The brewery specialises in sour beer made with wild yeasts from Ballarat, and has a national profile in the independent craft beer scene, having won the IBA Champion trophy for Mixed Culture Wild Beer in 2019, and two silver medals in 2020.

Each beer is unique - like a wine vintage - as it's barrel-aged and blended to produce interesting flavours.

The brewers, Fiona and Ed Nolle, first applied for a permit to open their organic, off-grid brewery to the public about two years ago, and have "ticked every box", including a review from a planning lawyer.

Ms Nolle said council officers had been unsure about granting the permit - when the plan was on advertising, there had been some objections from neighbours.

They stem from a misunderstanding about what the brewery was hoping to do, she said, which was to open a winery-style tasting room and storefront, and allow tours in the brewery and "blendery" where the sour beers were made.

"The idea is there'd be a bar with 18 taps, we'd open 12 weekends a year, people can come in and have a tasting paddle, sample things you can't get anywhere else except Ballarat, and purchase takeaways to share with their family and friends," she said, noting entry would be tickets and limited to just 30 people per day to address concerns.

"It's about being able to show people these processes, which most people aren't aware of - they're used to a textbook brewery, not a sour beer blendery."

While the wort comes from Abbotsford's Stomping Ground brewery, all the ingredients are sourced from Ballarat, including blueberries from Buninyong.

Ms Nolle said the brewery fit in with the Made Of Ballarat tourism push from council, and a cellar door facility would help attract more visitors looking for a unique experience.

"Until you stand here and see it and smell it, people don't understand what we do," she said.

"We get phone calls all the time, groups of 10 or 15 looking for a tasting experience - we have cheeses, Saltbush Kitchen meats, we sit them down with our beers and talk them through the process.

"They want to come out and meet us, see our brand, and see Ballarat."

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That's echoed by Ballarat Regional Tourism chair Iain Gunn, who said the plan "fits hand in glove" with the reactivated Made Of Ballarat campaign, and wrote a letter of support for the project to councillors.

"I've met them, they're doing a quality, high-end offering, with a quality fit-out and plan for their cellar door," he said. "It's more closely aligned with what people would expect from a winery.

"It's another element to bring people to Ballarat."

Ms Nolle noted there was a winery about two kilometres away.

She added the brewery has had a presence at major beer events in Ballarat, and helped with the Quarter Bar project in January last year.

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A submission to councillors noted "the opening of an award winning sour beer producer such as Dollar Bill Brewing will increase tourism, visitor numbers and overnight stays".

"Ballarat has spent money and time to position itself as the regional craft beer capital of Victoria and Australia," it continues.

"A negative vote will damage our business and Ballarat will lose this opportunity to another city."

Councillors will discuss and vote on the project on Wednesday.

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