From the moment the doors first opened in late 2015, Collingwood’s multi-faceted The Craft & Co was pouring a couple of its own beers through the taps of the converted warehouse that also houses an eatery, deli, distillery, bottleshop and function space.
Initially, the beers were brewed with beer industry mates, but the commissioning of the in-house brewery a few months later has allowed The Craft & Co range to evolve and production to expand, as well as opening up opportunities to collaborate with more brewers. indeed, more so than most breweries, collaboration is at the heart of The Craft & Co with the unique space embracing production, hospitality and education under one roof.
While The Craft & Co’s core range sits well and truly in the accessible category, by contrast its special releases focus on experimentation and collaborations, often featuring other producers found under the same roof: the in house coffee roaster or onsite distillery. They've also welcomed other brewers, with the brewery regularly used by local operations without breweries of their own – some of whose beers you'll find pouring through the in-house taps.
Although the brewery is a relatively small system tucked into a tight space, over the years The Craft & Co's beers have made it further afield. The biggest change came in 2022, when the new Craft & Co brewery and distillery fired up in Preston. The Chifley Drive location doesn't just house an impressive 40-hectolitre brewhouse but is open to the public too, while the Collingwood brewery has remained a smaller-scale site for Craft & Co brewers to test their ideas on.
