New craft-beer hotspot
After weeks of anticipation as it awaited liquor licence consent, Swell Brewing Co’s new McLaren Vale taphouse will officially open to the public from tomorrow.
Winemaker Corrina Wright, co-owner of Swell with brewer husband Dan Wright, tells The Forager the Olivers Road venue has approval to host up to 100 people at a time but they hope to eventually extend this to make the most of the capacity of the large interior space and surrounding grounds.
It was forced to turn away customers during a pre-opening, two-day pop-up party held on the Australia Day long weekend, with around 2000 people seeking a sneak peek at the region’s latest craft-beer hotspot.
From tomorrow, the Swell Taphouse will be open from 11am-5pm on Thursdays, 11am-11pm Friday and Saturday and from 11am-6pm on Sunday.
Corrina says that as well as Swell’s own selection of beers, it will be selling a range of beers from other SA craft brewers, such as Big Shed’s Boozy Fruit and Golden Stout Time, Smiling Samoyed’s Hop Bandit, Mismatch’s Berliner Weisse and Little Bang’s The Pinkening.
“They are styles of beer that we don’t do currently … we will start do more seasonal beers but in the meantime we want to support other local brewers.”
Beer flights will be available, served on quirky paddles that reflect both the brewery’s name and Dan Wright’s love of surfing.
The taphouse includes a restaurant, with Fleurieu chef Todd Steele serving up a menu of beer-compatible food such as burgers, chicken wings, BLTs and sweet potato fries – “super-yummy dude food”, says Corrina.
She adds that visitors to the Swell Taphouse in the coming days will also be able to see artist Jimmy DVate working on “a pretty epic mural” on the roof of an old shed adjacent to the new premises.
https://indaily.com.au/eat-drink-explore/the-forager/2019/02/20/taphouse-gets-green-light-wine-time-at-rcc-fringe/