Castlemaine Brewery, Western Australia

Lore & Background

The Castlemaine Brewery was established in 1896 by Howard Norman Sleigh, who had previously been involved in establishing the West Australian Brewery at Barndon Hill (now Burswood). Sleigh sourced the brewing equipment from a former brewery at Koondrook on the Murray River in Victoria. John Hugh Gracie, formerly chief brewer at Cascade Brewery in Tasmania, served as head brewer. In 1901 the partnership Sleigh and Co. was dissolved, and Sleigh moved back to Melbourne. The brewery was then purchased by Gracie and Walter Frederick Walkley. In 1906 they purchased the nearby Phoenix Brewery. Gracie retired as managing director in 1912. The brewery acquired several local hotels in the 1920s, including the Commercial and Beaconsfield Hotels in 1920, the Oddfellows Hotel in 1922, and the Richmond Hotel in 1925. In 1927 the Castlemaine Brewery Co. was purchased by the Swan Brewery, which closed the brewery and employed most of the workforce at its Perth operations. The former brewery building was later demolished to make way for the Stirling Bridge.

Reader's Guide

The Castlemaine Brewery represents a notable chapter in Western Australian brewing history, operating for three decades before being absorbed by the larger Swan Brewery. Its establishment by Howard Norman Sleigh, an English-born brewer who had previously helped found another local brewery, illustrates the growth of the brewing industry in the late 19th century. The brewery's beers included Castlemaine Bitter Ale, Penguin Pale Ale, and Invalid Stout. The acquisition by Swan Brewery in 1927 for £29,065 and 32,500 shares marked the end of its independent operation. The subsequent demolition of the brewery building for the construction of Stirling Bridge physically removed the site from the landscape, but the brewery's legacy remains documented through its history and the brands it produced. Its absorption into Swan Brewery reflects the consolidation trends in the Australian brewing industry during the early 20th century.

Did You Know?

• John Hugh Gracie, the head brewer, had previously been chief brewer at Cascade Brewery in Tasmania.
• The brewery building was demolished to make way for the construction of Stirling Bridge.