Australia is renowned for attracting tourists of every interest. On the one hand, it’s world-famous for its scenic nature and wildlife and on the other hand, it holds a top position for the best craft beer culture that you can’t ignore. A perfect combination that makes the country so fun to explore and exciting to drink through as you step out.
Talking about the Australian beer scene, craft beer has been taking over the beer lovers' choices, transforming from pioneers into a nationwide movement that is now a hub of world-class independent breweries. Whether you’re into crisp lagers, refreshing IPAs, or funky sours, there's a taproom somewhere across this wide brown land brewing exactly what your palate is after.
Whether you’re searching to buy beer online or planning to visit the top craft breweries in Australia, here’s the ideal guide that drops down to the seven most influential and popular breweries that you can visit on your tour to Australia, or simply looking for a nice craft beer to crack open on a weekend session.
7 Best Australian Craft Breweries to Visit Right Now
#1 Mountain Culture Beer Co - Blue Mountains, NSW
At the moment, Mountain Culture is possibly Australia's most loved craft brewery. Mountain Culture was founded by Harriet and DJ McCready, a husband and wife team, with the straightforward but firm goal of expanding the definition of beer. Their Status Quo Pale Ale won the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers list twice in a row, and their Katoomba brewpub, located in a renovated 1900s heritage-listed building, was chosen as Australia's best brewery venue in New South Wales in 2023. Although the brewery has since opened taprooms across the nation, the original Blue Mountains location continues to be the brand's beating heart.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Rotating West Coast, Hazy, and Double IPA releases
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Pale Ales: Status Quo is the crowd favourite
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Specialty Releases: Limited small-batch drops
About the Brewery
📍 Location: Katoomba Brewpub (Flagship) Address: 23-25 Parke St, Katoomba, NSW 2780
🌐Website: https://mountainculture.com.au/
⏱️Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday: 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Friday – Saturday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM Sunday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
#2 Young Henrys - Newtown, Sydney
Since its 2012 opening in Newtown, Young Henrys has been the most talked-about brewery in Sydney, driving the inner-west craft beer revolution. The brewery, which was co-founded by Richard Adamson and Oscar McMahon, is as much a part of Newtown culture as the surrounding street art murals and live music venues. On weekends, local food trucks set up in the courtyard, and you can look directly into the tank room from the tasting bar to witness the magic. As one of the first breweries in Australia to set up a crowd-funded solar project, Young Henrys is proudly independent, environmentally conscious, and incredibly social.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Bold Brewers B-Sides IPA variants
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Pale Ales/XPAs: The Newtowner is a Sydney icon; the Classic XPA
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Lagers: Easy-drinking, well-crafted lager styles
About the Brewery
📍Location: Units D & E, 76 Wilford St, Newtown, NSW 2042
🌐Website: younghenrys.com
⏱️Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday: 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM Friday: 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM Saturday: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM Sunday: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
#3 Hop Nation Brewing Co - Footscray, Melbourne
Hop Nation was founded in 2015 by two winemaking friends, Sam Hambour and Duncan Gibson. They used the principles of meticulous, minimal-intervention winemaking to create beer, which led to some of Melbourne's most expressive, naturally tasting brews. With a towering 10-meter pitched roof, neon lighting, and a cool industrial edge created by Studio Y, the Footscray taproom is housed in a former soap, candle, and ammunition factory from the 1880s. Hop Nation, which goes by the motto "In Hops We Trust," is skilled in full-bodied, small-batch beers made with premium natural ingredients that require not much filtration, no pasteurisation, and no fining.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Citrus-forward, hop-driven IPAs
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Sour Styles: The Site Fermentation Project range
About the Brewery
📍Location: Unit 6, 107-109 Whitehall Street, Footscray, VIC 3011
🌐Website: hopnation.com.au
⏱️Opening Hours: Thursday: 3:00 PM – 9:30 PM Friday: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM Saturday: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM Sunday: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
#4 Akasha Brewing - Five Dock, Sydney
A hophead's dream come true is Akasha. Established in 2015 by Dave Padden in a warehouse in Sydney's inner-west suburb of Five Dock, Akasha has established a stellar reputation for producing extremely hop-forward ales without compromising drinkability. The taproom, which won the Best Brewery Cellar Door in Sydney at the 2018 Sydney Beer Week Awards, is cosy and unpretentious, with rough wooden furniture arranged among stunning stainless steel tanks, a dartboard on the wall, and a welcoming vibe. To keep the session going, rotating food trucks arrive on weekends, and Wednesday trivia nights hosted by Akasha have become a ritual.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Single-hop and multi-hop releases
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Pale Ales: Dry, bitter, and beautifully balanced pales
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Specialty Releases: Rotating small-batch experiments
About the Brewery
📍Location: 10-12 Spencer St, Five Dock, NSW 2046
🌐Website: akashabrewing.com.au
⏱️Opening Hours: Friday: 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM Saturday: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM Sunday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
#5 Balter Brewing- Currumbin, Gold Coast
Together with head brewer Scott Hargrave, four renowned Australian pro surfers, Josh Kerr, Joel Parkinson, Bede Durbidge, and Mick Fanning, released their debut beer, the Balter XPA, in 2016. Soon enough, it came to recognition as one of Australia's popular craft beer brands. The beer is what keeps people coming back, even though the surf celebrity story is a great conversation starter. With an original warehouse-style setup that now features a sun-drenched beer patio, a vibrant rooftop bar, live music on weekends, and frequent regional food trucks, Balter's Currumbin taproom is a true gem. The vibe is relaxed, bright, and very Gold Coast.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Tropical and citrus-forward rotating IPAs
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Pale Ales/XPAs: The original Balter XPA remains a benchmark of the style
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Hazy Styles: Soft, juicy, low-bitterness hazy releases
About the Brewery
📍Location: 14 Traders Way, Currumbin, QLD 4223
🌐Website: balter.com.au
⏱️Opening Hours: Wednesday: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Thursday: 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM Friday: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM Weekend: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
#6 BentSpoke Brewing Co- Braddon, Canberra
One of the most visited brewpubs in the nation, BentSpoke is Canberra's crown jewel of craft beer. BentSpoke was established in 2014 by champion Australian brewer Richard Watkins and co-founder Tracy Margrain. The brewery is located in the lower levels of a Braddon apartment complex, and you can actually view the brewer at work while you drink. BentSpoke is the only Australian brewery to win a champion's trophy at the International Brewing Awards in both 2019 and 2024, and their Crankshaft IPA was named the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers list winner in both 2020 and 2021.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Crankshaft IPA is a world-class, two-time GABS Hottest 100 winner
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Sour Styles: Barrel-aged and wild-fermented sours
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Hand-Pumped Ales: A rare chance to try cask-conditioned real ale poured fresh from the taproom.
About the Brewery
📍Location: 38 Mort St (Entry from Elouera Street), Braddon, ACT 2612
🌐Website: bentspokebrewing.com.au
⏱️Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
#7 Good Land Brewing Co -Traralgon, Victoria
Good Land is solid proof that you can find some of the best brewing excellence in the craft beer scene that’s far from the capital cities. Created by Jimmy Krekelberg in 2021, Good Land is a family-owned taproom and production brewery nestled in the heart of Traralgon in Victoria's Gippsland region. The brewery is scenic and has the feel of a winery cellar door, giving warm, personal, and welcoming vibes that connect with beer fans the moment you step in. With 12 taps pouring the full Good Land range, including daily limited releases, plus a retail shop to stock up on cans to take home, the brewery is a must-visit place for your next weekend getaway.
Best Beer Styles to Explore:
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IPAs: Valley IPA delivers malt-driven depth with pine, citrus, and tropical hop notes.
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Sour Styles: European-inspired wild and mixed-fermentation sours
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Specialty Releases: One-off DDH saisons, pastry stouts, and barrel-aged collaborations on rotating taps.
About the Brewery
📍 Location: 12 Standing Drive, Traralgon East, VIC 3844
🌐Website: goodland.beer
⏱️Opening Hours: Friday: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM Saturday: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
What Makes Craft Breweries Worth Visiting
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Taste beer at its freshest, right from the source. The hop aroma and flavour burst out, way brighter than anything you’ll find on a bottle shop shelf.
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You get access to special taproom-only releases: the one-off batches, seasonal brews, barrel-aged experiments that never make it to retail. These are the beers you can’t hunt down anywhere else.
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You actually meet the people behind the beer. Brewers, bar staff, share stories and real insight that totally change the way you experience each sip.
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And the vibe? It’s unforgettable. Live music, food trucks, big beer gardens, and the kind of local crowd that makes you feel like you belong.
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Plus, you can grab limited-edition packaged beers to take home, often at better prices and with more variety than any local store can offer on any given day.
Shop Craft Beers Online from Top Breweries with Beer Cartel
Australia’s craft beer scene really is something else, and the breweries here are the cream of the crop. Think Mountain Culture and BentSpoke for the award-winners, Good Land for that community feel, and Balter for golden hour, laidback brews. Every one of them is worth the trip.
But let’s be honest, not every top craft brewery is around the corner. That’s where the Beer Cartel steps in. Australia’s most trusted online beer store, with a huge selection of independent craft beers from all over the country, including the legends you just read about. Want to try something new, stock up on your favourites, or plan a weekend tasting? We make it simple to dive into the world of Australian craft beer without ever leaving home.
Ready to discover something great? Explore the entire beer range and order Australian craft beer online and get it delivered right to your door, no matter where you are in Australia.