AFTER three years of planning and a drawn-out approval process, Broadmeadow brewpub, Thirsty Messiah, is finally ready to pour beers.
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The Lambton Road brewery will open its doors at 5pm on Saturday after the City of Newcastle certified the brewpub's kitchen on Friday, the final piece of paperwork.
The first development application for Thirsty Messiah was lodged in January 2021 and owner Thomas Delgatto had hoped to open in January this year.
Mr Delgatto admitted its been a frustrating and expensive process, but said the support from other local brewers and the community meant he never considered giving up on his 40-year dream to own a brewery.
"Without the continuous line of people knocking on the door and the interest that comes through the Facebook page I'd be worried a lot," Delgatto said.
"The community support and the goodwill we've already built up, it's very easy to stay motivated."
Thirsty Messiah will serve a range of Delgatto's beers including a Vienna lager, bohemian lager, Czech dark lager, red IPA, IPA, Scottish export and a sour mulberry mead.
The brewery will also pour a host of other Hunter breweries, such as Shout, Grainfed, Tinshed, Dusty Miner, Yard Kings and IronBark Hill and Forster's Coastal Brewing Co.
The kitchen will initially serve pizzas, with a look to expanding their menu.
Thirsty Messiah's entry into the Newcastle hospitality scene, is the latest in an explosion craft breweries across the Hunter.
In the last three years Shout, Method, Good Folks, Rogue Scholar and Modus Operandi have opened in Newcastle, joining the likes of the established FogHorn.
In December Sydney's Akasha Brewing Company bought The Edwards and announced plans to turn the Newcastle West site into a brewery.
Morisset has also become craft beer hub, welcoming Yard Kings, Lake Macquarie Brewing and Bread and Brewery.
Delgatto said the market didn't risk being saturated by craft beer, rather it would help drive tourism.
"It's a bit like the wineries," he said. "Are we gonna have too many breweries?
It's like asking are we gonna have too many wineries in the Hunter.
"It's just the equivalent of the wineries. There will be more interest and tourism will spring from this."
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
