That’s right, the masterminds behind Newcastle’s most recognisable cans, the Mullet Pale Ale, alongside their ever-evolving beer offering, Shout Brewing Co. have officially opened their Islington-based brewery and tap room!

Since the brand’s inception at the end of 2018, Shout Brewing Co. has weathered many a storm having opened their originally Mayfield West taproom right before covid graced us with its presence.

Now, almost four years since their original launch, Shout Brewing Co. has matured into a mighty offering that not only Islington locals will be sure to get around, but all of Newcastle’s beer-loving community.

With four mates at the helm, Dylan, Jake, Jim, and Michael, the independent family-owned small-batch brewery is another welcome addition to our local booming craft beer offering. To get the lowdown on what to expect from their fresh brewery space, we sat down with Dylan to hear all about Shout’s journey and exactly what the team have brewing.

All hailing from country NSW, the quad of beer-loving individuals came together to play soccer in Mayfield and shared a love and passion for the golden beverage. Like many brewery stories go, it was over a schooner or two that the concept for Shout came to life.

“Back in 2018, there wasn’t a huge amount happening in Newcastle in the craft beer industry. Obviously, a lot has happened over the last few years, and we’re keen to have more breweries here, so we thought why not just take the leap and start one ourselves,” Dylan said.

Take the leap they did! Launching in their original Mayfield West warehouse space, Shout Brewing Co. has certainly made an impact on our local craft brewing scene and has continued to do so since moving into their new space on Islington’s Clyde St.

“We’ve been in this space almost a year now, but it’s taken a lot longer to get up and running. We’ve been brewing in here since about June.”

The space itself is a completely new build, giving the boys a bit of a blank canvas making it just that little bit easier to bring a brewery offering to life. Walk through the front doors into the taproom where you’re greeted with a mighty impressive mural by Sean Thomas Bell surrounded by a stocked fridge, expansive bar, and cosy seating throughout.

“It’s a pretty casual and fun space to hang out. This artwork has just turned out so awesome. We gave him a pretty loose brief. We said, this is our range at the moment, can you do something that’s going to tie in? We’re so happy with it and it looks amazing.

“We’ve also had a lot of family help bring this space to life. Mick and his dad actually built this bench seat. The bar was actually done by my dad.”

When designing the space, the team wanted to ensure a true brewery experience was on offer, so wherever you might pull up a chair you’ll be able to see the brewery in full action.

For those new to the Shout Brewing Co. range, we got the nitty gritty details on all of their core range, some of their experimental brews, and what they’ll be working on in the future.

First off is their absolute game-changer and crowd-favourite, the Mullet Pale Ale; a beer that “straddles the line of approachability for the less craft beer-inclined yet enough substance to satisfy those with a craftier palate.”   

               

“Our Mullet Pale Ale is our most popular by far. It has just gone beyond all of our expectations.”

The brand’s second most popular beer would have to be their IPA, Keep Newy Weird; a delicate mix of stone fruit, pine, and citrus.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Juice is Shout’s New England IPA which delivers a “tropical fruit bowl delicately poised upon a foggy cloudiness for that low bitterness, creamy mouthful NEIPA experience.”

The last of the local breweries’ core range is their Drop Dead Red; a crispy, malt-forward, and medium-body lager – a brew perfect for drinking any time of the year.

The independent brewery has a strong want to collaborate with other local businesses and has since launched numerous limited-edition brews. The first would have to be the show-stopping Ruby Grapefruit Sour.

“Bao Brothers came to us with a bit of a brief that they wanted something that would go with their food and we worked with them to create this one.”

The other experimental one which has been a creative journey for Jake is the Explore The Frothabilities collaboration with Nathaniel of Merewether’s Frothers Espresso.

“Usually when you're working with coffee flavours and beer, people think of darker styles that coffee is complementary to. But the real feature of this beer is coffee. It is not a beer with coffee in it, it is a coffee beer.

“We teamed up with local roaster, Colour Dot Coffee to make something a bit special that showcases the excellent coffee culture of Newy. Lactose just brought it together to add a bit of sweet, silky smoothness like a flat white,” Jake said. 

Keen to continue their experimental and collaborative brews, Shout Brewing Co. is very much open and willing to local business conversations to get their creative juices flowing. In addition to their beer collaborations, the crew has also joined forces with Roy’s Kitchen in Mayfield to bring Roy’s 2.0 offering to the Islington brewery.

“We have a kitchen in here and decided to partner with Roy’s Kitchen. The idea is that we’ll change the offering every few months. We’re starting things off with wings and then we might do tacos next. We’ll be keeping it pretty simple and choosing food that goes well with beers,” Dylan said.

Having only been open to the public for a few short weeks, there are always going to be plenty of exciting plans for the business's future, but for now, why not check out this epic new brewery in the heart of Islington serving up unique brews and tasty eats?