Episode 014: Moon Dog's Marvellous Medicine

October 24, 2024, by James Smith

https://craftypint.s3.amazonaws.com/crafty/learn/Innovation-icon-230620-122227-230706-154558.png
Episode 014: Moon Dog's Marvellous Medicine

Play the full episode

Moon Dog's Marvellous Medicine


One of the great joys that's come from running The Crafty Pint has been watching so many of the businesses that have helped shape the beer landscape – breweries, beer bars, bottleshops, suppliers, events – grow from their very inception. And few have brought greater joy than Moon Dog.

Plans for both this publication and that brewery were being forged at the same time – in the late 2000s – and both launched within the same 12 month period at the start of the next decade. It was a time in which the local craft beer scene went from gathering momentum to exploding into the public consciousness, with events such as Good Beer Week and GABS making their debuts, and many of the key players brewing or pouring their first beers.

A fortuitous conversation with the person running the original Carwyn Cellars led me to make contact with Moon Dog co-founder Josh Uljans before they'd sent their first single keg release into the wild, and it's afforded me a relatively front row seat from which to observe the unfolding of their story.

It's one that started with beers unlike pretty much anything seen on these shores before, complete with names and labels most definitely unlike anything seen on these shores before: Perverse Sexual Amalgam, Henry Ford's Girthsome Fjord, Nordic Saddle Buffer. Following a period in which they turned their OG brewery into a venue, underwent their first expansion, and launched a core range, the story continues with a series of megavenues unlike anything seen on these shores before.

For Episode 014 of The Crafty Pint Podcast, we joined two of the three founders, Karl van Buuren and Josh Uljans (whose older brother Jake is the third), at the latest of those: Doglands. The 1,200-capacity venue sits on the Marvel Stadium concourse and is set to open for major events and game days; The Jungle Room, a 70-seat restaurant within the same space, will open seven days a week.

As with their original home in Abbotsford (which after this weekend will become a function space rather than public bar) and Moon Dog World in Preston, Doglands is infused with tropical vibes and built around a circular bar which may as well be the dictionary definition of "centrepiece". Its opening comes just months after they launched Moon Dog Wild West in Footscray and just weeks (they hope) before they open a fourth such venue overlooking the bay in Frankston.

We head back to the very start of the Moon Dog story, which begins at a school in Ivanhoe, before tracing their evolution from craft beer's wildest outlier to a multi-beverage and hospitality business that's one of the largest indie operators in the land.

Josh and Karl discuss their embrace of hard seltzers and the wider world of RTDs, the challenges and advantages that come with building a portfolio of vast venues, the importance of remaining true to yourself and your brand – whatever you end up doing, building and retaining great teams, and having fun along the way.

At the start of the show, we reflect on some of the other stories from the week just gone, including the heartwarming tale of the changing of the guard at the Sunshine Coast's oldest brewery, where the owners' youngest daughter has taken up the reins, and the launch of a new Beer Cocktails series on The Crafty Pint.

The chat with Moon Dog starts just after the ten-minute mark and you can watch or listen to the episode here or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Please like and subscribe – and if you are enjoying the show, please rate and review it too as this can help us reach more people.

Cheers!



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/Innovation-icon-230620-122227-230706-154558.png

Find similar articles in our Innovation section, supported by Onpack

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.

FOBOH B2
Podcast B2
Cryer E
Lallemand 1