A few years ago it was typical to consider Melbourne the craft beer mecca of Australia, with a high density of the country’s best breweries. Nowadays, the city’s dominance is less clear, with more breweries popping up in places like Sydney and Brisbane to help pump up the quality of Australia’s craft beer industry as it continues to punch up on the global stage. Queensland has benefitted from this step-up considerably over the past few years, and if you’re looking for the best brewery in Brisbane you’ve got some work ahead of you.
From Newstead to Salisbury, some of the best craft breweries in the country are now peppered all over the city with a constant flow of creativity to satisfy all types of beer lovers, whether its typical pale ales and sour beers paired up with Queensland’s reliably sunny days or some wild, full-flavoured stouts to help take the edge off winter.
We’ve pulled together our 16 favourite Brisbane breweries so you’ve got plenty of options next time you’re looking to crawl around the capital in search of Queensland’s best brews.
Top Breweries In Brisbane – Table Of Contents
- Ballistic Beer Co, Salisbury
- Green Beacon Brewing Co, Newstead
- Newstead Brewing Co, Newstead
- Felons Brewing Co, Howard Smith Wharves
- Slipstream Brewing Co, Yeerongpilly
- Aether Brewing, Northgate
- Scenic Rim Brewery, Mount Alford
- All Inn Brewing Co, Banyo
- Brisbane Brewing Co, West End
- Stone & Wood, Fortitude Valley
- Brewdog, Murrarie
- Sea Legs Brewing Co, Kangaroo Point
- Catchment Brewing Co, West End
- Bacchus Brewing Co, Capalaba
- Range Brewing, Newstead
- Revel Brewing Co, Bulimba
What’s The Best Brewery Brisbane Has To Offer?
Ballistic Beer Co, Salisbury
For many locals, Ballistic Beer Co is the single best brewery Brisbane has to offer. And that’s not just due to how accessible the brews are, seeing as Ballistic run three Brewhouses throughout the city – Salisbury, Springfield and West End. This brewery is nothing if not consistent in producing some of the brews in Brisbane year after year and offering some prime locations that get at the heart of Australia’s craft beer culture.
It’s hard to pick the best, but as far as atmosphere goes, the original in Salisbury is still top-tier. The warehouse used to be an old World War II munitions factory, making the most of the heritage detailing with spaces that aren’t at all lacking when it comes to character, filled out with the kind of charm and vibrancy that helps those lagers go down even smoother.
The communal vibe here means you’ll often find food trucks parked up to help mix and match with the brewery’s core range and rotating selection of seasonal beers. Live music is a nightly thing as well, so there’s a really warm, family-friendly vibe any day of the week.
Truth be told, they don’t make the best IPAs in Brisbane – the Red IPA, in particular, can be a bit too bready for some – but you’ll never hear a bad word about that delicious Grandfather Oaked Ale or the signature Ballistic Lager.
Address: 53-55 McCarthy Rd, Salisbury QLD 4107
Contact: (07) 3277 6656
Opening Hours: Thursday (4 pm – 7 pm); Friday (1:30 pm – 10 pm); Saturday (1 pm – 10 pm); Sunday (1 pm – 7 pm)
Green Beacon Brewing Co, Newstead
Green Beacon Brewing Company in Newstead is a pioneer as far as Brisbane’s craft beer industry is concerned. Founders Marc Chrismas and Adrian Slaughter started this business out of Teneriffe back in 2013 and have since watched it grow proportionately with the rise of craft beer in the famed River city.
That 7 Bells Sour passion fruit ale always goes down a treat here, but the aromatic Windjammer IPA and Barbary Coast Black IPA are also clear front-runners when it comes to Brisbane’s favourite brews. Drinking these gems directly from the source is damn near mandatory when crawling around the beer-obsessed area of Newstead.
Address: 26 Helen St, Teneriffe QLD 4005
Contact: 0460 408 697
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (2 pm – 8 pm); Friday – Sunday (12 pm – 10 pm)
Newstead Brewing Co, Newstead
It’s been a long road for Brisbane’s definitive brewery. The path for Newstead Brewing Company began back in the 1940s when the label started brewing beer out of an old steel house on Doggett Street. Ever since, the name has been synonymous with Brisbane and catnip for beer lovers.
Now Newstead is split between its flagship in its namesake suburb and its Milton brewpub. Both are incredibly appealing places to drink a cold one, each fashioned as a modern industrial beer hall with a deep reverence for the art of brewing beers. You’ll find many Brisbane lovers crowded into these two spots, most with a 3 Quarter Time Session Ale in hand while picking through the excellent food menu of mostly pub-style eats.
Address: 85 Doggett St, Newstead QLD 4006
Contact: (07) 3367 0490
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (12 pm – 9 pm); Wednesday – Thursday (12 pm – 9:30 pm); Friday – Saturday (12 pm – 11 pm); Sunday (12 pm – 9 pm)
Felons Brewing Co, Howard Smith Wharves
Sipping some cold craft beer under Story Bridge is another essential experience in Brisbane, with Felons Brewing Co setting up shop in the Howard Smith Wharves precinct. When it’s a clear day, not much can beat sitting along the Brisbane riverside and downing some of Felons’ finest in the vibrant beer garden.
Over the past few years, Felons Brewing has become one of the city’s finest craft breweries and is so popular amongst beer lovers that you’d be wise to plan ahead and visit during the early afternoon when it’s not as busy.
The four core beers (and one cider) are brewed on-site here, tapped and served up alongside elevated pub grub like gourmet burgers and pizza. Grab the impossible smooth Crisp Lager if you must try only one beer here, but the Australian Pale Ale also deserves special mention – easy drinking, pairs well with anything from the bar food menu and is a great expression of what Felons Brewing is all about.
Address: 5 Boundary St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Contact: (07) 3188 9090
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (11 am – 12 pm)
Slipstream Brewing Co, Yeerongpilly
Slipstream Brewing Company is best on a Friday afternoon when the live music and food trucks are out in full force and there are plenty of growlers being filled with the brewery’s popular Rye Pale Ale and German Pilsner.
Over the past few years Slipstream has been one of Brisbane’s fastest growing breweries with plenty of national recognition sending both locals and visitors down to Yeerongpilly. The former industrial estate is right next to the train station, offering up 20 taps and a pizza menu solid enough to make Slipstream a good starting point for any brewery crawl you and the boys are planning in Brisbane.
Address: 94 Wilkie St, Yeerongpilly QLD 4105
Contact: (07) 3892 4582
Opening Hours: Wednesday (11 am – 9 pm); Friday – Saturday (11 am – 10 pm); Sunday (11 am – 8 pm)
Aether Brewing, Northgate
Aether Brewing packed up from Milton a few years ago and settled up at Northgate, bringing a nice collection of great tasting craft beer to the area as well as some of the best sandwiches in Brisbane.
There’s plenty to like about this no-fuss, straightforward brewery which foregoes most of the bells and whistles of modern craft beer hubs. You’re getting cosy with all the brewing equipment at this warehouse space, where there’s a penchant for experimentation and the best craft beers are always the ones you least expect, from the Creature of the Night peanut butter stout to the Written in the Stars sour boysenberry DIPA.
Address: 340 Melton Rd, Northgate QLD 4013
Contact: (07) 3815 6455
Opening Hours: Friday (3 pm – 7 pm); Saturday – Sunday (12 pm – 7 pm)
Scenic Rim Brewery, Mount Alford
You’ll want to head just outside of Brisbane to the small town of Mount Alford, where a heritage-listed general store has been transformed into this charming microbrewery where classic country hospitality and homemade cakes are offered right along with a tight but quality selection of house beers.
Specialising in small batch brews, Scenic Rim Brewery is at its best when easy drinking ales. Especially when you pair said ales with said homemade cakes. Although the sweet Milk Stout goes down an absolute treat when Brisbane’s in the depth of winter.
Address: 898 Reckumpilla St, Mount Alford QLD 4310
Contact: (07) 5463 0412
Opening Hours: Thursday – Sunday (10 am – 5 pm)
All Inn Brewing Co, Banyo
A constant favourite when looking for the best craft beer brewery in Brisbane. All Inn Brewing Company is often referred to as one of the most diverse brewers in the city, offering up a very wide core range and a seasonal range that is quite often just as varied.
Weekend live music and food trucks make the most of Saturdays and Sundays, best experienced when you’ve got a cold can of Red IPA in the left and a burger in the right.
Address: 189 Elliott Rd, Banyo QLD 4014
Contact: 0478 519 414
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (12 pm – 7 pm); Thursday – Saturday (12 pm – 9 pm); Sunday (12 pm – 7 pm)
Brisbane Brewing Co, West End
The spacious outdoor area at Brisbane Brewing Company’s West End outpost is one of the most popular hubs for the city’s small army of dedicated craft beer lovers. You’ll find it off a little alleyway branching from Boundary Road, opening up into an industrial space that’s been modernised and dressed to the nines.
You’ll also find Brisbane Brewing Company at a Brewhouse in Woolloongabba, but we say food is slightly better at the convenient West End location where share platters are a common sight and the pie of the day goes down beautifully with a Nimbus Session Ale.
Address: 124 Boundary St, West End QLD 4101
Contact: (07) 3891 1011
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (4 pm – 11 pm); Friday – Saturday (12 pm – 11:30 pm); Sunday (12 pm – 11 pm)
Stone & Wood, Fortitude Valley
I don’t think there’s a single Aussie who hasn’t heard the name Stone & Wood before. The iconic Byron Bay brewery has been a dominant force in Australia’s craft beer industry since it was founded in 2008 and established a sizable Brisbane presence just months before the 2020 pandemic hit.
The gorgeous red-brick building in Fortitude Valley is now pumping post-lockdown, most popular for some Friday beers dipping deep into Stone & Wood’s core range and the few limited-edition brews that are whipped up on-site.
Stone & Wood’s tap room is buzzing any day of the week, with regulars ditching the typical beers and going for the more experimental gems like the Bloom Springs new age IPA and the Dark Unicorn salted chocolate scotch ale.
Address: 99 Bridge St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Contact: 0476 446 336
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (3 pm – 10 pm); Wednesday – Thursday (12 pm – 10 pm); Friday – Saturday (12 pm – 11 pm); Sunday (12 pm – 8 pm)
Brewdog, Murrarie
Australians are fiercely protective of the local craft beer industry, so odds were a bit stacked against Brewdog when the Scottish beer pioneers announced they would be opening up an expensive operation in Murrarie. Reception was divisive, to say the least, but Aussies have quickly warmed to the idea of having this long-standing international brewery and its riverside taproom.
The regular Brisbane-only craft brews and guest brews are the primary reason to head along to the brewery’s DogTap bar, which sports no less than 28 taps. But the food deserves a special mention too. The menu is impressively far-reaching, taking a restaurant-quality angle to greasy pub food and anchoring most of the standout dishes on farm-sourced produce.
Address: 77 Metroplex Ave, Murarrie QLD 4172
Contact: (07) 2103 1067
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (11 am – 10 pm); Friday (11 am – 12 am); Saturday (10 am – 12 am); Sunday (10 am – 10 pm)
Sea Legs Brewing Co, Kangaroo Point
Delicious beer is a given at Sea Legs, posted up in prime position in the heart of Kangaroo Point just a stone’s throw from Story Bridge. The 15 hectolitre brewery on Main Street has become one of the most popular and convenient breweries for desk jockeys clocking off early to grab a table on weeknights.
Seasonal and experimental brews are always rotating here. Given Sea Legs is fairly new on the scene, there’s a clear determination to balance output with quality and muscle up alongside the best breweries in Brisbane with the likes of Newstead Brewing Co, Catchment Brewing Co, nearby Felons Brewing and Green Beacon Brewing.
Address: 89 Main St, Kangaroo Point QLD 4169
Contact: 0480 178 695
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday (12 pm – 9 pm); Friday – Saturday (12 pm – 11 pm)
Catchment Brewing Co, West End
Catchment Brewing Co is another essential stop on any beer crawl spanning West End. Cold beer, food and a lively atmosphere can be applied to any of the breweries on this list but Catchment takes things a bit further with the attached restaurant.
While most Brisbane breweries get by with reasonably good pizzas and burgers, the kitchen here pumps out excellent fare like a pulled jackfruit quesadilla and a battered barramundi that trumps plenty of nearby eateries. A lot of the food here is plant-based, but don’t think you won’t find the classic beer food either – stone-fired pizza, fried chicken burgers and grilled lamb skewers. Take that with some of the specialty brews and you’ve got yourself a damn good time.
Address: 150 Boundary St, West End QLD 4101
Contact: (07) 3846 1701
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday (12 pm – 10 pm); Sunday (11 am – 9 pm)
Bacchus Brewing Co, Capalaba
Although this Brisbane brewery rose to prominence off the back of its dessert-inspired beers, Baccus Brewing is a great all-rounder whether you want a nutty peanut brittle stout, a dark lager or a hard-nosed IPA.
Based out in Capalaba, Bacchus Brewing can feel a little isolated but heading on out to the airy shed to dive into the wide-ranging core range is absolutely worth the minimal effort. The space the team have carved out is cosy with a sharp communal vibe and a food offering that’s a cut above what you’d get elsewhere in the area.
Address: 1/2 Christine Pl, Capalaba QLD 4157
Contact: (07) 3823 2828
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (12 pm – 4:30 pm); Thursday (12 pm – 7 pm); Friday (12 pm – 9 pm); Saturday (12 pm – 8 pm); Sunday (12 pm – 4 pm)
Range Brewing, Newstead
With long tables set between the brewing equipment and the bar, Range Brewing moves away from any overly designed interiors and takes on a more minimal aesthetic. You’re perched up in a simple tap room enjoying Range Brewing’s dynamic, ever-shifting output which tends to shy away from the tried-and-tested, favouring experimental small batch brews.
Plenty of Brisbane’s most discerning beer drinkers head here on any day of the week to taste what the team has been cooking up, pairing all inventive brews with share platters and slow-rise sourdough pizzas.
Address: 4 Byres St, Newstead QLD 4006
Contact: (07) 3310 4456
Opening Hours: Wednesday (4 pm – 10 pm); Thursday (4 pm – 10:30 pm); Friday – Saturday (12 pm – 10:30 pm); Sunday (12 pm – 9:30 pm)
Revel Brewing Co, Bulimba
While most breweries in Brisbane pump out some good quality pizzas a standard, Revel Brewing Co make it a point to offer the very best. You’ll find the independent craft brewery and pizzeria in the riverside suburb of Bulimba, paying just as much attention to that valuable wood-fired oven as the rotating taps.
Revel is at its best with classic styles like pale ales and English stouts – styles that pair up well with the perfectly puffed pizzas like the signature Carne with tomato, mozzarella, bacon, cacciatore, slow-cooked lamb and BBQ sauce.
To many, especially people with high standards when it comes to pizza, this is the best brewery Brisbane has to offer right now.
Address: 41 Oxford St, Bulimba QLD 4171
Contact: (07) 3899 5470
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (4 pm – 9 pm); Thursday – Sunday (12 pm – 10 pm)
Not in Brisbane, check out our other guides to Australia’s best breweries:
Best Brewery Brisbane Has To Offer – Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Brisbane's best breweries?
Looking for the best brewery Brisbane has to offer? Head to Newstead Brewing Co, Green Beacon Brewing Co, Revel Brewing Co and Ballistic Beer Co.
What's the best brewery near Brisbane CBD?
If you’re looking for the best breweries near Brisbane CBD then head to Stone & Wood or Sea Legs Brewing Co.
