Hop Nation Footscray

Deep in the backstreets of Footscray, Hop Nation opened up in 2016, and now eight years later, they've cemented themselves in the heart of locals by supplying exactly what the people want—good craft beer.

They deliver small-batch beers, and particularly pride themselves on the quality of the ingredients they use, with no fining or pasteurization, and minimal filtration. However, now in 2023, they’ve decided to give themself a bit of a facelift with the help of Studio Y, just in time for the Grand Final weekend.

Of course, the main focus at Hop Nation is the beer. They’ve got 17 brews on tap, including the full Hop Nation core range, Ray hard seltzers, and seasonal limited edition brews. To celebrate the opening of the new taproom, they’ll also be serving a brand new release—Footscray Draft, a brew dedicated to love for the west side suburb. 

In addition, the new taproom will also include an all-new kitchen for all your feed needs, where Chef Alex Addams Williams will be in charge of Good Pizza. The pizza will be made from a long-fermented dough, both in thick and thin crusts. They’ve also promised no topping to be off limits, so add on to your heart's content. 

The all-new space will be a haven for ales with the added addition of a massive projector screen that will showcase live sports including the 2023 AFL Frand Final and potentially film events later down the track. 

Former winemakers Sam Hambour and Duncan Gibson have opted for a Brooklyn warehouse-style reno—the old tap room has officially closed for business, but will metamorphosis into a more spacious, open-plan area.

The neon green accents compliment the brown exposed brick, the deep timber table tops and bar stools. After their re-opening, you can expect new, limited-release beers to be on tap fortnightly, and of course, no brewery is complete without a Happy (Hoppy) Hour, which is Thursday and Friday from 3 -6pm. 

Hop Nation is yet to re-open, keep an eye out here for all updates. 

Image credit: Hop Nation (supplied)