Great things come in small batches at Island Hopper Brewing, Artarmon’s new nano-sized hub for adventurous craft beer explorations.
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Since getting the green light to share his imaginative ales this past March, founder Aziz Tan has been transporting locals’ tastebuds well beyond Sydney with just a few meticulously brewed cans at a time.
Mr Tan first caught the homebrewing bug during his time living abroad in London. After returning back home to Australia, he honed his hobby into a full-fledged passion as part of Naremburn’s Flat Rock Brew Club before finally taking the plunge this year to bring his own tropical elixirs to thirsty tongues right in Artarmon.
Now, Mr Tan carefully conjures each effervescent batch by hand, drawing inspiration from classic techniques discovered overseas whilst spotlighting Australia’s exceptional local ingredients.
True to its name, Island Hopper takes drinkers on a flavour tour across beloved brew destinations, from the spice of a Belgian witbier to the floral kick of an American IPA. Yet Mr Tan artfully anchors each recipe in Sydney’s exceptional local produce.
His tropical “Sea Breeze” ale showcases three types of Australian grain along with Galaxy hops hand-selected by Mr Tan for their just-picked freshness during harvest season. Then there’s the sunny pink “Coral” beer crafted specially for Aussie warmer weather quaffing, a refreshing Belgian wheat brew infused with sweet hibiscus sourced right from local fields.
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Although Island Hopper lacks space for an on-site taproom, their beers can be found on tap just 500 metres away at The Salvage Cafe every Friday night. Follow @islandhopperbrewery on Instagram to keep up with their latest offerings.
Published 23-November-2023