Not so many years ago, it seemed Australiawas getting a new craft brewery every day.
Now, for every new and exciting beer that found its way onto tap lists and fridges around the country, an independent producer is going out of business or into administration.
This week, news broke of award-winning WA brewery Golden West calling in administrators. Last month it was Big Shed from South Australia and Melbourne’s Hawkers, after popular Sydney label Wayward had set the tone for the year in January.
And that’s not mentioning any of the independent breweries that fell on hard times last year, like Ballistic, Parched, Wicked Elf and Running With Thieves.
“I don’t use language like ‘the situation is dire’ very often, but it absolutely is,” Independent Brewers Association (IBA) chief executive Kylie Lethbridge told 9news.com.au.
So why, after such a surge in these breweries last decade, are so many of them now falling on hard times?
9news
