Running With Thieves

Scott Douglas has a knack for building great breweries. He founded Margaret River favourite Black Brewing Co in 2015, and he did it again nearly seven years later, this time under the Running With Thieves lifestyle label he runs with long-time pals artist Brooklyn Whelan and designer Pablo Frenkel.

This 100-year-old former wool store (more recently the Sealanes warehouse) has been converted into a bright open-plan seaside escape with an exposed-beam ceiling, concrete floors, long wooden high tables and a wall of oak barrels holding maturing whiskey. The cavernous space includes a 30-metre long bar, a 300-capacity restaurant, and a dedicated retail store selling bottles of spirits; growlers; cans of beer; and apparel such as tees, totes and caps.

Douglas‘s former head brewer at Black Brewing Co, Paul Gasmier, has created a range styles including a pale ale, creamy stout and zesty ginger beer. Paddles with three different brews make working through the range a breeze. Everything is made and packaged on-site, with gins and vodkas brewing in the copper stills behind the bar.

The menu of share-ready plates gives a generous nod to the venue’s seaside location. You might order grilled Fremantle octopus with spiced chimichurri and caper berries; beer battered snapper with harissa, herb mayo and chips; sticky Korean-style lamb ribs; elevated burgers and more.