Mark Fethers is the man behind both Rocks Brewing Company and the recently re-opened Harts Pub in The Rocks.

Having previously worked for the Discovery Channel and spent time in the United States, where he was exposed to the vibrant craft beer scene, Fethers says he took “a nice little redundancy package” and set up Rocks Brewing Company three years ago.

“I started looking at contract brewing which led me to brewer Scotty Morgan from Five Islands Brewing [in Woollongong], where we started to develop different beers,” he says. “We did about 14 or 15 versions of the red ale which we sampled with friends and fine-tuned.”

When they were happy with the results, Fethers had a full batch of Byrnes Red Ale brewed at Five Islands and a pale ale and porter soon followed. Rocks Brewing was launched at the annual Australian Hotel beer festival in The Rocks three years ago and Fethers soon had his beer on tap at 12 different Sydney pubs.

The beers’ names have strong historical connections with The Rocks area. “My family comes from convict stock seven generations ago,” says Fethers, who credits Monique Galloway, an archeologist with the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, with providing most of the historical research.

“Richard Byrne [whom Byrne Red Ale is named after] was an Irish political prisoner who owned several pubs in The Rocks area and Sail & Mermaid Bitter takes its name from one of those pubs,” he says. “Our 1809 Pale Ale commemorates the date of the first licensed brewery in The Rocks started by Absolem West.”

Cribbs Porter is named after George Cribbs who, according to Fethers, was “a sly grog brewer and butcher” in the area.

“I had to buy a pub to keep my brewing company going,” Fethers says of the Harts Pub venture. The hotel is part of the Shangrila Hotel group but had been closed for 12 months before Fethers took over the lease and re-opened it in March.

“We re-furbished it and put in a new kitchen and draught beer system,” he says. The latter features 12 taps serving four Rocks Brewing beers plus seven other craft beers and a Victorian cider.

“We went for a niche beer market with no Tooheys or CUB beers.” Fethers says he rotates around five new beers per month. “We like to keep a good balance of different styles like hefeweizen and pale ale but we’ve got more dark beers on at the moment because it’s winter.”

While Rocks Brewing beers are currently produced under contract at Five Islands, Fethers eventually wants his own production facility. “We want to build a brewery in the next six months and we’re looking at sites in the inner-west.”

Harts Pubs is located on the corner of Essex and Gloucester sts, The Rocks; Rocks Brewing details: rocksbrewing.com

TASTING NOTES

ROCKS BREWING BEERS:

1809 PALE ALE (5%)

Hazy, copper-gold. Aroma: grapefruit hints. Palate: caramel characters initially; earthy/citrus hop flavours underline the house character; robust bitterness rolls through the finish and lingers on well. Overall: appealing New World pale ale style.

BYRNES RED ALE (4.8%)

Murky, reddish-amber. Aroma: hints of toffee and toasted malt. Palate: sweet toffee notes upfront; dark stone fruit characters emerge in mid-palate with some ripe hop flavours in the background; finishes moderately bitter but with some nice earthy/citrus hop flavours. Overall: a flavoursome take on an Irish red ale style.

CRIBBS PORTER (5%)

Dark brown-black, creamy head. Aroma: espresso and dark fudge. Palate: coffee and dark stone fruit notes upfront; smooth mid-palate with hints of dark chocolate; rounded, smooth finish. Overall: more a full-flavoured NSW “Old” than a true porter.

SAIL & MERMAID BITTER (3%)

Copper-gold, fine haze. Aroma: clean, some spice hints. Palate: light-bodied introduction, clean mid-palate, understated bitterness with hints of tobacco leaf. Overall: easy-drinking ale without much to recommend it.