Mountain Goat Beer
A brewery born from homebrewing and a North American inspiration.
Mountain Goat Beer is a brewery located in Richmond, Victoria, Australia, founded in 1997 by Cam Hines and Dave Bonighton. The brewery operates out of a converted red brick warehouse in the inner-city suburb of Richmond, which houses brewing operations as well as sales, administrative and management staff. It has been described as a tourism attraction and has been included in the Victorian Government's Beer Lover’s Guide to Victoria’s Microbreweries publication and in television travel shows.
Quick Facts
- Hq Location
- 80 North Street / Richmond, Victoria / Australia
- Owner
- Asahi Beverages
- Founded
- 1997
- Industry
- Alcoholic beverage
- Products
- Beer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The origins of Mountain Goat Beer date to the early 1990s, when co-founder Bonighton was homebrewing in his backyard in Elsternwick, Victoria. His friend and co-founder Hines, after quitting his music industry job, was travelling in North America and was struck by the range of micro-brewed beer available in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The pair decided to start a brewing company and attempted to secure a bank loan with collateral that included Bonighton's EH Holden, three surfboards and a couple of mountain bikes. After being unable to borrow sufficient funding from a bank, friends and family assisted them to launch Mountain Goat. The name 'Mountain Goat' was chosen as a reference to the task ahead and bringing new styles of beer to the Australian market, as a mountain goat is 'a big hairy animal that's never going to fall over'.
By September 1996, three beers—The Leroy Brown Ale, Sheik-It-Out Stout and Golden Boy—were taste-tested at a gallery space in Melbourne. Lacking money for their own brewery, the first beers were brewed using excess capacity at the Scottish Chiefs brew-pub in Geelong and then at the larger Grand Ridge microbrewery in Mirboo North, Victoria. In October 1997, Hightale Ale was commercially released. By 1999, the brewery raised funds to move to original premises in Crown St, Richmond, relocating equipment from the defunct Geebung Polo Club in Hawthorn. At the end of 2004, it moved to the much larger current premises in North St, Richmond. In 2011, the brewery began exporting to the United States with Hightail Ale and a re-worked IPA renamed as 'Australian Pale Ale'.
Reader's Guide
Mountain Goat Beer is notable for its origins as a homebrewing venture that grew into a significant Australian microbrewery, eventually purchased by Asahi in September 2015. The brewery's history reflects a grassroots approach: the founders, unable to secure a bank loan, relied on friends and family to launch. Their first commercial beer, Hightale Ale, won the Trophy for Best Draught Ale at the 2000 Australian International Beer Awards and has received numerous medals over the years. The brewery has taken environmental steps, including pH neutralising waste water, using recycled materials in its fit-out, installing solar panels, and eliminating steam and odour emissions. All Mountain Goat beers are vegan friendly, fined using a centrifuge and free from preservatives. The brewery has also engaged in collaborations with other breweries, such as Thornbridge Brewery (UK) and Mikkeller (Denmark), and with Melbourne coffee roasters Seven Seeds. Its beers have been exported to the United States, and the brewery has been recognised as a tourism attraction in Victoria.
Did You Know?
- The brewery's first commercial brew, Hightale Ale, was released in October 1997.
- Co-founders Cam Hines and Dave Bonighton attempted to secure a bank loan using collateral that included an EH Holden, three surfboards and a couple of mountain bikes.
- Mountain Goat Beer was purchased by Asahi in September 2015.
- All Mountain Goat beers are vegan friendly and free from preservatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mountain Goat Beer?
Mountain Goat Beer is a craft brewery based in Richmond, Victoria, Australia, established in 1997 by Cam Hines and Dave Bonighton. The operation grew out of a homebrewing background and was inspired by North American beer culture.
Where does Mountain Goat Beer operate from?
The brewery runs out of a converted red brick warehouse in Richmond, an inner-city Melbourne suburb. The roughly 1,200-square-metre space accommodates brewing equipment alongside sales and administrative offices.
What was Mountain Goat Beer's first commercial beer?
Hightale Ale was the brewery's inaugural commercial release, hitting the market in October 1997. It signalled the shift from the founders' homebrewing days into a full-scale commercial operation.
Who owns Mountain Goat Beer now?
Asahi acquired the brewery in September 2015, taking over from the original founders. The operation has continued to run from its Richmond warehouse premises under the new ownership.
Why is Mountain Goat Beer considered notable?
The brewery has been highlighted in the Victorian Government's Beer Lover's Guide to Victoria's Microbreweries and has appeared on television travel programs. It is frequently cited as a local tourism draw, underscoring its place in Melbourne's craft beer scene.
More in Beer Brands, Part 6 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced