The team behind The Local Taphouse and GABS festival has debuted its latest venture, Stomping Ground Brewing Co. After three years of planning, Stomping Ground opened in Collingwood this October. The Melbourne suburb has a rich brewing history, but all 35 breweries that once resided there have since closed, making Stomping Ground the first brewery to open in the area in more than 100 years.

Just three months into trade, the new independent brewery has received overwhelming support in the community, maxing out its initial capacity and resulting in the team’s decision to fast-track its expansion.

Steve Jeffares, one of the owners along with partners Guy Greenstone and Justin Joiner, said, “The first few months have been incredible. We have been far busier than expected at this stage and people have responded well to our beers. It’s been a challenge for the team to just keep up but we’ve finally ironed out the inevitable opening kinks.”

Stomping Ground Co-Founders: Steve Jeffares, Guy Greenstone and Justin Joiner

The brewery has installed new large tanks to double its potential output and meet the demand for beer from local pubs, bars, and the brewery’s own beer hall. Currently, Stomping Ground beers are available on tap, but with further brewing capacity being added, a canning line is planned for 2017.

Head Brewer, Ashur Hall, has brewed close to 30 different beers so far and plans to expand the range further.

On the range, Greenstone said, “Beer comes in such a huge variety of flavours and complexities and there’s a massive amount of choice already out there. We’ve been working on creating a wide range of awesome beers but we’re also really keen to provide guidance to help people make the right choice about which beers they’d like to try.”

All the Stomping Grounds beers are released in its family-friendly beer hall, open seven days a week, and a select few can be found on tap around Melbourne.

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