The Malt Shovel Brewery is an Australian brewery owned by Lion, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Kirin. It is located in Camperdown, New South Wales. Malt Shovel is best known for its James Squire range of beers. The beer is named after the convict turned Australia's first brewer James Squire, who also went on to grow Australia's first hops and is said to have created Australia's first commercial brewery.

History

In 1988, master brewer Chuck Hahn established the Hahn Brewery (then Australia's largest microbrewery) in a former horse stables and later furniture factory, in Camperdown, an inner-city suburb of Sydney. In 1993, the boutique beer-making operation received financial support from Lion. In late 1998, the brewery was relaunched as the Australian craft-brewing arm of Lion, and was renamed the Malt Shovel Brewery, after the James Squire's original brewery tavern ("The Malting Shovel"). The Malt Shovel Brewery produces boutique beers in small batches and in honour of Australia’s first brewer, the brewery named their range of pale ales, ales and porters 'James Squire'. In 2003, the business produced four million litres of beer and in 2010 it had increased to 4.74 million litres. In 2008, the brewery acquired the adjoining building, which allowed the company to expand both its production and storage facilities. The company has also established a number of brewpubs, with the Crafty Squire Brewhouse on Russell Street, Melbourne, the Squire's Maiden on Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle, the Squire's Fortune on The Esplanade, Perth, the Generous Squire on Murray Street, Perth, the Curious Squire on O’Connell Street, North Adelaide, and the Charming Squire on Grey Street, Brisbane. In 2017, new brewhouses were opened in Sydney and in Hobart.

Public access

The brewery is generally not accessible to the public. However, the brewery does welcome visitors each October during Sydney Craft Beer Week.

Beers

James Squire regular beers

The Malt Shovel Brewery produces a number of main brews under the James Squire brand, each with a moniker related to the James Squire story:

James Squire limited edition brews

Every three months the brewery creates limited edition beers under the James Squire brand which are available in its James Squire brewhouses and via selected liquor retailers. These beers are produced in much smaller quantities than the regular brews. Some examples have been: Previously brewed brews

Malt Shovel Brewers (formerly Mad Brewers)

In addition to beers brewed under the James Squire brand, the brewers at Malt Shovel Brewery also release limited edition beers under their own brand. Recent releases has been: Previous brews:

Others

Awards

Malt Shovel Brewery has won numerous awards, medals and trophies world wide for their permanent range of products. The most notable awards include: