Woolgoolga Brewing Co

Hang on… is it called Woolgoolga Brewing, or Woopi Brewing?

For anyone not familiar with the coastal town of Woolgoolga on the north coast of NSW, let me save you some confusion: Woopi Brewing is Woolgoolga Brewing. Woolgoolga Brewing is Woopi Brewing.

Woolgoolga is called Woopi by just about everyone who knows it. The town’s just a 25 minute drive from Coffs Harbour on the Pacific Highway, but back when the roads weren’t as friendly and Woolgoolga was the northernmost regional rugby team on the Mid North Coast, the other teams would make the long trip to Woolgoolga and say: “Where the hell are we?! We’re in the middle of Woop Woop.”

Thus the name Woopi was born.

Whether you call it Woolgoolga or Woopi, the town is surrounded by natural beauty: awe-inspiring old growth rainforest on one side, gorgeous coastline and endless ocean on the other side. The beaches are made for surfing, and there are hiking trails and mountain bike trails galore. It’s no surprise why people are moving from the cities to the Coffs region, and in the past few years it’s become easier to do; as remote work becomes more popular, so does Woopi.

Ryan and Sarah Poole moved to Woopi in 2019, although not to work remotely. They moved there to start a brewery. They’d fallen in love with Australia’s growing craft beer scene and knew a number of supportive people in the industry, including Matt Bebe, whom Sarah had worked for during his time running Mornington Peninsula Brewery. So when they needed a sea change, they scoured the map and found Woolgoolga.

“It ticked all the boxes for us, being beautiful and coastal in that area with an amazing all round temperature…” says Sarah. “But it also felt like there was good opportunity here with the region –how it was growing, with new and different businesses coming into the area – and we felt it was an untapped place for a great little craft coastal brewery.”

Once they landed in Woopi, they spent the next two years finding the right location for a brewery and taproom while gathering together a supportive team. They partnered with Aaron and Jacqui Dobner, another couple who had moved to the area with the thought of starting a brewery, as well as a handful of local families who came on as shareholders and Matt Bebe (now owner of Tar Barrel Brewery & Distillery), whose industry expertise and strategic input was key in getting Woopi Brewing off the ground.

That said, when Woopi Brewing opened in September 2021, it wasn’t all blue skies; COVID difficulties and months of rain made for a bumpy first year in operation. But these challenges didn’t stop the brewery from being well received, both by the local community and as a destination for those from further afield.

The venue itself is a welcoming place: a big shed on a hill that rolls out the green carpet for punters. Out front, the sprawling lawn is covered in shaded picnic tables, dogs aplenty, and even an old surf boat for kids to play in. (“We’re a town proud of our surf lifesaving history,” says Sarah.)

Inside, the green continues in the shape of lush hanging plants that highlight the shininess of the stainless steel tanks. Between inside and outside, there’s capacity for up to 200 people, which comes in handy with some of the bigger musical acts that come to Woopi; the brewery puts on free live music every weekend as well as ticketed gigs by major artists.

On top of this, they play host to all kinds of events, from markets and art shows to gatherings of the local mountain bike club, from drag queen trivia to a puppy lawn party.

“We’re open to doing anything and everything… We want all parts of our community to feel comfortable coming into our space.”

Woopi Brewing’s kitchen serves simple but varied lunch and dinner offerings that include wings, grazing boards, burgers and tacos. They smoke their own meats, source their food from local producers and suppliers where they can, and reckon they serve up the best woodfired pizza on the coast – complete with their Mr Miyagi rice lager featuring in the pizza dough.

Of course, all of this is best enjoyed with a schooner of beer made onsite. Head brewer Charlie Hodgson joined the Woopi team in late 2022 and didn’t waste any time making the beers the people of Woolgoolga were crying out for as well as the beers they didn’t even know they wanted. The core range features five beers (and a ginger beer) that take you on a journey: the mid-strength American blonde, Between The Flags; the infinitely crushable Mr Miyagi rice lager; Wedding Bells, a classic West Coast pale ale; Rebel Red, a malt-driven red ale with a light hoppy bitterness; and Road Trip’n IPA, the heavy hitter of the core lineup.

(If you’re after something other than beer, the taproom also has a range of wine and a small selection of craft spirits available.)

Meanwhile, Charlie’s always putting limited releases through the taps as well, pushing boundaries with new styles and ingredients and inviting friends from near and far to come and collaborate on brews. He also runs a series of beers called Altered State, which involves tweaking ingredients in his core beer recipes in order to turn the flavour dials; try tasting the original beer side by side with the new creation to see what’s familiar and what’s different.

For the full brewery experience, jump onto one of the tours that runs every weekend to level up your beer knowledge and taste your way through the Woopi range.

At the end of the day, whether you’re after an easy-drinker to cool you down after a surf or a flavour explosion to rouse you after a long drive, or whether you’re there to try something new or to work through all the styles on offer… this is a brewery dedicated to being whatever you need it to be.

It’s the perfect local’s haunt. It’s the ideal rest stop on your road trip. It’s the home to all kinds of events to invite in all kinds of people. Woolgoolga Brewing is all about helping put Woopi on the map – even if the word “Woopi” is nowhere to be found on a map.

Mick Wüst

Name
Woolgoolga Brewing Co
Address

7 Willis Road
Woolgoolga
NSW 2456

Phone
(02) 6654 0929
Open Hours

Thursday: midday to 8pm
Fri & Sat: midday to 9.30pm
Sunday: midday to 7pm

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

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Regulars

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Between The Flags

Make sensible decisions. Swim between the flags. Wear a hat. Drink plenty of water. Reapply your sunscreen. Knock back a few middies to beat the heat. Woolgoolga is a town proud of their lifeguards, and this American-style blonde ale is named as a tribute to those red-and-yellow-clad warriors. It’s designed to suit palates ranging from the least adventurous to the most discerning, drinking halfway between a lager and a pale ale: bright and beautiful as any well-made lager, an orange sherbet aroma… Read more
Style
Mid-Strength Pale
ABV
3.5%
Bitterness
22 IBU

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Mr Miyagi Lager

This is Woopi’s best selling beer, and it’s not hard to understand why. A well-made rice lager is always going to be a winning session beer. Mr Miyagi pours a very pale yellow, and is as light, crisp and dry as you’d expect (and want) from any rice lager. If you notice a smell of tangy lemon zest, you’re not imagining it. That’s the Sorachi Ace hops. I’ve always found this hop variety to be interesting and very distinctive. Sorachi Ace hops are like karate: dangerous in the wrong hands,… Read more
Style
Japanese Rice Lager
ABV
4.6%
Bitterness
16 IBU

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Wedding Bells Pale

Before you get too sentimental, know that this beer isn’t named to evoke warm and fuzzy feelings of remembered nuptials. It’s named for the bike trails running through Wedding Bells State Forest. Woopi Brewing is all about celebrating the natural environment in the area and the active lifestyle that comes with it, and the local mountain biking crew are mad keen for Woopi beers. Wedding Bells Pale is a classic West Coast pale built on Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade hops. Like the volunteers who… Read more
Style
West Coast Pale Ale
ABV
5.1%
Bitterness
30 IBU

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Rebel Red

When Charlie Hodgson started as head brewer at Woopi, he got to work tweaking the recipes of some of the core range beers. It wasn’t until he mentioned to some punters that he was tweaking Rebel Red that he felt the pressure, when they said: “Don’t stuff it up – the red’s my favourite beer from Woopi!” In a technical sense, Rebel Red probably best fits the style of American amber ale. Its reddish-amber pour releases layers malt aroma: rich and dark flavours of toasted biscuit with soft… Read more
Style
American Red Ale
ABV
5.9%
Bitterness
44 IBU

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Road Trip'n IPA

When was the last time you went road trippin’? Cruising along without a clear plan, moving through different landscapes, taking detours to check out interesting sights, stopping wherever you feel like. It’s a special way to explore the world. Road Trip’n IPA is different from a lot of IPAs out there. It’s not a tropical and low-bitterness hazy, as many IPAs are nowadays. It’s closer to a West Coast, but it’s not exactly as you’d expect from that camp, either. It brings enough malt presence… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.8%
Bitterness
50 IBU

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Specials

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Moonglade BIIPA

Published Yesterday
Charlie Hodgson and Lachy Crothers met back in 2010 when they were both were brewing at Gage Roads in Western Australia. Eventually, they both took head brewer jobs in Brisbane. But, while they spent five years brewing less than 5km from each other there, they never collaborated on a beer. Now, in 2023, Charlie Hodgson is head brewer at Woopi, and his mate Lachy Crothers is commercial director of brewery consulting company WellBrewd. They live 350km apart… and they finally got together for a collab.… Read more
Style
Black Imperial IPA
ABV
8.5%

Woolgoolga Brewing Co Okaeri Friend Cold IPA

Published April 3, 2023
Friendships between brewers are one of the best things about the beer industry. When Charlie Hodgson mentioned to Tim Radjenovic (head brewer at BrewDog Australia) that he was taking the head brewer position at this little place on the Coffs coast called Woolgoolga Brewing, Tim said: “Woolgoolga? I went to high school there!” In the face of such a charming coincidence, what could these brewer friends do but make a beer together? The beer is called Okaeri Friend, Okaeri being Japanese for "Welcome… Read more
Style
Cold IPA
ABV
6.7%
Bitterness
40 IBU