Yulli’s Brews Tap Room, Alexandria

The Yulli’s Brews tap room in Alexandria features a large production space but they’re also devoted to serving fresh beer and vegan fusion food.

Yulli’s Brews is a destination brewery. It has to be. It’s located in a very industrial part of the city where you wouldn’t wander unless you were working in the area. Fortunately if you do wander nearby you can’t really miss the brewery thanks to the huge Yulli’s Brews sign above the warehouse-style doors.

A Welcome From Norman

You don’t even need to get through the entry and you’ll see the bar. You might even be greeted by a wooden cut-out of Norman, the character who personifies their flagship pale ale. However, what’s most likely to catch your eye is the bank of gold taps glinting in the sunlight.

There’s a different beer on each tap, from the aforementioned Norman, their Seabass lager, and Betoota Bitter, through to their Fat Nerd Vanilla Porter and some of their more experimental one-off and barrel aged beers.

Warehouse Chic

Don’t be deceived by the sparse seating. Step back from the bar and, if you can try to ignore all the gleaming stainless steel tanks, the mountains of kegs and the intriguing rack of barrels, look up. A flight of stairs to the right of the bar leads to a wide open elevated seating area which is part Scandi-chic and part, well… Alexandria warehouse.

They’ve done well to integrate a few nice touches with some upholstered furniture, large communal tables and lots of light wood. You can sit and look out across the tops of the fermenters, or you can perch directly above the bar and watch as people walk in and out and balance trays of beers.

The idea was to blur the lines between industrial space and the comfort of the venue, turning the brewhouse into a centrepiece.

Top Notch Vegan Eats

Food is at the forefront of the Yulli’s Brews tap room. It has better food than pretty much every brewery in Sydney, which should come as no surprise considering the reputation of their Surry Hills restaurant.

It’s a menu featuring plenty of native Australian ingredients – the team seem to have a thing for bunya nuts – but there are dishes drawing on Asian cuisine and Mediterranean fare, which co-owner Karl Cooney sees as perfectly suited to the Australian climate.

Epic vegan gyros are perfect for soaking up beer, while dumplings and small side plates are just enough for a light snack. The kitchen team have adapted the restaurant menu to make it more suitable to a brewery and beer-drinking environment.

Given that the location is somewhat out of the way, and considering the saturation of brewery venues around Sydney, it makes sense that Yulli’s would harness what they’re already good at and use food as a draw card for punters.

Between top notch vegan eats and an eclectic mix of beer there’s enough reason to take a wander down the industrial back streets of Alexandria in order to find the brewery.

Takeaway Tinnies

Those who work in the area might be tempted by the fridge of takeaway tinnies. Norman, Seabass and Slick Rick’s Rampaging Red Ale all seem in steady supply and a four pack of craft beer direct from the brewery is about the best bang for your buck four pack you’ll get in Sydney.

Otherwise, most of Yulli’s well loved beers are available on tap and pair perfectly with the food on offer. Plus, drinking fresh beer underneath (or on top of) the tanks never gets old! Throw in an approach to brewery food that is truly unique in Sydney and the Yulli’s Brews tap room could be a winner for years to come.

Have you checked out the Yulli’s Brews tap room? Share your experience of the brewery in the comments section below.