Local Good Friends - Meet Old Bridge Cellars
BACK TO FUN STUFFA series where we explore our #localgoodfriends around us and highlighting their stories, places and spaces.
Meet Old Bridge Cellars, founded by The Beeson family, with brother Toby and Jay heading up these locally loved bottle shops located in North Fremantle and Como, Perth. Their passion for beautifully made booze is reflected in the amazing selection of hand-crafted drinks you can find in store, along with their knowledgeable team to help you out and their weekly tasting events to help you discover even more delicious things to drink. Eagle Bay beers has been part of their beer fridge selection since 2012 and we caught up with Toby & Jay to have a peek behind the scenes and get a little more acquainted with Old Bridge Cellars, enjoy our chat.
Introduce yourselves and Old Bridge Cellars
“My name’s Jay Beeson. This is my brother Toby and we’re two of the maniacs behind Old Bridge Cellars in North Freo. We opened Old Bridge Cellars in Como in 2021.” says Jay
“We’re independent liquor retailers and some of the best, we think. We have a real focus on artisan producers both in wine and in beer, with a real focus on customer service. It’s a 100% family-owned business and really, we just like slinging and talking about good booze really.” says Toby
“Old Bridge Cellars’ ethos is that it’s not alcohol in a bottle, it’s art in a glass so we promote the artisan side of liquor so we work with small producers. We work with people that are passionate. Wine and beer is not a product you can just make all the time. It’s from a place, it’s from a person – so that is our philosophy with liquor. “ Jay says.
Tell us about some of your favourite Eagle Bay moments ?
“We’ve actually always stocked Eagle Bay Brewing beers here from the start. North Fremantle has been a liquor store since the ’80s and Eagle Bay was stocked here in the stubbies when we took over the shop in 2012. There’s so many memories, such good people at Eagle Bay, but probably a couple of most noted were some of the beers we’ve made with Eagle Bay. First one being the Flounder’s Red Ale, what a memory. So, one of Jay and I’s favorite beers is the Rodenbach Grand Cru, and it’s kind of a beer that was never really made here in Australia so we took the task to Eagle Bay to make this crazy beer, which takes so much time with yeast, barrel fermenting and oak aging but we got it done and it was literally one of the best beers I think I’ve ever tried and we still snuck a few away. So, that’s one of my best memories.”says Toby
What do you love about Old Bridge Cellars?
Jay says “It is the long-term relationship with the customer. We’ve served people that now have kids, then we do their birthdays, then they do their weddings. So, it’s seeing people grow. I love seeing companies grow up and especially like Eagle Bay. From killer beers the whole time through this cans revolution and doing collabs. So, watching all of us grow together has been a pretty special pathway for us.”
Toby says “I could not do an office job, absolutely not sit in the same chair. I think we deal with and meet hundreds of people every day. And, for some people, they might think that’s the worst thing in the world, but for me, that honestly is one of the best. So, I get to chat and converse with everyone and also, I guess working with my family is a huge part of that as well. I love that.”
Please share with us the story behind the Dhufish painted on the North Freo store’s wall ?
“The story of the Dhuie is an Aboriginal artist, Herbert Marshall. He came down and we commissioned him to do this Dhuie. It was dad’s favorite fish to catch and then, every year after that, we commissioned Herbert to do another animal. It became quite famous in Perth and people would come down and watch him do it.” Jay says.
Any feel good and fun Old Bridge Cellars moment’s you want to share with us ?
“I think some of the craziest things we’ve done are our tastings and our events that we’ve hosted. Stuff gets wild. The beers we make, the parties we host, it’s pretty cool.” Jay says.
Favourite Eagle Bay beer ?
Jay says “ I’m a Kölsch guy. I love smashing those Kölsch’s”
Toby says “I am a Kölsch guy as well. I feel like Kölsch and Eagle Bay… I would like to say another one. IPL does deserve massive hands up though. That is insanely good.”
“What’s our favorite part of Old Bridge Cellars ? Cold beers. It is so good. And, it’s so delicious.”
Head to your Old Bridge Cellars if your in the neighbourhood or head to their online store to get goodies delivered to your doorstep.
