The Inner West Ale Trail, a collective of 18 local breweries spanning six of Sydney’s coolest suburbs – Marrickville, Enmore, Newtown, St Peters, Rozelle and Camperdown – has officially launched, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese there to celebrate the milestone. Brewers from Chuck & Sons, Philter, Wayward, Young Henrys, Hawke's, Wildflower, Willie the Boatman and more, alongside beer lovers (including Time Out) and government officials, gathered at Mixtape Brewing & Bar on Thursday, October 3, to raise a pint to the initiative, which brings together indie breweries celebrating community, vibrancy and the importance of supporting local businesses.
To mark the launch, Sydneysiders can now enjoy two-for-one beers at all Inner West breweries (just register here) – and we’ll cheers to that.
The PM, who grew up in council housing in Sydney’s Inner West, spoke of his love for local breweries and their role in building community.
“Breweries create community, they create joy, and they’re fantastic places to engage,” he said. While acknowledging the challenges the community faces, he added that things are on an upward trajectory and that “fun is back in Sydney.”
With ambitions to be recognised as the craft beer capital of Australia, the Inner West Ale Trail features more than 320 beers brewed on-site, alongside 15 restaurants and food trucks, plus more than 60 fun events and live gigs happening every week.
Michael Rodrigues, NSW’s 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, discussed the "war against the couch" and emphasised the government’s commitment to supporting small businesses and boosting local economies. This includes funding from the NSW Government’s Uptown Grant Program and the CID Trial Program, with grants ranging from $150,000 to $400,000. (In fact, the stage Rodrigues stood on at Mixtape was built thanks to one such grant, with live music set to kick off next week at the brewery.)
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne added: “The Inner West is to brewing and distilling what the Hunter Valley and the Barossa are to Australian wine. The initiatives we’re undertaking on behalf of these local businesses will only strengthen a growing part of our local economy and attract visitors to experience the unique vitality of the Inner West.”
To celebrate the launch of the newly expanded collective, the Inner West Ale Trail has a brand-new website with welcome offers available, including the aforementioned two-for-one beers across all breweries (that works out to be more than $200 worth of free beer!). Plus, all the fun and events going on are there in the one place, making it easy to map out your very own brewery crawl. And keep a look out for the Inner West Ale Trail pop-up tinnie bar, which'll be at the AFLW games played at Henson Park throughout October.
While it’s easy to feel disillusioned by the current cost of living, as well as Sydney’s struggles with red tape over the last decade, last night there was a palpable sense of excitement, optimism and pride in the air. If it’s been a while since you last visited, lace up your shoes and head to the Inner West. There’s a heck of a lot of cold and excellent beer waiting for you.
The Inner West Ale Trail includes:
- Batch Brewing
- Brickworks Brewing
- Chuck & Sons Brewing Co.
- Future Brewing
- Hawke’s Brewing
- Hopsters Co-op Brewery
- Kicks Brewing
- Mixtape Brewing & Bar
- Philter Brewing
- Pickled Monkey Brewing Co
- Sauce Brewing Co.
- The Grifter Brewing Co.
- Wayward Brewing
- White Bay Brewery
- Wildflower Brewing & Blending
- Willie the Boatman
- Young Henrys
- Bracket Brewing (launching October/November)
You can find out more about the Inner West Ale Trail here.
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