Venom Brewing Is Putting Down Roots In The CBD—Duck Leg Confit & An IPA, Anyone?

Melbourne’s city centre is finally getting its own true-blue independent taproom, thanks to Venom Brewery. 

Nestled just off the bustle of Bourke Street, this new venue offers more than just good beer—it brings community spirit, a pub ethos, and a menu of elevated classics to the CBD. 

The taproom will fill the hole left by Jessi Singh’s Daughter In Law, which has since moved to South Yarra, and is a return to the space’s roots, when it was occupied with Mrs Parma’s, a (unsurprisingly) parma restaurant and microbrewery. 

Joel Drysdale, the owner of Venom Brewing, has a strikingly simple idea that might be just what the city needs: independently owned, locally made craft beers in a nostalgic, community driven space that gonna serve some seriously bangin’ food as well. 

The venue will pour the entire Venom range alongside four rotating guest taps in a move that celebrates the diversity of Victoria’s small-batch brewing scene. Expect seasonal drops and collabs from some of the state’s most exciting brewers. 

But it’s not just for smashing a beer: cocktails and a sharp food menu give this place broad appeal. A confit duck leg and great seafood options round out a menu that is familiar while pushing the envelope—ideal for a post-work wind-down or a casual date that still aims to impress.

Rumour has it takeaway options are on the cards too, which means soon you might be able to duck in for a quick round and leave with a mixed four-pack of local beers at decent prices—an absolute win for craft heads working in the city.

Venom already has the district bottle stores in Pascoe Vale and Alphington, so the CBD venue will be the third in the stable, but we reckon this one will lead the pack.

The service will seek that nostalgic, neighborhood vibe too. Drysdale’s explicit mission is for you to feel welcomed, reminiscing on the pub experience:  “In the 80s and 90s there was that classic pub feel—you walk in and everyone knows who you are, and wants to have a drink with you,” he says, and he is looking to avoid the impersonal style of service that can dominate some of the bigger pubs in the city.

Drysdale is curating every element to make people feel welcome, and it's in the detail as much as the big picture that the ethos shines through.

With high rents and tight margins, the CBD hasn't historically been the most welcoming place for smaller players in the hospo scene.

"Australia loves to give the underdog a go," Joel says, "And if we are the first generation to mess up pubs then jeez, we have done something wrong." 

We reckon so too. If you want to get along and support Melbourne's craft beer in a cosy joint in the midst of the city’s chaos, the taproom will open late November, we'll let you know when we get a date. Find the taproom at 19-25 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD in the old Daughter In Law spot.