The brewery may share a name (albeit with a letter missing) with the world's loneliest and most depressed horse but this BoJaK is a family affair.
Based in Melbourne's outer south east suburb of Dandenong and run by Dale and Sue Messina, they named their brewery after their two kids: Beau and Jack.
The arrival of BoJaK Brewing means Dandenong can now claim three breweries of its own, joining KAIJU! and Exit's operation and Brick Lane. The focus for those two is production, while BoJaK's 500 litre brewery and substantial pizza menu place it squarely in brewpub territory.
"I knew the area well and it was my pretty much my second home growing up," Dale says.
"I saw there wasn't much in that area for our style of brewery, just with the working community around there and the nearby suburbs of Keysborough and Noble Park, I felt it was a good spot to set up a little brewpub.
"We're right on the edge of an industrial area but about 100 metres away it turns into residential and a sporting reserve is right across the road from us."
They opened their doors to the public right at the end of 2018 and have just started canning their beers.
So, as those cans start floating around Melbourne bottleshops, we asked Dale to join us for our Who Brews? series.
BoJak Brewing
Who are you?
We're a husband and wife team who both quit our jobs to start a small brewpub in the South East suburbs of Melbourne. Dale was in structural steel construction and Sue was in the police force. We opened the doors in December 2018.
Where do you brew?
Dandenong, Victoria. We have a small 500L system.
Why do you brew?
For the love of producing something from scratch and then seeing people enjoy the beer.
Was there a beer or a moment that set you on the path to becoming a brewer?
Pretty much after the first homebrew batch I did about seven years ago it planted a seed to some day have my own brewery.
What’s the inspiration behind the brewery name?
Bojak originated from our two sons names. Beau (5) and Jack (10).
What beer in your lineup best represents you and why?
Probably our Trumpcard APA as I like to brew beers relatively close to style but like to make slight tweaks with new ingredients. That is what our APA is: a classic style APA with some new age hops.
If anyone drops in on brewday, what are they most likely to hear blasting from the speakers?
Ninety percent of the time it's 70s rock. Some 90s grunge gets a go too.
What beers are in your fridge right now?
Our own Calypso Hazy IPA, Trumpcard APA and Legal Mess XPA. Then we've also got KAIJU! Behemoth and Bad Shepherd Peanut Butter Porter.
Which local beers have blown your mind in recent weeks?
All local breweries in our area are doing a great job: Mr Banks, KAIJU!, Exit, Bad Shepherd, Brick Lane.
Where can people find your beers?
We have a brewpub open Thursdays through to Sundays that has 11 to 12 beers on tap as well as pizzas, nachos, loaded fries and other snacks.
We just started canning and are currently stocked at ten IGA Liquors in the South East as well as Let's Unwine (Berwick), Cork Liquor Store (Boronia), Cellarbrations (Chelsea) and Far Side Beers (Hawthorn).
Where do you hope your brewery will be ten years from now?
To be doing what we are doing now. If that is to expand or stay the size we are that is fine. We are very new and are only finding our feet.
To have a strong support from our local community where they know they can get fresh quality beer and great service is our number one objective at the moment.
You can visit BoJaK from Thursday to Sunday by heading to 5 Bennet Street, Dandenong.
You can find other entries in the Who Brews...? series here and hundreds of good beer spots across Australia in the free Crafty Pint app.
Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO have told him to please send his fan mail elsewhere. He can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
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Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
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Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."
The last beer you enjoyed:
Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.
Three things that represent you:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ken Burns
- The State Library of Victoria
