We catch up with Newcastle’s oldest brewery brand, Grainfed Brewing
The family-friendly suburb of Lambton first welcomed Lachlan MacBean’s Grainfed Brewing back in June 2023.
Catching up 18 months later, it’s nice to see this family owned and operated business charging on, with additions, and more Grainfed brews to taste than ever before.
Starting as a passion project, Lachlan was well ahead of the curve when it came to the world of craft beer, launching Sneaky One 12 years ago. The easy to drink brew still uses the same recipe as it did when it launched, and unsurprisingly continues to be Grainfed’s best seller.
“When we first opened the brewery we had 4 beers on tap, since then we’ve added another 8, plus we’ve done a few collaboration beers with local brewers, and we rotate through other new releases.”
Lachie and Jeanette
Standing at the taps today they cover all flavours including an NZ Pilsner, IPA, Dark, Hazy and Belgian Pale Ales. There’s even a Coal Porter Dark Ale - Nitro that Lachie says the Irish have claimed tastes better than Guiness.
For those who like their beer fresh, Grainfed is one of the few breweries in Newcastle who offer the tank to tap option, with Lachie explaining four of the brews are always connected and poured directly from the serving tank, and for beer lovers it doesn’t get any fresher than that!
Whilst beer is the focus, Lachie has expanded the drinks menu adding hunter and regional wines into the beverage mix, a nice complement to the now extensive food offering.
Wanting to create more of a destination type experience, Lachie introduced a relaxed, share style menu that includes sourdough pizzas and a selection of rock solid toasties.
If a meat and cheese platter is more your style, take the premium Ortiz canned seafood upgrade option which covers sardines, anchovies and tuna.
On our visit, the Pepperoni with Jeanette’s’s dad’s homegrown hot honey just tipped out as the fave dish.
Originally working as a horticulturist and arborist, it was twenty-odd years ago that Lachlan decided to change careers and step into the commercial brewing homebrewing world, well before the Aussie craft beer scene had begun.
“I started home-brewing whilst I was at University in Wagga, and it just took off. I went to a beer dinner in Bowral for Malt Shovel, and I spoke to the brewer and asked how he got into the industry."
“I went home that night and enrolled at Ballarat University. They actually sponsored the Australian Beer Awards and they used to do a trade show the following day. The first half of the day was a trade show, then they let the public in at 1pm. It was here that Lachlan got his first job in the Brewing industry with Bluetongue Brewery based at Cameron Park.
Five years on, Lachlan and Jeanette had a role reversal with him saying goodbye to Bluetongue Brewery, Jeanette going back to work full time, and Lachlan saying hello to full-time dad to three kids under eight. It was during this time that Grainfed Brewing Company was born in 2012.
Grainfed Brewing quickly made a name for itself across the Newcastle beer community and has grown into one of the most well-respected local brewing brands. Lachlan was fortunate enough to judge over 35 International beer competitions including the prestigious World Beer Cup in the USA four times, which has enabled him to fine tune his palate for quality assurance.
If you haven’t visited Grainfed Brewery yet, don’t let the unassuming façade fool you. The floor to ceiling hop vine graphic, hand painted by Lachlan’s wife Jeanette, invites you down the narrow hallway into the spacious brewery area. There is no mistaking that you are in a brewery with the tanks on full display. Upstairs is a large function room that can be hired out for business meetings, conferences, weddings and parties. Upstairs you will also find the free pool table, games and sport on the TV.
Little knick knacks and local memorabilia give off old-school Australiana vibes and meld perfectly with Lachie and the team’s welcoming hospitality.
Grainfed promotes the “think local, drink local” motto. Lachlan recognised that many people would rather walk to their local, and positioning in Lambton has allowed that to happen for many. Also only a 500 metre walk to the stadium means Grainfed is in a great position.
“One of the main reasons we've built the brewery is that we think that small breweries are now taking the place of the local community hall. We believe that beer, more than any other beverage, helps to create connection and build community.”
