Little Blessings Brewing – a big blessing for Laura
Excitement in the Southern Flinders has been brewing for months, and now, like a gift from the heavens, Australia’s first ever Church brewery has opened its doors in Laura.
The divine brew experience is the heavenly creation of Craig and Cat Blesing, who thought their vision of transforming a church into a brewery and calling it “Little Blessings” was merely a pipe dream…until, like a divine light, a “little blessing” appeared!
The Blesings, who were living at Two Wells at the time, were enjoying a stay at the tranquil Laura Caravan Park when they discovered the town’s Baptist Church, right across the road from the caravan park, was being put on the market.
“We instantly fell in love with the building and decided it was time to action our dream,” Cat said.
And as they signed the contract to seal the deal, another ironic twist of approval – they discovered that back in 1875, a Blesing relative had been a founding member of the little church that had captured their hearts.
Astounded by the connections they continued to discover, the Blesings knew they were destined to preserve the ageing church’s legacy and breathe life back into its limestone walls.
What better way than with a stunningly reverent makeover and fresh flowing beer!
First things first, a purpose-built brewing shed was erected and the beer began to do its thing. Inside the old Baptist Church, the 150 year old floorboards were renovated, a new roof went on and an all-important bar was installed, but the heritage and vibe of the original building was retained. In fact, Cat has gone a step further to immortalise the Church’s history, researching the names memorialised in the stained glass windows and creating commemorative plaques to adorn the newly rendered walls.
The one-of-a-kind brewery is now open for business, offering rich velvety stouts, crisp refreshing ales, as well as a selection of other locally sourced beer, wine and spirits.
Sip your favourite brews surrounded by the stunning original stained glass windows or bask in the sunshine of the Little Blessings beer garden. A brand new fire-place has also been installed, creating a very warm welcome for the Winter months.
As well as a changing menu of tasty finger-food, a delightful fusion of well-loved food trucks will feature regularly.
So while lucky Laura has long been home of Australia’s favourite ice-cream, a church blessed with beer is the perfect addition to the Mid North town.
Give Little Blessings Brewing a follow, and pencil in a visit to meet the “Blesings”.
