The façade will feature a glimpse of the brewing operation through windows and a sky deck.
Camera IconThe façade will feature a glimpse of the brewing operation through windows and a sky deck. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Whitfords Brewing Company a boost for the north

Mark DonaldsonJoondalup Times

Specialist taphouses aplenty are dotted through eastern, southern and central Perth but the only credible option for local craft brew cravers is the Indian Ocean Brewing Company in Mindarie.

By spring of this year, Whitfords Brewing Company is hoping to be the new keg on the block.

Run by hospitality outfit Beerland, it will be similar to the company’s other venture – the Northbridge Brewing Company.

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Master brewer Ken Arrowsmith, who drinkers would recognise from the Emu Bitter logo, will oversee the onsite production of about 120,000 litres a year of the pub’s pale ale, IPA, kolsch, wheat and lager range.

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And if the Northbridge operation is anything to go by, punters can also expect canned and bottled beer from a range of domestic and international breweries.

Beerland spokesman Ben Rasheed said Westfield approached the company as part of its major leisure and dining redevelopment at the Hillarys shopping centre.

“We’d never operated in a shopping centre environment before and decided to have a closer look. We liked what Westfield was trying to achieve,” he said.

Mr Rasheed said while the fitout would be similar to the Northbridge venue, they did not want to have a “McDonald’s approach to hospitality” where outlets, for the most part, are indistinguishable from each other.

It would feature elements unique to Hillarys, including a sky deck looking towards the ocean.

The brewery would be housed on the Whitfords Avenue side of the precinct.

Mr Rasheed said the pub focused on the “theatre of brewing”.

“We found that people of all demographics love engaging with beer and brewing in a way that sees us take advantage of quality not quantity,” he said.

Beerland surveyed local residents’ interest in a Whitfords venue and received a bigger response than expected.

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive… people are welcoming of a craft brewery in the northern suburbs,” Mr Rasheed said.