Gage Roads – Sail & Anchor brands ‘Sperm Whale’s Blowhole’ Poster

Gage Roads was founded by Bill Hoedemaker, John Hoedemaker and Peter Nolin in 2002. The brewery is named after Gage Roads, an area near the Indian Ocean between Fremantle and Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia.

Gage Roads was listed on the ASX (stock code: GRB) in 2006 and remains Australia’s only remaining listed brewery. In 2009 Woolworths Limited acquired a 25 per cent share in the brewer for $2 million. The investment allowed Gage Roads to purchase a state-of-the-art 100 hectolitre brewhouse from German manufacturer Krones,  with its installation increasing capacity to 2.2 million cases per annum.

In 2015 the brewer executed a comprehensive refresh of its core craft beers, adding three new beers to its year-round lineup. The refresh proved to be extremely successful, with increased sales now making Gage Roads one of the largest craft brewers in Australia. In late 2016, Gage Roads bought-back Woolworths Limited 25 per cent stake, returning the company to independence.

In late 2012 Woolworths Liquor launched four new craft beers under the Sail & Anchor brand. The new beers – Monkey’s Fist Pale Ale, Cat’s Shank Kolsch, Lark’s Foot Golden Ale and Boa’s Bind Amber Ale – are named after the knots used on the Fremantle docks, nearby the ALH-owned Sail & Anchor Hotel.

“With the emergence of the craft category, it was important that we had a presence with our own brands,” said Woolworths Liquor business manager – beer, Mark Shimmen at the launch. “Pale, Golden & Amber are all well-known leading styles of beer within ‘craft’, Kolsch is an ideal entry point into the category due to its clean easy drinking style.”

The beers were launched as exclusive to Woolworths/Safeway Liquor, BWS & Dan Murphy stores nationally. Shimmen said all four beers would be on tap at the Sail & Anchor Hotel in Fremantle and other selected WA hotels. Other states followed the week after, with the beers also on tap at 85 ALH venues in total.

The beers were brewed by Bill Hoedemaker at WA’s Gage Roads Brewing, which was part-owned by Woolworths at that time.