One of the original founders of Kooinda is back in the beer game with three mates. After leaving Kooinda, Jamie Cox was involved in setting up Proscuitto Bros in Eltham. Now he's back making beer rather than selling it as part of a foursome that goes by the name Hack Brewing.
To date, they've brought one beer out: the Golden Ale. Here they are to tell us a little more about Hack.
Who are you?
Just a bunch of Hacks. Chris can’t even grow a beard!
There’s four of us. James and Chris both come from sales backgrounds with a passion for homebrewing. Doug’s background is in banking, so he’s in charge of our money tin. Then there’s Jamie. The one person who knows what he’s doing after his experience starting Kooinda Brewing way back before craft was craft and more recently at Prosciutto Bros.
We work well as a team. We have diverse backgrounds, but despite the fact we are hacks, we all bring different skills to the party. Puns and pop culture references are skills, right?
Where do you brew?
We brewed our first few batches at Cavalier and just recently brewed some larger volumes at Holgate in Woodend.
Why do you brew?
It sure beats every other industry we’ve worked in. This is an incredible community to be a part of and give back to – with great beer!
What beers have you released to date?
Don’t mention the war… a bitter topic at every meeting. We’re all itching to grow our range. But, first, we’re focused on our Golden Ale. An easy drinking session beer that the strictest craft aficionado can park themselves on while still being very approachable to mainstream beer drinkers looking to dip their toe into the craft pool.
What’s the inspiration behind the brewery name?
Hacks by name. Hacks by nature. We’re not pretending to be the best, there’s too many great beers out there. We’re just focusing on what we are good at, but learning a lot as we go.
We’re hacks, but since when has that stopped anyone? Besides, anything we cock up is literally just “in keeping with the brand”!
Was there a beer or a moment that set you on the path to launching a brewing company?
We were drinking a keg of James’ incredible homebrew at a birthday party a few years back and thought this was something we really wanted to be a part of – making our own beer for family and friends to enjoy – but we didn’t know where to start.
Enter Jamie. His knowledge of the industry really gave us the direction and experience we needed to get up and running.
What beers are in your fridge right now?
KAIJU! Krush, Temple Bicycle, Fixation IIPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and a bunch of Hacks.
What would be your desert island beer?
Pirate Life Pale Ale seems fitting.
If your brewery was a band, who would it be?
The Who. Or maybe The Pretenders.
Where do you hope your brewery will be ten years from now?
Hopefully not on that desert island! We’ll have our own brewery; well and truly established and perhaps even helping some other hacks break into the industry. We’ll have a range of core beers (maybe two), seasonal releases and a stack of awards we’ve either won or pinched.
Where can people find your beers?
The Peacock Inn, Golden Fleece, Windy Mile, The Black Pearl and Nillumbik Cellars are some of our best customers in Victoria. We’ve recently shipped kegs up to the iconic Frankie’s Pizza by the Slice in Sydney, and The Scratch Bar and Netherworld in Queensland.
You can read other Who Brews? Q&As here and keep tabs with Hack here.
