Soapbox Brewing Co

Scott Robertson and Luke Nixon wanted to educate mainstream beer drinkers about craft beer. So in 2018, they opened Soapbox Beer, a 100-seat venue that’s also Fortitude Valley’s first brewpub.

Soapbox has been quite a journey for Robertson and Nixon who took over the old Valley building – previously a dance studio – more than a year ago before opening.

Inside, Soapbox has a dark, industrial look with the brewing equipment lining one side of the space. There’s a heap of timber, most of which was originally taken out but then repurposed during the fit-out. While much has changed within the building, an old fire door remains as a divider for the functions space.

Soapbox’s head brewer is Greg James, who was tasked with turning Robertson and Nixon’s home-brew recipes into large-scale productions. In total, the brewery has six fermenting tanks and a 2000-litre brewing capacity.

There are currently eight beers on tap including five core beers (mid-strength dark ale, kolsch, American amber ale, IPA and pale ale) and a few rotationals such as a porter and a biscuit ale. There’s also a guest cider tap, as well as a short wine and spirits menu.

The menu is made up of share plates and mains, many of which feature beer. There are dishes such as beer-brined chicken wings, Wagyu beef cubes with beer mustard, potato curry croquettes with a pale-ale vindaloo sauce, and 250-gram Wagyu rump with porter-onion gravy.

For Robertson and Nixon, Soapbox is an instrument for them to talk about things they are passionate about.