Black Hops II Brewery, Gold Coast

Black Hops II brewery in Gold Coast, Australia, was opened in March 2019. Image courtesy of Black Hops.

A 1,300m² Riviera sheds warehouse was renovated for the new Black Hops II brewery. Image courtesy of Black Hops.

Black Hops Brewing raised $400,000 for the new brewery through equity crowdfunding. Image courtesy of Black Hops.

Black Hops Brewing won five gold medals at the 2018 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA). Image courtesy of Black Hops.

Black Hops Brewing opened its second Black Hops brewery, called Black Hops II, on the Gold Coast, Australia, in March 2019. The new brewery increases the company’s annual production from 500,000l to multiple millions of litres.

The opening of the brewery was celebrated with limited release beers such as Danger, Thunder Cloud, and Kiwi Lager.

Black Hops II will offer 14 beers on tap such as Eggnog Stout, Pale Ale, and Hornet IPA.

Black Hops II location

The Black Hops II brewery is located in Riviera sheds at 665 Pine Ridge Road, Biggera Waters, in the northern end of the Gold Coast.

The north end location was preferred because of the region’s population, businesses and growth. The site’s close proximity to Brisbane and the lack of local breweries and bars were also considered when selecting the location.

Black Hops II brewery details

The Riviera sheds warehouse spans across 1,300m² with an 8m-high ceiling and is bigger than the Black Hops Burleigh brewery.

The building houses a 6,000l brewery of up to 1,000m², a 150m² taproom, and 200m² of mezzanine space for office use. The 4.6m-high cold room occupies 100m² of floor space in the warehouse.

The taproom comprises a bar area with a U-shaped design and is equipped with seats and tables to accommodate up to 70 people.

A toilet block with five toilets and a shared basin was also constructed.

Equipment installed at Black Hops II brewery

The brewery is equipped with six 17,500l fermenters, two bright tanks, as well as boiler, piping, and control units.

It also features a two-vessel steam pilot system comprising three 700l fermenters, one 700l bright tank and a semi-automated control system.

A 50t outdoor silo at the new brewery is connected to the brew-house with a chain-disk auger.

The brewery uses an eight-head inline canning machine for in-filling beer. A Case Packer Sealer is installed to automatically package the cans directly off the canning line and into the cartons.

New forklift and scissor lift were procured for the new brewery, while pallet racking from an old store was used for the dry storage area.

Financing

The Black Hops II brewery was financed through $400,000 of equity crowdfunding raised through the Birchal equity crowdfunding platform. Black Hops is the first Australian brewery to complete an equity crowdfunding campaign.

Contractors

Alpha Brewing Operations supplied the craft brewing and canning equipment for the brewery.

All So Cool was contracted for the design and construction of the cold roo, while DCQ Constructions carried out the fit-out works.

The plumbing contract for the facility was awarded to Kruges Plumbing, while Desert Island Media prepared the crowdfunding campaign videos.

Fibre King developed a Case Packer Sealer for packing and glueing the boxes without human intervention.

Marketing commentary on Black Hops Brewing

Black Hops Brewing was founded by Eddie Oldfield, Michael McGovern and Dan Norris in 2014. Its beer portfolio includes Eggnog Stout, Call of Duty, Pale Ale, Send It, Mid Range, Pink Mist, and Lay Day.

The company opened its first brewery on the Gold Coast in June 2016 using $17,000 of crowdfunding raised through Pozible.

Black Hops Brewing currently distributes to approximately 400 venues across Queensland and New South Wales and is expanding into other states.

Black Hops Brewing won five gold medals at the 2018 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA).