Craft Beer

With a rising interest in more traditional ‘flavourful’ varieties of beer and newer, hand-crafted boutique beers around the world, the landscape of the brewing industry is changing. Specialist breweries have become highly popular – allowing keen beer drinkers to access and enjoy a dazzling array of quality beer delights.

Australia’s Craft Beer industry evolved organically from a mutual desire among like minded individuals to produce unique, complex brews, utilising age-old techniques. Unlike the US, where craft brewers are defined by production size, Craft Beer in Australia is more of a philosophy; a shared respect for traditional techniques, a spirit of experimentation, a strong sense of place and real authenticity. Since our first convict brewery was established in the 1800s to the boom period of the last 20 years, Australia has witnessed the emergence of a significant home-grown Craft Beer movement across the country, spanning all states and types of producers. Today Australian Craft Beer is made in microbreweries, big breweries, regional brewhouses, brewpubs, alongside fine restaurants and winery cellar-doors; all are produced with a philosophy of innovation, using artisanal methods and the highest quality ingredients.

Hargreaves Hill Victoria

a bottle of Hargreaves Hill

The original brewery in Steels Creek was burnt down in the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. Six-months later, with the help of the Craft Beer community, brewer Simon Walkenhorst and partner Beth Williams re-built the brewery in Lilydale and continue to make some of Australia’s most exciting Craft Beers. Those visiting the Yarra Valley can taste the full range on tap at the Hargreaves Hill Bar and Restaurant located in Yarra Glen. Visit hargreaveshill.com.au for further information.

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Little Creatures Western Australia

a bottle of Littel Creatures pale ale

Fremantle brewer Little Creatures was established in 2000 and named Champion International Brewery and Champion International and Australasian Brewery at the 2002 Australian International Beer Awards. They use whole hop flowers, including the unique ‘The Little Creatures Hopback’; a basket full of hop flowers that is submerged in the unfermented beer.

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McLaren Vale South Australia

a bottle of Vale Ale

Founded in 2008, in a relatively short space of time the McLaren Vale Beer Company has come to be regarded by many as South Australia’s leading Craft Beer producer, having already won numerous local and international awards. MV’s ‘cellar door’ can be found at McLaren Vale’s much loved Salopian Inn.

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We Recommend

bottle of Mountain Gaot Hightail Ale
Mountain Goat

Hightail Ale

Dave and Cam at Mountain Goat from inner Melbourne have stamped their quality all over the craft beer segment and is proven with their Hightail Ale. It's an English inspired amber ale which has a rich malt body and floral hop aroma.

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bottle of White Rabbit Dark Ale
White Rabbit

Dark Ale

Brewed out of the old 'Little Creatures' Brewery that was carted across the country from Fremantle, this great dark ale has and great intensity with sweet tones.

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bottle of Grand Ridge gippsland Gold
Grand Ridge

Gippsland Gold

An old-school Australian style bitter Ale, with a full round malt flavour and pleasant hop bitterness from a special blend of Tasmanian and New Zealand hops.

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James Squire New South Wales

a bottle of 150 Lashes

In 1806 First Fleet convict James Squire built his brewery, The Malting Shovel Tavern, on the Parramatta River, becoming Australia’s first brewer. Today James Squire’s dedicated brewers hand-craft exceptional, authentic craft beers; from the English-style Summer Ale, Golden Ale (nicknamed ‘The Chancer’) to the Australian Pale Ale, ‘150 Lashes’.

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Burleigh Brewing Co Queensland

a bottle of 28 Pale

Naturally and traditionally brewed without artificial additives or preservatives, Master Brewer Brennan Fielding is twice World Beer Cup Champion. ‘To say Brennan Fielding is a brewer is akin to saying Churchill was an MP, Bradman a cricketer and Mozart a bloke who played the piano.’ Michael Madigan, The Good Life.

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Stoke New Zealand

a bottle of Stoke

Former All Blacks hooker Terry McCashin wasn’t happy with there being only two breweries in New Zealand and what he perceived to be a lack of high quality beer. So he bought an old brewery in Nelson and is now credited with invigorating the entire New Zealand micro brewery movement. Terry’s son Dean now makes three Stoke beers, ensuring high quality is now par for the course.

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Gage Roads Western Australia

a bottle of Gage Premium

When original brew masters Bill Hoedemaker and Peter Nolin discussed opening their own world class brewery, they didn’t mess around. Finding local investors, they built a brewery for a national sized operation. The rewards soon started arriving with a Gold medal at the 2009 Australian International Beer Awards and numerous awards thereafter.

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Monteith's New Zealand

a bottle of Monteith's Winter Ale

1868 saw this brewer begin on the rugged Southern West coast at Greymouth, where gold prospectors were aplenty and there was a pub for every few hundred men. Greymouth and Hokitika combined had over 160 pubs, of which more than half were all in one street. Today you can still go to the Monteith’s Brewery, their length of continuous brewing, a result of their passion and high standards.

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Sierra Nevada USA

a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

In 1979 with some home brew experimentation under his belt, Ken Grossman embarked upon the foolhardy pursuit of building his own brewery, naming it after the mountains where he loved to hike. Still personally involved in every step of the process, Ken employs over 400 people and his Pale Ale is the second largest selling craft beer in the United States.

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