The Brew

From Streetwear To Seltzers And Session Ale

Read Time 3 Minutes

Posted 30 Jan 2024

By Vintage Cellars

If there was such a thing as craft beer counter-culture, Running With Thieves would be the brains behind the operation.

Whatever rules might be associated with making beer, Running With Thieves don’t want to know about them. In fact, its founders want to actively break them.

Self-described as producers of “premium quality goods for people with questionable lifestyles,” Running With Thieves launched as a streetwear and lifestyle brand a decade ago before its founders turned their attention to making beer and distilling spirits in 2018. For a collective that’s only been in the beer game for five years, they’ve hit the ground running.

Stationed on South Beach in South Fremantle, Running With Thieves is the largest independent operational brewery and distillery in Western Australia — an unheard of achievement for a company still in its infancy. A bar and restaurant sit alongside a retail store selling the brand’s apparel, brews and spirits, with the company’s devil-may-care sentiment palpable in each of its ventures.

For a company with its fingers in a lot of pies, its beer offerings are impressive. Going well beyond the classic XPAs and lagers, Running With Thieves’ range spans slightly sweet, subtly spiced ginger beer to a citrusy, malty pale ale. The company’s beers are far from traditional, which is exactly what they’re going for.

If you’re on the hunt for a Running with Thieves cheat sheet, you’d kick off with their Low Carb Hazy Pale Ale, a mid-week reach-for thanks to the MO of light-on-carbs-not-flavour, or their Ginger Beer, crisp and refreshing (and pairs perfectly with a shot of rum if that’s your thing).

Also on the list: their Hazy Pale Ale. Brewed with New England Pale Ale yeast, this is a heavy-hitter in the hops department with refreshing citrus notes.

Other crowd faves include their super crisp Super Draught and XPA, a crowd-pleasure with notes of pineapple, nectarine and mango. The taste of summer, all year round (no matter what the weather channel tells you).