It’s the age old story. Mate meets mate. Mate dreams about making beer for the Sunshine Coast with mate. Mate opens brewery that serves up rippin’ brews with mate. At least, that’s the story of Hep and McGarry, the duo behind Your Mates Brewing.
Perhaps you heard of them when they started gypsy brewing in 2015, when their pale ale Larry first showed up on the scene. Maybe you met them in 2017, while they were slinging brews at The Basement in Nambour, or in 2018 at their temporary taproom in Moffat Beach. Whether you joined their story at the beginning, or are just meeting them for the first time, you’ll find they like to keep it simple: good times, and good beers, with good mates.
Their brewery in Warana on the Sunshine Coast is a friendly, beery oasis in an industrial area – just look for the big Larry out the front. The moment you step inside, you feel like you’re at a mate’s place: on your left is the pool room, waiting for you to grab a cue; on your right is a gallery wall, showing photos of Hep and McGarry sinking tinnies, catching fish, and drinking beer out of an Akubra.
Walk in a little further and you’re met with lofty ceilings covered in timber rafters, polished concrete keeping things cool, merch on the walls, and seating for 150. There’s a stage for live music and a couple of TV screens to keep the big kids entertained. There's even a playground for the little ’uns – the whole family’s welcome at Your Mates.
But, of course, what makes this the best room in the house is the abundance of beer. Between their two brew kits, Your Mates can brew 3,000 litres of beer at a time, and have ten times that amount bubbling away in the 14 fermenters… not to mention all the kegs they can fit in their mammoth cold room.
Larry (Australian pale ale) and Macca (lager) are your best buddies on a sunny day, but they’re not the only ones looking to hang out. The staff are always happy to have a yarn about all 12 beers on tap, including a bunch of small batches and experimental styles only available at the brewpub.
And it wouldn’t be a brewpub without pub grub. There’s a full kitchen pumping out bites, burgers, parmy, bangers and mash, and Larry’s Braised Beef with beer gravy. It goes without saying there’s also plenty of seafood, a must-have for a Sunny Coast watering hole.
When it’s time to head home (even your mates need a break from you), grab a growler full of your favourite beer, or a four-pack of tinnies to take with you. Take Larry with you to a BBQ, because he’s always the life of the party. Or sit around a fire with Donnie, the dark ale who brings his smoky aroma and smooth style with him everywhere he goes.
On a day when you can’t make it in to the brewpub, don’t worry – Your Mates can always be found up and down the coast, or even on occasion chilling in Brisbane, ready for good times. Frothin’.
Mick Wust
