It's been a few years since we last Crafty Crawled our way around Cairns. So, given the pace of change in the local beer world, we figured we should take advantage of Benedict Kennedy-Cox's time in Far North Queensland to bring our guide to the city's craftiest spots up to date.
"Do you like Cairns?"
Such a question feels like a revealing way to speak to any well-travelled Australian.
If anyone answers "No", then we know they're missing out on much as we can assume the Great Barrier Reef is nowhere near their bucket list, nor is having a picnic by a freshwater stream, croc-spotting or embracing the humidity while enjoying a pleasant evening pub crawl.
That said, even for many of those who do visit, too often Cairns remains a "gateway town" suited to brief stopovers en route to somewhere else, providing you with an airport coffee and a friendly wave goodbye.
In the opinion of this writer, however, Cairns is simply blessed. It is a one-of-a-kind Australian city with a stunning mountain and rainforest environment, deep connections to ancient cultures, and a food and beverage scene that far surpasses the average standard of a tourist gateway town.
The city and surrounds are not only endowed with natural beauty and ideal drinking weather, they're home to unique places to drink and a craft beer scene made up of established town favourites and up-and-comers.
Macallister Brewing Company
Just north of Cairns, locals and adventurous crafties might find themselves taking one of the 200 seats in the grand and glorious shed that is Macallister Brewing. Absorbing the geographically-appropriate lively green of the sugarcane fields outside, the brewery boasts 13 taps pouring their beers, including two hand-pumps that pay tribute to the Yorkshire heritage of co-owner: the aptly-named Hoppy.
Alongside a revolving variety of food trucks, the Macallister’s core range features beloved styles brewed for the North Queensland climate. Latitude 17 is their best seller: a tropical lager featuring delightful notes of citrus and pineapple. Sweet, refreshing and tingly, School Day IPA is a delightfully deceptive imitation at just 3.5 percent ABV.
There’s plenty of boldness in the core range too, including a chocolate, coffee and tobacco-scented Bushwacked Smoked Porter and the Valentina Roasty Red Ale, hydrating with a malty blackberry kick.
Call into Macallister by heading to 6 Danbulan Street, Smithfield
Cock & Bull
If every town in Australia had a pub like the Cock & Bull, the country would be a far better place. Part big game, fishing-themed destination pub, and part honest local watering hole, every Cairns local has an opinion on the Cock & Bull; primarily they all agree the portions are massive.
The pub's monster portions of pub classics will shock first-timers and come complete with twists like crocodile schnitzel and mushroom sauce that I could drink by the schooner.
You may not expect a pub like this to boast a sizeable craft range but the Cock and Bull takes it up a notch. Known as the "Aussie Drinking Team", these six taps of locally-brewed beers are exclusively available at the Cock and Bull and brewed in collaboration with Cairns breweries including Coral Sea, Copperlode and Red Dragon.
Boar’s Best Lager is a refreshing place to start before moving on to the resinous Shark Pale Ale or the piney and intense, Croc 6-X IPA that is such a rich schoonerful of hops it almost feels out of place in such a traditionally-coded pub. And yes, one tap is always a limited-edition brew.
Bring your appetite to 6 Grove Street, Cairns North
The Courtyard
Bang in the centre of Cairns among the reef tour shops and the splendour of the night markets, The Courtyard calls to travellers and the curious amidst booth seating and enchanting warm lights that illuminate the eight taps with a simple promise: BEER.
Lining a wooden bar decorated with gnomes – don’t worry if you find yourself counting gnomes, I can assure you they are actually there – Cairns and Queensland brewers are represented with beers from the likes of Macallister Brewing, Burleigh Brewing and Your Mates Brewery pouring on any given night alongside a crafty selection from some of the country's biggest breweries.
The bar also features a Courtyard house lager: mildly malty, refreshing, and a supreme complement to the tacos and snack-heavy menu.
Be careful with those gnomes as you drop into 91 Esplanade, Cairns City.
Coral Sea Brewing
Full of custom street art, fairy lights, and a thorough covering of coasters from the world travellers who have shared a schooner here, Coral Sea Brewing is a tropical getaway hiding beneath a roller door in Central Cairns.
The vibe here is young and fun, a makeshift home for adventurers and backpackers who are making a temporary home up north, and those who want the real beer from up here.
Brewing since 2016, Coral Sea have had plenty of time to get their brews just right, from IPAs to their clean and crisp house lager. Aside from the house-brewed beers tasting smooth and balanced, Coral Sea is delightfully open until midnight every night, making it an obvious last stop for any evening out in Cairns.
Find the roller door at 40 Lake Street, Cairns City.
Hemingway’s Brewery Cairns
Stunning, expansive and heritage-listed, Hemingway’s Brewery has become as iconic to Cairns as you can get, serving award-winning beer right on the shimmering Trinity Inlet. Located at the city's Cruise Liner Terminal, the brewery doesn't just offer ample indoor and outdoor seating, Hemingway’s have 50 taps across several bar areas pouring their core range of eight beers and an almost infinite lineup of one-off and seasonal brews set for any occasion.
With every sample on your tasting paddle comes brewing information, naming history, and tasting notes. These notes are so thorough it's as if Hemingway’s are trying to help me write this article, but doing so feels like it would spoil all the discovery on offer within this mighty range of core and seasonal beers.
When I called in some standouts were the biscuity and bitter Pitchfork Betty’s Pale Ale and the rich and succulent 7th Heaven Tropical Ale – but be sure you don't miss the sensational and prestigious trophy-winning Prospect Pilsner.
Set down anchor at Wharf Street, Cairns City
Copperlode Brewing
This destination brewery to the south of Cairns is named after the local dam, which happens to have a 4.5 rating from the 69 reviews on Tripadvisor for some reason; if you've been, please let us know: should the dam also be in this guide?
Copperlode Brewing itself sits within a traditional warehouse with pinball machines and a friendly tin shed/shipping container for a bar from which ten taps pour house-brewed beers, each listed on chalkboards.
Grab a tall white stool on a long table and sip some of Cairn’s finest brews over a yarn and meat raffle ticket among the friendly locals who find themselves at Copperlode at least once a week.
Bursting with spice and refreshment is the Five Knot Fever Pale Ale, while the Red Dust Lager is mouth-mingling and modest. Worth checking out for one of many hot days and moderation is the Double Plugger XPA: a hearty tongue-tickler with a dangerous amount of refreshment you could sip on all night. Best-selling River Lizard, meanwhile, is mid-strength (they do love 'em up here, with good reason) that's straw-coloured, full-flavoured and versatile enough to sit alongside any treat from the turnstile of local food trucks.
Lighten your lode at 1 Hargreaves Street, Edmonton
Other Options
- Hemingway's Port Douglas: The original Hemingway's brewery makes for a great waterside stop on any Port Douglas day trip.
- Billycart Brewing: A picturesque stop at Atherton in the stunning Cairns hinterland.
- Blue Lagoon Bar at the Cairns Night Markets: A stand with a few local beer options on tap within the iconic Night Markets.
- Marlin Coast Homebrew Supplies: Of course, there's always the option to brew your own...
- Barrier Reef Brewing Co: Temporarily closed at the time of writing but Barrier Reef is a long-time member of the region's beer scene so keep your eyes on their socials for when its Stratford home is back open.
Crafty Crawls are the name we give to suburb and, on occasion, regional guides; you can find more from across Australia here and download the free Crafty Pint app to find all the above venues and hundreds of others plus events, special deals and more.
Benedict "Benny" Kennedy-Cox is a comedy/travel writer and craft beer enthusiast from a lovely little harbour village called Sydney. His dreams include opening his own taproom, hosting his own travel beer show, and to one day be able to pay someone to write these for him instead of doing it himself in third person.
The beer(s) or moment (s) that turned you onto good beer:
One two punch of receiving a Beer Book for Christmas when I was just about to be 18 and getting a mixed set of international beers from my aunt for my 19th birthday.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Serpents Kiss by Grifter – This will help me figure out if they like sweet. A pilsner with a bit of watermelon, lovely, perfect one to start off an arvo at the pub, refreshing and tasty.
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Pale Ale by Mountain Culture – Lots of big juicy and floral flavours. If they don't like this we might be out of luck!
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Roast Pear Sour and Salted Caramel IPA Beer Blender by Urbanaut – Some people don't like these but, in my opinion, even non-beer drinkers can have the time of their life with a beer blender, and I reckon this one is the best.
The last beer you enjoyed:
RocknRoada Imperial Pastry Stout (14.6%) by Bacchus.
Three things that represent you:
- Being a smartarse and answering questions incorrectly
