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Ask us if we would prefer brewery or pub and before the question had even finished being asked we’d be resolutely projecting out a solid ‘brewery any day of the week’! One of the main reasons behind our vehement opinion would have to be the underground and non-commercial feel that brewery bars all seem to possess. Beside the fact that they also have great atmosphere, great beer, delicious food and appeal to a niche crowd they are almost always situated in either a really rustic, transformed building or a warehouse of some sort. That’s exactly what we loved about this brewery. Our final visit on our Brissy brewery tour brought us to the industrial suburb of Teneriffe. Behind the wide roller door is a traditional 19th century style warehouse with its high slanted ceiling and single row of industrial glass slated windows that allow in a good amount of natural light. Running down the right hand side of the place is a set of wooden tables and chairs while the left side displays the impressive line up of stainless steel tanks. The elongated bar runs parallel with the tanks with 3 separate sets of 4 tap systems. Their range is quite extensive, ranging from their Kolsch, Witbier, Pale Ale, IPA, Amber Ale, Porter and a seemingly endless number of seasonals. Unfortunately the Kolsch wasn’t available and we aren’t fans of Witbier so it was straight to their flagship Pale Ale which was easily the standout. It was delicious, hoppy, fruity and well bodied with a decent bitterness to back it up. The Amber ale was standard – nutty and malty with caramel undertones while the the IPA was nice, nothing overly aggressive – sessional and very palatable. We finished on the Porter which was roasted with light chocolate and coffee notes. Other than the pale ale, the beers were good enough to enjoy but they were lacking that wow factor. Points for atmosphere and general vibe of the place and a mention also has to be given to the quirky things for sale such as beer soap and beard oil for the hipsters. Let’s finish by saying, if we had this as our local watering hole we’d be more than happy. A decent way to finish off our Brissy brewery tour.

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The 2nd stop on our Brissy brewery tour took us to the new and up-and-coming suburb of Newstead, situated in Brisbane city’s north western fringe. The area has this certain industrial meets ultra modern apartment complex feel with at least another half a dozen cranes at work just in our eyesight alone. The actual brewery itself is situated in an old refashioned warehouse that was once used as a bus depot many years ago. The ground level of the brewery are where the tanks are, and like any good brewery bar, the punters can sit on the raised level and hoe down on some quality nosh and craft beer while watching the brewers go about brewing the next batch of liquid gold. As we’d just filled up on some local Yum Cha we were only here for the beer, and the bar didn’t disappoint, it was long with an impressive twelve-tap set up. Nine of them were pouring a mix of Newstead’s core range, cider and experimental’s while three of the taps were dedicated to a few of Kooinda’s delicious beers that were left over from a recent tap takeover. They were to be enjoyed later as we were here for Newstead’s range so we started off on a paddle with their Pale Ale, Amber Ale, IPA & Porter. All very nice with the Pale Ale and the IPA standing out. Due to their huge range on tap we went back for a 2nd paddle, this time we went for three Kooinda’s and Newstead’s experimental Barley wine which was absolutely divine! Potent and oaky with a certain Port complexity to it. It was a brilliant drop. There is certainly a lot to like about this new craft brewery. It’s a tightly run ship with a really rustic and industrial vibe happening within the corrugated iron confines. This establishment could easily flag itself as this burgeoning city’s number one brewery bar. Do yourselves (and your palate’s) a favour and drop in if you’re close by.

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Ever since we, and a few others, took a short trip to Brisbane city a couple of years ago we’ve been itching to go back for a brewery tour. Just a few minutes south-west of the city center is the trendy, Newtown-esque suburb of West End where you’ll find an extensive range of restaurants to experiment with and craft beer bars to wet your whistle in. Just up the road from Archive bar (Brissy’s equivalent of The Local Taphouse) is Brisbane Brewing Company, our first stop on the tour. Right from the beginning, the precedent was set high as we entered under an extravagant cast iron sign that lead us through a slightly narrow walkway to the doors of the establishment. The interior was also really cool with the kitchen/dining on the bottom level and on the top level a full view of the tanks are off to the right with the bar set right in the middle. The shining ten tap system pours 8 of their core beers with two taps reserved for a cider and the other for an experimental. As we were only there for a short time we chose a paddle with their Pilsner, Pale Ale, IPA and Stout. The Pilsner was a lovely example in the traditional Czech style; spicy, herbaceous, light on and super sessional. The Pale Ale was the pick of the beers with a lifted fruity aroma, well balanced body and bitterness and a clean citrus finish. The IPA was simple and tasty with a slightly restrained profile while the Stout was delicious, smooth, creamy and lightly roasted. In the unlikely event that none of their beers tickle your fancy there is a great selection of bottled craft beer in the fridge just in case. We had a good time here, the atmosphere is chilled and really friendly and the staff were knowledgeable and very easy going. With all of this situated, in our view, the best part of Brisbane this is certainly one brewery that should be on the visit list if you’re planning a trip to the sunshine state.

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Our 3rd and final day of our Adelaide brewery tour took us just 15 minutes up the road from Grumpy’s. Just as we were treated to picturesque scenery on the way to Grumpy’s we were also lucky enough to drive through the stunningly quaint little German town of Hahndorf on our way to Prancing Pony. The gorgeous day provided a lovely backdrop for the brewery so we decided to take a seat outside in the front courtyard where we were drenched in the early afternoon sun. The interior of the brewery is really cool with the tanks set up behind a long bench, which we can only guess is where the brewers hold their beer classes. Scattered everywhere, on the walls and on the floor are ponies, rocking horses, straps and all kinds of pony-like paraphernalia. Besides the fact that it’s frowned upon and not really the best place to take a child but this would be a young girl’s paradise! For us, though, paradise is at the bar and that’s where we ordered our first beer of the afternoon – the Hopwork Orange – a crisp, refreshing APA with a citric aroma and a subtle bitter finish. The Amber Ale and the Pale Ale were just as enjoyable and the Stout was delicious, sweet and roasty but the India Red Ale was where it was all at. Picking up a gold medal at the 2015 Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards this India Red Ale is full bodied, smooth, sweet, caramelized and fruity with a slightly hefty 7.9% ABV that’s incredibly well hidden. Absolutely divine! So divine that we followed up with another three of them before we had to hit the road. Great brewery, friendly staff, delicious beer and a very ambient atmosphere to boot. Easily the best brewery on the tour! A solid afternoon.

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The next stop on our Adelaide brewery tour was Grumpy’s Brewhaus. Once we dusted ourselves off from the previous night’s festivities we hopped in a cab and were driven South East out of the city for roughly 30-35 minutes through the picturesque wine region of Adelaide Hills. The brewery itself reminds us of an historic federation style house with a big, lovely front yard where the solo singer was strumming out laid back Sunday tunes for the punters. The interior was really cool, kind of old country Australian cottage meets Austrian Apres-ski bar with it’s old, dark timber floors and beams. The selection of beers was quite small and mainly European-inspired. There were 6 taps with one pouring a cider, leaving a Munich Lager, Honey Lager,  Bitter, Dunkel and a Porter pouring through the other 5. They were all good but none of them were great. The Honey Lager and the Porter were the better selections while the Bitter, Dunkel and Munich Lager left a bit to be desired. The certain winner of the afternoon was the delicious wood fire pizza’s though, which we demolished within minutes. All in all we weren’t entirely impressed with the beers but the food and the atmosphere at the brewery was really good. Considering the location of the brewery is quite isolated it wouldn’t be one to hang about at for long but if you’re a fan of everything boozy there are a few good wineries in the area and could easily make for a great stop off to throw some grain in between the grapes.

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Our first ever visit to the City of Churches provides not only an eventful brewery tour but more breweries than we could poke a stick at. Throw in a few really good brewpubs and bars as well and it’s agreed – Adelaide is certainly a city that loves its craft beer! So with all these options now spoiling us for choice we thought we’d firstly head to the brewery that has caught our eye of late, and that is Pirate Life Brewing. Situated on South Rd, about a 10-15 minute drive west of the city (or about 45 minutes walk, which we found out after was much further than we thought) we were surprised by what we were met with. As the cellar door had only opened 5 days beforehand, beer lines were still to be plumbed so it was only cans on offer. We’d have to admit we were spewing but credit must go to our host, Ed, who was a great bloke and he assured us that they were as fresh as beer from the keg. They are only a very new operation so the 3 beers on offer were the Throwback IPA, which is a 3.5% ABV session IPA which lives up to its name extremely well. It’s super sessional and full flavoured with a big fruity aroma. The Pale Ale followed, and again we were pleasantly surprised by the full flavour and character of this beer. An American inspired ale with a big hop presence on the nose and palate. We finished on the big bopper – the Imperial IPA – served from a 500ml can and weighing in at a hefty 8.8% ABV so it’s aggressive, hop charged, fruity and simply delicious. That good we took an extra 4 pack for the road. There is definitely potential for a really good brewery here. Maybe on our next visit they’ll have their taps pouring their standard range plus a few seasonals 🙂

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As far as locations go, Illawarra Brewing Company would have to be one of the best situated brewpubs on the East Coast. Roughly a 2 hour drive south of Sydney will land you in the city of Wollongong. From the center of town it’s a short walk (or drive) down Crown Street towards the beach using WIN stadium as your guide. Set literally a few steps from the beach, on cooler days the large glass windows allow you to sit inside and see straight out while on warmer days, sit out on the large deck while you take in magnificent views of the beach and ocean. It’s all well and good having stunning views but it all comes down to the beer and our first look at the taps instilled us with confidence. Two sets of 11 taps spoiled us for choice initially but a quick skim over them showed a few ciders with some guest taps from the likes of Hop Dog, Australian Beer Co & Blue Moon. Our first paddle included their single Ella hop golden ale, the Mo & Co IPA and the nitro milk stout (which was bloody delicious!). Next round was made up of the single Chinook hop golden ale, amber ale and the pumpkin ale. Other beers including an English mild, summer ale, witbier, lambic and a pilsner were on tap but after six samplers we only had eyes for the IPA and the milk stout which we finished the afternoon off with a few pints of. Overall it was a good arvo. Even though the selection was massive there was really only two that stood out (being the IPA and milk stout obviously). The bloke behind the bar didn’t seem to know a lot about their beer and the main thing that killed us…no growler fills!! Although just down the road you can fill em up at their off site brewery. But don’t expect to fill them up on Saturday as they’re closed, for some reason. Amazing location, good beer but a little rough around the edges. Still, a great place to enjoy a few crafties.

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Just 5 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD sits this busy little inner-city suburb. Annandale has a rich history and beer is right at the heart of it. From Parramatta road it’s a turn off on to Pyrmont Bridge Road where you’ll pass the historic Malt Shovel Brewery. From there it’s a quick left turn in to Chester street then another into Gehrig Lane, where at this point you flick your cabbie some cash and prime your taste buds for some liquid ecstasy. Initially it was our olfactory’s that were tantalized as we passed the BBQ set up at the entry to the brewery. It was hard not to stop for a quick sausage sanga but our palates were screaming for beer so the bar was our first stop. A decent selection was on offer, ranging from a few light ales to a delicious ESB, an oatmeal IPA, a Marzen, a lavender infused Kolsch and their famed ‘Charmer’ Red IPA. Before this visit the Red IPA was our favourite beer but the oatmeal IPA would have to take down best beer of the afternoon. The biggest surprise came from the ‘Furious Gnome’ ESB, which was absolutely delicious! Earthy and spicy but with a lovely hint of chocolate and coffee laced through. Full credit to the brewer(s) as every beer we got through was clear as day, sessional and highly palatable. Cool little set up, good atmosphere, friendly and well informed staff and above all tasty craft beer! A great afternoon was had by all. If you’re in the hood we definitely urge you to drop in and try a sampler. You won’t be disappointed.

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‘The Lord’ as it’s more commonly known is an institution to us and we can’t believe it’s taken us this long to do a review of it. We’ve had numerous visits to this iconic brewery bar, usually either on rugby nights or a stop off on a bar crawl through The Rocks. The Lord is officially Sydney’s oldest brew pub, laying down it’s roots in 1841, which for a young country like ours, is pretty amazing. Considering how old it is, the decor of the place definitely takes on a very British pub-style atmosphere with dark coloured timber floors and bar. A big roaring fire is always cracking away in the winter months with old artworks such as the portrait of Sir Horatio Nelson himself that decorate the walls of this historic pub. There are always 6 of their own beers on tap along with other popular European lagers and pilsners. The 6 that were on this time around were the Porter, Dark ale (our favourite), Bitter, Pale Ale (our 2nd favourite), English-style Pale Ale and their Summer Ale. The pub grub is also very traditional but with a modern Australian twist. They offer traditional dishes like the ploughmans board and black pudding but also have pub greats like burgers, seafood and steaks, so there’s something to suit every palate. We absolutely love this place and if you’re ever heading down to old Sydney town be sure to pop in, grab a pint and a feed and get a genuine feel of what it would have been like drinking in a pub 180 years ago. You won’t be disappointed.

Brilliant day out at one of our favourite institutions. Pity they had sold out of the Rogue and founders. Oh well, we got pissed anyway on the joyous IPA selection on tap. We love the Fred.

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It had been a while since our last visit to Tim and his great little operation down here in South Nowra. On tap was the Cosmic highway – a Motueka hopped pale ale, the Redhopulous – a malty and fruity red ale, the horns up – a spicy, hopped up rye IPA (our favourite), the alluvial peach – a funky, fruity wheat beer, the taxidermy pachyderm – a ‘pentagonally hopped and barrel aged brown ale’ (Stoked this was still available! One of the better beers we tried at the ‪#‎GABS‬ festival 2015) and the no life ’til Ella – a strong, spicy India saison. Unfortunately it’s just solely a brewery which means no grub but it does have a cool little chill out area where you can try all the beers while having a chat with Tim (who’s a really nice bloke). Growlers are all filled, now we’re off to drink it all! Cheers.

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As far as must-visit breweries are concerned, Bentspoke brewing co. would have to rate in the if-you-don’t-visit-this-brewery-you’re-a-fool category. The other local brewery (the Wig & Pen) must be kicking themselves that they lost their award winning head brewer as he left to open up his own brewery in Braddon, ACT. We love a brewery with a good theme too, all 18 taps don tap handles that resemble different parts of a bicycle along with their tasting ‘paddles’ which really looks more like a part of an engine with a rubber bike handle to finish it off. Very cool. So after a good chat to the bloke behind the bar we kicked the arvo off with a tasting ‘paddle’ consisting of their version of a Tripel (Tour de Brugge) their cluster 8 (Imperial IPA) the cluster 12 (an Imperial Imperial IPA!!) and the grainy (Imperial stout) all which were brilliant, absolutely delicious beers. We then moved on to their PSI (saison) Sprocket (IPA), Crankshaft (IPA) and their seasonal porter which is poured straight through and transfused in the ‘hopus operandi’ which is packed full of fresh coffee and chili. All this drinking was making us hungry so we smashed down a couple of toothsome burgers which certainly hit the spot. After a good chat with Dan the man (manager) we were almost brought to tears when we were told the brewery only offers a few take-away’s from their huge range which must be in their growlers only. Let’s just say 5 of our empty, glass growlers weren’t graced with Bentspoke’s liquid gold. Other than this, it would have to rate as one of the best breweries we have ever been to. Friendly, helpful staff, cool theme, nice rustic place and most importantly, top quality beer. We can’t wait for our next trip to Canberra. Next time we’ll be buying some of their growlers though. Top shelf establishment.

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We rocked up on a miserable and rainy Sydney day but instantly a light shone through the heavens and lit up the 7 tap system as we tapped our fingers together doing our best “excellent” Monty Burns impersonations. After much craft beer talk with the approachable lads behind the bar we kicked the afternoon off with their Gose. We were told they usually pair the Gose up with a shot of peach schnapps to offset the sourness but they were fresh out of schnapps so a piece of apple flavoured marshmallow was in it’s place – and might we say it was a good pairing. The sweetness in the marshmallow counteracted the mild sourness in the beer well. We were off to a good start. We moved on to the strong American lager next followed by the golden ale (which to our surprise was one of the favourites), the pale ale, the bitter, IPA then finished off with their Black Bunny dark ale. We were really impressed with the quality of each and every beer, what was even better was the Gose and the Golden ale were untrue to style but for us, the best 2 beers of the day. The Black Bunny was also really tasty. We liked the feel and atmosphere of the place too, set in a transformed factory, the furniture is very shabby and rustic but it works well with the decor of the place. Cool tunes and a view of the tanks out the back, this newly opened brewery looks set for big things. And what better way to finish off a brewery visit than a good chat with Pat (the head brewer). Upon reflection it was a fantastic arvo, very impressive considering they only opened up to the public 5 weeks ago. Only downside was the taps were over-gassed and the beers too heady so they couldn’t fill up our growlers….oh well it’s a good excuse to go back 🙂

Virtually on the corner of king st and missenden rd, Newtown…the depot is within the Newtown wine shop. Take your own growler or purchase one on site and fill up from a range of 12 taps. Brilliant idea for the real craft beer enthusiast. There is also a wide range of bottled craft beer. Enjoy.

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This Northern beaches brewery, set in a little warehouse that’s been cleverly transformed into a brewery and bar, opened up around 7 months ago and has been serving the locals of Mona Vale and travelling beer enthusiasts fresh, handcrafted beers with passion ever since. With ex Stone & Wood head brewer and Alex from 6 string brewing at the helm the core range consists of a cream ale, a pale and 2 IPA’s, both of which have picked up a couple of cheeky awards. Their signature brew, named ‘former tenant’ is a really well balanced red IPA that doesn’t just come with a delicious flavour, but also a pretty funny story too. It comes about by the previous tenant who considered himself as a bit of a green thumb. Eventually getting caught by the boys in blue as his passion for growing herbs were – let’s just say – more of the illegal kind. Quite ironic when you consider that these guys now brew beer with an abundance of it’s cousin (lupulus). Legally! Other than the core range there are seasonal brews that are turned over frequently such as the 2 saison’s, a porter and a summer ale. If you happen to be travelling to the Northern beaches be sure to drop in and fill up a growler or choose your favourite beer and the boys will fill up a fresh 950 ml can and seal it right in front of you with their sweet little canning machine. Definitely worth the trip for us.

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We know this ain’t beer but a wine this good has to be included in our site because it followed a few 90 min dogfish head IPA s. Unbelievable wine. So smooth for a Shiraz, it tastes like grape juice. Being a 1996 we had to include purely for gloating reasons.

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What a night! After kicking the arvo off at the KB sinking some warm up crafties we made our way to the Redfern carriage works. We walked in to an absolutely massive hall with dozens of beer stalls lining the side walls, scored a good table and we were underway. What we were seeing was lots and lots of smaller breweries on the way up such as Kaiju, Brew Cult, Willie the Boatman, Batch, Shenanigans & Riverside. The latter being one of our absolute favourites (hence the photo with Dave, the head brewer). Bigger breweries such as Mountain Goat, 4 Pines, Redoak & Young Henry’s were also pouring some of their best as usual. The addition of some cool little mobile food stalls was a great move with some tasty burgers the best seller for us. The only downside is that it went way too quickly!! Great night with great atmosphere, great company and great beer. Looking forward to the next one already.

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Just a few minutes walk from Sydenham train station sits this industrial, but highly trendy brewery. With an ever-changing pop up food stall at the front we were met with very vintage/minimalist furniture such as stacked up pallets with rough planks of wood thrown on top as tables and milk crates as chairs. Really cool, we liked it. The beer selection was good, there were bearded fella’s pouring a rye pale ale, an APA, an IPA, a coconut brown ale, a hopped out brown ale and a milk stout. One other thing got us talking too, it was the idea of serving beer in jars. Very trendy but not all practical, but still a good idea. The only downside (Not for us but for my misses) was that there weren’t any non-beer options, so fella’s if you’re taking your girl make sure she’s a beer drinker or you might end up in the doghouse. Just saying 🙂

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If you’re heading out for a few coldies in Sydney city one weekend be sure to check this place out. Their standard range consisting of a pale ale, golden ale, lager, red ale and a porter along with a seasonal (Belgian blond ale) are all pouring from the taps inside Harts pub in the Rocks, Sydney City. Along with these are other top shelf craft beers such as the 777 IIPA (Riverside brewery) and the Kingpin Red IPA (Bridgeport) and plenty of others that are turned over quite frequently. There is a lovely roof top beer garden for summertime but the only downside is it’s a very small pub and we felt slightly boxed in. Nevertheless, a great range of beers, good food and good location has us leaving well satisfied. Good stuff.

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We decided to take a trip to Manly to visit the 4 pines brewery on the West Esplanade, Manly. On a lovely sunny winters afternoon, we got lucky and pinched a table just inside the big glass windows with a great view over the pathway and street beneath. On tap they had their base range with a few seasonal ‘Kellerdoor’ beers consisting of the XO sauce spiced amber ale, a Belgian blonde ale (which was our favourite) and a new world cask ale from the hand pump. The bar staff were exceptional, in particular a very welcoming guy called Mark who gave us a quick brewery tour and a run down of their new seasonals to come. Very nice bloke. Great food, even better beer and very good atmosphere. These guys are running a very good brewery here, definitely worth the visit.