The growth of craft beer and cider breweries and craft spirit distilleries over the last decade has been staggering. It was as if somebody flicked a switch and suddenly there were hundreds of breweries and distilleries all around us, tempting you with awesome craft beers and craft spirits. You can enjoy a beer or spirit that is brewed by talented teams that are not afraid to experiment with different ingredients to create a huge range of styles and flavours.
Initially I was stunned, but pleased, to see just how many there are in Australia. The range of craft beer and spirit styles (beer, gin, cider, rum, vodka, whisky, etc.) is constantly changing. Most breweries produce a core range of craft beers that are then complimented by seasonal varieties and limited releases. The brewers started their business to create new styles and flavours because this is what they felt was missing in the industry. This allows the brewers to experiment with different ingredients, to age some in selective barrels, slightly vary the process, etc.to produce something different.
For the distilleries, their distillers experiment with local ingredients (e.g. Illawarra plum) to create unique flavours for their gins, vodkas, rums, etc. They too have immense fun experimenting with these ingredients and with their distilling process.
A majority of the venues provide food as a further attraction for visitors so that they can enjoy a nice meal while sampling their craft drinks. The food is often provided by their own kitchen and some venues serve small meals and snacks while others have a full restaurant offering more significant meals. Some venues use independent food trucks that serve burgers, pizzas, tacos, etc. It really matters little what food is available as the main reason for visiting these venues is the craft beers, ciders, gins etc.
The goal of this website is to provide you the consumer with a complete list of breweries and distilleries in Australia. Currently have entered over 700 craft breweries and distilleries into the database and more are found daily.
This website will provide you the ability to search a town or region for all available breweries and distilleries. Everybody travels a lot more these days and visiting the local craft breweries and distilleries is now part of what a lot of us want to do on any trip. Using my search page you can enter keywords, usually a region or town, to find the breweries and distilleries in that area. Say you are heading to Tasmania for a holiday and want to find the breweries and distilleries near say Cradle Mountain or Hobart (for example). Enter the town or region and click on search. The map will show the venues in that area and also below the map is a list of all the venues. Each listing has a link to the brewery or distillery website so that you can get more details on opening hours, meal options, pet friendly, etc.
In Australia craft breweries and distilleries are all similar in what and how they market their products. The flavours vary so much because they are all using different ingredients, usually local ingredients, and they offer differing interpretations of the multitude of craft styles. The staff at all the venues are super friendly and very helpful which makes the visit more memorable.
This website is not provide a directory. This website will showcase the breweries and craft distilleries in a town or region via google maps. The list has a summary of each venues and provides a link to the brewery or distillery website to get extra information.
Visit a Brewery or Distillery.
Do you want to try the delicious craft beers available from the Breweries? Do you want to enjoy a selection of fine gins or vodkas from these Distilleries? Use the search page to discover the breweries and distilleries in your local region or in a region that you may be visiting. You will be amazed by how many breweries and distilleries are out there, all wanting you to pop in for a visit to sample their amazing products.
Markets and Shows
Some of the brewers and distillers use local markets and shows to showcase their products. I was walking through the Wollongong mall recently and noticed a stand selling Eden Brewery beers. I spoke to the people at the stand and had a good chat with them about why they were there and about their craft beers. I purchased a mixed six pack from this brewery to drink at home that weekend. They were delicious.