A craft beer brewery in Perth has collapsed, more than half a year on from the appointment of restructuring practitioners.
Golden West Brewing Co officially went into administration on February 28, and a meeting with creditors is scheduled to take place on March 12.
Mathieu Tribut from GTS Advisory has been appointed administrator.
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The brewery closed its doors last week.
Just last year, Golden West took out the top spot for its Smooth Bourbon Vanilla Porter at the Perth Royal Food Awards in the Hybrid & Speciality Beer Draught category. It also won bronze and silver in three other categories.
The company is looking to sell, industry publication The Crafty Pint reported.
It said discussions with another business interested in taking over the brewery were ongoing, Tribut told the publication.
Golden West went through a restructuring process in 2023, with restructuring practitioners appointed in August last year.
This process was “quite successful”, Tribut told The Crafty Pint.
However, declining sales this year led to the appointment of an administrator when the brewery ran out of cash.
Tribut said the brewery could reopen in as little as eight weeks.
“We’re fairly certain that the premises will remain and will reopen, but maybe under a different name,” he said.
A staff member shared on social media that “we came into work in the morning, there was a meeting where we told what was happening”.
“And that was it.”
Another staff member criticised the company for its “radio silence” on social media about the closure.
They revealed staff put up a sign to let patrons know about the closure.
“We put up the paper to at least inform valued punters that we’re permanently shut, rather than the radio silence on social media that’s currently happening,” they said.
“We got there in the morning like any other brewshift, then we’re told the news at 10am, there’s still beer fermenting in tanks and beer ready to be canned.”
The only reference to the closure is found on the brewery’s website, saying in small print down the bottom of the home page: “Trading from the venue is currently suspended.”
Golden West Brewing Co was contacted by 7NEWS.com.au for comment. The automatic email reply says: “Golden West is temporarily closed. Please contact the administrator GTS Advisory for any queries.”
GTS Advisory has been contacted for comment.
Last week it emerged Big Shed Brewing, an independent craft brewery based at Royal Park, in Adelaide’s west, an independent brewing company based in Reservoir in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, had also entered administration.