Eclipse may have been originally kicked off way back in 1897, but its rebirth began in garages and sheds in the Wheatbelt and Margaret River regions of Western Australia.
The Wheatbelt Crew
‘The boys’, Northam locals with friendships extending back to Kindergarten, had spread their wings after high school, but had always maintained close links to the region.
Carl built and grew his rural health services business and served the community as a Council Member.
Daniel, a grain and sheep farmer from Southern Brook returned to the family farm before taking on a property of his own, growing world class malting barley, and seeing it being exported unimproved.
Bryn, an electrical contractor and proprietor of the Bakers Hill service station, had built his businesses on the back of ‘good old-fashioned service’.
Stefan, a fridgie by trade, had saved many a family from the extreme Wheatbelt summers, and played his part in keeping a beer or three cold in various establishments across the state.
Ryan, now residing in Margaret River, worked in the resources sector whilst building a sustainable short stay business, as well as brewing a few beers to supply the boys on the annual golf trips.
The South West Crew
Growing up in Margaret River, Chad loves a wave or two. When he wasn’t surfing, he worked on winery and dairy equipment across the region before moving into the resources sector. If he’s not at work or at the beach, he’s busy brewing, working on cars, or sampling the regions finest brews.
Bunbury lad Rhys moved down to Margaret River in 2019. Surrounded by craft breweries, he decided it was time to take his love of drinking beer to the next level, and start brewing his own. When he’s not brewing, you’ll find him in the pines attempting to stay on his mountain bike or occasionally working in the resources sector.
The Birth of Eclipse
Being rather fond of a beer, Carl’s interest was piqued when a photo of an old Northam Brewery was published online by Lost Northam. Keen to find out more, Carl was researching local history when he stumbled across an old article first published in The Northam Advertiser in June 1897. The article spoke of the brewing process at Northam’s first brewery, ‘Eclipse’ and how head brewer, Henry Edmeades, had plans to set up a local malting facility to support local grain growers. “A brewery in a town is a synonym of prosperity, and only in large and thriving towns are they to be found.”, wrote the 19th century journalist. Carl was hooked, it was time for a chat with ‘the boys’.
Meanwhile in Margaret River, Ryan, Chad and Rhys had taken the leap into all grain brewing. Having the luxury of being surrounded by a heap of amazing commercial and home brewers, all willing to offer honest feedback on our beers, we soon started entering some local, state and national homebrew comps. Chad , Ryan and Rhys all had success at the local level (Cheers Margaret River Brewhouse), with Chad and Rhys going on to win Gold and Silver medals at national level home brew competitions. The three brewers, perhaps unsurprisingly, often spoke about starting a brewery.
Eclipse was reborn in September 2021, with the combination of a love for the wheatbelt and solid brews proving to cut the mustard for ‘The Boys and The Brewers’.
Paddock to Pint
Soon after Eclipse Brewing Co came to be, Dan mentioned that one of his mates was starting a malting facility nearby, Mortlock Malt. We eagerly grabbed some malt from Rex’s pilot facility and got down to brewing pilot batches, while experimenting with West Australian grown hop varieties. We are passionate about supporting local businesses and using local ingredients, and feel very privileged to be working alongside our wonderful suppliers. Some solid work by “The Brewers” had us ready to attempt our first commercial batch in early 2022.
We’d like to thank everyone for their amazing support over our journey so far, and look forward to a froth or two with you all! We love bringing our beers to life, and hope to be brewing top quality beers for many years to come.
Cheers!
