Brisbane’s Felons Brewing are set to open a new venue in Sydney’s Manly in the coming weeks and have plans for a connected brewery and live music venue to follow.
Felons Manly will open its doors on October 18 in the former home of Manly Wharf Bar, with the new location giving customers the kind of waterfront views that visitors to their site beneath the Story Bridge have long enjoyed.
Brand director Dean Romeo told The Crafty Pint that the key to Felons’ story is encouraging people to live “the good life” and their new venue is as fitting a place to do that as anywhere else.
“Having these venues and these views and seeing people gaze out into the water and drop out of their worries is just awesome," Dean says. "It really feels like we're perpetuating this taste of the good life and living it."
The news follows the Artemus Group, which owns Felons and Howard Smith Wharves, taking over the Manly Wharf precinct earlier this year and means that anyone getting a ferry to the Northern Beaches, will stop by Felons when arriving at the famous beach. It’s also the second new venue announcement in Sydney from an existing brewery in less than a week, with Mountain Culture set to open a new site in Redfern later this year.
For Felons, the location puts them right in front of 4 Pines’ original Manly brewpub and close to the many breweries that call Brookvale home. Dean says they’re eager to join Sydney’s vibrant beer community, and while running a second site in another city brings plenty of logistical challenges, it felt like the right city and location to grow into.
“We're excited to throw Felons into the mix in Sydney and to find our place and service the local and broader community,” Dean says.
“It’s going to take a lot of energy, a lot of passion, and a lot of determination, but we’re up for the challenge for sure.”
Waterfront views aside, Dean says there is plenty that separates Felons Manly from the original home on the banks of the Brisbane River.
“The bar is like our shrine at Felons in Brisbane, with the tanks behind the bar,” Dean says. “So there will be a similar configuration set up here in Manly.”
“But the venue itself is very different from Brisbane; we’re dealing with the bones of a pub here in Manly, whereas we had an abandoned wharf storage facility in Brisbane."
The food menu has been designed by chef Corey Costelloe, who was culinary director at Rockpool Bar & Grill, and highlights locally sourced and sustainable ingredients such as beef from CopperTree Farms.
As for the Manly Wharf's brewery, it's slated to be built in a former Aldi and include space for live music with the planning application currently before the local council. Dean says while it’s all still subject to approval, key to Felons’ hospitality offering is ensuring that brewing remains front and centre.
“For us, it’s a bit of a non-negotiable; it’s why we do what we do and why the brand exists,” Dean says. “We’re a brewery before a hospitality company and the focus around the tangible elements of a working brewery is really important to us. It’s the sights, the smells, and the taste that comprise the whole experience in our venue.”
Certainly, for Felons, the new site caps off an exciting few months with the reigning Champion Independent Queensland Brewery. Dean says that major trophy shows how hard the entire team has worked to constantly improve what they do and gives them a boost as they continue to plan for the future.
“The sky’s the limit, really; we’re just feeling really good, energised, and focused,” Dean says. “This news of moving into Sydney brings an exciting new chapter for the brand and for all the team."
Felons Manly will open on October 18 and is located at E Esplanade, Manly NSW 2095.
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?
-
Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
-
Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
-
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
