Episode 006: Hamish Coates From Rocky Ridge

August 29, 2024, by James Smith

https://craftypint.s3.amazonaws.com/crafty/learn/Sustainability-icon-230620-122751-230706-153400.png
Episode 006: Hamish Coates From Rocky Ridge

Play the full episode

Moving East & Brewing Green with Hamish Coates - Rocky Ridge


Rocky Ridge gave the beer lovers of Melbourne a boost midway through 2024 with the news they had acquired Thunder Road Brewery in Brunswick in order to establish an East Coast outpost. On September 13, they'll throw open the doors of the new-look venue to the public, with brewing of their beers for the eastern states already underway.

While availability of their beers outside WA has been relatively limited up until now, in their home state of Western Australia the brewery took little time forging a fine reputation after launching in 2017; today, they're well-established as one of WA's finest. 

They've picked up a stack of trophies over the years, have a tight core range, produce a phenomenal amount of limited releases, and are in no way afraid to experiment – nothing, it seems, is off limits.

All of that would make for a great podcast chat, but there's much more to their story than that: from day one, their approach to brewing, business, community and the planet has been as important as the liquids they produce. Indeed, before demand started to seriously outstrip their forecasts (which happened very quickly) they were growing many of the ingredients that went into their beers themselves and hoped to increase that over time.

Born on co-founder Hamish Coates' family farm in Jindong, not far from Busselton in the South West, the brewery he launched with partner Mel Holland operates off grid, is always exploring ways in which to brew more sustainably, has been involved in multi-partner projects to develop new products, and is a shining example of how breweries can lead the way. Even the decision to buy Thunder Road was driven by a desire to stop sending beer across the Nullarbor and instead produce beer for customers in the east in the east.

We sat down with Hamish in the bluestone cottage attached to the Brunswick brewery the day before they signed the deal for a conversation covering all of the above and more. The chat was recorded before we'd set up our podcast studio so is audio-only.

If you're reading this in time, there's still a few spots left for members of The Crafty Pint's beer club, The Crafty Cabal, to attend pre-opening drinks, meet the team, and enjoy a tour of their new home before it opens to the public. Details here.

You can find the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. And, with a few episodes under our belt, we've also created a dedicated section for The Crafty Pint Podcast on the site, as well as on the homepage.



We're keen to work with partners looking to reach new audiences and achieve their objectives in fun and creative ways. So, if you'd like to be part of the action, get in touch.

https://craftypint.s3.amazonaws.com/crafty/learn/Sustainability-icon-230620-122751-230706-153400.png

Find similar articles in our Sustainability section, supported by Bintani

If you enjoy The Crafty Pint, you can become a supporter of our independent journalism.

You can make a donation or sign up for our beer club, The Crafty Cabal, and gain access to exclusive events, giveaways and special deals.

Bintani Abstrax B
S&W x MC B
Cryer E
HPA Liquid Hops Oct 2024