This September Fortitude Valley welcomes a new venue to the scene.
Woolly Mammoth is taking over the space that use to house 633 Ann, Cookie Jar and Coniston Lane; with the multi-purpose venue to have three specific rooms, each capable of hosting their own themed events. With co-owner Lachlan Bird bringing close on a decade’s experience from West End hotspot Lock n Load, you can expect big things from the Woolly Mammoth.
Tell us a bit about the premise behind the Woolly Mammoth? What are you wanting to achieve with the space?
The idea is for a multi-purpose space that can entertain to a cultural cross-section. The Alehouse downstairs will showcase Queensland’s largest craft tap beer selection making it the first contemporary beer hall in Brisbane. The garden bar upstairs has indoor bocce and a roof that opens to the skies, and the Mane stage will rock with some of the top touring acts of our time.
Your history is with West End’s iconic Lock n Load... how much of the experience you’ve accrued there will be invested into the Mammoth?
It’s been a hell of a journey owning Lock n Load over the past eight years. Certainly the team that you build is critical to the success of the venue, so I’ll be bringing over some crew from across the bridge that I’ve worked with in the past, as well as some fresh blood to keep it real.
The music policy... who can we expect to see playing at the Woolly Mammoth?
We have the luxury of a couple of spaces that can drive local talent as well as pick up on the international tours. Look out for cutting edge live music that appeals to a wide cross-section.
Will there be an emphasis on supporting local bands, while still attracting the national and international headliners?
For sure, I’d like to think that Lock n Load has been a small part of the success of some of Brisbane’s up-and-coming talent. There we are always hamstrung by the size of the venue, but here if you outgrow one stage, you can get upgraded to the Mane Stage. We’ll be leaning on our regular muso mates to kickstart the Mammoth, so they’re really getting pumped for the opportunity to play something a bit bigger.
The venue will have three specific rooms; is the idea to host indoor festivals in the future?
We will definitely be looking at those opportunities down the track. For now we want to make sure that all three rooms work to their individual potential and have some synergy with each other. Getting the food and bev component bang on from the outset is our main priority.
Can you expand a little on the concepts behind each of the spaces?
Downstairs is a beer hall with a mammoth selection of craft taps, it’ll pair up with an out of the box late night dining experience. The Garden Bar has its own bocce courts for a day on the green; it’ll be cocktail driven with a couple of direct pour cocktail taps straight from the fridge. Think jugs of Pimms and other sharing drinks for an outdoor oasis. The Mane Stage is the host to all our live events, it’s got a bangin’ system and a full AV rig to cater to some serious shows.
Bocce courtsWhat type of clientele are you wanting to attract?
I’m hoping that we’ll get a cross-section of people that love good beer, great live music and entertainment and don’t mind a bit of a party.
Often it’s the small things that make all the difference; what sort of odds and ends are in place to make the venue sparkle/ dazzle?
The design has been done by Alexander Loterzstain and his team at Derlot design. He was the mastermind behind Alfred and Constance and Kwan Brothers, so you can expect a whole heap of intriguing items.
You’re going to have more than 30 tap beers, right? Quite an impressive achievement. What sort of brews can we expect?
We will be focusing on gateway craft beer brewed domestically and across the Tasman. They’ll be reasonably mainstream, so that people that might not have tried craft beer before, can do so without feeling like its pretentious or not to their taste. You can expect the big guns in craft to be prominent including Stone & Wood, Mountain Goat, 4 Pines, Feral and Monteiths as well as the local guys at Newstead, Green Beacon and Fortitude Breweries. There’ll be tasting paddles as well so you can try a few different drops without falling off your stool.
Food... what’s on the menu?
We are creating an off the bone concept that will have slow-braised pork knuckle in cider jus, beef ribs braised in stout and caveman chicken. There’ll be artisan pizza, charcuterie and selections of cheese. Everything that comes out of the kitchen is going to go really well with beer.
We’re told a lifesize wooly mammoth is in transit on its way to the venue; how are you going to squeeze it through the doors?
It’s currently on a strict diet, but we are in the process of building bigger front doors just in case.
Any last words to the people of Brisbane you'd like to share?
I can’t wait to be pouring those taps; that’s going to be a big night trying to sample my way through all of those!
The official opening for the Woolly Mammoth will take place on Friday 26th September with the Potbelleez DJs and Cheap Fakes playing. The venue will have a soft launch throughout Bigsound as well as hosting Operation Dub Temple Massive, a night of electronic music, on 21st September.
