Yet another Ballarat hospitality institution is in trouble, with the Sheriff’s Office Victoria entering the Athletic Club Brewery in Mair Street this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As late as Thursday evening Sheriff’s Office Victoria vehicles were parked outside the distinctive wooden frontage of the popular brewery, with hi-vis workers sighted taking possession of beer kegs and other equipment at the rear of the property.
The Athletic Club Brewery is licenced to the Parry Brewing Co Pty Ltd.
Parry Brewing Company Pty Ltd director Peter Parry denied the Athletic Club Brewery was in difficulty, saying the activity taking place inside the building was brewing vats being upgraded to a larger capacity.
“The doors are open, we’re taking bookings,” Mr Parry told The Courier.
“We are still trading. No wonder hospitality in this town is doing badly, with you spreading rumours everywhere.”
The bar of the Athletic Club Brewery was open on Thursday night.
The adjoining Freight Bar is unaffected.
However, The Courier understands the Parry Brewing Co Pty Ltd has been served notice by owners of the properties the business leases, owing at least $60,000 in rent.
The Sheriff’s Office declined to comment, saying it could not issue a statement on matters involving civil warrants.
As of 6.30pm Thursday night, the brewing vats of the Parry Brewing Co Pty Ltd were being loaded onto lorries outside the building, with sheriffs in attendance within the brewery premises.
Sources told The Courier the director was seen in discussion with sheriffs and police on Wednesday morning.
The Athletic Club Brewery opened in November 2016, occupying the former premises of the Rebellion Brewery, after a complex planning battle with council.
The trouble at the Athletic Club Brewery follows the closure of two other hospitality venues in Ballarat over the past two months.
The Royal Mail Hotel in Sebastopol closed suddenly in July, leaving staff reeling and the licensee owing over $380,000 to creditors.
That closure is the subject of ongoing legal claims, as the former employees attempt to have their unpaid superannuation delivered.
Three weeks later Seymours on Lydiard (the former North Star Hotel) also shut its doors, again leaving punters struggling to reclaim deposits they had made on bookings for events.
The hotel’s owners have moved to repossess the building.
Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.