Bringing a new beer experience to the Barrington Coast with Forster's first brewery: Local, Independent, Fresh, Everytime. It's the concept that David and Helen Black bring to their brewing at Forster’s iconic Coastal Brewing Company.
In 2016, after 20 years working in the corporate world, my husband David and I decided to open a brewery. We relished the peace and natural beauty of the Barrington Coast where we had been escaping for weekends and holidays for a number of years.
The brewery centres around the concept of LIFE – Local, Independent, Fresh, Everytime.
After much scouring much of the lower mid north coast for suitable locations we found a former event hire showroom just off Kularoo Drive in Forster to establish the brewery. Not only did we really want to open a brewery, we felt that Forster also needed a brewery.
We spent six months renovating, building and setting up the brewery before opening the Tap Room door with just two beers on tap and no furniture in June 2017. The brewery now has a fully operational Tap Room (with furniture!) and at any given time we have around eight to twelve different beers for tasting as well as drink on premise and takeaway.
Bringing a new beer experience to the Barrington Coast
At The Coastal Brewing Company we cater for the full spectrum of beer drinkers and have produced beers that appeal to those new to sampling different flavours in a beer through to the fully-fledged ale trail aficionados. In our first three years of operation we brought over 30 unique beers to market. We brew sours, ales, lagers, India pale ales, porters, stouts and we have a barrel-ageing program.
The brewery centres around the concept of LIFE – Local, Independent, Fresh, Everytime.
Local names as beer names
We take the inspiration for our beer names from the Barrington Coast region. Using local names has proved popular with residents and visitors to the area and we love that people come to the Tap Room, chat and ask questions. Our beers include Cellito IPA, Diamond Beach Pilsner, Treachery XPA and Wallis Weizen and you’ll often hear locals and visitors to the area asking for a Booti KNEIPA or a Ruins DIPA.
The Barrington Coast has a bounty of local produce for you to experience and we look forward to welcoming you to our brewery tap room as part of the Great Lakes Food Trail or during our regular opening hours.
And be sure to keep an eye out for our beers at local restaurants and bars next time you visit.
The Coastal Brewing Company is open to the public Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays and more regularly through holiday periods. See our website for details.
Using local names for our beer names has proved popular with resident and visitors.
