Henry Pike arrived in South Australia in 1878 and settled in the township of Oakbank, in the Adelaide Hills. Henry started a handyman business and worked for many local companies in the area including Johnstons Brewery in Oakbank. Johnston’s brewery was one of the largest breweries in the state at the time, and they owned many hotels in the local area. After a disagreement with the Johnston family, Henry took it upon himself to start a new brewery in the area and compete directly with Johnstons brewery. The new brewery was no more than 100 meters down the road from Johnstons and was brewing beer by 1886.

Pikes beer was instantly popular and was widely consumed in the Adelaide Hills area. Henry died in 1904 and the family continued the business. Johnstons Brewery stopped brewing beer 1914 leaving Pikes Brewery as the main Adelaide Hills. The brewery survived World War 1 and the great depression, but competition from the South Australian Brewing Company eventually stopped the brewery brewing beer by 1938, though they continued to manufacture softdrinks and cordials until the 1972.

The family started a winery in the Clare Valley in 1984, and today the winery is one of the largest in the region. Along with wine the company started to get beer contract brewed in the 1990’s from Coopers with the Pikes brandname on it, the contract moved to several companies until 2014 when the company had a brewery built at the Sevenhill winery. Today the company has started to brew its own beer again, and has become one of the states largest microbreweries with Pikes beer available Australia wide.

Henry Pike & Co.
Dorset Brewery

Brewery ID : 5.313.002

Established : 1886

Henry Pike & Co
1886 to 1910
H. Pike & Co. Ltd
1910 to 1965
H. Pike & Co Pty Ltd
1965 to 1972
Pikes Beer Co. Pty Ltd
2014 to Present

Elizabeth Street, Oakbank