Close to two years to the day since they pushed the button on plans to build a new brewery and venue, Six String Brewing finally opened their doors today. Located a short drive from their original Erina taproom, the new space sits inside The Sawmill, a commercial and industrial site on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Sharon Benson (pictured above with husband and fellow owner Chris) says the new venue offers them more room to brew, serve beers, host gigs and, well… do just about anything else.
“A lot of what we’ve talked about with the new site is upping the game with everything,” she told The Crafty Pint.
The decision to move was driven by demand for their beer, with their original Erina site not equipped for the growth Six String experienced during their first decade (which you can read more about here).
“We outgrew our production site capacity well and truly before we reached our tenth birthday,” Sharon says.
The extra capacity will allow Six String to brew upwards of a million litres a year, while they’ve also expanded their capacity when it comes to patrons from 50 to 150. And, if the council allows it, that number will grow again, with Sharon adding that their location on a major highway gives them prominent visibility for the Central Coast region.
“It’s very front and centre in the area; it’s one of the busiest intersections on the Coast,” she says. “Where we were was a little tucked away.”
The main seating area overlooks the production floor, so guests can enjoy watching the brewers working on Six String’s cult Dark Red IPA and other award-winning beers. The extra room improves their overall hospitality offering too.
“We had such a tiny kitchen and now we have space to do a bigger menu,” Sharon says. “We’ve tied in with Chris’ heritage, so there’s a Filipino twist to the food menu, and we can do things like cocktails and boilermakers now.”
Central to the fit-out and move is the ability to more fully embrace a key pillar of their DNA: live music. The original taphouse has operated without the ability to host bands for close to seven years due to neighbours, but the new spot has plenty of room ready to host and celebrate local music.
“We have that area upstairs, so we can close it off for ticketed events while remaining open to people dropping past for a beer,” Sharon says.
“We’ve only been able to have unplugged music for years, which in a warehouse space is very hard to do. There’s also no neighbours here, so we can’t have live music taken off us.”
Both live music venues and breweries have faced a number of difficult years, whether due to COVID, rapidly rising operating costs, or a lack of disposable income which has led to a drop in consumer spending.
As Sharon puts it: “You do get a feeling in the pit of your stomach about whether or not it’s the right time to be doing it. But we’re still in growth; we have slowed down in some areas, but we’ve managed to adapt in terms of the way we approach wholesale, so we have managed to grow over the last two years.”
The space and size of their bandroom also gives the brewery a unique appeal in a region that's home to a lot of local musicians they're eager to champion.
“There’s not a lot of mid-sized music venues around us,” she says. “So it’s about bringing in local acts in particular who want something larger than a 50-seater.”
Certainly, the brewery's longstanding commitment to supporting live music, whether that's via pouring beers at festivals or promoting small bands, has seen Six String build deep roots that locals aren't likely to forget.
“We have a very limited marketing budget,” Sharon says. “But we do a lot of events, which we see as part of our marketing and promotion, and associating ourselves with live music has helped build brand recognition for us.
“We also did get into the industry early enough that, while we might not be as big as some others, we are really recognised.”
The new Six String at The Sawmill is located at 90 The Entrance Road, Erina. It'll be open from 11am each day for beers, food, takeaway and of course, music.
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 in 2018 and in 2024; 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
