Holgate Brewhouse have opened their long-awaited Taproom and Visitor Centre, featuring 16 taps, a bottleshop, brewery experience, and function space.

It also features local ciders, wines and liquors from other Central Victorian boutique producers.

The new space occupies part of the major expansion at the rear of the historic hotel, next to the recently-installed German brewhouse.

With walls of glass and polished wood, the contemporary look and feel of the new Visitor Centre contrasts with the traditional English interior of the original pub.

The opening sees the culmination of five years of hard work for Paul and Natasha Holgate, who received a State Government Grant to help them achieve their vision.

“It’s fantastic, and we’re really happy,” says Natasha of the opening. “It’s quite a large project, especially for a small business like ours in regional Victoria.

People can come and have a taste of our beers. Then buy takeaways. Not just our beer but other local beverages – ciders, gin, local wines.

We’re doing platters of food too for people to snack on. But if anyone’s after a proper meal or want to sit down for a few hours then the hotel is the best spot. It’s great to have both spaces for people to enjoy now.”

Celebrating 20 years of brewing this year, and raising over $700K from investors (the largest sum for an Australian brewery in a crowdfunding campaign), the opening caps off a very big year for Holgate.

“The support we’ve had from everyone has been fantastic. There are a lot of people that want to support independence and keeping things local.”

The Holgate Taproom and Visitor Centre is now open to the public, behind the original pub at 79 High Street, Woodend.