3 RavensBrewing Co

An engineer with a homebrew habit and a grudge against a local pub that had stopped pouring English-style cask ale opened this Thornbury brewery in 2003, back when craft beer in Melbourne meant a handful of operations rather than a scene. Two decades on it holds the title of the city's oldest independent brewery, a run of longevity validated by silverware rather than nostalgia alone: Champion Small Australian Brewery at the Australian International Beer Awards in 2014, and a Champion Beer and Champion Small Brewery double at the Perth Royal Beer Awards in 2019, with its English-style ESB judged best in class for the category. The name nods to Norse mythology — Odin's ravens Huginn and Muninn, plus a third borrowed from Loki — a fitting reference for a brewery that has moved through cask ales, hazy pales and wild ferments without settling into a single house style. The taproom has a warehouse speakeasy feel, tucked behind the Darebin Creek Trail with a pool table, dog-friendly floor and a rotating tap list that rewards regulars who show up for whatever just came off the line.