The people of Perth will be able to Live Everyday Like It’s Friday this weekend as Fox Friday live up to their motto and open the doors to their latest taproom at 11am tomorrow (April 12).
The craft brewers announced plans to open the Western Australia brewpub close to 12 months ago. Their Burswood home is the third venue in as many cities for the brewery that started out in Hobart and is run by husband and wife team, Benn and Sarah Hooper.
The new project has been led locally by WA operations manager Ricky Watt, who told The Crafty Pint that, following several delays, it's been a busy few weeks to get the location ready for beer drinkers to enjoy.
“In all those renovations shows you see this chaos right at the end," Ricky says. "‘It’s coming down to the wire!’ And you think, bullshit, that’s just editing. It’s not.
“I’m very excited to see people in the space. We got the keys in July last year and were under the impression it was going to be a bit easier than it’s been."
The space was previously home to Blasta Brewing, which is now located a mere 80 metres down the road at the Blasta Collective. In its new, Fox Friday form, extensive renovations have seen the vast beer hall afforded with a more intimate feel, with newly installed light panels in the main room’s roof injecting warmth into the space. Floor-to-ceiling glazing separates the venue from the soon-to-be operational brewery, one which will eventually service Fox Friday's taps, including some Lukr faucets waiting to pour the brewery's impressive lager offerings.
“Unfortunately, the brewery install has fallen behind the venue due to rail line issues and other delays," Ricky says. "However, we have Richmond and Hobart fully operational, meaning we have plenty of beer available.”
Once the Burswood brewery is operational, Western Australians can expect plenty of local and taproom exclusives, although Ricky says they've ensured the opening lineup offers a broad selection for people to enjoy, with more to come too.
“There’s been customer interest in simpler, but well-refined styles and approachable beers, but that will be balanced with some bigger and bolder beers on tap," he says. "We’ve got a bunch of bourbon barrel-ageing beers down in Hobart and people can expect some annual releases as taproom exclusives.”
The previous café space now holds a shuffleboard centrepiece, which nicely ties into the history of Fox Friday, alongside the fact that Benn grew up in Perth.
“When Benn lived in Houston he got right into shuffleboards and beer, and that’s where the idea of opening a brewery started," Ricky says. "There’s one in Fox Friday Hobart as well.”
With the significant upgrades now complete, guests can look forward to pairing beers with food from a kitchen will be led by hatted chef Robert Murphy, formerly of Bistro Guillaume.
The Southern US-inspired menu focuses on seafood and local produce. Expect dishes ranging from jerk chicken and Cajun salads to lobster rolls, cheese steak sandwiches and Nashville chicken burgers. On the grill, there’s a range of meat options including a one kilogram tomahawk steak and 900 gram Pardoo on the Bone rib eye steak, while cubs are ably catered for with a range of kids meals.
Fox Friday Perth's launch follows on from the brewery's Richmond brewery and taproom opening late last year; in combination with the venue in Hobart's CBD and production site in Moonah, the approach represents a national model that few Australian craft breweries have followed. By installing similar brewing kits at all three sites, the team will be able to rotate around the three sites with common knowledge of the system. And, while the three breweries taken together give Fox Friday a fair bit of scale, it also provides them with flexibility and the chance to connect with different communities.
"We just want to make sure that we can keep beer fresh," Ricky says.
“It’s not the traditional national brewery model. Instead, having an outpost in each state allows us to maximise what’s working locally, keep beer fresh, and drive customer experience and innovation, while still building Fox Friday nationally. And it helps reduce shipping beer around the country, which can be challenging in Western Australia.
“We’re seeing good traction in Perth, so being able to produce good beer here, keep it fresh and keep it local with the taproom model is a win for everyone."
The launch of Burswood offers the WA team a chance to engage with their local community and customers on a greater level than before, as well as working closely with other WA breweries on collaborations.
“It’s really about being able to hone in and nourish that customer experience," Ricky says. “Fox coming to WA isn’t a ‘Let’s take over’, it’s just a lovely place to call home – and there’s an engaged audience for Fox Friday beers here.
"We really want to become part of the WA scene and have already got some collabs and events locked in.”
Given the frequency of Fox Friday's releases and the interest their beers tend to elicit, it's an exciting prospect for local beer drinkers, especially at a time when the news cycle in beer and the wider hospo world has been carrying regular tales of woe as businesses go under, into administration, or are put on the market.
That said, few among Perth's most eager beer fans will be as excited as Ricky to open the doors.
“WA has flown the flag for good beer for such a long time, and people are passionate about beer here," he says. "We just want to get them in and show them a great time.”
Fox Friday Burswood opens on Friday, April 12, at 84-88 Goodwood Parade Burswood. It's open from 11am each day, seven days a week.
About the author: Guy drinks and writes about beer, goes for a run most mornings and makes his own chilli hot sauce. Find out more on Goodtimes Craft Beer via Facebook and Instagram.
For me, beer writing is about sharing experience with others, most of which is as much about what happens around the glass as what’s in it. It’s why I started a blog in 2014 after years of drinking beer and through quite literally bumping into founder James Smith at Good Beer Week began writing for The Crafty Pint. Many amazing friendships have developed from the love of water, malt, hops, yeast, adjuncts and hype!
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer
Early 90s experience with Dogbolter and bottles of Delirium Tremens at the Sail and Anchor proved that there was more to beer than the cheap stuff I was drinking. A few years later, Chimay Blue once again teased before Little Creatures Pale Ale and Feral Hop Hog set the course for beer with flavour and nuance.
Favourite beer styles
Balance and drinking context are key but a short list includes Brett saisons, super fresh West Coast IPAs, well constructed BA sours, BA imperial stouts and fresh India pale lagers.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
Depending on the beer and circumstance, bitterness and acidity are the hurdles to overcome.
- Right now, Eagle Bay’s IPL is a great modern expression of technique and approachability. The hop presence arrives in soft mango and lime with enough bitterness but it’s the tight carbonation and refreshingly super dry finish that seals the deal.
- Boston Brewing’s Afterglose: Raspberry gose brings a near-perfect fruit / salt / acidity balance to a vibrantly coloured beer. It’s a real talking point which can lead to conversation about the history of beer styles, acidity on the palate or just: "Do you want another one?"
- Any fresh Czech-style pilsner. This has to be fresh in order to pick up the grassy noble hop characters and zippy bitterness on the slightly more biscuity malt body. While familiar to many, a really fresh expression is great starting point for a massive world of beer.
Tell us about a standout beer moment
A favourite beer memory involves spending an afternoon sitting under the dripping eaves of a café in the 5th Arrondissement watching Parisians run in and out of a bakery with fresh baguettes while I drank large goblets of Duvel as the winter rain soaked the tiny cobblestoned square. So much about beer is context!
