Holgate Brewhouse celebrates 25th birthday 

Holgate Brewhouse, one of the earliest independent breweries in Australia, will be celebrating its 25th anniversary by releasing 25 limited-edition commemorative brews throughout the year. 

“When you say it out loud, 25 years is a long time to be in business,” said Paul Holgate.

“In any industry really, but particularly an industry like craft beer where both the producers and consumers are intensely passionate about the products. Yeah, we are very proud to be one of the earliest small independent brewery start-ups in Australia. We put together our first business plan in 1997 and started brewing and selling in 1999, well before the term ‘craft beer’ was used.”

Already available, the first two beers in the series are the NZ Hazy IPA cans and the Kolsch - Original Mt Macedon Ale in kegs. The year-long series will also include collaborations with brewers who have previously worked with Holgate such as Nic Sandery from Molly Rose, Matt Ives from Aunty Jacks, Alex Carr at Noodledoof, Ian Morgan from CUB Development, Evan Hunter from Bendigo Brewing, Nick Rhodes from White Rabbit, Josh Kendall from Wolf of the Willows, Ben Turley from Love Shack Brewing Co. and Justin Corbitt from Fox Friday.

“Our 25th Anniversary is a great opportunity to celebrate and thank all our customers and staff who have supported us over the years,” said Natasha Holgate. 

“I can't believe how much our business and the craft brewing industry has grown since 1999!”

The Holgate Brewhouse is a historic hotel and tourist destination in Woodend, just outside of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges. Over the years it has grown in size to have a site-capacity of 6 million litres, employing approximately 40 people across production, sales/marketing and hospitality.

“For the first almost eight years after starting up, all of the brewing was done by me and then, from 2007 on, the business took on trainee brewers and gradually built a multi-member production team as sales and capacity expanded,” said Paul. 

In addition to distribution through independent stores and pubs nationwide, Holgate brands are also exported to several countries throughout Asia, including through brewing for third party brands under contract. 

As part of the celebrations, Holgate will also host Tap Takeovers across Australia throughout the year along with holding major events in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and in their hometown of Woodend.