Hawkers Beer

Brewer

Name
Hawkers Beer
Address

167 Henty Street
Reservoir
VIC 3073

Tours

Tours by appointment only
Cellar door sales available

At the start of summer 2013, The Crafty Pint received an email from a wine expert and booze world publisher introducing us to Joseph Abboud, the chef behind Melbourne’s popular Rumi and Moor’s Head restaurants. Joseph had just returned from a visit to his mother country, Lebanon, which somehow had turned from an exploratory trip to find new flavours and ideas for the kitchen into him becoming a beer importer.

When we met soon afterwards, with Joseph bringing samples of the soon-to-arrive 961 Beers from Beirut, it quickly became apparent just how unexpected this turn of affairs had been. Having previously only been exposed to macro lagers, he had never been a beer drinker. Yet here he was with the first of many containers of beer already on the water heading from the Middle East to Australia.

Quite how he had ended up in this position soon became apparent when we met the man behind 961 Beer at its Australian launch event at Rumi some weeks later. Mazen Hajjar – former war photographer, major bank CFO and founder of two airlines yet still to turn 40 at the time – turned out to be quite the character: a passionate believer in the power and heritage of good beer who had taught himself to brew at home before building the Middle East’s first craft brewery then succeeding in exporting its beer to more than 20 countries. Little wonder Joseph had been drawn into his maelstrom…

Of course, being a chef with a fantastic palate, as anyone who’s dined at Rumi can attest, once exposed to the world of craft beer there was no turning back. And, just as his appreciation for the wonders of beer and its suitability for the dining table grew rapidly, so too did the visions Mazen had for beer in Australia. He returned again and again, falling for the country and spying the huge potential in the beer world, and began planning to build a brewery in Melbourne.

And thus it was that, less than two years after he first spoke about 961 Beer at Rumi, the first Hawkers Beer release, a highly aromatic American pale ale, rolled out of the imposing brewery in Reservoir built at a cost upwards of $3m. Two days later, it was named People’s Choice Best Beer at the Great Australian Beer Festival in Geelong; within 20 days, they’d run out of Pale Ale, while the subsequent two releases, an IPA and Pilsner, had started garnering praise from Melbourne beer lovers too.

The name of the brewery refers to Mazen’s first trip to Australia, when they took to the streets of Sydney with bags full of 961 samples and went door to door around the city’s venues promoting their wares like the hawkers of old. Yet there’s nothing old about the brewery they’ve built. The towers of steel in Melbourne’s north comprise one of the most hi-tech microbreweries ever constructed by Canadian manufacturer DME and, with a brewhouse capable of producing 45 hectolitre batches and an ever-expanding field of towering fermenters waiting to be filled, it’s one of the largest in Australia too.

There was no messing about when it came to assembling a brewery team for launch either. They brought in highly rated young brewer Jon Seltin, who made his name reinventing Bright Brewery’s beers with panache, at the start, while well known reps joined Hawkers to build a market in Melbourne. The initial reception was one of the warmest we can recall in The Crafty Pint’s existence (one local bottleshop alone shifted more than 230 cartons in three weeks) and things have grown from there.

While Joseph has since returned to his restaurants, Hawkers has grown into one of the largest independent breweries in Australia, expanding at a rate of knots, entering other states – and the UK, with its IPA available through Marks & Spencer – and installing a canning line to further expand its lineup.

The brewing team has been playing with barrels too – from bourbon to aquavit – while the team has hosted some grand events at the brewery too, even turning it into a circus for one evening.

In August 2019, the brewery embarked on a brand and lineup refresh, closing the chapter on the hawkers story and embracing a more Australia-centric one – read about it here.

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

Stories featuring Hawkers Beer

Core Range

Rover Merri Creek Middy
Mid-Strength Pale Ale
3.5%
Hawkers Beer Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
6.2%
Hawkers Hazy Pale
Hazy Pale Ale
4.6%
Hawkers Beneath The Trees We Gather
Fruit Sour
7.0%
Hawkers Into The Forest, I Go
Berry Sour
4.6%
Rover Gilbert Rd. Lager
Lager
4.2%
Hawkers IPA
IPA
6.0%
Hawkers Pale Ale
Pale Ale
4.8%
Rover Henty St Ale (Hawkers)
Hoppy Session Ale
4.3%
Hawkers Beer West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA
7.2%
Hawkers Pilsner
Pilsner
5.0%

Limited Releases

Hawkers Beer Recurring Dreams & Sour Cup
Hay IPA & Gose
7.0% & 5.0%
Hawkers Beer From Yeast To West
West Coast IPAs
6.9%
Hawkers Tangent: Smokin' Aces, One For Yuzu & Vive Le Tini
Alcoholic Sparkling Beverage
4.0%
Hawkers Beer Four Seasons: Summer West Coast IPA
West Coast IPA
6.0%
Hawkers x Cloudwater Solar Eclipse & Lunar Eclipse
Hazy IPA & Imperial Stout
7.2% & 10.5%
Hawkers Passion Project
Passionfruit Gose
7.0%
Hawkers Beer Trio Of Dips
West Cocast IPAs
6.5%
Hawkers BBA Double Imperial Stout & BBA Imperial Smoked Stout
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
14.0% & 11.9%
Hawkers Double White Stout & Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 2023
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
9.7% & 13.1%
Hawkers Beer Four Seasons: Winter West Coast TIPA
West Coast Triple IPA
10.0%
Hawkers Beer Fashionably Punctual
West Coast IPAs
6.5%
Hawkers Beer Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts Series 2023
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
11.8% & 13.0%
Hawkers Beer Barrel Aged White Stout Series '23
Barrel-Aged White Stout Variants
Both 6.0%
Hawkers Beer Barleywine 2023
Barleywine
11.2%
Hawkers Beer Oaty McOatface & Imperial Stout 2023
Oatmeal Milk Stout & Impieral Stout
8.0% & 10.5%
Hawkers Beer Gratuitous Flare
Dry-Hopped Fruit Sour
7.2%
Hawkers Beer Old Chap, New Tricks
Modern British IPA
7.0%
Hawkers Beer Sheer Terroir
West Coast IPAs
All 6.5%
Hawkers Bottomless Pith, Read Between The Limes & Downside Up
Blood Orange IPA, Lime Berliner Weisse & Hazy DIPA
6.0% & 4.5% & 8.0%
Hawkers Double Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 2022 (and friends)
Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts
13.7% & 13.4% & 13.4%
Hawkers Party Starter Hazy Triple IPA
Hazy Triple IPA
10.2%
Hawkers Love Affair & Bourbon Barrel-Aged Double White Stout
Chocolate Lager & Barrel-Aged White Stout
6.0% & 8.0%
Hawkers Beer Saint Hildegard 2022
Passionfruit Gose
4.2%
Hawkers Beer Barrel-Aged White Stout 2022 & Double West Coast IPA
Barrel-Aged White Stout & Double IPA
6.0% & 9.0%
Hawkers Cherry-Coconut Birthday Cake
Whisky Barrel-Aged Cherry & Coconut Imperial Pastry Stout
11.9%
Hawkers Beer Alter Ego: Talus East & West Coast IPAs
East & West Coast Single Hop IPAs
Both 6.5%
Hawkers Beer Double West Coast IPA
Double West Coast IPA
9.0%
Hawkers Whisky Barrel-Aged Stouts 2021
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
13.2% & 12.3%
Hawkers Barrel Aged Baltic Porters 2021
Barrel-Aged Baltic Porters
11.7% & 10.8%
Hawkers Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts 2021
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
ABVs as indicated
Hawkers Red Shift & IIPA 2021
India Red Ale & IIPA
8.0% & 9.0%
Hawkers Nostalgic Tones
India Brown Ale
7.0%
Hawkers Freedom Units Triple NEIPA
Triple NEIPA
10.5%
Hawkers & Three Weavers Kylie
Double Rye West Coast IPA
8.0%
Hawkers Triplicity Double NEIPA
Double NEIPA
8.2%
Hawkers Dreaming Of Oats & Apollo After Dark
DDH Oat Cream IPA & Imperial Choc Orange Stout
7.5% & 9.7%
Hawkers Moment Of Clarity & Freedom Units
Double IPA & Triple IPA
9.0% & 10.5%
Hawkers & Against The Grain Bo & Luke Down Under 2020 – Hazelnut & Cocoa
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
12.9%
Hawkers & Against The Grain Bo & Luke Down Under 2020
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
13.0% & 12.9%
Hawkers Around The Orchard We Roam
Fruit Cream Sour
6.0%
Hawkers Steph Likes A Party Double IPA
Double IPA
9.5%
Hawkers Right On Schedule Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
8.5%
Hawkers Late To The Party Hazy IPA
Hazy IPA
7.0%
Hawkers Under The Tropical Sun
Kettle Sour
4.0%
Hawkers & Alchemy Distillers Antifogmatic Beertail
Beertail
4.7%
Hawkers & Circus Oz Strong Pale Ale
Strong Pale Ale
5.7%
Hawkers & Carwyn Cellars The Forgotten Casks Imperial Stout 2018
Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
14.2%
Hawkers Cognac Barrel-Aged Barleywine & Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 2019
Barrel-Aged Barleywine & Imperial Stout
11.6% & 13.2%
Hawkers Imperial Stout 2019
Imperial Stout
10.6%
Hawkers & Pink Boots & Cryer Malt Saint Hildegard XPA
XPA
4.6%
Hawkers & Against The Grain & Liberty Collabs 2019
DDH IPA & Kettle Sour
7.0% & 4.5%
Hawkers & Bale Breaker Tom Needs More Friends IPA
IPA
6.5%
Hawkers Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Cardamom & Coffee
Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee & Cardamom Imperial Stout
12.7%
Hawkers Imperial Stout 2018
Imperial Stout
11.5%
Hawkers Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Ale 2018
Barrel Aged Old Ale
8.5%
Hawkers & Crux Fermentation Aquavit Barrel Aged Wheat Wine 2018
Barrel Aged Wheat Wine
13.0& / 12.8% / 12.7%
Hawkers Beer IIPA 2018
Imperial IPA
9.0%
Hawkers Beer Hop Series IPA No.2
South African IPA
6.0%
Hawkers Beer Lager – RETIRED
Lager
4.2%
Hawkers Beer XPA – RETIRED
XPA
4.6%
Hawkers Beer Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts 2017
Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts
Various
Hawkers Beer Hop Series IPA 1
German IPA
6.0%
Hawkers Beer IIPA
Imperial IPA
9.0%
Rover Session IPA – RETIRED
Session IPA
4.0%
Rover Session Ale – RETIRED
Session Ale
4.3%
Hawkers Beer Barleywine 2016
Barrel Aged Barley Wine
12.5%
Hawkers Beer Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout 2016
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
12.2%
Hawkers Beer Imperial Stout 2016
Imperial Stout
10.0%
Hawkers / Edge / KAIJU! / Evil Twin / Baird Inappropriate Touching
Imperial Schwarzbier
6.5%
Hawkers Saison – RETIRED
Saison
5.6%
Hawkers IPA – RETIRED
IPA
6.5%
Hawkers Pale Ale – RETIRED
American Pale Ale
5.2%