Snowy Mountains Brewery

Snowy Mountains Brewery

After many skiing trips to resorts in other parts of the world, Kevin and Alison O’Neill soon realised that their home resorts were distinctly lacking in one vital ingredient... brewery and local beer! A keen home brewer for over 17 years, Kevin decided to realise every boys’ childhood dream. The name was registered in 2004 and so the Snowy Mountains Brewery was born. The long laborious task of research began; tasting groups, feedback forums, everything needed to enter the market at the correct level from labels and packaging, marketing plan including radio ads, and potential names. Due to the high initial costs of setting up a brewery, the decision was made to pursue the contract brewing route to enter the market. Bluetongue Brewery, out of Newcastle, NSW, being one of the only facilities that provided that option at the time was contacted and the deal was signed. May of 2005 saw the first bottle of Crackenback Pale Ale brewed exact to Kevin’s specifications. After 9 months of this relationship SMB decided it was time to move away from Bluetongue Brewery and towards a new installation an hour south of Sydney called the Australian Independent Brewery. (Bluetongue Brewery was undergoing radical change and expansion due to new commitments.)