Wolf of the Willows

Brewer

Name
Wolf of the Willows
Address

39 De Havilland Road
Mordialloc
VIC 3195

Phone
For orders, please email orders@wolfofthewillows.com.au
Open Hours

Thursday: 4pm to 10pm
Friday: 3pm to 10pm Saturday: midday to 10pm
Sunday: midday to 6pm

When launching a brewery, sometimes staring down the barrel of brewing history at the great names that have come before you can be an intimidating task. How to reach those heights when you’re only just stepping away from brewing in your own back yard?

But Wolf of the Willows founders Scott and Renae McKinnon saw this not as a conundrum, but as an inspiration. Drawing upon the history of Californian brewery Russian River’s infamous double IPA, Pliny the Elder, a seed was planted that would give their new brewing venture a name.

Roman naturalist and military man Pliny the Elder, or Gaius Minor Plinius Caecilius Secundus to give him his full name, has been credited as the first to name the hop vine in his writings, using the term lupus salictarius, or ‘wolf among the willows’, to describe a plant believed to be wild hops. To Scott’s history-loving mind, that proved romantic enough to bestow the name upon the new brewing company.

But brewing had been in the blood long before Pliny the Elder was even a concept in Scott’s mind. His interest in fermentation began with brewing ginger beer with his dad while he was still too young to drink it. That interest was later reinvigorated in his early 20s as he spent a couple of years exploring the ski slopes and craft beer bars of Colorado.

On his return to Australia, home brewing became a regular hobby and his future wife Renae came into the picture. After a few more years of brewing ‘barbecue beers’ for friends and family, going out on their own in the beer industry soon became the next logical step for the pair, especially considering Renae’s background in wine and beverage marketing.

In developing their own vision for Wolf of the Willows, Scott was determined that their beers would be balanced brews from classic styles, with their own signature touch – much like finding a wolf among the willows.

Starting out brewing on other's equipment, their first beer was the XPA – or Extra Pale Ale – released in November 2014 and was one of the first in a then-fledgling beer category that has since taken off. That beer remains the brewery's flagship and has since been joined by an IPA and PILS while the selection of beers continues to get broader and broader over time; from a range of sours to cocktail-inspired beers, and partnerships with distillers that commenced when they launched The Barrel Exchange Program with Lark Distillery.

A big change came in late 2015 when the McKinnons secured brewery space with Bad Shepherd but over time, they soon started to outgrow that space as demand for their beer grew.

In 2020, they opened their own brewery and taproom, taking over the former Albatross Brewery site in Mordialloc to allow for continued expansion and the creation of a home to call their own. It's a place that has quickly garnered the love of locals, with arcade machines, food trucks and an impressive outdoor mural all making the Wolf of the Willows taproom one you want to bring your family to. It's also the best place to enjoy the brewery's beers, where 18 taps showcase an impressive mix of beers, plus hard seltzer and cold drop coffee, while local wines and spirits also feature.

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

Stories featuring Wolf of the Willows

Core Range

Wolf of the Willows Ginger Beer
Ginger Beer
4.0%
Wolf of the Willows PUP Mid: Mango Pale Ale
Mango Pale Ale
3.2%
Wolf of the Willows Crisp Lager
Lager
4.2%
Wolf of the Willows Aqua Boogie
Seltzer
All 4.0%
Wolf of the Willows Wolf Pup
Aussie Pale Ale
4.0%
Wolf of the Willows PILS
Pilsner
4.5%
Wolf Of The Willows XPA (Cans)
XPA
4.7%
Wolf of the Willows "Homage" IPA
West Coast IPA
6.2%
Wolf of the Willows JSP
Smoked Porter
5.2%

Limited Releases

Wolf of the Willows Gelato!
Blood Orange Sour With Terpenes
5.2%
Wolf of the Willows King Louis XIII
West Coast IPA With Terpenes
7.0%
Wolf of the Willows Pineapple Express California IPA
California IPA with Terpenes
5.6%
Wolf of the Willows The Haze Has Spoken & West Coast Is The Way
Hazy & West Coast IPAs
Both 6.5%
Wolf of the Willows x Original Pattern Latitude 37.8
West Coast IPA
6.2%
Wolf of the Willows Inner Vision Strata & Double Vision Microdosed
Single Hop Hazy IPA & Microdosed Hazy DIPA
6.0% & 8.0%
Wolf of the Willows Lark Imperial JSP V
Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Smoked Porter
12.4%
Wolf of the Willows x The Gospel Persistence III
Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
12.0%
Wolf of the Willows First Chair
Coffee Breakfast Stout
6.0%
Wolf of the Willows Hawaiian Sour
Tropcial Fruit Cream Sour
6.2%
Wolf of the Willows Inner Vision III & Double Vision III
Hazy IPA & Double Hazy IPA
6.2% & 8.0%
Wolf Of The Willows Nitro Twins
Nitro Whisky Sour & Nitro Spiced Amber Ale
9.0% & 6.2%
Wolf of the Willows Disco of the Dead II
Orange Sangrita Sour
6.0%
Wolf of the Willows Inner Vision II & Double Vision II
DDH Hazy IPA & DDH Hazy DIPA
6.2% & 8.0%
Wolf of the Willows Full Moon Party & Golden Hour In LA
Mango Pale Ale & Lo-Cal Lager
3.8% & 5.0%
Wolf of the Willows Lark Barrel Aged Imperial JSP IV
Barrel-Aged Smoked Porter
11.8%
Wolf Of The Willows & The Gospel Persistence II
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
12.2%
Wolf Of The Willows Steep 'N Deep IIPA
West Coast IIPA
8.5%
Wolf of the Willows West Coast Lager
West Coast Lager
5.5%
Wolf Of The Willows Inner Vision
DDH Hazy IPA
6.6%
Wolf of the Willows Lark Barrel Aged Whisky Sour
Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Sour
9.0%
Wolf of the Willows & The Gospel Persistence
Rye Whiskey Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
12.2%
Wolf of the Willows Disco Of The Dead
Pink Guava Atole Sour
5.7%
Wolf of the Willows Double Vision
Hazy Double IPA
8.1%
Wolf of the Willows & Mörk Chocolate Kanelbulle
Spiced Nitro Pastry Brown Ale
6.2%
Wolf of the Willows & Lark Distillery Barrel-Aged JSP III
Barrel-Aged Imperial Smoked Porter
12.8%
Wolf of the Willows Enigma Pillows
DDH Hazy Nitro DIPA
8.1%
Wolf of the Willows ISO GABS Collection
Nitro Amber & Gin Sour & Nitro Milk Porter
6.2% & 5.7% & 6.2%
Wolf Of The Willows XXXPA
Imperial XPA
9.2%
Wolf of the Willows Lark Barrel Aged Imperial JSP 2019
Barrel-Aged Imperial Smoked Porter
13.9%
Wolf of the Willows & Tequila Tromba Jalisco Sour
Spiced Sour
4.2%
Wolf Of The Willows Pacific Sour
Tropical Fruit Sour
4.2%
Wolf of the Willows & Lark Distillery Imperial JSP
Whisky Barrel Aged Imperial Smoked Porter
11.2%
Wolf Of The Willows & Ale Of A Time Southern Brut IPA
Brut IPA
6.2%
Wolf Of The Willows The Woodsman Amber Ale
Amber Ale
4.5%
Wolf Of The Willows & Patient Wolf Tom Collins Sour
Spiced Sour Ale
5.7%
Wolf Of The Willows Acidulus III
New England Sour
5.7%
Wolf Of The Willows Acidulus II
New England Sour
5.7%
Wolf of the Willows Raisin' Kilts
Barrel Aged Scotch Ale
7.2%
Wolf of the Willows & Bloodhound Wolf Blood 2017
Red IPA
7.1%
Wolf of the Willows Acidulus I
Sour Blonde
5.1%
Wolf of the Willows Stray Wolf
Red Ale
5.0%
Wolf Of The Willows & Bloodhound Bar Wolf Blood
Red IPA
7.1%
Wolf of the Willows XPA
American Pale Ale
4.7%
Wolf of the Willows ISA
Hoppy Saison
5.2%