Brunswick has never suffered from a shortage of pubs; today, the suburb is filled with breweries too.
In the east, there's Bridge Road's Melbourne brewpub, Gales Brewery and new arrival Keeper, while the suburb's centre is home to Rocky Ridge Brunswick, Inner North Brewing, CoConspirators, Foreigner and the 4 Pines brewpub at Welcome To Brunswick.
And there's more: in August last year, Subculture Brewing Co joined the inner north collective.
Located on Sydney Road, just south of the border with Coburg, it's the work of local Luke Forster.
Initially, he'd explored his home suburb to the north but, once he'd found the space that houses Subculture, he realised it ticked all the right boxes. Beyond sitting on busy Sydney Road, it was also the right size to operate as a neighbourhood bar that just happens to brew its own beer. What's more, he says it's close enough to Moreland Road for Coburg locals to call it theirs as well.
"We're one block south of the border so we do get a lot of people from Coburg taking ownership," Luke says. "I always wanted to open in Merri-bek Council and, as I looked at places, this spot in Brunswick was the right fit."

The long and somewhat rambling building had previously housed a pizza place and an Indian restaurant, and while it's narrow, Luke has managed to fit plenty inside. Alongside the 500-litre brewhouse, you'll find eight taps pouring his beers alongside guest pours, a courtyard, and cosy nooks where pizza can still be shared thanks to pies courtesy of nearby Madonna Electric.
While 500-litre batches are relatively small scale, Luke had initially looked to go even smaller; as a one-man operation, he wanted to make sure he didn't bite off more than he could chew.
"It's a bigger place than I had planned," he says. "The original idea was to be teeny tiny and just do something like 250 or 300-litre batches, so I've stepped up straight away.
Before opening the brewery, Luke worked as a medical research scientist with the "Subculture" name drawing on his background in the lab. Over the past few years, he'd thought about leaving his career to start a new one; after studying brewing and shadowing brew days in breweries of a similar size, he took the plunge.
"I got a lease and then that was it," he says. "Once you have a lease, well ... you can get out of it but it all felt pretty definite then."
Walk inside the taproom and you'll soon understand the other meaning behind of the brewery's name: Luke's other passion is music. Band posters line the walls, the sounds of community radio plays often, and Sundays are for bringing your own vinyl or CDs and sitting back as your album spins to completion.
Having recently started brewing on his system from Premium Machinery Group, we invited Luke to join us for our Who Brews...? series to find out more.
Subculture Brewing Co

Who are you?
I’m a homebrewing tragic who has taken the plunge into pro-brewing.
In the not too distant past I was a scientist in the health field; already owning a motorbike, the only other mid-life crisis seemed to be to change from a stable career to running my own business.
Where do you brew?
On-site at the brewpub on the border of Brunswick and Coburg in Melbourne.
Why do you brew?
It’s a combination of multiple skill sets. It’s physical (but not too physical), it combines, science, engineering, art and cooking.

Was there a beer or a moment that set you on the path to becoming a brewer?
I lived in the UK in the 2000s where I discovered real ale; this coincided with the US-led craft beer trend. Homebrewing as a hobby was also growing and becoming more professional also around this time.
All these things and some ADHD hyperfocus set me on my path.
What's the inspiration behind the brewery name?
It’s a dual meaning: to split yeast cultures is to subculture; also, it refers to music subcultures. So, combining two of my interests, which is reflected in the taproom.
The logo also mirrors this: it is a punk and a yeast cell fused together, the result of the mad professor’s science experiment.
What beer in your lineup best represents you and why?
West Coast IPA: bitter but addictive.

If you could have any person in the world join you on a brew day who would it be and why?
Ken Grossman.
He led the way in US craft beer and, despite being a large company, Sierra Nevada still sticks by their original principles and produces amazing beer.
If anyone drops in on brew day what are they most likely to hear blasting from the speakers?
Punk, reggae or a The Last Podcast On The Left podcast.
What beers are in your fridge right now?
Cavalier Brown, Wild Things Feijoa Sour, and Inner North Brewing El Jefe
What would be your desert island beer of choice?
Kolsch!

Is there a particular style, ingredient or trend in beer you'd like to explore further?
I’d like to play around with Indigenous herbs and spices.
Where can people find your beers?
Currently, just on tap at the brewpub.
Where do you hope your brewery will be ten years from now?
A successful brewpub would do me fine.
You'll find Subculture at 841 Sydney Road, Brunswick, and in the free Crafty Pint app designed to help people find the nearest good beer wherever they are. You'll find other Who Brews...? features here.