Ask well travelled Aussie beer lovers for their favourite craft beer bars and the chances are The Wheaty’s going to feature high – if not first – on their list. Leading the way for better beer in Adelaide, it’s run by avowed hopheads Jade, Emily and Liz, who have turned what was a rather shambolic “country pub in the city” when they took it over in 2003 into a true craft beer haven, spending three months renovating it and replacing the beer system themselves. Now you’re likely to find Imperial Stouts and Double IPAs from Mikkeller and Rogue rubbing shoulders with new releases from the best Aussie micros plus one-off specials made specially for them by SA’s growing band of craft brewers.

It has achieved its notoriety without having a food offering to speak of other than cheese plates (the kitchen has been coming “soonish” for seven years, so the local pizzeria delivers to the bar). Instead, The Wheaty concentrates solely on the magic of malt – not only is there one of the best selections of beer in Australia over 12 taps, a hand pump and up to 200 bottles, the girls also have a thing for whiskies. And we’re talking weird and wonderful whiskies: unusual releases from established distilleries, bottles from producers you’ve probably never heard of, malts from Australian microdistilleries, Swedish and Japanese whiskies, plus tastings led by visiting producers that regularly attract up to 80 guests.

The previous landlords wanted their regulars looked after and Jade and co have been true to their word: Cooper’s Pale is still pouring, although the West End kegs ended up fertilising their garden. There’s plenty of fun to be found elsewhere, however. The likes of Moo Brew have sent beers with reduced carbonation for use on the hand pump, Lobethal Bierhaus is working on cask-conditioned ales for them and there’s a Friday night competition to guess what’s in the Glasshopper, The Wheaty’s hop infuser. They also host Meet The Brewer nights on the first Wednesday of every month.

If that’s not enough to entice you to visit, there’s also a small but lovingly curated wine list focusing on local winemakers and live music four nights a week. It’s normally kept pretty chilled – think alt country / bluegrass – but don’t be surprised if you walk in and find a balalaika ensemble giving it some love. Just a kilometre or so from Adelaide’s CBD, it’s a must for any beer aficionado passing through – and a addiction for those that live there.