A NEW microbrewery opening in South Albury this spring has been in the pipeline for years.
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Co-owners Tony Lean, Reece Bockman and Anthony Maw plan to open The Thirsty Devil Brewery during October.
Lavington resident Mr Lean said he had been on the lookout for a building to house a microbrewery for at least three years.
They took over the former premises of Anchor Safe Systems in May.
"We will be the only microbrewery located between Beechworth and Wagga," he said.
"We needed a light industrial site to brew our beer on the premises."
Mr Lean said they were renovating the building to accommodate the brewery, bar, two beer gardens and a reception room.
He said a nine-metre by three-metre bar in the heart of the premises would offer beer tastings in the middle with cocktails at one end and packaged beer at the other end.
A food van will serve finger food on site.
"People can eat, drink and be merry!" Mr Lean said.
Mr Lean said they planned to offer six of their own beers at first with two other taps dedicated to guest brewers on a rotating basis.
He said there would be a pilsner, pale ale, mid-strength ale, Irish ale, porter and India pale ale.
"We're licensed to have 120 people and the function room will hold 80 people," he said.
"We already have some Christmas parties booked."
A self-confessed home-brewing tragic, Mr Lean had been brewing beer on the Border for 20 years.
"I started in a shed at home with basic kits," he said.
"Then I joined a brewing club (Border Brewers) here six or seven years ago and that took my brewing to the next level.
"They guided me to improve my home brewing and then it became an obsession."
Mr Lean visited hundreds of breweries - in Australia and even Thailand - to research the project.
"We had The Thirsty Devil name right from the start because we're thirsty devils!"
Located at 289 Townsend Street, the brewery is licensed to operate Thursday to Sunday at this stage.
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