Mountain Monk Brewers is a family business built on a love of good beer, a great town, and the idea that this part of Victoria's High Country deserves a destination of its own.
It started in 2017 when two brothers and cousins — Steve, Mick and Matt — along with their partners Bec, Steph and Lucy, took over the old Mount Beauty Workman's Club and gave it new life as West Peak Hotel. By 2022, they'd added a 1,000-litre brewery on site, drawing on the region's exceptional water and locally sourced ingredients to craft a range of beers that genuinely reflect where they're made.
Today, Mountain Monk Brewers pours more than ten varieties year-round, pairs them with award-winning food, and welcomes anyone who makes the trip up the valley. We're proudly family-owned and the only fully accredited, wholly veteran-owned brewery in Australia.
Proudly independent and planning on keeping it that way. Each brew is locally monk crafted. These are the rules that keep it that way.
Lagers take eight weeks. Most brews take a month. If a beer wants more time, the beer gets more time. We don't ship until we'd drink it ourselves.
Water from Victoria's high country. Malt from the Riverina. Hops from Myrtleford. We know everyone we buy from by first name. The supply chain stops in our postcode.
100% locally owned. Three founders, no silent partners. Our workmates are our friends. Making and selling great beer with our mates is the whole point.
Natural ingredients, no preservatives. We don't hide behind processing like some of the big boys. If you ring up to ask what's in a beer, we'll tell you. We've nothing to hide.
The whole brewery, top to bottom. If you ring the taproom any day of the week, one of these guys will pick up.
Brought the monks to Mount Beauty. Local ties to the area, with their Grandfather having worked on the Hydroelectric scheme in the 50's. Mat was raised in the town and Mick and Steve there every holidays.
Learned to brew in a 20L small batch Grainfather in the kitchen at home and later at UTS in Sydney. Mick kicked off our brewing pilgrimage.
Steph keeps our brewery on the straight and narrow and does all our social media and advertising. With German heritage, her critique of our European style beers; whilst painful at times; ensures they are tasty and correctly named.
Yes! that's his real name. Punky's innovative spirit and meticulous attention to detail make him the perfect fit for the role of Head Brewer.
J-rod, the newest member of our brewery team, has taken to brewing with enthusiasm and attention to detail, making him a perfect fit for our brewery that prides itself on consistency of product.
His title is Head of Sales, which is true - but he is also our only salesman! Josh's easy going sales attitude and drive to drum up business is a perfect combination. He's always up for a chat, so if it's tasty, well made beer that you are after; Josh is your man.
Todd creates food that is fun and delicious. He can make great meals with prime cuts, but can also turn scraps into tasty morsels of goodness. Make sure you get down to our cellar door to check it out.
These two are the inspiration behind our annual Oktoberfest Dachshund races. Both suffer from little man syndrome; their bark is louder than their bite.
No big numbers, no investor rounds. Just one batch, then another.
After being closed for more than 2 years, we pooled our resources and purchased the old Workman's Club. We set about renovating the front half of the building. All these years later we still haven't finished, but just like beer; all good things take time.
Back in 2018, plans were afoot to start a microbrewery. Mick purchased a 20l Grainfather system and started playing with recipes. He also undertook a diploma in brewing science from UTS learned from some of the best brewers in Sydney.
Lets face it, we purchased a pub, we like beer - we were always going to try and make our own. We set about the arduous task of designing our brewery and seeking planning approvals; anyone who has dealt with the Shire knows our pain. It took some time, but we were ready to go!
COVID stopped us in our tracks, but we continued to work on our recipe development and branding, biding our time until the COVID nightmare came to an end.
Construction commenced in mid-2022 with the brewery installed later that year. Was a busy year. We poured our first Pale Ale over the bar at Christmas 2022.
Nine years in; three as a brewery. Slowly expanding when we get to it. Couple of new fermenters and a canning machine. All good things take time...
Trade enquiries, compliments, recipe questions, complaints about the beer — we read everything. Reply usually within the week, faster if it's about beer.
