No other Melbourne craft brewery invites you into the heart of the action quite like Thunder Road. Step inside and take a seat in the middle of a fully operational brewery, surrounded by giant stainless steel fermentation tanks, brewing equipment and passionate experts ready to help you find your new favourite beer.
Located in the heart of Brunswick, Thunder Road Brewhouse is just a short walk from Melbourne's bustling Lygon Street and public transport, and is home to some of the tastiest and freshest beers Melbourne has to offer.
Thunder Road serves up a wide range of local favourites like Brunswick Bitter, Hop Star XPA and Pacific Breeze, alongside specialty seasonal releases like Caribbean Dark Rum Lager or Frutti Tutti Fruit Salad Wheat Ale. There is always something fun, new and delicious to try at the Thunder Road Brewhouse.
“We’ve always had a fanatical approach to quality which has seen the brewery awarded the Champion Medium Brewery Trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards two years running in 2014 and 2015 – not bad seeing they’re the only two years we’ve entered the comp,” said CEO & Managing Director, Philip Withers.
This diversity of style and flavour is largely due to their uncompromising desire to promote great fresh beer. Thunder Road believes in always evolving to create new flavours without sacrificing the highest production standards possible.
Over the last few years a number of producers have launched new varieties of hops, a key beer ingredient, into the Australian brewery industry. The new varieties offer intense fruity aromas and flavours free of the bitterness that can sometimes be characteristic to hops. Thunder Road have taken full advantage of this, coming up with some unique brews, using these new Aussie hops, that we think will tickle the fancy of anyone that loves a great fresh beer or something completely different.
Unique among urban breweries, Thunder Road also occupies a fully restored and heritage protected cottage, constructed in 1850, just 15 years after the founding of Melbourne itself. Inside this Brewer’s Cottage, rare barrel aged specialty beers are stored and conditioned for your drinking pleasure. True beer buffs, history lovers and even fans of steam punk will get a kick out of the on-site library, a fascinating collection of historical books and bygone brewing artifacts from Australia and around the world.
“We love our customers to come in and talk to our informed bar staff about beers and learn about our new beers. Whenever our brewers are on hand and not brewing, they will take visitors for a tour of the brewery and learn about our brewing process.
“Many visitors who have never experienced quality craft beer are surprised and delighted after visiting Thunder Road. They will often come back time and time again with friends back from all over the world. Our Caribbean Dark Rum Lager is a Gold Medal winner and very popular thanks to suggestions from visitors from Barbados!” enthused Philip.
It’s not just about the beer though. Thunder Road knows that nothing goes better with a cold beer than good company, good food and plenty of sunshine.
The large, sunny courtyard out front is home to a vintage airstream caravan where talented chefs dish out mouth-watering food, designed to pair perfectly with beer. Here, you can sit with your mates, and enjoy the sunshine and rocking tunes. Relax and sample a beer tasting paddle with a casual meal.
Pair a Pacific Breeze Aussie Ale with a flavourful eggplant parma, or down a Full Steam Larger with a market fresh fish slider. Can’t make a decision? No problem, the menu offers perfect pairing advice for some pub-style classics, like potato cakes, dimmies and wings.
Don't miss Happy Hour on Fridays between 4pm - 6pm, where you can grab $7 pints of your local favourite. Spend the night playing on the free retro pinball machine or challenge your friends to a game of NBA jam, Goldeneye or Mario-kart on the Nintendo game station. There’s also the added bonus of being able to purchase take home 1.8 litre glass growlers of any tap beer!