After a brief retirement, brewing legend Chuck Hahn has launched a family business with his son Scott called Chuck & Son’s Brewing Company.

New York-born Hahn celebrated his 50th year in brewing in 2021. After graduating from university with a PhD in chemical engineering, he joined the Adolph Coors Company brewery in Colorado and developed Coors Light in the late 1970s, which has become the second most-consumed beer in the United States.

He went on to enjoy a 40-year career in Australian brewing, including creating his eponymous Hahn Premium Lager. 

“I remember in the late 70’s, Bill Coors came through with a very simplistic mission statement for Coors – MAKE GOOD BEER,” Hahn said. “Just do your best – by design, by recipe, by process, etc to MAKE GOOD BEER. MAKING GOOD BEER has always been my mission.”

At a celebration to mark his 50 years in brewing, which was attended by then-Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese (above) Hahn said he was stepping back to enjoy some downtime.

“At a ripe old age of 75, I want to be able to travel more with my wife before we forget where and why,” he joked to guests. 

But he later confessed to his son that he felt his best brews were still within him. So the pair decided to develop a craft brewery together.

““Dad is an industry legend, having brewed for over 53 years,” Scott told the Australian Financial Review. “He was never going to stop. The passion is still there.”

The aim was to follow a dream “where beers crafted by expert palates and perfected over decades can be shared right now. Pilsners and pale ales. Amber ales and radlers. Friends and family. Memories and moments.”

Chuck & Son’s brewery and taphouse will open in May in St Peters in Sydney, located on the top floor of a 1960s industrial building.

Alongside four foundation beers on tap – an American Amber, an Original Pilsener, a Two-World Pale Ale and a Radler (traditionally, a mix of lemonade and beer) – there will also be a permanent food truck on a large patio called Chuck’s Kitchen.

The father and son pair acknowledge that it’s not the easiest time to be getting into the craft beer business. The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) recently launched a campaign asking consumers to support Australian craft beer as a slew of breweries have been forced into administration due to the cost-of-living crisis.

But they told the AFR they are confident “simple, popular styles can cut through to a generation that is increasingly alcohol and carb-averse”.

And they are adamant there will be no crazy flavours on their menu.

Scott said: “It’s nostalgic craft if you like. That consistent part of the craft beer-fridge line-up. We do see an opportunity in terms of craft low-carb. Getting a little more flavour, but knowing that it’s that little bit better for you in comparison to others.”