Many older readers will remember the time when home brewing of beer was very popular.  Local associations were formed to share brewing skills and, of course, to sample the products.  History Monash Inc has recently acquired a catalogue of the Australian Home Brewing Association which operated from 103 Poath Road, near the Hughesdale railway station. In 1973 the catalogue offered a wide variety of brewing ingredients and equipment. In addition it gave recipes for making Apricot Wine, Pineapple Wine, Blackberry Port and several types of beer. Brew Cafe opened at this address in 2005 and is a popular local spot for coffee, as well as beer, cocktails and wine in the evenings.  Proprietors Evan Dib and Peter Koromilias named their cafe “Brew” to honour the past activities at this shopfront.
The local community of Brew customers was very sad when Brew closed, for reasons beyond its control, on 9 November 2024. The community especially remembered how Brew had continued to provide coffee and friendship throughout the COVID pandemic lockdowns and how Evan, Peter and Marie had taken an interest in their families as the years passed.