Moo Brew, lutruwita / Tasmania’s largest independent craft brewery, is marking 18 years this November—with a party at Manky Sally’s to celebrate.
Entering adulthood with a commitment to creativity, quality and a deep love for the art of brewing, Moo Brew continues to push the boundaries of taste and tradition.
Owned by Mona’s David Walsh, Moo Brew came before the Museum of Old and New Art was unveiled in 2011. Its origin story began when Walsh found a beer bottle he liked while travelling overseas and decided he’d need to start a brewery to fill it. Opening in 2005, the very fancy, very small brewery was initially built in Berridale at Moorilla Estate, one of Tasmania’s oldest wineries, which Walsh had purchased in the mid-nineties and dubbed ‘Moo Land’—hence Moo Brew. Australian Artist John Kelly was commissioned to design Moo Brew’s cans, making them instantly recognisable. Ironically, Kelly’s labels rail against the apparent corporatisation of art, featuring the sun and kangaroo elements of the Australian Arts Council logo.
This triumph of art and yeast outgrew the Berriedale brewhouse and in 2011 moved to their purpose-built Bridgewater home. Moo Brew set out to create the best versions of classic beers, tweaking a few fundamentals and giving things a unique twist.
Moo Brew’s latest venture, luxury dive bar and taphouse Manky Sally’s, exploded onto nipaluna / Hobart’s Salamanca strip in early 2023, boasting an itty-bitty-brewery and an oversized attitude. Sally’s tiny tanks give the Moo crew freedom to take risks on brews with unexpected flavour combinations, and embrace their wildest ideas.
Backed by a swag of accolades, Moo Brew’s core range, limited seasonal releases, BREW series, and Sally’s experimentals are celebrated for their quality and unique character. Some 18 years after the first cap was cracked, the pillars on which Moo Brew’s success was built—a willingness to go against the grain, an undeniable quality, and a touch of weirdness—remain.
Guiding Moo Brew into adulthood is Managing Director Lauren Sheppard. She says: ‘Eighteen years of independent local craft brewing is a notable milestone, with so few breweries able to claim this title, we’re overflowing with pride. This coming of age is all the sweeter with the opening of Sally’s, allowing us to showcase the very best of Moo Brew.’
Head Brewer Jack Viney adds: ‘Moo Brew’s commitment to the classics and thirst for experimentation allows us the freedom to create, cause a stir, and break the rules when it suits. I’m stoked to head up a brewery that’s proudly local, unpretentious, and keen on making damn good beers from Tasmania.’
Manky Sally’s will host Moo Brew’s 18th Birthday Bash from 3pm on Saturday 18 November. Moo Brew will be flowing through all 14 taps: seven pouring Moo’s classic and well-loved range, while the other seven will feature Sally’s experimentals, including a Yuzu Kosho Gose birthday brew from Jack—and he’s shouting the first keg. So, join us to celebrate Moo Brew—the beer that gave birth to a museum—raising its first pint.
Moo Brew’s 18th Birthday Bash
Where: Manky Sally’s, 25 Salamanca Place
Date: Saturday 18 November
Time: From 3pm til late
The celebration: Moo Brew will be flowing through all 14 taps—seven experimentals + seven core range. Jack’s free keg of ‘birthday beer’. DJs Jack Viney and Dredgy will be spinning tunes. A tin-yata filled with drink tokens.
No bookings required.
