Cool Down This Summer at Brisbane’s Best Brewpubs
Brisbane lends itself to a brewpub. Yes, it’s the city’s subtropical climate but also its urban sprawl, which killed off many of the more traditional pubs decades ago – the humble craft brewery with a taproom stuck on the front turned out to be the long-awaited replacement. Here are 13 to check out across the city when you visit.
Felons Brewing Co.
The engine of the popular Howard Smith Wharves precinct, this enormous open-air venue draws the weekend crowds with its approachable beers, upscale food menu and peerless riverside views. On tap are a pale ale, a natural ale, a low-carb ale, a lager, an IPA and a cider. Start the afternoon on Felons’ expansive deck before migrating to neighbouring Felons Barrel Hall for after-dark live music and experimental barrel-aged drops.
5 Boundary Street, Brisbane
Ballistic Beer Co
Travel about 15 minutes south of the city to the suburb of Salisbury to find this terrific brewpub set inside an old industrial park. Twelve taps pour a mix of Ballistic’s core and specialty ranges – the Hawaiian Haze pale ale and oaked XPA are particularly popular – alongside a busy schedule of limited releases. You’ll be able to mix with local families on the lawn on weekends, when there’s usually live music and a food truck in attendance.
53-55 McCarthy Road, Salisbury
Fick Brewing Company
Belgian-inspired beers and Euro-inspired comfort food is the formula at Fick, a 12-hectolitre brew bar wedged beneath an old Queenslander house in industrial Northgate. You might drink a golden ale, a dry-hopped saison or a red IPA, with a menu of burgers, tarte flambée and Berliner currywurst keeping you there for another round or two.
108 Old Toombul Road, Northgate
Revel Brewing Co.
Take the ferry along the river to discover this local haunt in Bulimba. Revel’s 12 taps pour a mix of core beers and more experimental drops, so you can follow an easy-drinking Summer XPA with a limited Scotch ale or Vienna lager. The kitchen and woodfired oven punch out a tight menu of pizzas and pastas. Where to sit? Out front on one of the spacious picnic tables is best.
41 Oxford Street, Bulimba
Slipstream Brewing Company
Once a humble taproom in an old shed in industrial Yeerongpilly in Brisbane’s south, Slipstream reopened in early 2021 as a beautiful family brewpub and bistro. Its 20 taps pour core beers such as a Laguna tropical pale ale, a Scooter American red ale and a Regatta lager alongside more specialised creations such as a peach sour and a barrel-aged smoked chocolate porter. There’s a terrific food menu that includes pizzas, burgers and mains, and a play area out front for the kids. Tie in a visit to Helios across Fairfield Road and make an afternoon of it.
94 Wilkie Street, Yeerongpilly
Range Brewing
Opening in 2018, this fabulous warehouse space has become a weekend mecca for Newstead’s hip crowd. The punters are drawn by a selection of ales, sours, stouts and IPAs that can evolve completely from one visit to the next, and stay on for the communal vibe and a tight menu of sourdough pizza.
4 Byres Street, Newstead
Brewdog Dogtap
It was an acknowledgement of the strength of Brisbane’s brewing scene when celebrated Scottish craft brewer Brewdog built its Australian outpost in the city’s waterside suburbs. This enormous brewery, bar and bistro features 28 taps pouring drops such as the Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club pale ale alongside a forever evolving list of rotationals. There’s also a broad, produce-driven food menu that features plenty of vegan options. An afternoon spent here on the river with the iconic Gateway Bridge in the background is about as Brisbane as it gets.
77 Metroplex Avenue, Murarrie
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Soapbox Beer
Keen to drink an Iced VoVo-inspired beer? Because you can at this unfussy brewpub housed in an old Fortitude Valley dance studio. Soapbox’s core range is just as enjoyable, with drops such as the Opinionator pale ale and Loud Mouth American amber ale drawing in locals from the nearby apartment towers, giving the place a real communal hum. There’s a lengthy food menu but perhaps tie in a visit with a meal in nearby Chinatown, which is packed with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Malaysian restaurants.
89-101 Gipps Street, Fortitude Valley
Green Beacon
One of the pioneers in Brisbane’s craft brewing scene, Green Beacon opened in 2013 and quickly grew from a Teneriffe local secret into a cherished Brisbane institution. Popular pours such as the 3 Bolt pale ale and Wayfarer tropical ale can be found on taps across town but are best enjoyed on a breezy afternoon beneath the warehouse’s roller door.
26 Helen Street, Teneriffe
All Inn Brewing Co.
Symbolic of Brisbane’s suburban brewpub boom, All Inn can be found in once-forgotten Banyo at the end of a line of warehouses and workshops. It pours a terrific core range of a pale ale, an IPA, a lager and a porter, backed by cleverly branded seasonal beers that include the Writersblock milk stout and a Stronghold Assassin double IPA. The venue itself is a warmly detailed warehouse filled with trestles, planter boxes and festoon lighting.
189 Elliott Road, Banyo
Newstead Brewing Co.
There are two Newstead Brewing brewpubs. The bigger 32-tap venue sits in Milton outside iconic Suncorp Stadium, a favourite for a pre- and post-game tipple, but the 12-tap original in Newstead is the cosier option. In a converted bus depot it pours a mix of its own pale ale, IPA, sour and porter alongside rotating invitationals, the beer backed by an American-inflected menu of burgers, pizza, ribs and brisket.
85 Doggett Street, Newstead
Sea Legs Brewing Co.
You’ll find this 15-hectolitre brewpub in the shadow of the Story Bridge at Kangaroo Point, a short ferry ride from the city. Sea Legs is a real local’s bolthole: they file in from the surrounding apartments for a classy core range of a pale ale, a tropical lager, a golden ale, a milk stout and an IPA. Food is charcuterie boards, burgers and hand-stretched pizzas that will keep you there for the afternoon.
89 Main Street, Kangaroo Point
Stone & Wood
A little slice of Byron Bay came to the Brisbane big smoke in 2019 when the celebrated Stone & Wood moved into this old ice factory in Fortitude Valley. Twenty-four taps pour a mix of core beers such as the brand’s famous Pacific ale and Green Coast lager alongside limited releases brewed onsite using an eight-hectolitre brewing operation. The venue itself is all exposed brick and beams, with the train line outside adding to the industrial atmosphere.
99 Bridge Street, Fortitude Valley
