Willie The Boatman Tap Room, St Peters

Willie The Boatman moved their brewery and tap room venue in 2019. The new space is a bit bigger but retains the vibe of the old spot.

It’s something of a travesty that the original Willie The Boatman tap room didn’t make it onto the website. Given its importance in the rise of brewery venues in the inner west, it seems an unforgivable omission.

One can only hope to make amends by paying close attention to the new space. It’s around the corner from the original brewery, literally. The team behind Willie The Boatman have stayed within the same precinct in St. Peters.

Old Vs New

While the old venue was light and breezy (now a fancy furniture shop at time of writing), the new space feels more similar to Batch Brewing’s Marrickville tap room, or Wildflower’s cellar door.

It’s a bit darker, more atmospheric and there’s more varnished wood and intriguing paraphernalia. They’ve paid close attention to the bar space itself. Stop and appreciate the woodwork of the bar structure. It’s delightful and intricate, reminiscent of an old English pub.

Behind the bar there’s all the trappings of a typical modern brewery venue; bottles, signage, decorations. It deliberately sets visual cues for craft beer aficionados and newbies alike.

There are lots of high tables, bar stools and most importantly booths lining the walls. It makes for a space that is both communal and intimate. It retains a delineation between different groups of drinkers, allowing punters to separate themselves from the crowds if so desired.

And there are crowds.

Tapping Into A Wide Audience

There always were lots of people at the old venue but since Willie The Boatman has established themselves around the inner west more and more people have flocked to find them.

At the time of writing, the tap room is open from 10am on a Saturday. Arrive an hour after opening and there will already be groups of people tucked away in the booths deliberating over flights of beers. Within another hour you’re likely to see tour groups roll through from Dave’s Brewery Tours.

The vibe lilts from excitable and rambunctious to relaxed and cruisey.

A Range of Styles

 The beers are varied and as you’d expect from a brewery venue there are quite a few of them. From their regular lineup of Albo Corn Ale, Lil Louie XPA and Tempe Tim, right through to one-off experimental beers and their more adventurous goses, double IPAs and Nectar of the Hops NEIPA, they run the gamut of styles and flavours.

I don’t think Willie The Boatman needs any more coverage to entice people to their tap room but the new space shows an eye for the detail of what make a successful brewery public space in Sydney in 2019. No doubt it’ll continue to be popular with locals and those exploring flavourful beer for the first time.

Have you been to the Willie The Boatman tap room? How does it compare to the old space? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.