Woolshed Brewery

Brewer

Name
Woolshed Brewery
Address

65 Wilkinson Road
Murtho
SA 5341

Phone
(08) 8595 8188
Open Hours

Wed to Sun: 11am to 5pm

Tours

By appointment

The Woolshed Brewery is located in an old shearing shed on the banks of the picturesque Murray River in the Riverland region of South Australia. The sheds are steeped in history with many yarns spun and hard earned knock off drinks enjoyed in them over the years.

The entire station on which they’re situated, previously known as Murtho Park, was once a thriving wheat farm too, with former owners, the Wilkinson family, using the Murray River to transport their grain to all parts of Australia. These days, it has a rather different use for wheat and grain.

New owners bought the part of the station known as Wilkadene in 1988 and have since converted the grounds into a brewery and cellar door. The view from the verandah looking over the Murray River is now one of peace and tranquility – a far cry, one imagines, from the intense shearing sessions of yesteryear.

The Woolshed Brewery is a short drive from the country town of Renmark and welcomes guests with the warm hearted country spirit being typical of the region. Its owners live in a small homestead with a friendly dog, aptly named Murray. The cellar door, brewhouse and a few historical snapshots of the past fill the old woolshed. And out the back lies the new shed, which is where the magic happens: inside you’ll find three fermenters, kegging and bottling machines and a conditioning room.

Of course, you don’t have to arrive by car: Anyone cruising the river can moor their boat right outside and clamber up a few stairs into the brewery. In fact, even if you do arrive by car, you don’t have to leave that way; as well as offering craft beer and cosy accommodation, The Woolshed Brewery also dabbles in houseboats. There’s a fleet of four with options that cater for a large group or a small family, all fitted with creature comforts including double beds, a BBQ, Eskies, stoves and (naturally) a craft beer tap through which you can pour beer from the brewery.

Within the brewery itself, the bar area is made out of white ant resistant native pine posts and brings the natural surroundings inside. This emphasis on locality and nature pervades the beer range too: two ales are named after local flora and fauna, the Amazon Ale was named after a little creek that runs close by in the Murray River and the Cherax Destructor is the scientific name of the common yabby, which you can find in abundance in the river below.

Judas The Dark’s name also reflects the station’s past. A ‘Judas’ sheep is one used to lead the other sheep into the shearing sheds or onto a sale truck; one that’s usually trusted by the rest of the flock. Hence the saying on the bottle: “Judas will lead you into an unknown darkness.” Continuing the natural feel, Judas The Dark is brewed using locally grown and roasted wattle seed.

Since 2010, brewing has been overseen by Jackson Beavis, who left a career in large manufacturing to pursue a passion for brewing in his family’s hometown of Renmark. In 2015, Jackson embarked on a year-long pilgrimage to the UK to work in traditional British breweries and study with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. Once back brewing locally, he brought those skills and ideas back to Woolshed Brewery and to the beers he's since brewed. If you're after proof of what time away brings, look no further than 2019 when Woolshed received Champion Hybrid Beer for their Firehouse Coffee Stout, Champion Reduced Alcohol Beer for River Time Session Pale and Champion Small Brewery at the Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards.

Whether it's the warm country welcome, picturesque views, relaxing atmosphere, natural woolshed cellar door and locally-inspired beers, there's little doubt The Woolshed has plenty of enticing reasons to hit the road or, better still, cruise up the Murray.

Matt King

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Stories featuring Woolshed Brewery

Core Range

Woolshed Brewery Summer Ale
Summer Ale
4.5%
Woolshed Brewery Amazon Ale
Australian Pale Ale
4.7%
Woolshed Brewery AAAMber Ale
Amber Ale
5.4%
Woolshed Brewery Judas The Dark
Dark Ale
4.9%
Woolshed Brewery Cherax Destructor
IPA
5.8%
Woolshed Brewery Firehouse Stout
Coffee Stout
5.6%

Limited Releases

Woolshed X Watsacowie River To The Sea Belgian Strong Ale
Belgian Strong Ale
9.3%
Woolshed Brewery Outback Amber
Aussie Amber Ale
5.1%
Woolshed Brewery Tropical Sour
Tropical Sour
4.1%
Woolshed Brewery & Almondco Scorched Almond Porter
Almond Coffee Porter
5.0%
Woolshed Brewery Bloody Eyed Mary
Bloody Mary Sour
6.0%
Woolshed Brewery Bunyip Imperial Stout 2020
Imperial Stout
8.3%
Woolshed Brewery Firehouse Coffee Stout 2020
Coffee Stout
5.6%
Woolshed Brewery Hort 9909
New World Lager
4.8%
Woolshed Brewery Amazon X
XPA
5.2%
Woolshed Brewery Great Southern Trendkiller Double Black IPA
Double Black IPA
7.2%
Woolshed Brewery Bunyip Imperial Stout 2019
Imperial Stout
8.5%
Woolshed Brewery Double Destructor Double IPA
Double IPA
8.3%
Woolshed Brewery Blood Orange NEIPA & The Big Orange & Chocolate Breakfast Stout – RETIRED
NEIPA & Kettle Sour & Breakfast Stout
Woolshed Brewery Bunyip Imperial Stout 2018
Imperial Stout
8.7%
Woolshed Brewery Bunyip Imperial Stout 2017
Imperial Stout
8.5%
Woolshed Brewery & Big Shed Tribute Red IPA – RETIRED
Red IPA
6.4%
Woolshed Brewery River Time Session Pale
Session Pale
3.5%