European street food and Belgium beer aren’t normally associated with Brisbane’s industrial suburb of Northgate, but thanks to the opening of Fick Brewing, Northgate may just be the new Neudorf Valley.
With brewing taking place onsite in the sheltered beer garden, Fick is small enough to bring experimental beers to life, but big enough to draw a steady crew of office lunch-seekers and weekend locals. A games and toys section also ensures that kids, both young and old, have activities to carry them through the afternoon.
So how did a piece of Brussels end up in Brisbane’s inner-north?
Let’s find out.
With brewing taking place onsite in the sheltered beer garden, Fick is small enough to bring experimental beers to life, but big enough to draw a steady crew of office lunch-seekers and weekend locals. A games and toys section also ensures that kids, both young and old, have activities to carry them through the afternoon.
So how did a piece of Brussels end up in Brisbane’s inner-north?
Let’s find out.
Wife and husband team Nadresha Costa and Fabrizio Ceccarelli masterminded Fick after the idea appeared (as all good ideas do) in a beer-inspired moment, six years ago in Fabrizio’s hometown in Luxembourg. After the two had met on a South American holiday, Australian-born Nadresha ventured over to Europe meet up with Fabrizio. Marriage, kids and a brewery back Down Under ensued.
The stars further aligned for the two young entrepreneurs, with Nadresha’s dad Ray able to put his serendipitous hydrocarbon engineering background to use, in setting up the brewing equipment required for liquid gold to flow.
“It’s amazing working with family,” Nadresha says. “Between us and my dad we have all bases covered.”
The stars further aligned for the two young entrepreneurs, with Nadresha’s dad Ray able to put his serendipitous hydrocarbon engineering background to use, in setting up the brewing equipment required for liquid gold to flow.
“It’s amazing working with family,” Nadresha says. “Between us and my dad we have all bases covered.”
The menu at Fick is inspired by European street food, including Tarte Flambeés (French Pizza), a Luxemburger laden with blue cheese, and Currywurst Hot Dog.
With food this good, it’s not hard to imagine the quality of the beer.
Fick currently have a Golden Ale, Wheat Beer and Red IPA on tap, with plans to expand to some new Saisons (Farmhouse Ales) in coming weeks.
“We’re not tied to one style of beer. We can experiment, evolve and introduce new things at different times,” Nadresha says.
Bang for your buck is on point here, with Fick’s Red IPA coming in at over 8%.
If you’re hunting Fick beer in your local bottlo, it may be awhile coming, with the team happy to keep selling over the counter and meet the people who like to drink their beer.
“All we really want is to keep things small and simple,” muses Nadresha.
“We have our locals coming down with their dogs and kids and they’re all so nice, it all we ever wanted.”
“What I absolutely love is seeing dads come in with a baby strapped to them, sit down for a Red IPA, then head off home again- everyone’s happy!” she laughs.
If you’re hunting Fick beer in your local bottlo, it may be awhile coming, with the team happy to keep selling over the counter and meet the people who like to drink their beer.
“All we really want is to keep things small and simple,” muses Nadresha.
“We have our locals coming down with their dogs and kids and they’re all so nice, it all we ever wanted.”
“What I absolutely love is seeing dads come in with a baby strapped to them, sit down for a Red IPA, then head off home again- everyone’s happy!” she laughs.
Wine, and quirky spirits are also on the cards for those of you not hops-inclined. This includes Nosferatu Blood Orange Gin and Hartshorn Sheep Whey Vodka, which uses some genius witchcraft to turn the by-product from a Tasmanian cheese producer into vodka.
For anyone not fluent in cheeky German, Fick is indeed a play on words. While in Luxembourg, Nadresha and Fabrizio lived near the Henri Funck Brewery, which started in the 1800s but was decommissioned in 1982. Lying derelict and defunct, a bunch of rowdy teenagers (drunk on beer no doubt) rearranged the company’s lettering on top of the old building to read “FICK” and a future Australian microbrewery was named. A series of black and white photos on the wall of new Fick pays artistic homage to these roots.
For anyone not fluent in cheeky German, Fick is indeed a play on words. While in Luxembourg, Nadresha and Fabrizio lived near the Henri Funck Brewery, which started in the 1800s but was decommissioned in 1982. Lying derelict and defunct, a bunch of rowdy teenagers (drunk on beer no doubt) rearranged the company’s lettering on top of the old building to read “FICK” and a future Australian microbrewery was named. A series of black and white photos on the wall of new Fick pays artistic homage to these roots.
With a funky, nondescript sign out the front, Fick can be hard to spot on your first drive down Old Toombul Road, but just look for the line of people queuing for an innovative IPA and you’ll be in the right spot.
Fick Brewing Company is open Friday, Saturday and Sundays from 12pm to late.
