Brand-new Bulimba brewpub Fuel Brewing Co. is firing up appetites and quenching thirsts
A storied Bulimba brewery has recently been reborn, with Fuel Brewing Co. on Oxford Street transforming the original home of Revel Brewing Co. into a brewpub with a passionate fire in its belly. Serving frosty brews, effervescent spritzes, salivation-worthy small plates and piping-hot woodfired pizzas, Fuel Brewing Co. is looking to establish itself as a go-to destination for dinner, drinks and much more.
For Jay Neven, the launch of Bulimba brewpub Fuel Brewing Co. marks a bit of a homecoming.
Why? Well, for starters, the Bulimba brewpub sits in the same Oxford Street site that once housed Revel Brewing Co. – the acclaimed beer maker that Jay founded in 2017 and nurtured into a powerhouse of Brisbane’s craft-brewing scene.
When Jay divested from Revel Brewing late last year, he had no immediate intention of returning to the industry so quickly. But, after being presented with the opportunity to secure the original Bulimba site (Revel Brewing Co’s Rivermakers location still operates under new ownership), the allure of clearing the deck and returning to a more humble state of brewing proved too strong to ignore.
“What we did with Revel was beautiful – it was amazing and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world,” says Jay. “It was such a beautiful thing, to grow an idea into something and then watch it rocket off.”
“I built Fuel to bring people together over great beer, epic pizza and good times. Simple as that. That energy – the same one that drove Revel – is what fuels Fuel now. I’m just doing what I love, and inviting people to enjoy the ride.”
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Aside from Jay’s heart-on-sleeve love for the music of Metallica, Fuel Brewing Co. is inspired and powered by a fiery passion for community-oriented hospitality and a genuine desire to build a quality gathering point for the locals of 4171.
Long-time fans of Revel Bulimba will be happy to hear that Fuel retains much of its original charm – a cavernous interior space has been given a lick of paint and a new neon sign, while the umbrella-shaded beer garden remains unchanged. Right now, punters will notice a void where the venue’s brewing apparatus used to sit – something that Jay happily informs us will soon be rectified.
“The thing I’m most excited about is actually bringing the brewing back to Bulimba,” says Jay, who reveals his original brewing kit will be reinstalled at Fuel in the coming months. “Soon, I’ll pick up the mash paddle and start brewing beer back on Oxford Street once again.”
Once fully operational, Jay will be overseeing the production of a retooled range of core beers – including a pale ale, a lager, a pacific haze, a session ale, an IPA and a hazy IPA – plus a clutch of guest beers. Jay is also relishing the chance to dabble in experimental brews, with small-batch releases cycling through the taps with regularity.
“I’m rewriting the recipes at the moment and it’s really exciting because a lot’s changed with the ingredients and the technologies behind making beer in the past seven years,” says Jay. “There are a lot of new hops that are available now that weren’t necessarily available seven years ago.”
On May 23, Fuel Brewing Co. will launch a limited-edition beer made in collaboration with Richard Hudson from Wynnum-based Hudson Brewing, inspired by the brewers’ shared love of motorcycles.
“He said come down and I’ll give you a kickstart, so it’s called Kickstart IPA,” Jay informs us. “It’s a West Coast IPA – it’s got a blend of some beautiful hops like Mosaic and El Dorado and Eclipse. You can only get it here and you can get it at [Hudson] – we’re not selling it wholesale and not selling it to bars.”
While beer is a core pillar of the brewpub’s offering, Jay stresses that Fuel has much more to offer than just sudsy ales. A selection of spritzes are joined by a sturdy selection of wines, with 15 options available by the glass.
Much like before, Fuel’s food menu is headlined by a killer selection of Neapolitan-style woodfired pizzas, ranging from classics like margherita, capricciosa and diavola, to pizzas with more unconventional toppings such as beef ragu and house-made beer-infused barbecue sauce (there’s also a selection of dipping sauces for your crusts). But, perhaps most excitingly, the offering has been expanded to include a killer clutch of share plates, including pesto-coated burrata, fried buttermilk-coated squid with spring-onion mayo and house-made focaccia with garlic herb butter.
As the Australian brewing industry continues to persevere through a prolonged downturn, Jay – who has seen it all in his brewing career – believes cultivating and catering to a local customer base is not only a way to weather the current storm, but also ensure long-term viability.
“To say it really bluntly, the previous business model that a lot of us employed is flawed now because of a million factors,” says Jay. “But that doesn’t mean that you have to have a business that doesn’t work – you just need to pivot.”
“There’s still such a love for good beer in Australia and it’s not going away. Focusing on being a local brewpub works – keeping your head down and emphasising that local element. I think doubling down on that and being very focused on our local community of Bulimba is super important.”
Fuel Brewing Co. is now open to the public – head to The Directory for more details.