Blasta Brewing Co will unveil its new gastrobrewery on 2 February, which is the final stage of the multifaceted Blasta Collective premises.
Located in the inner-city Perth suburb of Burswood, just a short distance from the Optus Stadium, the Blasta Collective spans two buildings and a connecting laneway, termed Unicorn Alley. Comprising a coffee shop, beer hall, alfresco dining space, and the newly opened gastrobrewery, the space has a total capacity of 1400 people. The premises has been open since August last year, with the gastrobrewery completing the offering.
A new concept
According to Blasta Brewing Founder and Managing Director Steven Russell, the gastrobrewery is a first of its kind in Australia.
“There’s only a handful of places around the world that are called gastrobreweries and are doing something like what we are doing,” he said.
Combining the high-end food offering of a gastropub and the brewery focus of a brewpub, a gastrobrewery is a venue that offers both gastronomic dining and beers brewed in-house.
Blasta Brewing opened its first venue in Perth in 2018 and saw a period of significant expansion in 2023, opening both the High Wycombe Brewery and Taproom in March and the first stages of the Blasta Collective premises in August. The decision to open the gastrobrewery was driven by the positive reception to the food offering at Blasta Brewing’s other venues.
“We were winning awards like Australian Hotels Association’s Best Pub Dining and the Australian Good Food Guide Best Hospitality Venue. We still have that same elevated offering with this new gastrobrewery, but the difference is that the majority of the liquid products, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, are actually produced by us at Blasta, and the menu is a little bit more focused on local produce,” Russell said.
The menu has been designed by newly appointed Executive Chef Jay Tesorero and will feature dishes such as langoustine with black truffle and leek, Beef Wellington, and a macadamia crumb and white chocolate flan with lime sorbet and raspberry gel. This is complemented by a premium wine list and a spirits menu highlighting local distillers and rare whisky.
The Blasta Collective precinct is a functioning brewery, and while the majority of Blasta Brewing’s products are being brewed at the High Wycombe facility, the Burswood tanks will still be in use.
“The idea is that we dispense beer straight out of the tanks. If you dispense straight out of the tanks, you cannot get better product than that. It’s the holy grail of beer tasting,” Russell said.
Despite the more premium offering compared to other Blasta Brewing venues, Russell still wants the gastrobrewery to retain the same relaxed atmosphere.
“It’s a casual setting. It’s still table service, so staff are well informed, attentive, and high energy, but it’s not a stuffy, white tablecloth kind of venue,” he said.
Greenery is an important feature of the Blasta Collective premises, and the gastrobrewery features an architectural greenhouse within the building that guests can book for private dining. The building also includes space for a florist, which Russell hopes will make the venue a popular location for weddings and other celebratory occasions.
“The florist will help facilitate that and also look after all of the greenery and plants that we have in these grounds because it’s going to be very extensive and take a lot of time to maintain,” Russell said.
In line with the two converted red brick warehouses that make up the Blasta Collective, the overall design of the venue is industrial, with lots of greenery and plant life throughout the various spaces.
“Despite the venue being new, it’s not clinical. It’s not like a new airport bar or something similar. Things are a little bit looser; we’ve built a bit of character. Our goal was to be able to open this place and for people to get a good vibe and feel like it’s been here for a while,” Russell said.
Endless options
The Blasta Collective encompasses a beer hall, alfresco dining area, a café, and the newly opened gastrobrewery across two buildings.
With the other offerings in the rest of the Blasta Collective, the brewery seeks to provide spaces suited to a variety of different guests. Alongside the traditional mimosa and breakfast food bottomless brunch, the beer hall offers a bottomless beer brunch with share-style “dude food”.
“It’s like the German beer hall concept. You choose your beer at the start, and you’ve got your own personal server, so you sit the table and they just keep coming up and refilling your drink,” Russell said.
The beer hall will also offer a year-round Sunday roast, responding to the popularity of the weekly Sunday roast offered last winter. In other spaces, there are large screens for showing popular sporting games, and a kids playground for family outings.
Russell is particularly excited about the Blasta Coffee café. While the previous brewpub had a coffee shop as part of its offering, Blasta Coffee is distinct from the rest of the premises.
“You’re not necessarily associated with the brewery or the restaurant when you go to get your coffee. The coffee shop is in the same precinct, but it’s its own space. It’s got its own personality. There are black and white tiles and these really nice brass tables.” Russell said.
Russell explains that the goal of the Blasta Collective is to create a venue that anyone can enjoy.
“It’s about providing something different for everyone. You may have somebody who, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to associate themself with going anywhere near a bar, so we have that coffee shop. Maybe someone doesn’t like beer or wants a high-end dining experience. We have that too. Basically, we’re trying to cater for everyone,” he said.
