Phat Brew Club

At the start of 2023, Perth welcomed another brewpub to its growing collection – and what a venue and story it represents. Not too long before greeting the first guests to arrive at The Clubroom in City West, the team behind Phat Brew Club were still playing around as homebrewers, before success in a competition sent them hurtling in a rather different direction.

Prior to entering the Margaret River Brewhouse's Backyard Brewing Tournament in 2020, Travis Moore and his football mates had seen their love of brewing grow organically from a simple homebrewing kit via hosting homebrew events of their own. But everything changed when their Phat Porter took out top spot.

Part of the prize was to have their winning brew scaled up for commercial release, an opportunity they grabbed with all their hands, following it up soon afterwards with the release of a fruit salad sour called Phatizzle.

“Winning the competition led to us commercially brewing the beer,” Trav says, “which gave us the belief that our beers were good enough to mix it with the best.”

Those beers laid down the platform for what’s one of the most distinctively-named and presented brewing companies in all of Australia, let alone WA, not least thanks to the giant green hop monster (a nod to one of their good mates) who forms their logo and adorns their cans.

Once given that leg-up by Margaret River Brewhouse, they set about building an audience for their beers, which are as diverse as their non-PBC jobs – Trav a recreation facilities manager, Steve Booth an engineer, Terri Moore a phys ed teacher, Robert Lockhart a chemist, Tim Youngs an architect, and Alex Hamilton an electrician. Initially, these took shape on other brewers’ kits, with new recipes developed within the team before Travis oversaw their transition to full-blown release.

Now, however, with their mission taking a massive leap forward with the opening of the 400-capacity Clubroom featuring taphouse, alfresco area and restaurant, they have full control of the brewing process. Within their City West home is a 10-hec brewery, where Trav has been joined by former Blasta brewer Justin Scrivener.

It's a set up that meant that, as soon as they opened to the public, 12 of the 16 taps were pouring different Phat Brew Club beers – which will probably be 14 out of 16 by the time you head in. As well as the beers for which they've become known, not least the colourful sours, they're using the venue as a testing ground: many releases will be venue-only initially and, if popular, brewed again and sent out into the wider market.

The Clubroom is within walking distance of Perth’s CBD and conveniently located directly across the road from City West train station, placing it among good company too: just a stone’s throw away from plenty of other breweries in the West Leederville, Subiaco and Northbridge precincts.

It's been built inside a building that had lain empty for around a dozen years; its dormancy meant a fair bit of work was required to get it into shape, but the structure provides a canvas upon which their splashes of trademark bright lime green and orange combined with plenty of greenery and artwork created especially for the venue can shine.

"It just suits us," Trav says. "The whole feel of it just works."

In reality, that means a brewpub with screens for sport, a sandpit and toys for kids, and a warm welcome for your four-legged friends. It goes without saying, too, that there's a big focus on beer and food.

As for food, you can tuck into vibrant Asian-inspired fare designed to be a perfect partner for Phat Brew Club’s innovative beers. The kitchen is overseen by UK expat chef Ian Macintosh who we're rather happy to say we introduced to Trav at a Crafty Pint blind tasting in 2022 – not that we knew it would lead to this.

Look out for regular events, from acoustic music and DJs on weekends to beer-focused sessions tied to new releases too.

“We have a vision to create a ‘Culture of Good Times’ at the venue, not only about ensuring all those that come to our venue have a fun experience, but also about creating an environment where our awesome team of people enjoy coming to work and have a bloody good time doing it,” Trav says. “We want to be known as one of the best breweries in WA.”

It’s a bold ambition, but given the buzz they caused with their releases, the warm welcome The Clubroom has received, and the fact their brewing roots go far deeper than that first batch of Phat Porter, we’re sure the lime green hop monster will give it a red hot go.

Jono Outred

Name
Phat Brew Club
Address

102 Railway Street
City West
WA 6005

Phone
0438 254 672
Open Hours

Tues to Thurs: midday to 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am to midnight
Sunday: 11am till 10pm

This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

Phat Brew Club Regulars

Phat Brew Club Xtra Phat Ale

Published February 22, 2023
Phat Brew Club’s astronomical rise from homebrewers to the launch of 450-plus capacity brewery venue close to Perth's CBD within three years is something of a marvel to behold. And while their brand-building creative energy has focused on all manner of outlier styles – pastry beers in all forms, oat cream IPAs, and their ilk – it’s the Xtra Phat Ale which quickly became the best-seller at their West Perth digs. A modern trio of Galaxy, Citra and Eclipse hops dance with peachy stonefruit,… Read more
Style
XPA
ABV
5.0%

Phat Brew Club Phat n Fluffy

Phat n Fluffy Is Phat Brew Club’s answer to the classically rich, chocolate sweet stout… with an added caffeine kick. Brewed with not just coffee but also vanilla and marshmallows, the ingredients combine atop a rich, malt-driven stout base yielding robust coffee and chocolate aromatics and a complex flavour profile. An array of specialty malts throw up toffee and drying chocolate while the marshmallow adds a layer of sweetness. Coffee and vanilla certainly haven’t gone amiss either, with their… Read more
Style
Sweet Coffee Stout
ABV
6.3%

Phat Brew Club Phat Porter

Phat Brew Club's Phat Porter is American leaning in style, with bitter, dark malt notes featuring across the nose and palate. On pouring, the beer creates a dense, caramel head that leads into sweet aromatics of chocolate, salted caramel and some gentle earthy and spicy hop characters. On tasting, it’s a similar theme where malt is a key driver of flavour: dusty cocoa and rich, slightly tart dark chocolate are present among a slight caramel sweetness and a hint of coffee. Some bitterness is present,… Read more
Style
Porter
ABV
6.4%

Phat Brew Club Phat n Juicy

Phat Brewing Co’s NEIPA lands on the heftier end of the style spectrum, coming in at a sizeable and noticeable 7.1 percent ABV, although otherwise offers considerable balance. A medium, pillowy body offers some creamy texture but, importantly, carries bold citrus and earthy hop characters on the palate, while lemon-lime and sticky pine feature heavily on the nose. Strata, Zamba and Citra are the culprits at play, bringing the resultant hop characters long after each sip. Phat n Juicy is a well-balanced,… Read more
Style
NEIPA
ABV
7.1%

Phat Brew Club Specials

Phat Brew Club Darth Lager & Culture Of Good Times

Published May 4, 2023
Dims lights. Cues rousing orchestral music… In strides Phat Brew Club's Star Wars Day beer, Darth Lager, bringing with him a troop of sweet-flecked dark chocolate and Milo aromas, which dissolve into a taut base beer, each element held snug against the next as if by some intangible force… Toasty malt, bitter licks and liquorice hints meet a dry riposte in a delicious liquid duel that’s far, far away from abandonment or a litany of occupational health and safety workplace issues. But, hey, Death… Read more
Style
Dark Lager & Hazy IPA
ABV
5.0% & 6.0%

Phat Brew Club Terri's Chocolate Orange Stout

Published July 13, 2022
Pouring with a quickly dissipating tan head, Terri’s Chocolate Orange is abundant in chocolate flavour immediately after the first sniff. Sweet, orange aromatics are also clearly present on the nose, blending effortlessly with caramel, burnt sugar and a touch of coffee. Reminiscent of that little orange block in a bar of Cadbury Snack chocolate as much as the sweet treat from which it's taken its name, sweet lactose character is prominent among rich chocolate and zesty orange. Malt plays a key… Read more
Style
Choc Orange Stout
ABV
5.6%