New brewery opens in Mount Tamborine

Queensland's obsession with craft beer continues.

The latest brewery to open is Fortitude Brewing Company. Based in Mount Tamborine, under esteemed head brewer Ian Watson, the brewery is owned by interventional cardiologist Gerard Connors and accountant Jim O'Connor. Watson says the brewery will have three ranges: "good, simple" craft beer under the Fortitude label, as well as more experimental "extreme" beer under the Noisy Minor label. The third will be launched during Good Beer Week in May.

The intention, Watson says is to be a “strong regional South East Queensland brewery" within the next 12-18 months. The signs are certainly good, with orders meaning that the brewery will shortly be at its maximum capacity.

"This was perfect to start with but we are looking for somewhere bigger, closer to Brisbane," Watson says.

At the moment there's no room for public visits to the brewery, but according to Watson, a retail element could be part of the plan if they find the right premises. The Fortitude Brewery Company range should be on tap at bars such as The Pig & Whistle, The Scratch Bar and Archive by mid-April.