What a nasty twist of fate. In October this year La Sirene, a pioneering wild fermentation brewery founded in 2010, finally opened a taproom at its Alphington HQ.

Now, less than three months later, the taproom has shut unexpectedly. And in even worse news, the brewery itself has also been put into hibernation – no beer will be brewed or shipped from there until further notice.

Owners Costa and Eva Nikias made an emotional announcement on Friday but withheld the reason for the closure.

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“We’ve had the weekend to assimilate the events since our announcement on Friday,” the couple said in a statement issued to Broadsheet today. “Bar La Sirene will be closed indefinitely as a directive from our landlord, Melbourne Innovation Centre (MIC), which was directed by its landlord, City of Darebin. The overwhelming support and appreciation from the public has been humbling.”

La Sirene is in a small industrial park populated by multiple warehouses. The City of Darebin found traces of asbestos in two buildings (neither of which are affiliated with La Sirene) and has closed the park to remove the asbestos and carry out environmental monitoring, affecting La Sirene and 13 other businesses on-site.

“As of Friday afternoon, we were locked out of our production brewery,” the Nikiases said. “We are unable to brew, process or package any beer. Multiple tanks of beer awaiting processing and packaging cannot be accessed.

“Council and MIC have been helpful, and we can only rely on their assistance and goodwill. We sincerely hope that appropriate remediation happens swiftly so that we can keep on doing what we have always done here since 2010 in the amazing community-driven suburb of Alphington.

“Questions regarding the longevity of the building, our brewery, bar and of the future of our business, livelihood and brand are for the future. Our path at the moment is very unclear.

“We thank you, ALL our customers, supporters, believers, friends, collaborators and family far and wide so much for being the reason our dreams have come true over the last 12 years and for appreciating our locally made wild ales. We are so grateful for your continued support and wish to extend thanks to all who have reached out.”

The City of Darebin is “looking at options to minimise the impact and assist" the affected businesses. “This may include finding alternative venues and locations in the area that would enable these businesses to continue trading," Darebin City Council CEO Peter Smith said. Whether it’s practical or realistic to relocate a production brewery is another question.

lasirene.com.au