I still remember the dread I had when in October 2019 I heard that Noodledoof would be opening in late-November. I knew they were in the pipeline, but was secretly hoping it might take them until January to get open… Koroit is in Western Victoria, past Warrnambool, the best part of 3.5 hours from Melbourne. I was running out of time as it was to visit every brewery in Victoria & this wasn’t a journey I had planned on. Who were these upstarts thinking they could start a brewery so far off the beaten track?
The answer lies in the name of the brewery; Noodles & Doof aka Sam Rudolph & Alex Carr. Their brewing story started together at an Adelaide sharehouse years ago. It was nothing revolutionary, just additives to Coopers Kits, but it sparked a passion. The duo, who are married to cousins Bianca & Claire, were separated when Sam was signed to play footy for the Port Fairy footy club, about 15 minutes drive from Koroit where their brewery would eventually be located.
Brewery Type
Physical
Region
Great Ocean Road
Tasting Room
128 Commercial Rd, Koroit
Alex had really been bitten by the homebrewing bug & having fallen out of love with being an electrician, thought he should make a career out of it. He enrolled in the International Brewing Certificate run through TAFE SA & before long had landed a job at Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend, Victoria. There he gained four years of pro brewing experience before Sam came calling. He’d been continuing his own homebrewing journey whilst playing at Port Fairy, had a mate at the club keen to support him going pro & had even found a job for Alex’s wife Claire in the area.
Before long Alex & Claire had moved to the area, the team had taken over the old McMahon’s Garage on the main drag in Koroit & begun work on creating their vision. Both Sam & Alex feel strongly about the importance of local; where possible in converting the Garage to a stylish brewery they used local tradesmen & suppliers. This ethos has extended to the menu at their brewpub which is full of local seasonal produce, local wines are available for those who don’t want to drink beers, whilst local farmers (or more accurately their lifestock) are the beneficiaries of the spent grain from the brewery.
The result of their hardwork is a space that wouldn’t look out of place in Fitzroy or Brunswick. There’s a wood lined ceiling, plenty of indoor plants behind the black bar accentuated with natural wood finishes, a mural featuring native animals & even a letterboards displaying the beers & specials. There’s a good array of tables, when I visited it was peak Christmas party season and they were able to accomodate a group of ~20 as well as more normal groups of 2, 4, 8 etc. For those who like to see the stainless it’s proudly on display, in the back right corner as you walk in. Since I’ve been they’ve opened a beer garden out the back, which sounds like it gets a fair workout in the summer months.
Now I was there in Summer, but it was 12 degrees and pouring with rain… Naturally this effected my beer choice and I settled in with their Oat Stout. It was really impressive & everything you’d want in the style; creamy, roasty with a nice herbal bitterness. Bonus points are in order due to the handled mug. Something that probably should have been mentioned earlier is that they also have a still and run their own spirits which are available to takeaway. Although they initially planned to only do growlers for takeaway beer, a canning line is on the way after the success of their cans during COVID lockdowns.
Remember it’s always Beer O’Clock somewhere in the world!
