Lion has made another move into boutique brewing, partnering with Eumundi’s Imperial Hotel to revive one of Australia’s original craft beer brands.
Brewing engineer and developer John Lynch assembled investors for a new brewery in the Eumundi region, just north of the Sunshine Coast.
The venture purchased the Imperial Hotel and installed a brewery, which launched in February 1988 and became a popular local brew. The pub brewery closed in 1992, but Eumundi Lager continued to be made under contract at Yatala Brewery for several years.
Current co-owner of the Imperial, Michael Arnett, has executed an extensive renovation of the pub over the past two years, and entered into partnership with brewing giant Lion to revive the beer too.
“As local residents, it has been such a rewarding experience to bring the Imperial Hotel back to life and ensure it remains an integral part of the Eumundi community.
“It’s exciting to be able to build on this even further by partnering with Lion to bring back a truly local beer in Eumundi and we’re really looking forward to sharing an authentic brewing experience with our visitors in the future.”
The revival is being headed up by Lion’s brew-master and beer doyen Chuck Hahn, who was launching his eponymous Hahn lager around the time of Eumundi’s hey-day.
“We’re excited to be partnering the Imperial Hotel and building a new brewery that will rekindle Eumundi in the place where the beer was first crafted in 1988.
“We’re planning to have the brewery up and running in the New Year to offer a great range of flavoursome craft beers to locals and visitors to the area.”
The refurbishment of the Hotel has included the addition of a beer garden, already gaining popularity. The skeletal remains of the former brewing operation will be removed to make way for a modern high-efficiency micro-brewery.
The new craft Eumundi will be initially sold at the Hotel, with hopes for wider distribution in the future.
Chuck Hahn was onsite at the Imperial last week for the opening.
