Adam Hardy has a background in chemical engineering, but he started making beer in May 2016, after he received a brewing and distilling degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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This led to him opening The Rogue Scholar, a bar in the heart of the city.
Plenty of people have enjoyed live music at the Union Street venue, as well as the wide range of beers that Hardy brews behind the bookshelf in the band room.
But few people are aware of the upstairs unit, which Hardy runs as an Airbnb.
His Airbnb guests get a peek into the ways and workings of both the brewery and the inner-city.
Hardy got involved with the bar almost three years ago. Before that, the site was a donut shop called Glazed.
"I cleared the place out, knocked down some walls," Hardy says.
"It was only one third of the size.
"The apartment is an integral part of what we've done here.
"It was ready straight away, so we fit it out and brought in supplementary income while building the rest."
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment has a large living area.
It's spacious and comfortable. It sleeps up to six with a fold-out bed and the couch.
It was renovated, and then Hardy gave it a nice fit out and added some flair.
The unit also has good views of the city.
"It has all your necessities; by no means I'm pretending it's luxury," Hardy says.
"It's the base which is Newcastle, which is a beautiful city."
"You're one minute from the harbour, a couple minutes from the beach, you're right on the tram spot and it's a live music venue and craft brewery."
Hardy started renting it out and then COVID hit.
Despite lockdowns, occasional guests could still stay.
In between restrictions it was booked out every weekend, and often months ahead.
"We tried to make it a usable style. We installed an air-conditioner. It's a simple user-friendly apartment. It's popular because of where it is. You can walk to the water, to coffee," Hardy says.
In the 60s, the building was occupied by a locksmith.
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The family of Danish Australian heavy weight wrestling champion and physiotherapist, Leo Jensen, owns the building and the rest of the street.
His granddaughter is Hardy's landlord. Two doors up is the physiotherapist.
What is now Jam's Karaoke was previously Jensen's boxing gym.
"So the family is really passionate about hospitality; they have converted this strip into hospitality," Hardy says.
"They own from Hunter Street to Union Street and the areas behind it.
"We've all got longstanding leases.
"They own all of this and really supportive to the artists."
The location also interests people because of its colourful and controversial history.
"It was right in the heart of Star Hotel riots," Hardy says.
"People were on the rooftop throwing cans at police.
"It's had a lot of history, this place, but it's never been a bar.
"It was a house. I found some old documents above a window frame; it was Frosts locksmith in the 1960s.
"There's not a lot of history when you Google it."
Before it was an Airbnb, the upstairs was a doctor's surgery, and plenty of people still ask Hardy about him.
Guests can't yet access the rooftop, but Hardy hopes that will soon be a big part of the experience. And they already get a taste of the Rogue Scholar.
"Guests get some beer on the house, we leave a few drink vouchers up here so they can come down and have a beer or a wine," he says.
"We usually throw some cans in the fridge."
It's nothing too fancy, but it's quite handy, with plenty of exciting things brewing below.
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