A Second Bucketty's In Brookvale!?

Alright Stop, Collaborate and Listen

Pause the Bucketty’s bandwagon everyone!

I’m gonna let you in on a secret.

We bought a building across the road from us in Brookvale (27 Orchard Road) with the intention of turning it into a second venue last year.  

Yup.

We’re going large!

We’re going to open a food-centric, 120 seat venue complete with barrel aged beers that pair perfectly with seasonal foods prepared by a chef in an actual kitchen (not a food truck).

It’s gonna be epiiiiiiiiiic!

Or it was…

Not now. 

Cause it’s a jungle out there and I’m scared.

We went a fair way down the process of getting approval. Architectural plans were drawn, traffic and parking was surveyed and building compliance was assessed. 

But. 

Ploughing massive funds and energy into a second venue that’s only a stone's throw from our current home seemed like a good idea back in 2023 when we had lines of people trying to cram into any spare square metre of Bucketty’s.

“I can see a free stool in there, let me in damn it!”  was a common snarl from those lined up at the front, sometimes for over an hour.

When we opened, we were the 5th brewery in Brookvale.  

But there’s now 8 actual breweries, a fake brewery and a couple of distilleries all competing for the same customers, within just a few hundred metres of us.

Does Brookvale need another?

Personally, I think Brookvale has had its fill. And the more that open the harder it’ll be to stay healthy.

I saw news this morning that Brookvale brewing pioneers, NOMAD’s, are selling up, with the owners migrating to Mudgee. Maybe they see the writing on the wall? Or maybe they just really like wine and cheese?

I dunno…

What I do know is that things are much tighter than they used to be. With the exception of 4 Pines, we all live and die by the patronage in our tap rooms. The days of multimillion dollar acquisitions of independent breweries are done.  

Trying to get into bottle shops feels like selling Amway in 1997.  

Before we opened, I’d hear regular stories from breweries about the pressure of keeping up with demand as they tried to find space to squeeze more tanks into heaving warehouses. 

Not anymore. 

Instead, I see equipment for sale, and our friends going into voluntary administration.  

But you know what?

Maybe this is the life cycle of any industry, right now we’re on the downward slope where there’s an oversupply of product and increasing competition?

But - Craft beer is different. Our industry is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. 

We’re a team. We share common values and collaborate better than Dr Dre & Snoop Dog. And through our combined efforts we’ve changed beer and hospitality across Australia. Hundreds of communities are richer for the small independent breweries that dot our vast landscape. 

Us independent breweries, we pay it forward and help each other out. 

So I’m hopeful that with collaboration we can build on the success of Brookvale as a destination for booze connoisseurs and people wanting an experience outside your traditional pub or club. A place for people that reject weird carpets and “VIP rooms”.           

And you can help keep the dream alive. 

Spread the word and get down to Brookie for festivities, or a quiet mid-week meal whenever you can. We need your help to keep this little patch of magic thriving. Even 4 Pines, those guys are alright too. 

And the future for 27 Orchard Road? The sitting tenant is expanding to take over our intended venue. Their business of restoring VW Kombi’s is going gangbusters and they’re bursting at the seams with locals wanting to book $100k vehicle restorations. 

In a fortunate twist, we've negotiated permission to use the carpark and driveway twice a year to hold events, right now we're thinking about a fire pit and paella party in July! Would you come? 

But honestly, who would have thunk that there’d be so much demand for $100k Kombi restorations in Brookvale 20yrs ago? 

Hmm… Maybe this is the seed for another blog post topic about the changing social fabric of the Northern Beaches?

Anyway,  get amongst it and get down to Brookie and share the love whenever you can, cause us indie breweries need your support to stay healthy and weather this tricky period we’re in right now.

Cheers! 

Nick