Sip on the state’s finest artisanal cold ones at a top-notch brewery in Brisbane.

Midweek lunches, after-work downloads, taste investigations or weekend hangs – I’m often inclined to find a new brewery in Brisbane. As the city’s hospitality and dining scene excels, rivalling the edge and creativity once reserved for Melbourne and Sydney, Brisbane breweries are on fire. Restaurant-quality meals, trendy crowds and, of course, outstanding handcrafted brews are nourishing everybody (even those more wine and bubbles-leaning, like me) across the city. Here’s my guide to every must-sample brewery in Brisbane.

In short

If you only have time for one brewery in Brisbane, make it Felons Brewing Co. for its riverfront location, gigantic outdoor beer garden with a kid-climbable pirate ship, and ever-experimental creations.

1. Flat Lizard Brewing

While exploring burgeoning Stafford recently, I stumbled upon Flat Lizard Brewing and loved what I tasted. Making their mark on traditional German stalwarts like the hazy Hefeweizen and malty Marzen, the brewery in Brisbane knows how to whip up slurpable sips (there’s also a wide range of Aussie favourites), paired with what sealed the deal for me: live tunes. I visited on a Sunday when a musician was set up right beside the team’s steel vessels and pizza was shipped in from Funkateers Pizzeria in Chermside, making my hang even more memorable. Feeling more of a Friday or Saturday session? You mightn’t find live music, but the same pizza returns regularly to line stomachs responsibly.

Address: 18 Harvton St, Stafford

Opening hours: Thursday 4-8pm, Friday and Saturday 12-10pm, and Sunday 12-8pm

2. Felons Brewing Co.

With comfortable capacity for thousands, yes thousands, of guests, Felons Brewing Co. is my go-to for a guaranteed party vibe. Arguably the highlight of Howard Smith Wharves, this place is a wonderland for beer lovers, set right against the Brisbane River and poured over two venues plus a mammoth central beer garden overlooking the Brown Snake (Brisbane River). They nail a core range of lager, Aussie pale ale, Indian pale ale and my preferred poison, a hazy American-style pale ale, before throwing fearless innovation at cider and barrel-aged beer. Oaky wine notes breathe euphoric life into some blends, particularly the Running Ashore fizz that I once tried for its silky-smooth chardonnay, yes chardonnay, influences. Then there’s the food. My kids love the fish and chips, best gobbled down between runs to the interactive outdoor pirate ship art installation, but I’m always torn over the pizzas, burgers and flavour-jammed Thai in the Barrel Hall. It’s a head-spinning hub of creativity (there’s even yoga on Wednesdays) with tasty beer at the core of every master stroke.

Address: Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary St, Brisbane

Opening hours: From 11am to late daily

3. BrewDog’s DogTap Brisbane

Do family-friendly Sunday sessions get any better than a brewery with a fenced playground? I’ll wait. BrewDog’s DogTap Brisbane kept my extended family smiling from ear to ear when we recently visited, with the smallest of our bunch hitting the outdoor playground and the older ones dropping dollars into a row of pinball machines. Us adults? We embraced the industrial-cool Brisbane brewery with a choice of 28 tap beers (I like the Lost Lager here, despite normally craving a richer variety) and generous lunch dishes that span loaded burgers, salads and other pub classics. The kids even got their own dedicated menu, filled with the good stuff like chicken nuggets and fish bites.

Address: 77 Metroplex Ave, Murarrie

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 8-10pm

4. Catchment Brewing Co.

In the heart of energy-plus West End lies Catchment Brewing Co., a brewery where good times roll until the wee hours. While the brews are delicious (think crowd-winning lager, pale ales, and sours), it’s the atmosphere that locals love. There’s a bunch of rotating events and deals to get amongst including Pints & Pizza Wednesdays and Trivia Thursdays, but no matter when you drop by, you’ll meet a mouth-watering menu of comfort food including pizzas, and friendly staff eager to spread their passion for beer.

Address: 150 Boundary St, West End

Opening hours: Wednesday and Thursday 12pm until late, Friday and Saturday 12pm until 1am, Sunday 12pm until late

5. Sea Legs Brewing Co

An industrial warehouse in one of the city’s prettiest suburbs is home to Sea Legs Brewing Co, a brewery just moments away from Story Bridge. The staff are instantly endearing, as are the beers they pour which include one extremely smooth session ale, a lager, an American-style pale ale, a stout, an Indian pale ale, and additional special releases. When it’s time to chow down, a menu of beer-perfect accompaniments like burgers, pizzas, wraps, sandwiches, wings, share boards and small plates, satisfies.

Address: 89 Main St, Kangaroo Point

Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 12-9pm, Friday and Saturday 12-11pm

6. Soapbox Beer

I respect how these guys love a play on words almost as much as they love beer. Soapbox Beer brings hipster cool to inner-city workers and retail enthusiasts, delivering a range of big-impact brews to the bustling inner-city locale of Fortitude Valley. There’s the Opinionator Pale Ale, The Rant IPA, the Loud Mouth Amber Ale, the Chatta-Box XPA and other clever concoctions to help hydrate visitors. The team also boast an impressive food menu as the waft of grilled steaks, burgers and other greasy bites cooking in the kitchen proves totally irresistible.

Address: 89/101 Gipps St, Fortitude Valley

Opening hours: Wednesday and Thursday 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 12am

7. Range Brewing’s Patio

Soak up that signature Queensland sunshine at Patio, my favourite of Range Brewing’s multiple Brisbane venues. Wooden frames let abundant light in as the team’s beloved creations – spanning an amber larger, a West Coast IPA, various stouts, IPAs and more – flow on tap. Alternatively, there’s a cool collection of cocktails (plus wine) to splurge on. Wash high-quality blends down with share plates or pizzas including the Prawn Toast alongside Chinese sausage, stracciatella, house-made crispy chilli and garlic.

Address: 146 Baroona Rd, Paddington

Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday 5-9pm, Friday and Saturday 12-10pm, Sunday 12-9pm

8. Valley Hops Brewing

Moonlighting as one of the best rooftop bars in Brisbane, Valley Hops Brewing is a play-all-night institution in the thick of the city. Head upstairs to the al fresco area (above the thumping club downstairs) to find a leafy space filled with cosy nooks and sensational city views. The core range includes crowd-pleasers like a pale ale, lager and IPA but I highly encourage you to get stuck into the seasonal specials to get a taste of what this brewery in Brisbane is famed for.

Address: Top floor above Cloudland, 641 Ann St, Fortitude Valley

Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday 11.30am to late

9. Milton Common

For some of the most Instagram-perfect packaging in town, check out the takeaway tinnies from Milton Common, a microbrewery that’s always a scene. Blending up a core range plus surprise collaborations with like-minded brewery friends around the state, the team pushes brewing boundaries while injecting ample fun. That signature creativity extends to those takeaways, emblazoned with works of art that often tweak colonial imagery with humorous contemporary spins. When it’s time to dine, Asian-inspired food is available in fine, often deep-fried form – think Szechuan-peppered calamari, wings, loaded fries and beyond.

Address: 35 Railway Tce, Milton

Opening hours: Tuesday 12-9pm, Wednesday and Thursday 12-10pm, Friday and Saturday 12-12am and Sunday 12-6pm

10. Ballistic Beer Co

Located in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Ballistic Beer Co is home to a buzzing taproom within its warehouse operations. Pouring the brand’s core range of brews, spanning lagers, stouts, sours and ales, there’s always something exciting and seasonal to tickle your taste buds. Get there on a Friday or weekend night for a revolving door of local food trucks, dishing up classic beer accompaniments to help wash down the magic.

Address: 53-55 McCarthy Rd, Salisbury

Opening hours: Thursday 4-7.30pm, Friday 1.30-10pm, Saturday 1-10pm and Sunday 1-7pm

11. Slipstream Brewing Co

A hidden inner-city gem located within walking distance from the Yeerongpilly train station, Slipstream Brewing Co attracts a cult following. The team have picked up several awards, including Champion Brewery at the 2024 Royal Queensland Beer Awards, and one sip of any one of the elixirs will have you nodding your head in agreement. The core range is never a bad idea while special editions like a hazy IPA and ginger beer are also entirely smashable.

Address: 94 Wilkie St, Yeerongpilly

Opening hours: Wednesday to Thursday 11-9pm, Friday and Saturday 11-10pm and Sunday 11-8pm

12. Helios Brewing Co.

Firmly focused on putting sustainably crafted brews on the map, Helios Brewing Co. is a low-key brewery in Brisbane that flows with a sense of community. Located in Yeerongpilly, just like Slipstream, the spot is a favourite of locals, blending a masterful range of ales including the popular Poseidon Pale Ale. If you’re a fan of the heavy stuff, they’ve also got a regular chocolate stout on tap. Savour your poison downstairs by the bar or upstairs in a chilled-out room that often holds trivia events.

Address: 15 Palomar Rd, Yeerongpilly

Opening hours: Thursday 4-9pm, Friday 12-9pm, Saturday 12-9pm and Sunday 12-5.30pm

13. Aether Brewing

Dog-friendly, Aether Brewing’s taproom is one of the city’s most relaxing spots to sink a cold one. Take a seat under an umbrella in the brewery’s al fresco space as you knock back hit after hit including a revolving range of stouts, ales, pilsners, sours and more. If you can look past the brews, there’s also wine, cocktails and nibbles to devour but mark our words, this place is all about enjoying quality, fresh-poured beer. It closes once the sun sets, so get there early to make a day of it.

Address: 340 Melton Rd, Northgate

Opening hours: Friday 3-7pm and Saturday to Sunday 12-7pm

14. Happy Valley Brewing Company

Paying tribute to the suburb of Stafford’s old-school nickname of Happy Valley, the Happy Valley Brewing Company is a popular haunt amongst locals thanks to its warm and welcoming personnel. Always pushing the envelope with its limited-edition releases, the brewery in Brisbane also nails its gluten-reduced core range consisting of ales, lagers, sours and stouts. When hunger strikes, burgers and ‘tuckshop classics,’ such as mozzarella sticks, have your name written all over them. Hot tip: Scan the kids’ menu for good-as-gold Dagwood Dogs, too – the most delicious beer chaser, in my opinion.

Address: 34 Wolverhampton St, Stafford

Opening hours: Wednesday 4-7pm, Thursday 4pm to late, Friday to Sunday 12pm to late

15. Future Magic Brewing Co

Step inside an unassuming warehouse space to meet the instantly charming Future Magic Brewing Co, a brewery in Brisbane that excels at sensational blends. From apple pie-inspired ales and fruity sours to the especially delectable West Coast IPA, there is always an impressive pick for every brand of beer enthusiast. Wash the good vibes down with the kitchen’s extensive pizza menu or well-executed range of classic pub bites.

Address: 32 Manilla St, East Brisbane

Opening hours: Wednesday 12-7pm, Thursday to Saturday 12-9pm and Sunday 12-8pm

16. All Inn Brewing Co

Low-key and local, All Inn Brewing Co is a relaxed weekend-mostly operation filled with long communal tables and free-flowing fun. A revolving door of food trucks helps ensure lined tummies but it’s all about the brews here which span a core range of IPAs, pale ales and a lager, as well as small batch and seasonal creations. You’ll find Banyo only a 30-minute drive from the Brisbane CBD.

Address: 189 Elliott Rd, Banyo

Opening hours: Thursday and Friday 10-9pm, Saturday 12-9pm and Sunday, 12-7pm

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