Range Brewing Abbotsford

Overview

Brisbane-based Range Brewing has earned a cult following for its signature style of beer — modern, aggressively hopped, and often with all the appearance and flavour of fruit juice. Ever the champion of invention and known for its steadfast lack of a core range, the brewery has now made a home in Melbourne, opening a monochromatic new taproom on Abbotsford's Johnston Street.

Visitors are welcome to bring in grub from nearby haunts like Rita's pizzeria, but there's no food otherwise — here, it's all about the beers. With 12 taps in the front bar and another 12 back near the sunny beer garden, Range pours predominantly hazy brews. And, while this isn't a place for the traditionalists, you can be assured of finding something new and exciting to taste with every visit. It might be a big-bodied sip that's thickened with creamy lactose or oats, or maybe a fruit-forward sour designed to cleanse the palate.

Two double-door fridges welcome visitors, with the latest can releases cold-freighted from Brisbane each Friday to arrive in Melbourne by Tuesday. The vibrant can art — by Brisbane-based designer Jess Vandersande — flashes like a neon sign amid the reserved taproom decor, with its American diner-style booth seating and clean Scandinavian-style simplicity.