about us

Brewing in Mudgee

Mudgee has a long history of brewing beer, starting in 1858 with Crossing's Brewery, then, almost 25 years later, theBroombee Brewery. Our longest-running brewery, the Federal Brewery, was established in 1883 and operated until 1956, sending beer to Darwin and several Pacific islands during World War II.

For many years, Federal Brewery had an agreement with a local farmer, Bruce Merrin, to take water from his well. The water was clean and crystal clear, but the arrangement ended when town water was connected to the brewery, and impurities deteriorated the quality of the beer. Things got so bad that drinkers referred to the brew as 'Mudgee Mud'. Fortunately, the problem was eventually solved. By 1946, the brewery was producing 4,500 litres of beer a week, to quench the thirsts of beer-lovers from as far away as Sydney and Melbourne.

The brewery was sold to the Dressler family in 1953, when it became known as 'Dressler's Brewery'. It was finally closed in 1956 and the beer (now affectionately) known as 'Mudgee Mud' was no more.

Almost 60 years later, local Mudgee man Gary Leonard, has put Mudgee beer back on the map, with the establishment of the Mudgee Brewing Company. Now, we can all drink to that!

The brewery's location and why it helps us create great brews

It took Gary quite a while to find the right building. He wanted to make sure he recreated some of the history of the area, but he also wanted somewhere that the tourists could find fairly easily. Gary finally settled on the perfect place. Over 100-years-old, the Mudgee Brewing Company's new home was once part of Marks Department Store, and was also a family-owned wool store for almost a century. Pretty much in its original condition, the building has plenty of old-world ambience, and the brick and timber looks terrific with the copper and stainless steel brewing equipment.

Our promise is to create the true essence of beer.

Every single beer that comes out of our brewery has been made the traditional way, with a whole lot of love, no preservatives, and nothing unpronouncable. Just fresh, wholesome ales, unlike bulk-made beer, are true-to-style, full of taste, always drinkable, and just a little bit different from the rest. The true essence of beer can always be found at the Mudgee Brewery.