Newtown craft beer icon Young Henrys announces next chapter after 15 years

Young Henrys, a pioneer of the independent craft brewing scene in Sydney’s inner west, has announced plans to relocate from its iconic Newtown site after nearly 15 years.

The brewery and tasting bar on Wilford Street evolved from a sparse warehouse to a colourful, physical expression of the people and the brand: brick walls plastered with art, merch and memorabilia; the oversized “beer” sign emerging from a cardboard rainbow, dressed in fairy lights.

Young Henrys is taking over the 155-seat King Street site formerly home Mountain Goat brewpub in late October. It will open with 12 taps, 10-hectolitres of brew space to create one-off staff-led specialty beers, and an on-site kitchen led by Plate it Forward, the social enterprise behind restaurants Kyiv Social and Colombo Social.

It’s a full circle moment, said Young Henrys’ co-founder Oscar McMahon. Melbourne-born brewery Mountain Goat was the first to collaborate on a beer with Young Henrys (an English-style ale called “The Kid”) in 2013; now, it ushers Young Henrys into its next chapter.

The changeover also represents an unusual reversal of the norm in an industry dominated by multinational acquisitions – Mountain Goat, which called last drinks at Newtown on September 26, was acquired by Asahi in 2015. Other Australian beer brands owned by the Japanese beverage giant include Balter, Reschs, Carlton Draught and 4 Pines. (Young Henrys remains independently owned.)

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Both Young Henrys venues will run concurrently until around February next year. The legacy site will pass on to independent Marrickville distillery Ester Spirits, set to open with an expanded cellar door and ten-fold their current production capacity by mid-2027.

Young Henrys was founded by McMahon and co-owner Richard Adamson in 2012. It outgrew the brewing capacity of the original site within seven years, but stayed on as the bulk of production moved to a contract brewer in Goulburn.

“We’ve been in this interesting legacy position where the size of our site versus our true size as a company hasn’t actually been a fit,” said McMahon. “Businesses are things that have to check, grow and adapt.”

Rising costs across all levels of the business, along with Australia’s notoriously high excise duty tax, made it an increasingly difficult position to maintain. As their lease came to an end, the brewery realised it was time.

Finding a Newtown location was non-negotiable, said co-owner Dan Hampton. This is where their journey began, where their first customers became regulars, and where they began to build a community grounded in an affinity for live music and approachable craft beer. Above the bar hangs an honour board listing venues pouring Young Henrys beer – neighbours The Courthouse Hotel and The Bank have been there since the start.

“We considered Marrickville, maybe Enmore, maybe Erskineville, but deep down we kept coming back to, ‘How can Young Henrys not be in Newtown?’” Hampton said.

The Newtowner, an Aussie pale ale launched in 2012 to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of the suburb becoming a municipality, is the brewery’s signature beer and consistent bestseller. It was originally only available at venues within the 2042 postcode.

The beer will take prime position on tap at King Street, a through line connecting old and new. McMahon said the venue will feel familiar to regulars, with more of a “more well-thought-out eclecticism” aesthetic, rather than dive bar.

A commitment to live music will remain, while the drinks list grows to include other Australian producers (Ester among them). Plate it Forward will serve “international beer food” including a butter-chicken pie, Afghan lamb sausage rolls and meat skewers. A portion of proceeds will help provide meals for Sydney residents through established local charities.

“It’s not a pub, it’s not just a brewery, it’s a community hub where the food will speak as well,” said Plate it Forward founder Shaun Christie-David, who opened Colombo Social on Enmore Road in 2019.

“The inner west has a culture of, you know, just real deep acceptance, diversity, and respect … and we’re going to try to bring that alive through the food.”

Ester, which began its bootstrap spirit production in a Newtown backyard in 2020 and skyrocketed to international renown when awarded World’s Best Navy Gin in 2021, began raising funds for the move this winter. First, by securing an investment from Vanguard Luxury Brands founder James France (an early investor in Four Pillars Gin) in July. Then, by launching an OnMarket crowdfunding campaign this week.

Corinna Kovner, who founded Ester alongside co-owner and head distiller Felix Clark, said the time had come to make a choice. “We asked ourselves whether we wanted the brand to be a ‘Ma and Pa’ operation and keep it small, or whether we were prepared to put everything in and make it a legitimate Australian alcohol brand, and we chose the latter.”

Young Henrys had never intended to become a Newtown icon.

“We just wanted to create a beer company that was in touch with the people who drank our beer,” said Hampton. “That was our whole thing, serve the people.”

“That’s still our number one goal,” said McMahon.

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