few more suitable collaborations for them to enter into than one with a West Coast US icon. Ballast Point was one of the trailblazers of the influential San Diego scene, growing from a small brewery at the back of a home brew store in San Diego to one that operates from several sites and was picked up by Constellation Brands in December 2015 for an eye-watering USD $1billion. And now they've made a… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
6.0%
Stockists

And other select venues in SA, VIC & NSW

Pirate Life Stout

Published June 12, 2017
It's taken until tinnie number eight (or seventh equal given it's released at the same time as the Mosaic IPA) for Pirate Life to put a beer that isn't hop forward into cans. Sure, there have been barrel aged beers, a porter and a Berliner Weisse released in bottle or on tap, but now winter 2017 sees Stout join a lineup previously reserved for a series of pales, IPAs and a golden ale. They've switched the focus to dark malts in typically unreserved fashion: inside the eye-catching 500ml mass of swirls… Read more
Style
Export Stout
ABV
7.1%
Stockists

Available nationwide

Pirate Life Stout

Published July 14, 2016
They may have made their name – and, boy, how they've done that – by displaying a knack for creating delicious hop forward beers, but there's plenty more in the Pirate Life locker. Last winter, they played around with a stout and a brown ale, released in small amounts and on limited taps, and now the Stout is back, still draught only but with more of it (and, potentially, plans for it to appear in their award-winningly distinctive cans a year hence). It's tagged an Export Stout, thus bigger than… Read more
Style
Export Stout
ABV
7.1%