It isn’t easy for a brewery to stand out in Melbourne, particularly when you set up shop in a part of the city that was one of the earliest to embrace craft beer. Yet Nice Guys Brewery And Bar certainly stands out in Richmond – and anywhere else for that matter.
In large part, that’s thanks to the taproom’s impressive interior. Step off the ever-busy and generally-chaotic Victoria Street and you’ll find yourself within a brewery and bar that’s no less than transportive, dropping you straight into the 1970s – or, at the very least, a vision of a future filled with craft beer as imagined by a soothsaying homebrewer from that decade.
As the sounds of Isaac Hayes and Fleetwood Mac welcome you inside, the first thing you notice are curves that entirely soften what was once a warehouse, the welcoming ambience further enhanced by the muted lighting that fills the space.
Founder Grant Morley says that, upon securing location, he didn’t want to fight against its history and instead opted to lean into it, going to great lengths to secure vintage furniture, velvet upholstery, and the suspended fireplace that greets you as you walk in.
Given just how well-curated this nostalgic nook is, it should be no surprise that Nice Guys Brewery And Bar is the realisation of a long-held dream for Grant, nor that he approaches brewing with that same fastidious approach.
It’s the kind of method a scientist might follow, which just so happens to be how Grant spent his career; he specialised in pharmaceuticals and ultimately ended up heading up a biotechnology company that worked on developing novel drugs.
All the while, however, Grant was picking up what he calls an “addiction to homebrewing” and a love for beer that extended well beyond drinking it, and was more about fine-tuning recipes and honing his craft. As he became increasingly involved in Australia’s passionate homebrewing community and continued to pick up awards, he found himself brewing more beer than he could possibly give away, let alone drink himself, and thus decided it was time for a change of career.
Building a brewery is never easy and creating one during the height of the COVID pandemic turned into a particularly long slog. But by early 2021 Nice Guys was welcoming people inside. And welcoming is the operative word too: it’s not just the brewery’s look that’s rooted in a bygone era but the ethos that suffuses the brewpub too.
The Nice Guys name was inspired by Grant’s dad, a local chemist who was a central figure in his community and would often spend his time delivering food and medicine to locals who couldn’t make it to the store. That “nice guy” attitude has become a true north for Grant and the team, who know their regulars by name and always take the time to connect with new customers. Unsurprisingly, the brewery has quickly established itself as a function spot – after all, who doesn’t want to get married in a suave space from the 1970s?
The connection between customers and beer could barely be closer either: Grant’s creations all come to life on the 500-litre Braumeister system that sits towards the back of the venue. Once ready, they’re served from one of eight brite beer tanks.
As for the styles you’ll encounter there, Grant’s approach is to feature a broad lineup that should include something for everyone. He’s a big fan of traditional styles, so expect to see the likes of English milds, porters, stouts and pilsners pouring alongside hazy IPAs.
It’s not just beer pouring. They’ve got 25 taps to play with so anything they can serve from keg they will: ciders, wines, house-made cocktails. Beyond offering customers plenty of choice, it’s an approach which has the added benefit of dramatically cutting down on glass waste – around 90 percent by Grant’s estimation.
To assist you in making a choice, each tap is accompanied by a flask filled with the liquid pouring from them – a useful way to narrow down the would-be beer or wine you fancy while also a subtle call-back to Grant’s science background.
At the time of writing, Nice Guys beers have started to appear outside the brewery’s four walls. Meanwhile, within those four walls, Grant is working towards installing a commercial kitchen to bring food in-house. For the time being, customers are well served by his neighbours, given the brewery sits next to some of Australia’s best Vietnamese food.
And, as you sink into one of Nice Guys Brewery and Bar’s vintage chairs with beer in hand, you may well reflect on how those Vietnamese restaurants sit next to a brewery unlike any other in Australia’s craftiest of cities.
Will Ziebell
