Hotel and brewery owner Jerry Schwartz is set to purchase the brewing assets and long-term lease at White Bay Brewing in Sydney’s Rozelle, expanding his Sydney Brewery operations.
White Bay Brewery will consolidate its brewing operations at its large-scale brewery in Reservoir, Melbourne and The White Bay Brewhouse and taproom will be rebranded as Sydney Brewery Rozelle from October 1.
The move follows the takeover earlier this year of the Rocks Brewery and Brewhouse in Alexandria, which has been rebranded as Sydney Brewery Alexandria.
Sydney Brewery also operates a Brewhouse in Surry Hills and a large-scale brewing facility in the Hunter Valley.
The Rozelle brewery, which operates within a 150-year-old former steel mill on the edge of Sydney Harbour, will expand Sydney Brewery’s capacity by 25% and enable the launch its first low-carb and non-alcoholic beers.
“Taking over the lease of the Rozelle brewery was a no brainer for us,” said Schwartz.
“The Sydney Brewery history is based around reflecting Sydney’s distinctive collection of ‘villages’ and we have been looking for suitable venues to expand Sydney Brewery’s bar presence across the city while also gaining access to greater production capacity.
“The inner west is a very discerning beer market, and we look forward to showcasing Sydney Brewery’s award-winning range of beers and ciders to the Inner-West community.
“The extra capacity provided by the Rozelle site will allow us to achieve our goal of expanding our range of beers and ciders, including the launch of low-carb and non-alcoholic beers. For the zero-alcohol beer, we have invested in a reverse osmosis machine, which will extract the alcohol from the brewed product.
“In a further diversification of our product, we will launch our canned water range, Can Do, offering plain, sparkling and flavoured waters in 330ml cans.
“The rebranding to Sydney Brewery Rozelle is a win-win solution for the venue, the Rozelle community and the Sydney craft beer sector, which has been going through challenging times in recent years.
“The Inner West Craft Beer Trail is one of Australia’s most vibrant, and Sydney Brewery Rozelle will add even further to its credentials.”
Schwartz plans to upgrade the food and beverage offering with new additions that complement the venue.