Wildflower Brewery

You’ll find a cluster of craft breweries within Sydney’s Inner West neighborhood, but Wildflower is unlike anything else you’ll encounter in the city. Owners Topher Boehm and Chris Allen keep things truly local: Their ales are fermented with wild yeasts derived from native flowers like wattle blossoms. This unique process of making beer with a blend of ingredients carefully sourced within New South Wales is something Boehm has memorably compared to “collecting dreams.”

As brothers-in-law, the operators keep it in the family in many ways: each of their children has inspired a brew. St Phoebe, christened after Allen's first daughter, was initially flavored with native raspberries and named Australia’s best beverage soon after launch—beating 1,500 drinks in the process. The beverage has evolved over many vintages and now is a golden, barrel-aged ale given the distinct pink blush of Mariposa plums grown by Moonacres Farm in the Southern Highlands. Bottles of St Florence, inspired by Boehm's first daughter, are adorned with illustrations by his wife, Bernadette: They depict the Ravensworth riesling grapes that contribute to the drink’s golden sparkle.

Part of Wildflower’s charm is its highly collaborative nature. Over the years, Boehm has taken surplus loaves from Sydney’s Ester restaurant to create a Daily Bread wild ale that evokes the light tang of kvass; boiled 200 kilograms of spent oyster shells collected from Poly wine bar to create a distinctly saline beer base; and barrel-aged soy sauce with chefs Mat Lindsay (Ester) and Jeff Lusis (Poly) and turned the by-product into shoyu kasu, which he's used as a salt-like seasoning at Wildflower’s bar. The latter was inspired by a Korean method that Sang By Mabasa’s restaurateur Kenny Yong-soo Son introduced to the brewer—you’ll also find the lees (shoyu leftovers) in Wildflower’s Ashes to Ashes smoked beer.

There’s also the Hive: Post Brood ale made in collaboration with Malfroy's Gold Honey, whose bees buzz in the Central Tablelands and the Blue Mountains. A pour of this beer goes well with the Gold Street Dairy cheeses produced locally on Wildflower’s site. In many ways, Wildflower offers a taste of the state’s diverse flavors—in its brewery bottles and beyond.