Co-founder of Stomping Ground Brewing Co, Local Taphouse and GABS, Steve Jeffares, has acquired the lease to the previous home of the Deeds Brewing taproom, with plans to bring his own new venue to life.
Known by its working title The Paran Place Project, the new hospitality venture in Glen Iris is expected to open in late 2025 and will champion the best breweries, distilleries, wineries and food suppliers, focusing on local products from Melbourne and Victoria.
With over 20 years of leading industry experience, this new venture is a passion project for Jeffares who has recently taken a step back from his other full-time responsibilities at Stomping Ground.
“As part of stepping back from the day-to-day at Stomping Ground I was keen to do a variety of creative things on my own. This project is a super exciting first step in a fun new chapter for me,” he said.
This comes as awarding-winning and much-loved community hub Deeds Brewing ceased trading last month after entering voluntary administration in May 2024.
Founders, Patrick Alé and Dave Milstein, were not able to secure prospective buyers or investors for the business. Slowly trade was wound down and the brewery operated for one final summer, closing its doors on its own terms.
When he learned of the potential to lease the venue, Jeffares said it ticked a lot of boxes.
“I’ve been a big fan of what Pat and Dave achieved with Deeds and the venue, and while I was sad about the closure, I thought I could really build on the site’s reputation with a fresh concept,” he said.
Jeffares has not acquired the Deeds brewery or brand and has no plans to brew on-site as he is still a substantial shareholder at Stomping Ground.
Rather, he told Beer & Brewer he intends to focus on creating what he hopes to be a “beautiful and broadly appealing venue” with plenty of exciting things in store to bring his vison to life.
“We will have a calendar full of fun-filled events in both the venue (and occasionally in the carpark) and also plan to introduce an awesome members program for regulars that benefits both the members in cool ways as well as the neighbourhood.”
Jeffares also intends to be hands-on in showcasing the potential of the space.
“I didn’t want to the venue to disappear, and I think it has so much potential. It’s a lovely space in a great location and, now the brewery tanks are gone, there’s space for a beautiful beer garden. I’ll be building a hospitality A-Team to largely run the venue but it’s also close to home for me and I intend on maintaining an office there,” he said.
