From beans to brews – Fonzie Abbott expands its Albion digs with new taphouse
It’s not unusual to see the name Fonzie Abbott at your local caffeine dispensary – the coffee roaster has been a player in the scene for years now. Recent months have seen the coffee roaster’s name affixed to several beer taps at discerning watering holes around town, heralding an exciting change for the Albion crew. After a few months of tinkering and experimenting, Fonzie Abbott has jumped into the beer game, installing a full-blown brewery at its Albion location. The changes don’t stop there – Fonzie Abbott’s home has undergone a head-to-toe makeover, adding a new taphouse, beer garden and roaster to the mix.
The details
Roughly 18 months ago, Fonzie Abbott’s founder Dan Pappas followed through on his long-held dream of brewing his own beer. Using a miniature brew system, Dan started experimenting under the guidance of the crew at Ballistic Beer Co., eventually coming up with recipes that would become the core range of Fonzie Abbott beers. Fast forward a few months and Fonzie Abbott started appearinh at numerous bars across town, with taps and tinnies featuring the roaster-turned-brewer’s branding. The dream didn’t stop there – Dan envisioned a larger-scale operation, with a greater selection of beers produced with a sustainable, closed-loop system and an on-site taphouse to showcase the fruits of brewing labour.
The space
In order to truly facilitate the brewing dream, a few changes needed to be made. Firstly, the Fonzie Abbott team secured a neighbouring warehouse space to house not only its brewery, but to make more room for its ever-growing coffee roasting operations. The warehouse was divided into two halves – one half housing a 15-hectolitre system with five fermentation tanks, a bright tank and kegging and canning apparatus, and the other for Fonzie Abbott’s office, coffee roaster and a kitchen. The original Fox Street building has also undergone significant changes – the central wall dividing the coffee nook and old roasting portion has been removed, expanding the interior to house table-service seating inside. A bar has been installed, which will soon boast ten taps pouring an assortment of Fonzie Abbott brews, while a prototype system for automated and hermetically sealed growler filling is also on the cards. An outdoor dining space and beer garden now runs alongside the original abode, offering a breezy space to enjoy Fonzie Abbott frothies or coffee.
The food and drink
The Fonzie Abbott taphouse is currently pouring a range of three core beers – a dry-hopped rye lager, an American-style pale ale and a full-bodied Euro-style beer. Once the full set of taps are installed, drinkers can expect a total of eight styles including the likes of red IPAs, watermelon and pear saisons, tropical pale ales and a ginger beer. A newly acquired still will also be put to good use soon, with plans to produce gin, vodka and spiced rum in the works. The food offering at Fonzie Abbott is also changing, with a greater selection of grab-and-go cafe bites now on offer, as well as seasonal share plates, cheese boards, pizzas and burgers and a forthcoming on-site food truck dishing up some primo drinking fare.
Fonzie Abbott’s Fox Street taphouse is now open from midday from Friday to Sunday, with Thursday trading to come. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more exciting developments to come! For more information, head on over to the Stumble Guide.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
