Like a sculptor chipping away at a giant block of granite (albeit a block that keeps growing at a rate of knots), we’re steadily making progress through the list of venues and breweries keen to be featured in our various directories. It’s been a while since we last did a roundup of the latest to join the fold so figured it was about time we did another in case you missed any when we announced their arrival via social media. What’s more, there have been nine new additions since we last did this and that’s a perfect number for creating one of our postcard montage photos as above.
Anyway, without further ado, and in no particular order…
Low Buy Liquor
A goldmine of great beer on the edge of the Yarra Valley. Ever since deciding to embrace the world of craft beer wholeheartedly, the staff have gone nuts, filling ever more of this bottleshop in a Lilydale mall with the best beers from Australia and overseas. They hold regular, sold out beer dinners at nearby Lilydale General too.Hotel Sweeney’s
Like a new government in its early days in power, the hotel group that owns the four-storey Sweeney’s in Sydney’s CBD has been indulging in a spot of top down reorganisation. The rooftop has become a city centre haven for beer lovers amid the Sydney skyline, hosting regular tap takeovers and meet the brewer sessions.Welcome Hotel
New owners took over the Welcome in Rozelle and gave it such an amazing new lease on life that this year it was named Time Out Sydney’s Pub of the Year. It’s a turnaround centred on great craft beer, delicious food and creating an old school community vibe, just how pubs should be.Ekim Brewing
Based in a small industrial unit in Mount Kuring-gai in the north of Sydney that it shares with Habby Goblin, Ekim is a brewery with a love of hops, especially big, punchy American ones. They’re a feature of pretty much every release, with the beers winning over drinkers all along the East Coast.Clifton Hill Brewpub
This former live music venue and haunt for Melbourne’s Irish community has been reinvented (not for the first time) by its owners. Today, it’s a smart pub, bar and restaurant, with a busy and craftily stocked drive thru bottleshop attached and, most crucially, its own 600 litre microbrewery smack bang in the middle pumping out beers you can enjoy just metres from where they’re brewed.Green Beacon
One of the driving forces behind the craft beer boom in Brisbane, Green Beacon opened its doors in early 2013, turning a warehouse in Teneriffe into a brewery and bar. A colourful core range is embellished with a series of regular limited releases, with a number set to be released locally in cans soon.Beer DeLuxe
The original Beer DeLuxe in Fed Square is much changed since originally featured on the site. Significant investment has gone into developing its two urban beer gardens and the beer selection covers a broader spectrum than at the most pointy-headed times in its past. CUB has installed copper tanks and takes up residence on a few taps with the remainder free to feature an evolving array of craft beers, from the approachable to the outlandish, with the fridges offering further choice.Quarryman’s
Another big pub chain entered the world of craft beer and did it with all guns blazing at the Quarryman’s. They took a faded venue, injected much-needed love and began pouring 20 taps of craft beer and hosting a regular lineup of popular beer events.King St Brewhouse
This former James Squire Brewhouse changed owners last year, with the new ones bringing in a new brewer to create a range of beers under the Red Tap Brewing Co banner. They tap regular seasonals, play around with nitro and filling a “Randall” with hops, fruit, spices and more – and all in the heart of Darling Harbour.
We’ve got heaps more in the pipeline that we’ve already visited and then a bunch more after that so look out for more great venues to visit and breweries whose beer you can hunt down over the coming weeks and months. If only there were more hours in the day…
