The winner of the second annual Beer & Brewer Top 50 Brewpubs for 2017 is Stomping Ground in Collingwood, Victoria.
Having been open for just over 12 months, Stomping Ground managed to skyrocket its way to the top of the 2017 list. And that really shouldn’t come as any huge surprise given the pedigree of its founders Guy Greenstone and Steve Jeffares, the team behind the GABS festival and both of The Local Taphouses (which also made it onto the Top 65 Beer Venues list).
“We’re absolutely stoked to receive the award,” Greenstone told Beer & Brewer. “It’s really exciting that people are enjoying what we’re doing.”
When asked what he thought set Stomping Ground apart from other brewpubs around the country, Greenstone said he hopes that it’s a combination of everything.
“I hope it’s about the overall experience, which is something that’s really important to us. So a combination of great beer but really friendly, knowledgeable staff who really are passionate about what we do and live and breathe our beer as well as our brand. And then of course the look and feel of the place and making it nice and warm and welcoming, and a place that is really inclusive rather than exclusive.”
Stomping Ground narrowly beat The Wheatsheaf Hotel/Wheaty Brewing Corps for the top spot, followed by Wayward Brewing Co, FogHorn Brewhouse, 4 Pines and Feral Brewing Co.
Canberra’s BentSpoke Brewing Co. secured the number seven spot, with The Lord Nelson Brewery, Stone & Wood Brewing Co and The Public Brewery rounding out the top 10.
Greenstone continued: “Having been to quite a number of the other venues, we’re mates with most of them, so to be in the conversation with all of those top quality brewpubs is really an honour.”
The list was compiled with the help of 25 industry experts, including the likes of Ian Kingham, Matt Kirkegaard, Kirrily Waldhorn and Tim Charody, aka The Beer Pilgrim. Each expert voted for their five favourite brewpubs, with the scoring weighted so those at the top of the panellists’ lists scored higher than those at the bottom. There were no strict criteria, judges voted based on a range of factors such as the quality of beers, service, staff knowledge, and venue atmosphere.
The Top 20 Brewpubs for 2017 are:
- Stomping Ground, Collingwood VIC
- The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton SA
- Wayward Brewing Co, Camperdown NSW
- FogHorn Brewhouse, Newcastle NSW
- 4 Pines, Manly NSW
- Feral Brewing Co., Perth WA
- BentSpoke Brewing Co, Braddon ACT
- The Lord Nelson Brewery, The Rocks NSW
- Stone & Wood Brewing Co, Byron Bay NSW
- The Public Brewery, Croydon VIC
- Colonial Brewing Co, Port Melbourne VIC
- The Grifter Brewing Co, Marrickville NSW
- Eagle Bay Brewing, Naturaliste WA
- Two Birds Brewing, Spotswood VIC
- Green Beacon Brewing Co, Teneriffe QLD
- Modus Operandi, Mona Vale NSW
- Temple Brewing Co, Brunswick East VIC
- Willie The Boatman, St Peters NSW
- Bridge Road Brewers, Beechworth VIC
- Bad Shepherd Brewing Co., Cheltenham VIC
The complete list of the top 50 brewpubs, together with judges’ comments, can be found in the Spring Issue of Beer & Brewer, which is on sale now in newsagents, liquor stores and home brewer shops. You can subscribe to Beer & Brewer here.
Via Beer & Brewer
Image: Stomping Ground Credit: David Hyde
