Consolidation continues in the local beer world with the announcement today that Sydney-based brewery Willie the Boatman has been acquired by UK-based Powder Monkey Group. The international operation first entered the Australian market last year via a merger with another NSW brewery, South Highlands Brewing, stating at the time plans to open more brewpubs around the state.
In a media statement announcing the asset and business sale to Southern Highlands Brewing, the new owners said the acquisition "will see the 'Willies' brand continue alongside Powder Monkey and Southern Highlands brands in Australia."
Willie The Boatman was launched in 2014, becoming one of the first of the wave of breweries to take up residence in Sydney's inner west – releasing a beer in tribute to Australia's current PM while he was just the local member, later moving to a larger brewpub site within part of the forme home outdoor Taubman’s paint factory. Last year, founder Pat McInerney (above right with Southern Highlands founder Ben Twomey) oversaw a rebrand, while also talking to Brews News about the challenges the business faced.
Pat is now taking on the role of general manager of the consolidated Powder Monkey Group in Australia, with plans "to centralise operations and leverage the combined brewing, sales and marketing teams".
The current Willie the Boatman brewpub in St Peters will become the new home for Powder Monkey Australia, pouring beers from all three brands. And, as we reported in late 2023, the business continues exploring options for a second venue in 2024, most likely in Southwest Sydney.
The move follows other examples of consolidation in the local craft beer industry. In October 2022, Wayward Brewing and Batch Brewing Co formed the Local Drinks Collective, while last year saw Nowhereman Brewing Company become part of Otherside Brewing's parent company Triple-1-Three. In January this year, Wayward Brewing and Local Drinks Collective went through a period of voluntary administration.
More to come...
Media Release: Willie the Boatman joins Powder Monkey crew
Renowned inner west Sydney brewery Willie the Boatman has joined the Powder Monkey crew after an asset and business sale to Southern Highlands Brewing, a Powder Monkey Group company. The deal will see the “Willies” brand continue alongside Powder Monkey and Southern Highlands brands in Australia. This follows the merger of Southern Highlands Brewing into the Gosport, UK, based Powder Monkey Group in September last year.
Legendary Australian craft beer pioneer Pat McInerney is being appointed the General Manager of the consolidated Group in Australia with a plan to centralise operations and leverage the combined brewing, sales and marketing teams. The current Willie the Boatman St Peters brewpub will become the new home for Powder Monkey Australia serving the beers that all three brands offer. Plans are also afoot for a second Brewpub in 2024, most likely in Southwest Sydney.
Group Director Ben Twomey commented: “Our merger last year with Powder Monkey provided us a solid corporate structure in Australia and access to capital – acquisition was always and will continue to be part of the plan. In terms of this purchase the real key to me was the alignment and rapport between Pat and myself, it’s going to be a fun ride.”
Pat McInerney commented: “I’m excited to be working with Ben and the Powder Monkey Group. There is a defined and tangible business plan with this Group which provides a great route for Willie the Boatman to sail into the future. I can already see the benefits of working with like-minded industry players.”
Finally, from the UK, Group CEO Andy Burdon added: “Powder Monkey started brewing in the UK in 2021 and has grown rapidly to date and the addition of Willie the Boatman to our portfolio and Pat joining the team in Australia is fantastic news for the brand.”
James Smith launched The Crafty Pint in 2010, two years after moving to Australia from the UK. He was taken to Mountain Goat within weeks of landing in Melbourne, joined their indoor cricket team, and is still navigating the rabbit hole that is craft beer to this day.
The beers that turned you on to good beer:
- Watching pints of McEwan's 80 Shilling settle when visiting family in Edinburgh.
- Pints of flat Bass from the jug at the Cap & Stocking in Kegworth.
- A first Paulaner Hefeweizen when working in Munich in 1998: “This smells of bananas!”
- Castle Rock Harvest Pale – how could a 3.8 percent ABV beer be so good? (It turns out it was an early example of the three Cs – Cascade, Centennial and Columbus – in an English bitter).
- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA poured through hops at the Sunset Grill in Cambridge, MA, in the company of a man who turned out to be the Beer Nut (while we were both covering a double murder case at the time).
- Ordering a Mountain Goat Hightail on my first day as an Aussie resident as it was local and I’d never heard of it; “A dark Australian beer; well I never…”
- Murray’s Icon 2IPA at Beer DeLuxe Fed Square, recommended by a guy I’d not long known who's now the main man at Fixation, served by Mik Halse, now head of sales at Hawkers. How could an Australian beer smell as good as that?!?
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
- Any really good, fresh and balanced West Coast style IPA. Punchy hop aromatics are the most obvious way to capture someone's attention and these IPAs, done well, present the key components in beer (if you're sticking to just water, malt, hops and yeast) in harmony yet with the volume turned up.
- Saison Dupont. Arguably a selfish choice here as I bloody love the broad saison style and dearly hope it will finally take hold in Australia one day. Given a choice, I'd probably crack one enlivened with Brettanomyces like Molly Rose Matilde for myself but, when it comes to turning on someone new, you've got to go with the classic.
- Rodenbach Caractère Rouge. Because if you don't enjoy or can't appreciate this beer, I'll never win you over. And because Filip, the fruit and wood specialist at Rodenbach that designed it, is a beautiful human.
The last beer you enjoyed:
Fixation IPA at The Incubator.
Three things that represent you:
- The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Golden Plains
NB All articles written by James in the first eight years of the site appear as By Crafty Pint. Today, that's used for collaborative efforts by the wider team.
