Pour one out – OG craft-beer brewery Newstead Brewing Co. has ceased operations
In heartbreaking news for Brisbane beer heads, pioneering craft-beer brewery Newstead Brewing Co. has announced its closure after 13 years of operation. Here’s what we know …
In a statement posted to the brewery’s social media channels on Tuesday March 11, the team at Newstead Brewing Co. revealed to the public that it had turned off the taps at its Milton headquarters. Hailed as one of Brisbane’s first-ever independent craft-beer breweries, Newstead Brewing Co. helped spark the city’s fervour for boutique beers when it opened its grungy Doggett Street brewpub in 2013. Owned and operated by the Howes family since day dot, Newstead Brewing Co. crested the craft-beer wave, expanding its footprint in 2017 with a large-scale production facility
in Milton (nestled in the shadow of Suncorp Stadium on Castlemaine Street), and an outpost at Brisbane Airport’s domestic terminal in 2021.
The business continued to boom until 2022, when a once-in-a-100-year weather event saw the Castlemaine Street hub, affectionately dubbed ‘Miltonia’, submerged in flood waters. The damage – a business-closing hurdle for any smaller operation – was a substantial setback for the pioneering brewery, which was forced to consolidate operations over the ensuing 12 months. Newstead Brewing Co. closed its long-running Doggett Street brewery in 2023 (the site is now home to Working Title Brew Co.), before giving Miltonia a few upgrades, including a new tasting room. Unfortunately, it seems such a setback was too much for Newstead Brewing Co. to recover from.
“It’s been an inspiring 3 years and every single one of our team were integral to every breath Newstead took,” the team expressed in the announcement. “So it’s heart breaking for us all, that in these times of industry crisis, we just couldn’t weather this final storm. The old girl is done [sic].”
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As rising production costs, excise tax increases and cost-of-living pressures continue to put a dampener on customer spending, Australia’s craft-brewing scene has struggled to find its footing post pandemic. Newstead Brewing Co.’s closure is the latest in a spate of voluntary administrations and independent brewery closures that has seen a contraction in the once-robust craft-beer industry. Despite the glum news, the Newstead crew signed off with a message of positivity for the scene at large.
“We leave with our heads held high. All of our work was not for nothing. We kept the heart beating of an industry that needs help from its friends right now and we proved that passionate authenticity, heart, and sheer grit truly do make an impactful difference … If anything can be taken from Newstead Brewing’s story, it’s to remain humble, keep evolving and bettering yourselves and please support your mates. We may be gone, but not forgotten.”
Be sure to check out our round-up of Brisbane’s best craft-beer breweries – each one deserving of your support.