It's still as tricky as ever to open a small bar in Sydney, but in very good news for local producers, it's about to become much easier to open a brewery in the Inner West.
The area already attracts craft beer fans thanks to the sheer density of breweries in the area: we're talking Young Henrys, Batch Brewing Co, Willie the Boatman, Grifter, Stockade, Staves, and Wayward. But until recently breweries were only allowed to offer tastings unless they applied for an additional 'drink on premises' authorisation to be able to sell full-sized drinks.
The new liquor authorisation is specifically for microbreweries (and distillers like Poor Toms) and will mean that their license applications will be streamlined and the license will come with the ability to operate like a bar, with a few conditions: the patron capacity is a maximum of 100 people, there needs to be food available, it needs to be in the Inner West council area, and you need to be making the products served.
The 12 month trial of the new legislation will start on September 1, and if it proves successful there's talk of rolling it out across NSW.
This is excellent news if you are considering opening a microbrewery, and equally good to hear if you like the idea of more local spots to have a beer and a yarn.
Fancy a bevvie over the weekend? Try these craft brewery bars on for size