Even before he was pouring pints behind the bar of his Alderley boozer Ploughman, Leigh Graham has had an eye aimed towards brewing beer of his own. Naturally, owning and operating a bar that specialised in new and intriguing beverages fuelled his desire to shift his focus and the odd collaboration brew helped Leigh build his skillset and confidence in his own concoction capabilities over the years. But, much like Ploughman itself, Leigh wanted to keep things concise and interesting, eschewing dreams of large-scale production efforts in favour of small batches of humble hoppy beers he could be proud of. As of today, Friday December 10, Leigh is officially fulfilling his dream – Ploughman has reopened in Enoggera as a microbrewery and tasting room almost nine months on from the closure of its first location on South Pine Road.

Candidly, Leigh credits the pandemic-induced closure of Ploughman Alderley as the impetus to take the plunge and pivot to brewing – a decision, he says, that will also help future-proof the business in still-uncertain times. Ploughman is located at the rear of a small industrial park just a few extra minutes along South Pine Road, with a split-level premises designed by Chalmers Partners Architects housing a custom brewing system downstairs and a 35-seater tasting room on the upper floor. Much of the construction of the space was the result of an industrious effort by Leigh himself (formerly a sparky by trade) and a plumber friend, who worked in tandem to set up Ploughman’s electric 360-litre brewing kit (built and imported from China) that boasts three fermenting tanks and an effective capacity of 300 litres – just enough to sustain the bar above. While there isn’t much elbow room to work with, the site’s shaded orientation is perfect for maintaining the ideal temperature for fermentation, while a high turnover of product ensures storage space won’t become an issue.

Leigh describes the upstairs tasting room as a suburban cellar door, where locals and beer lovers can nerd out over brews tapped straight from the source. When it comes to Ploughman’s brewing ethos, Leigh is indulging in his own tastes and desires, keeping it simple by placing drinkability and flavour at the pinnacle of the brewery’s priority list. Those that managed to visit Ploughman’s pop-up bar in Fortitude Valley (now closed) will have already been able to savour the fruit of Leigh’s labour – a selection of low mash and low PH beers have been crafted using lots of wheat and oats create crisp, easy-drinking drops. Of the tasting room’s four taps, almost all will pipe Ploughman’s own beers, which upon launch include a mid-strength pale ale, a weightier IPA and a mulberry-infused sour (all served in stemmed 300-ml glasses). These beers are easy on the tongue are and subtle in their use of locally sourced ingredients. Next week Leigh will add a dry-hopped saison and a nectarine and English plum sour to the rotation, with new recipes making an appearance once previous stock is depleted (a small single-can canning press allows for takeaway if you taste a beer you’re keen to savour) Not a beer drinker? No problem – Ploughman serves gin-tasting paddles and also stocks a tight selection of interesting artisanal vino – one red and one white wine will be showcased at any one time. Charcuterie boards, assembled from quality goodies sourced from Fino Foods, are also available for peckish punters.

Ploughman is now open in Enoggera. For operating hours and other important details, head to the Stumble Guide.