Save our Beer Garden! 

We need your help! We are faced with having to say farewell to our much-loved Beer Garden at Hop Hen Brewing for good… and we need your support to save this space. Our Beer Garden sprung to life as we emerged from the pandemic lockdowns. We were excited and extremely grateful to the Victorian State Government for their support in allowing us to open an outdoor dining space. This space helped us navigate restrictions, ensuring our customers could gather safely. It also meant we could provide you, our patrons, and the many visitors to the region, with an alternative Hop Hen Brewing experience in the fresh air and natural light of the outdoors that has become so important in our lives – and you loved it! 

Sadly, we are now faced with the permanent closure of this space. 
Losing our Beer Garden will have a direct impact on the sense of community our local brewery has worked so hard to create. Businesses and community members have faced some significant challenges over the last few years and we all continue to feel the impacts. To lose this safe, well-managed and thoroughly enjoyed outdoor area in Lilydale feels like another blow to our business and our customers, at a time when we want to offer opportunities to reconnect and be together. 

Our fondly named Beer Garden quickly became one of the most popular features of our brewery. We overlook beautiful gum trees and Poyner Reserve, with this safe, clearly sectioned area offering a comfortable, bike friendly, relaxing outdoor environment to meet friends, finish a walk or just sit down and enjoy some sunshine and a drink. And it’s a dog friendly space! 

When our outdoor area opened we were thrilled to welcome companions of the four-legged, furry variety. We love our ‘Dogs of Hop Hen’ community and being able to offer a friendly, secure zone for dogs to accompany their owners has been important to many of you. There are few locations in Lilydale where dog owners can enjoy a cold beer in a safe outdoor environment with their adored pooches, and we have been one of them. 

We are calling on you to help us connect with the team at Yarra Ranges Council. We don’t want to lose this space and we are hoping to share with them how many people value our Beer Garden and the wonderful outdoor option it is for both Lilydale residents and visitors to our region.

If you agree, we invite you to add your name, suburb and signature below. We will be sharing this with Council in late August. 
 
Thank you, Mike and Jodie Leonard 
Hop Hen Brewing