If the pandemic made one thing crystal clear to Jimmy Young, it’s the importance of diversification. When lockdowns forced Jimmy’s brewpub Milton Common (located in the original Aether Brewing site on Railway Terrace) to temporarily shutter less than three months into its existence, the need for other revenue sources became acutely apparent. Once punters could once again leave their homes in search of a pint, Jimmy and head brewer Justin Reddy started to focus on putting the site’s 3000-litre capacity brewing system to good use, launching Common Ground Brewing as the name for its in-house microbrewery operations. A year in and the brand is going great guns. Common Ground beers flow from the taps at Milton Common and at other craft-beer-centric bars across town, while a small packaged line showcasing some crowd favourites and a newly launched range of  gins now filling Milton Common’s fridges and shelves. While not a big player on the wholesale market, Jimmy was keen to find a new way to get Common Ground gear into the glasses of locals. When a regular tipped him off to a vacant space on Sir Fred Schonell Drive in St Lucia, ideas started to form in Jimmy’s head of a shopfront where he could show off Common Ground beverages while also supporting other small-batch, craft and artisanal booze makers.

This Friday November 25, Common Ground Cellars officially opens to the public. Little remains of the site’s previous identity as a Nando’s – inside is now filled with fridges and racks loaded with bottles and tins, while an outside courtyard houses a few picnic tables. Though a bottle shop in look and feel, Common Ground Cellars doubles as a cellar door for the Milton Common crew’s range, which the team are eager to share with the wider public. “With the wholesale market we’re out there a little bit, but predominantly we want to focus on our own,” says Jimmy of Common Ground’s ethos. “We get to control the product, tell the story and show people where it’s made.” Upon launch you’ll spy Common Ground’s own London dry gin (a few more contract drops might appear in the next month, before Milton Common’s own still arrives in January), a ginger beer, session ale and an IPA, plus a yuzu-infused New England IPA made collaboratively with Method Brewing. “Every month we’ll have new seasonals, because we have a small canning line we can do small-batch runs,” Jimmy adds. “So if we have to jump in and do ten cases just for here we can do that.” Craft beers from other local brewers will also score shelf space, alongside a sizeable selection of wines. Retail manager Dan Reid is in charge of the wine curation, with the intent to build the store’s range up to 600 wines. “Most of what we have been getting in so far has been focusing on independent and small-batch producers, with some great assistance from some boutique suppliers as well,” says Dan of the selection. “We’ll explore different varieties and styles, but have anchor points that people will be familiar with.” Wines from Ministry of Clouds, Hughes & Hughes, Jilly Wines and Unico Zelo feature on the shelves, with plans to add a range of high-end grand crus for those after a more upscale sip. Early birds can pop into the joint in the morning to pick up a cup of coffee from fellow Queensland-based company Cavalier Coffee Roasters from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm daily. Moving forward, Common Ground Cellars will use its large footprint to hose meet-the-maker sessions, product launches and a range of other events, making the store less a simple plonk peddler and more of a community meeting point for Brisbane booze enthusiasts.

Common Ground Cellars opens this Friday – head to the Stumble Guide to find operating hours and contact details.