“Wildflower has always stood tall as a true original,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, one of its many fans. But it’s not over yet, with pop-ups to come with chefs from Ester, Sixpenny and more.
Marrickville and the Inner West Ale Trail would not be the same without Wildflower Brewing & Blending, a singular craft brewery which today announced plans to close its cellar door on May 31, after 10 years.
Brothers-in-law Topher Boehm and Chris Allen founded Wildflower during the height of Australia’s craft beer boom in 2016, and the Brompton Street brewery (now co-owned with Benny Boehm and Emily Allen) went on to achieve international acclaim for its innovative, provenance-led approach.
“What we decided to do, what we decided to focus on, was a bit unique and was a bit of a risk,” Boehm said. “I’m really proud that we did that because one of our greatest achievements … is that people were actually converted.”
Boehm said the decision to close wasn’t about the product or the people – it was driven by the desire to spend time with his young family, put down roots and grow a business (Wildflower, in a different form) that could live on for generations. Production might have stopped, but this isn’t the end for Wildflower, it’s just the beginning of a new chapter.
“The way it’s structured, I didn’t feel I could run [the business] sustainably for the next 10 years, and I think a big part of that just had to be with the amount of time and effort that it takes,” Boehm said.
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There was also economic pressure as the cost of production and rent rose.
“I want to have the freedom to continue putting the time and effort into the beers we have, and a big part of that is the financial aspect,” Boehm said. “We’re in a pricey area of Sydney … and I don’t want to be in a situation where I feel that new things have to be made or produced just to be able to keep cash flow moving.”
Boehm worked at nearby Batch Brewing before establishing Wildflower, where he stepped outside of conventional commercial brewing practices to harvest naturally occurring bacteria and yeast from native Australian ingredients, cultivating a series of wild ales with a true expression of place.
Over the years, there were golden barrel-aged beers re-fermented with wild honeycomb from the Blue Mountains, or hand-picked apricots from Orange, or Montepulciano grapes from Young. There were saisons and low-alcohol table beers using organic hops and barley from regenerative farms in Berrigan and Coleambally, cider made from roadside apples, and a whisky blend developed with neighbouring distillery Poor Toms.
“[Our beer] was something that didn’t exist before, and it’s become something that is an important part of people’s milestones and celebration,” Boehm said. “Not many people get to say that about their work … it’s a huge honour.”
Wildflower caught the attention of the broader hospitality community, including wine and drinks writer Mike Bennie, who co-founded P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants in Newtown.
Bennie said Wildflower enhanced Australian drink culture through its commitment to collaboration, creativity and quality. “Wildflower has been a standout in Australia’s craft brewing community … At a time when many breweries were jostling for hop-led IPA supremacy, Wildflower did its thing and pushed with unnerving confidence in its own lane.”
Two-hatted Chippendale restaurant Ester was among the first restaurants to serve Wildflower, and Boehm later collaborated with head chef and owner Mat Lindsay on soy sauce. It was one of many collaborations, which ranged from a grape ale with independent Australian winemaker Jauma to bread made at Goodwood Bakeshop in Marrickville.
In 2024, Wildflower partnered with Katoomba Brewery Mountain Culture to rebrand the Marrickville cellar door as Village (Mountain Culture will continue its presence in Sydney at its Redfern brewery).
After pandemic lockdowns, hospitality director Nemesia Dale-Cully expanded the scope of their cellar door to include pop-up restaurants from Hot Luck Club, Goldstreet Dairy cheesemaker Colin Wood and A.P Bakery, the latter of which was reviewed by Good Food Guide co-editor Callan Boys.
Inner West Brewery Association (IWBA) president and Young Henry’s co-founder Richard Adamson said Wildflower changed the way beer was presented in restaurants – “not secondary to wine, but something you can also enjoy over dinner”.
The brewery also pushed for change within the local independent craft brewing industry. As a member of the IWBA, it assisted in the development of the Inner West Ale Trail. The popular tourism activity relaunched in 2024 with 18 independent breweries, cementing the area as Australia’s craft brewing hub.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, member for the local Grayndler electorate, attended both launches and said it was sad to hear Wildflower would soon be closing: “The Inner West Ale Trail … [is] the result of ambition and vision from a lot of talented brewers, and the hard work and perseverance to back it.
“I’m hugely proud of all they have created and contributed. Among them, Wildflower has always stood tall as a true original,” he said.
As Marrickville’s hospitality offering continues to expand, with newcomers including non-alcoholic brewery Heaps Normal Health Club and Bracket Brewing, Boehm said the decision to close Wildflower’s cellar door is bittersweet.
“If you told me, 10 years ago, that we’d be in this position in 2026, with so many people drinking our beers and an entire community surrounding this space … I couldn’t look at it as anything other than a success,” Boehm said.
He doesn’t know what the future holds for Wildflower, but there are vague plans to move to a regional town where the family can purchase property, grow crops and open a little cellar door.
But for the next four months they will be celebrating their 10-year milestone with pop-up events, including lunch hosted by chefs Dan Puskas (Sixpenny) and Jean-Paul El Tom (Baba’s Place) from the Good Food Guide’s Restaurant of the Year, Corner 75, on Sunday, February 22, and a farewell party featuring food by Lindsay and Dougal Muffet, head baker and director of A.P Bakery. Tickets are on sale now at wildflowerbeer.com.
Bianca Hrovat – Bianca is Good Food’s Sydney eating out and restaurant editor.
