Anyone who’s holidayed in Fiji will know about “Fiji time”, where things are kicked back, the pace slow, and the vibe cruisy. It’s these special qualities that locals Chilla Tuicolo and Kay Godfrey bring to their craft brewery, BrewiColo Brewing Co. on Marine Parade.
That doesn’t mean, however, that there’s not a lot of energy put into creating special beers, such as Ocean Grove Lager, Wai-Koula Lager, Palm Pale Ale, Kofe Brown Ale, Coco Ale, and Brewi Hazy IPA – as well as one-off brews.
Chilla (pictured) says the couple’s independent craft brewery has its tap room inside the working brewery.
“This means,” he says, “that visitors can enjoy a Brewi right where it’s brewed – or if they prefer, the mezzanine that overlooks the brewhouse is another great spot.
“We have our core beers on tap, along with a range of rotating specialty beers, while local wines, cider, spirits and cocktails are also served.”
Chilla and/or Kay are always on deck, ready with a warm welcome for everyone – children and pets included. And Kay’s family works behind the scenes, everyone contributing to the relaxed vibe.
Food trucks (including their own Brewi Bites), live music, bingo and open mic nights are all regularly part of the scene. And brewery tours allow visitors to spend time with the head brewer to discover the world of craft beers.
Collaboration brews with other local businesses (Coco Ale with Bellarine Brownies), providing spent grains to local farmers for their calves, local artists designing artwork for some of the beers and painting murals at the brewery are a big part of what makes BrewiColo such a community-focused asset.
“We love being a part of this community,” Chilla and Kay agree.
Function space
The brewery is available for hire, including the upstairs space, for all types of events.
Kay says they’ve held conferences, yoga classes, birthday parties and anniversary gatherings, and more. Give her a call for details.
BrewiColo’s MusicAles
“Building on last year’s awesome event, we are busy organising our next MusicAles event to be held at the brewery on Sunday, March 7 – a long weekend,” Chilla says.
“This is a free open mic event to promote live local music.
“Up-and-coming musos or those who’ve been on the scene for a while (all ages and abilities welcome!) can get in contact to register their interest.”
We were crazy, LOL
“Chilla always had a dream of running his own brewery,” says Kay, “So when we moved back to Ocean Grove – my hometown – we knew immediately the town needed its own brewery.
“We wanted to create a venue that offered a fun and relaxing space for people to chill out, which, with Chilla’s Fijian background, wasn’t hard to create.
“Before we knew it, we had signed a lease, ordered our equipment and set about finishing the build and fit-out of what was to become our second home, BrewiColo Brewing Co.
“Of course it was a huge risk; the demands of owning your own business (with two young kids in tow) never stop and we are forever thankful for our family’s endless support.”
What’s ahead?
“We’re always growing and adapting to new situations and are enormously proud of what we have achieved thus far.
“But we are always striving to achieve more.
“We have new beers being released in the future, of course, and some exciting projects in the works,” Chilla says.
BrewiColo Brewing Co., 32 Marine Parade, Ocean Grove. Summer opening hours: noon-late Thursday-Saturday and noon-8pm Sunday. Inquiries: 0484 765 384 or www.brewicolo.com. Online store: www.brewicolo-brewing-co.square.site/
