By Willie Simpson 

Mid-winter is hardly the ideal time to be opening a new beer bar, you’d have thought. But for Murray Howe – the owner of Murray’s At Manly, which had a low-key launch last week (MAY 16), it’s an opportunity to get things in order so they can cope with busier times ahead.

“We’re used to doing things a little differently,” says Howe, who started Murray’s Craft Brewing Company six years ago from a pub at Taylor’s Arm, a mere blip of a town on the mid-north coast. Two years ago he bought the Port Stephens Winery, re-located the brewing equipment there, and created a combined wine and beer cellar-door/restaurant.

“Besides – we’ve got a couple of big stouts in Wild Thing and Heart of Darkness which are over nine per cent,” he says. “What more could you want to drink in winter!”

Howe plans to open a handful of similarly-themed beer bars in Sydney, with the Manly venture just the first cab off the rank. “The opportunity arose a few weeks ago and we had a day to make up our minds,” he says. The former El Poco Loco venue at North Steyne came on the market after the previous owner and head chef parted ways on less than friendly terms.

“Manly would have been my first pick for a beer venue,” Howe says. “It’s an iconic beachside destination for tourists and Sydney day-trippers, and it’s got a fairly affluent local population.”

Following a splash of new paint and the installation of six more beer taps and a hand-pump, the former 250-seat Spanish restaurant re-opened as Murray’s At Manly.

“We need a few months to get everything going smoothly,” Howe says. “With things like hand-pumped cask-conditioned ale, we want a bit of time to get things right.”

Once the venue has been bedded down over the next couple of months, Howe says they will close for a week-long refurbishment and complete an expanded draught beer system which will comprise 24 beer taps and a trio of hand-pumps. As well as showcasing Murray’s extensive range of beers – there are 25 currently listed on their website - Howe says at least six taps will serve beers from other “independent small breweries”.

Over the past year Murray’s Craft Brewing Company has trebled its output, with most of the increased production being sold through beer taps around Sydney and Melbourne.

“Finally, it’s getting easier to get our beer on tap,” he says. “People are waking up to beer and flavour.” Howe also credits the rise of small bar venues in Sydney with the increased interest in craft beer. “It’s heading in the same direction as the US where you can walk into lots of restaurants and find craft beer on tap.”

And Howe says he wants to convert conservative beer drinkers. “We’ll always get the beer geeks but we want to educate the mainstream as well. We’ve got some ‘gateway’ beers which we hope will introduce them to craft beer.

“With this 700-square metre venue, we’ve got the opportunity to stage festivals, beer education classes or beer dinners for 100 people.” Murrays At Manly, 49 North Steyne, Manly, open seven days 7am-late; www.murraysbrewingco.com.au

Meanwhile, the James Squire Brewhouse at King Street Wharf has been re-branded recently as the King Street Brewhouse & Restaurant, effectively cutting ties with the Malt Shovel Brewery. Owner Graeme Thompson says he wants to start building brand awareness for the venue and not to be restricted by the former licensing agreement.

Brewer Craig Deacon has been retained to keep producing house beers from the in-house micro-brewery, once new council approvals are in place. “We’re also looking at contracting out the brewery to collaborate on a guest beer to be sold as a beer of the month,” Thompson says.