Feral Brewing Company

Feral Brewing Company is an Australian craft brewery founded in October 2002 in the Swan Valley of Western Australia. The company was established by Alistair Carragher and Brendan Varis, whose complementary backgrounds shaped the business: Carragher brought experience in hospitality and sales, while Varis had formal training in brewing and fermentation science. Their stated ambition was to make beers that were unconventional and “a little on the wild side,” a philosophy reflected in the brewery’s name, product experimentation and emphasis on assertive flavour profiles. Feral developed within Western Australia’s emerging independent brewing scene and became particularly associated with American-influenced India pale ales, Belgian-style beers, strong ales, barrel-influenced releases and other specialty products. Its best-known beer is Hop Hog, an American-style IPA that became one of the most decorated and recognisable beers in the Australian craft-beer market. Other notable beers include Biggie Juice, a New England IPA; War Hog, a West Coast IPA; Feral White, a Belgian-style witbier; Runt, an Australian pale ale; and a range of stronger or more experimental beers such as Razorback barleywine, Boris Russian imperial stout, Karma Citra black IPA and Watermelon Warhead Berliner Weisse. The brewery expanded its production infrastructure through a partnership with Nail Brewing. In January 2012, the two companies formed Brewcorp Pty Ltd and developed brewhouse and warehouse facilities in Bassendean. This arrangement supported increased production and distribution while retaining Feral’s identity within the independent beer sector. Feral beers became available through retail outlets, in addition to being served through the company’s own hospitality operations. Feral also operated a brewpub at its Haddrill Road site in the Swan Valley. The brewpub closed in 2021, and the premises were subsequently occupied by Slumdog Brewing. The closure marked a change in Feral’s hospitality footprint, although the brand continued as a packaged-beer producer. In October 2017, Feral Brewing Company was acquired by Coca-Cola Amatil. The transaction placed the brewery within the portfolio of a large beverage company while preserving Feral as a distinct beer brand. Following Coca-Cola Amatil’s transition into Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Feral remained associated with the larger beverage group until late 2024. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners then sold Feral to a group of independent owners known within the Western Australian craft-beer community, returning the brewery to independent ownership. Feral’s reputation has been built through competition success as well as product distribution. Hop Hog received repeated recognition at the Australian International Beer Awards, the Perth Royal Beer Show, the Beer and Brewer People’s Choice Awards, the Hong Kong International Beer Awards and the GABS Hottest 100 Australian Craft Beers list. The brewery also received awards for Feral White, The Runt, Boris, Razorback and other beers, along with brewery-level honours. These results helped position Feral as one of Western Australia’s prominent craft breweries. Today, Feral is best understood as an Australian craft-beer brand with roots in Western Australia, a portfolio spanning accessible year-round beers and more specialised releases, and a history that includes independent founding, infrastructure collaboration, corporate ownership and a subsequent return to independence.

Feral Brewing Company opened in October 2002 in the Swan Valley of Western Australia. It was founded by Alistair Carragher and Brendan Varis. Carragher came from hospitality and sales, while Varis had studied brewing and fermentation science. Together they pursued a beer-making philosophy centred on beers that were unconventional, flavourful and somewhat unruly rather than narrowly aligned with mainstream lager styles. The brewery’s early identity developed around a broad craft portfolio. Feral made American-style India pale ales, Belgian-inspired beers, pale ales, porters, stouts, barleywines and other specialty products. Hop Hog became the defining release in the range. Its hop-forward American IPA character and repeated competition success made it a major contributor to Feral’s reputation beyond Western Australia. The brewery also produced beers such as Feral White, The Runt, Raging Flem, Golden Ace, Smoked Porter, Rust, Karma Citra, Fantapants, Razorback and Boris, demonstrating a willingness to move between established international styles and more experimental interpretations. As demand and distribution expanded, Feral joined with Nail Brewing in January 2012 to establish Brewcorp Pty Ltd. The venture developed brewhouse and warehouse facilities in Bassendean. This was an important operational development because it provided shared production and storage infrastructure while the breweries continued to present their own brands. Feral beers were sold through retail outlets and were also available in hospitality settings. Feral maintained a strong connection with consumers through its Swan Valley brewpub. The venue combined beer production, tasting and food-service functions and helped make the brewery a destination within Western Australia’s tourism and hospitality landscape. The brewpub closed in 2021, and the Haddrill Road site was later occupied by Slumdog Brewing. Feral’s closure of the venue reduced its direct hospitality presence but did not end the brand’s packaged-beer operations. A major ownership change occurred in October 2017, when Coca-Cola Amatil acquired Feral Brewing Company. The purchase brought the brewery into a large beverage distribution organisation and changed its ownership structure from an independent craft-business model to corporate ownership. Feral continued to operate as a recognisable standalone beer brand within that broader environment. After Coca-Cola Amatil became part of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Feral remained under the larger group’s ownership. In late 2024, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners sold Feral to a group of independent owners familiar with Western Australia’s craft-brewing community. The transaction returned Feral to independent ownership after approximately seven years under Coca-Cola Amatil and its successor. The available reference material does not identify all members of the purchasing group or provide detailed post-sale operating plans. Feral’s historical standing is also documented through awards. At the Australian International Beer Awards, the brewery and its beers received repeated honours from 2009 through 2013. Feral White won Champion Hybrid Beer in 2009, while Hop Hog received Champion Ale recognition in 2009 and 2011, Best Beer in 2011 and Best International Pale Ale in 2012. The brewery was also named Champion Small Brewery, Champion Exhibitor, Champion Large Australian Brewery and Champion Medium Australian Brewery in different years. Other recognised beers included The Runt, Razorback and Boris. At the Perth Royal Beer Show, Feral received brewery-level awards and beer awards between 2010 and 2012, with Hop Hog repeatedly recognised in American-style pale ale and Western Australian beer categories. Hop Hog also won Australian beer honours in the Beer and Brewer People’s Choice Awards and was recognised at the Hong Kong International Beer Awards. It topped the GABS Hottest 100 Australian Craft Beers list in 2012, 2013 and 2014. These achievements reinforced Feral’s identity as a prominent Western Australian craft brewery and helped establish Hop Hog as its signature beer.

• 2024

  Return to independent ownership

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Coca-Cola Europacific Partners sells Feral to a group of independent owners from the Western Australian craft-beer community.

• 2021

  Swan Valley brewpub closes

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Feral closes its brewpub at the Haddrill Road site in the Swan Valley.

• 2017

  Acquisition by Coca-Cola Amatil

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Coca-Cola Amatil acquires Feral Brewing Company in October.

• 2014

  Hop Hog tops the GABS Hottest 100 for a third time

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Hop Hog is listed as the People’s Choice winner in the GABS Hottest 100 Australian Craft Beers for 2012, 2013 and 2014.

• 2012

  Brewcorp facilities developed in Bassendean

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Feral and Nail Brewing establish Brewcorp Pty Ltd and develop shared brewhouse and warehouse facilities.

• 2012

  Hop Hog receives major national and international recognition

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Hop Hog wins Best International Pale Ale at the Australian International Beer Awards, Best Australian Beer in the Beer and Brewer People’s Choice Awards and recognition at the Hong Kong International Beer Awards.

• 2009

  Early Australian International Beer Awards success

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Feral White receives Champion Hybrid Beer, while Feral is recognised as Champion Small Brewery and Champion Exhibitor; Hop Hog wins Champion Ale.

• 2002

  Feral Brewing opens in the Swan Valley

  [1]Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Feral Brewing Company begins operations in October, founded by Alistair Carragher and Brendan Varis.

Western Australian craft brewery focused on distinctive, hop-forward and experimental beers.

• American-style IPA

  Hop Hog

  Feral’s signature American-style India pale ale and one of the brewery’s most decorated products. Hop Hog became closely associated with the company through repeated awards in Australia and overseas, as well as three consecutive GABS Hottest 100 Australian Craft Beers People’s Choice wins covering 2012, 2013 and 2014. The beer is listed at 5.8% alcohol by volume.

• New England IPA

  Biggie Juice

  A New England India pale ale in Feral’s year-round range. Biggie Juice represents the brewery’s adoption of a contemporary, intensely flavoured IPA style alongside its earlier American and West Coast offerings. The beer is listed at 6.0% alcohol by volume.

• West Coast IPA

  War Hog

  A West Coast India pale ale listed among Feral’s three year-round canned beers. War Hog extends the brewery’s hop-focused portfolio with a style traditionally associated with a firmer bitterness and more defined hop character. It is listed at 7.5% alcohol by volume.

• Belgian-style witbier

  Feral White

  A Belgian-style witbier with a listed alcohol content of 4.6% by volume. Feral White was one of the brewery’s earliest major award recipients, winning Champion Hybrid Beer at the 2009 Australian International Beer Awards.

• Australian pale ale

  The Runt

  An Australian pale ale listed at 4.7% alcohol by volume. The Runt received Champion Ale recognition at the 2010 Australian International Beer Awards and was part of Feral’s broader range of approachable but characterful beers.

• Belgian-style IPA

  Raging Flem

  A Belgian-style India pale ale with a listed alcohol content of 7.6% by volume, combining the brewery’s interest in Belgian-inspired fermentation profiles with the hop emphasis of IPA.

• Belgian-style golden ale

  Golden Ace

  A Belgian-style golden ale listed at 5.6% alcohol by volume, representing the brewery’s use of European beer traditions within its Australian craft portfolio.

• Smoked beer

  Smoked Porter

  A smoked beer listed at 4.7% alcohol by volume. It illustrates Feral’s willingness to produce beers defined by specialist malt and smoke characteristics rather than only by hop intensity.

• Fruit Berliner Weisse

  Watermelon Warhead

  A Berliner Weisse infused with watermelon and listed at 2.9% alcohol by volume. The beer is an example of Feral’s experimental approach to low-alcohol and fruit-influenced sour beer styles.

• Belgian-style dubbel

  Rust

  A Belgian-style dubbel listed at 6.0% alcohol by volume, extending the range into darker, malt-driven Belgian-inspired brewing.

• Black IPA

  Karma Citra

  A black India pale ale listed at 5.8% alcohol by volume. Karma Citra combines a dark beer presentation with the hop-led structure associated with IPA.

• Imperial red IPA

  Fantapants

  An imperial red India pale ale listed at 7.4% alcohol by volume. Fantapants received multiple Perth Royal Beer Show awards, including recognition for American-style and draught IPA categories.

• Barleywine

  Razorback

  A strong barleywine listed at 10% alcohol by volume. Razorback was recognised as Best Scotch and Barley Wine at the 2012 Australian International Beer Awards.

• Russian imperial stout

  Boris

  A Russian imperial stout listed at 11.5% alcohol by volume. Boris received the 2013 Australian International Beer Awards honour for Best Porter.

• Barrel-fermented American pale ale

  Barrel Fermented Hog

  Also known as B.F.H., this barrel-fermented American pale ale is listed at 5.8% alcohol by volume. It reflects Feral’s use of barrel fermentation as a variation on its American-style ale programme.

• 2024

  Return Feral Brewing to independent ownershipM&A

  Background

  After several years within the Coca-Cola Amatil and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners structure, Feral was sold out of the larger beverage group.

  Action taken

  Coca-Cola Europacific Partners sold Feral to a group of independent owners known within the Western Australian craft-beer community.

  Aftermath

  The sale returned Feral to independent ownership. The available reference does not identify every purchaser or provide detailed financial terms.

  Source

• 2021

  Close the Swan Valley brewpubStrategy

  Background

  Feral maintained both packaged-beer production and a consumer-facing brewpub in the Swan Valley.

  Action taken

  The company closed its brewpub at the Haddrill Road site.

  Aftermath

  The premises were later occupied by Slumdog Brewing, while Feral continued as a beer brand.

  Source

• 2017

  Sell Feral Brewing to Coca-Cola AmatilM&A

  Background

  Feral was an established Western Australian craft brewery with a recognised beer portfolio and distribution presence.

  Action taken

  Coca-Cola Amatil acquired Feral Brewing Company in October 2017.

  Aftermath

  Feral operated under the ownership of a major beverage group, later Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

  Source

• 2012

  Create shared production infrastructure with Nail BrewingStrategy

  Background

  Feral and Nail Brewing required expanded brewing and warehousing capacity as their businesses developed.

  Action taken

  The breweries formed Brewcorp Pty Ltd and developed brewhouse and warehouse facilities in Bassendean.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement provided shared infrastructure while the breweries continued operating their own beer brands.

  Source

1. 1Feral Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org