Range Brewing will soon be welcoming beer drinkers onto their Patio: a new Brisbane venue set to open in May. Located in Paddington's Rosalie neighbourhood, Range co-founder Matt McIver (pictured above left with fellow founder Gerard Martin) says they'll be taking a different approach to both their Newstead brewery and Abbotsford taproom.
“That’s why we're not referring to it as one of our taprooms,” he told The Crafty Pint. “We’re not guaranteeing that every beer we brew will be on those taps – most of them will but we probably won’t pull barrel-aged imperial stouts at that venue.”
So, while there are still ten taps through which you're likely to find a rotating lineup of double IPAs, DDH hazies and creamy-headed pilsners, the inclusion of two pouring wine is a sign that they want Patio to stand apart from their hospo offering to date.
“There will also be more of a selection on our wine selection and cocktail list, which isn’t really something we’ve done,” Matt says of a venue designed to pay tribute to old-school Australian pubs, Italian alfresco dining, and the humble home patio.
“We’re leaning into the Queensland patio summer vibe and the space lends itself to it really well,” he adds.
“It's basically going be like a neighbourhood craft beer and wine bar, and we’re going for a throwback, corner bar, front bar with an Australiana kind of vibe inside.”
Before Range moved in, the space had been home to a Japanese restaurant that had closed after being hit hard by Brisbane's significant floods last year.
“We've built it back up from scratch," Matt says. "It was an empty shell on the inside so we’ve built the kitchen and the bar."
It means they've have a larger kitchen to play with than at their Newstead HQ; so, while they’ll continue to serve Jacopo’s Pizza, the food menu will be more substantial, featuring a wider variety of Italian-inspired dishes and quality sandwiches.
Patio is just one of two new Range spaces people will be able to visit in the coming weeks: work is nearing completion on a function and events space beside their Newstead brewery that will double as a barrel room.
“We started building that months and months and months ago,” Matt says. “And in that time we negotiated, signed a lease and started building Patio. If we don’t open Patio before [the Barrel Room], it will be very close.”
The barrel room doesn’t just give Range the chance to expand their barrel program and host functions, but it will also allow them to run more of their own events too, something Matt says they haven’t been able to do properly in the past.
“We’ve never been the type to do sit-down dinner type events at the brewery; our space just doesn’t really suit that kind of event,” he says.
“That’s definitely something we want to do and it will also allow us to do a sit-down Oktoberfest feast in there, while people can still stand out outside and drink steins like they’re water.”
You can follow the Patio journey on Instagram. We'll update this story with the address once it's open when you'll be able to find it and hundreds of other good beer venues in the free Crafty Pint app.
With the new site opening soon, Range are hiring more hospo crew. If you're interested, get in touch at hello@rangebrewing.com.
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
