The Gertrude end of Smith Street has had a surge in popularity in recent years, but there are a handful of venues which have been destination-playgrounds for decades. Perhaps one of the most famous is on the corner of Smith and Langridge (or Gertrude, depending on which way you’re approaching). Whilst it was most recently known as A Bar Called Barry, many will remember the building as comedy club, The Last Laugh.

Russell Griggs and his siblings are the current custodians of the building. They were behind A Bar Called Barry (in addition to running The Royston Hotel in Richmond and The Terminus Hotel in North Fitzroy).

The building has been reincarnated as Forester’s Beer and Music Hall. Boasting over 50 beer taps and 32 different craft beers from around the world, it is billed as Australia’s largest craft beer establishment.

Amongst brews from all over Australia, it also showcases beers from overseas including: Rogue Beard Beer from Oregon, Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer Smoked Imperial Stout from Massachusetts and Yeastie Boys ‘Gunnamatta’ IPA and Garage Project Day of The Dead brew from New Zealand.

We had a chat with Russell about his journey from professional services to publican.

Can you tell us about your career progression – what attracted you to leave working in professional services for hospitality?

I know I’m not the first person who has thought that running a pub might be more fun than working for the man. And I wouldn’t have been the first person to make a big mistake by doing it.

My interest came from being a frustrated customer. I spent a fair bit of time frequenting pubs, and was amazed at the poor customer service. I had a brother with experience and talent in the field so I asked him if he wanted to buy a venue. He said yes, and so, along with our other brother and sister, we bought ‘The Club’ – which despite almost going broke in the first year, we ran successfully for 16 years.

When did you first come across the Forester’s Beer and Music Hall building -had you been to the other venues there (before A Bar Called Barry)?

In 2000 I was approached by a location scout for the movie Queen of the Damned – the sequel to Interview with a Vampire, which was to be filmed in Melbourne. They needed a place to film some nightclub scenes. When he came in to see The Club, he told me he had just been down the street at the old Last Laugh (then Barracuda), and he thought it was a great venue. It was actually the landlord who showed him around because it had closed down in a hurry. I asked him for the landlord’s number, organised a meeting and signed a lease in a week or two.

I had been to the Last Laugh many times. I vaguely remember spending one New Years Eve there. It must have been about 1979. The booth I sat in that night survived 13 years of A Bar Called Barry but we demolished it when we did the Forester’s Hall renovation. I got a bit sentimental!

What were the lessons from A Bar Called Barry?

A lot of people have fond memories of A Bar Called Barry and yet after 13 years, it was definitely a bit tired. We’ll be making sure Forester’s always stays fresh and relevant.

Being a loud dance club, service behind the bar at Barry was focused more on just serving drinks rather than engaging with customers. At our other pubs (The Terminus Hotel Fitzroy North and The Royston Hotel, Richmond) customer service is the backbone of our success. We’ll be doing the same at Forester’s Hall and have recruited a really great team and taught them all about beer, breweries and the importance of looking after our customers.

What was your vision for Forester’s Beer and Music Hall – has it changed as the project has progressed?

We have been part of the craft beer scene here in Melbourne for a long time now, and I liked the idea of doing something which was mostly focused on that. The industry in the States is so advanced, with 80 to 100 beers on tap. That inspired me to push the envelope a bit.

I knew I had a venue that was big enough to cope with a lot of beers, in a perfect location, with a late licence and the capacity to host live music and DJs, so I knew we could do something pretty amazing. Most of my favourite bars in Australia and overseas are speakeasys and I like to think of it as a “Speakeasy on a Grand Scale”. The vision didn’t really change along the way although it has definitely taken on elements of other venues I’ve visited since.

Do you brew your own beer? If so what style? Would you consider opening a brewery?

Hell no.

I helped brew a Red Vienna lager at Mountain Goat last week and it confirmed what I already knew – brewing is a combination of science, inspiration, hard work and standing around in a cold shed. None of which is my cup of tea!

The craft brewers are so passionate, so enthusiastic and have done an enormous amount to establish the craft beer industry in this country. I love what they do, and I love that fact that they do it, so I don’t have to.

Why do you think craft beer has had such success in recent times? Did the growth of craft beer inform your concept for Forester’s Beer and Music Hall?

Two companies control 95% of the world’s beer production and, while there are hundreds of possible beer styles to be made, 95% of the beer they make is of the same style.

I am constantly amazed at the number of restaurants and pubs I go to that might have hundreds of wines on their list and yet their beer list is a long list of mass-produced lagers. It would be like the wine list only having 45 Chardonnays.

We often serve people who usually drink mainstream beers, and as soon as we give them something else to try, they love it! Even the builders who worked on Forester’s Hall have switched over to craft beer.

The growth of craft beer in Australia and the success we’ve had with it in the pubs gave me confidence that something like I’d seen overseas could work here. Add to that the fact that the venue itself has such a history in live entertainment, and Melbourne needs a new live music venue after all the recent closures, I thought Forester’s Beer and Music Hall might just be the perfect combination.

Forester’s Beer and Music Hall
64 Smith Street, Collingwood, Victoria
03 8415 1464

Sunday – Wednesday: 6pm – 2am
Thursday – Saturday: 6pm – 4am
www.forestershall.com.au