Felons Brewing Co opened its doors to the public yesterday, under an uncharacteristically cloudy Brisbane sky.

Located under the Story Bridge in the newly developed Howard Smith Wharves precinct, Felons open-aspect brewpub spills out and onto the Brisbane River.

With beers in hand, Felons Founder Adam Flaskas addressed his guests.

“What an unbelievable proud moment this is for me today, to have you all here at the birth of what’s been a six to seven year journey.”

Felons is named after four runaway convicts, who, in 1823 jumped into a boat and sailed from Sydney to Brisbane, by way of Moreton Island. The felons were the first of the settlers to discover the Brisbane River.

“We thought what a great part of history, something that everyone in Brisbane can connect to and Australians can connect to.

“We purposefully went on to create a brand not of a convict feel, but of a fun, young, playful, contemporary and almost a bit naughty kind of vibe to it.

“We have created a brand we think that is going to appeal to women as much as it does to men.”

Felons has engaged contemporary Australian painter and installation artist Anthony Lister, who will revitalise an old wooden 13.5 metre trawler boat in honor of the brewery’s namesake.

Following a Howard Smith Wharves tradition, the brewery name has been painted in full black lettering that spans 47 metres across the brewery roof, entirely visible from the air.

The brewing team is headed up by former Little Creatures Marketing Manager, Ash Cranston, and brewer Tom Champion, also formerly of Little Creatures.

The brewery has launched with a helles-style lager, American pale ale, mid-strength ale and an IPA.

Felons Brewing Co is located at 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000.