In early 2023, the suds-soaked suburb of Salisbury scored a brand-new boutique beer maker in the form of Hiker Brewing Concern. The brainchild of Daniel Venema and Phil Sharp, the duo have teamed up to open a brewery that aims to nurture the local community – offering a space for families to enjoy an outing with the kids (and dogs!) that is warm and inviting. The crew are also keeping things local, eschewing a large-scale production model in favour of keeping sales limited to in-house drinking and a small wholesale portfolio of Brisbane bars and bottle shops. Hiker sits in a sizeable 800-sqm industrial shed on Pentex Street – a tinnie toss from Ballistic Brewing. The internal footprint is divided into production space (where a three-vessel brewhouse equipped with five 1000-litre fermenters is producing Hiker’s range), a taproom with seating for 200, storage area and a section for ping pong tables, pool tables and play equipment for kids. The taproom boasts 12 taps, which will dispense a mix of Hiker’s own beers and other options brought in. Hiker’s core range include a Helles-style lager, a pale ale, a hazy session ale and an aromatic American-style IPA. These beers are joined by limited release and seasonal drops (including hazy IPAs, sours and famous historical varieties), with a target of four always being available on tap. A rotating roster of food trucks is providing sustenance to the masses, though the team has long-term plans for a potential outdoor beer garden with its own shipping-container kitchen.