Hop City Bar, a 200-seat craft-beer joint from the Happy Valley team, is coming to South City Square
The team behind one of Brisbane’s most-awarded independent breweries is expanding, opening a craft-beer bar in the heart of Woolloongabba. Dubbed Hop City Bar, the 200-seat suds slinger will showcase the brewery’s beers on tap alongside cocktails, whisky and easygoing bar fare. Here’s what we know …
Things have been difficult for the craft-brewing scene in recent years. Back in the pre-COVID halcyon days, new independent breweries were popping up on a regular basis. These days, we’re seeing more headlines about brewery closures than we are about brewery openings.
But the scene perseveres. Here in Brisbane, new pathways to sustainable growth are being forged. Beer makers like Range Brewing and Slipstream Brewing have enacted successful pivots with the launch of their own brewery-operated outposts – character-filled neighbourhood haunts with house-made product anchoring the offering.
Cheyne Meehan of Happy Valley Brewing Co. in Stafford has been taking notes.
“They’re unknown mentors, in a way,” says Cheyne with a laugh. “They don’t know that they’re actually giving me some guidance but they are.”
When Happy Valley opened on Wolverhampton Street in mid-2020, it quickly became a happy place for northside locals, earning praise for its atmosphere as much as for its killer core range and limited-run specials. Two years later, Cheyne started eyeing expansion.
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“We originally started with 11 vessels and that was just to sustain Happy Valley itself,” explains Cheyne. “In 2022 I bought another six vessels for the brewhouse, which doubled production and doubled capacity.
“The intention was to hit the wholesale market, but what I’ve found is that the wholesale market is very competitive – margins are very small and the work that you have to put in to make a buck outweighs our size. I bought the equipment with wholesale projections in mind, but we really haven’t utilised it.”
Instead, Cheyne decided to become his own wholesale customer, funnelling Happy Valley’s extra output to a standalone venue in an area thirsty for a watering hole to call its own.
Later this year Cheyne will open Hop City Bar in South City Square – a 200-seat venue currently taking shape in the space previously earmarked for Talisman Group’s now-shelved Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired brewpub, The Wright House, underneath Angelika Cinemas.
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The move was a no-brainer, explains Cheyne, who cites the precinct’s ongoing growth and a clear opening for a community-centric suds slinger as prime motivators behind the move.
“At the moment, there’s nothing here that’s a craft-beer bar,” says Cheyne. “In the afternoon, it’s like a freeway of people coming through here. There’s 1500 people that live here – plus there’s a 17-storey hotel going in, a 34-storey apartment block going up, and 440 apartments going in next door.”
Hop City will be a two-level venue, with a bar and kitchen on the ground floor and a mezzanine level for events, private functions and overflow. A number of large-format TV screens will be set up around the venue, airing major sporting fixtures and trivia.
Cheyne has been working with INK HAUS Architecture Studio on the venue’s design for the past 12 months, honing in on an aesthetic that meshes industrial chic with a warm edge.
“We’ve done countless hours of going through the ins and outs – from the joinery and the different finishes to the silicone on the splashbacks. His attention to detail is second to none.”
Once open, Hop City will boast eight taps pouring exclusively Happy Valley beers – including its famed 50K IPA, which just took out the Grand Champion gong at last month’s Royal Queensland Beer Awards. A total of 16 beer lines will be installed, meaning additional taps can be added if desired. Approximately five cocktails will also be available, alongside a sturdy selection of whisky.
“Whisky is a passion of mine, alongside beer – the two go hand in hand for me,” says Cheyne. “There’ll be a whisky cabinet with maybe a hundred different kinds that we’re going to put in.”
On the food front, Hop City’s kitchen will turn out a menu of snacks and share plates – a diverse selection of crowd-pleasing fare that’s sure to satisfy.
“It will just be an easy, relaxed neighbourhood bar where you can come and chill out,” says Cheyne. “You don’t have to get dressed to the nines – just come in, chill and enjoy a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere. Just like Happy Valley.”
A fit-out process is underway, with Cheyne targeting an opening date approximately six to eight weeks away. Keep your eyes peeled for more info soon.
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