Quench your thirst at the best craft breweries in Queensland

If you consider yourself a beer lover you’ll find yourself right at home in the Sunshine State, where a concentrated population of specialty brewers reside. Sample stand-out specialty beers with a pub crawl around the state, sipping your way through the best craft breweries in Queensland with this detailed guide.

Brisbane

You can take a deep dive into the majority of Queensland’s craft breweries in the capital of Brisbane, scattered everywhere from waterfront suburbs to the industrial areas. Take yourself on a craft beer crawl through some of the most popular offerings - try riverside Felons Brewing Co, sour beer specialists Range Brewing, Revel Brewing Co at the Rivermakers, Brewdog at Murrarie or crowd favourite Stone & Wood, tucked into urban-cool Fortitude Valley.

Or visit West End where a cluster sits - Catchment Brewing Co, Brisbane Brewing Co, and Ballistic’s West End HQ included. Not to mention those further afield – try Scenic Rim Brewery in the countryside, nestled into a heritage-listed general store; or the recently opened Straddie Brewing Co. 

Gold Coast

These days you’ll find the Gold Coast boasts just as many beer houses as it does surf breaks. Among the existing line-up of craft devotees is the ever-popular Balter Brewing in Currumbin, the funky Precinct Brewing and the vibrant Lost Palms in Miami, and Burleigh Brewing as well as Black Hops Brewery in (you guessed it) Burleigh Heads.

Then there’s BOBs Beer in Surfers Paradise, where home brew joins a collection of Australian and New Zealand drops, and newcomers Aardvark and Arrow Brewery, and Currumbin Valley Brewing. Choose to make your own way through these watering holes, or join the likes of Hop On Brewery Tours for an organised foray.

Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast is just as flush with drinking options as its southern counterparts, with a bounty of the best craft breweries in Queensland - most of which can be visited as a part of the Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours. Noosa’s Industrial Estate is where you’ll discover the specialty sours of Land & Sea and Boiling Pot Brewing Co among more. Head of Noosa, Your Mates Brewhouse and Blackflag Brewery are equally as popular, or drift down to the more laid-back parts of the region at the likes of Moffat Beach Brewery or 10 Toes Brewery.

Though hinterland is also increasingly abundant in options - among its rolling hills is part-taproom, part-cattle farm Terella Brewing, Cooroy's Copperhead Restaurant and Brewery and the equally food-focused Brouhaha, famous for its paddock-to-plate menu.

Fraser Coast

Forgo the whale spotting next time you’re on the Fraser Coast and make a visit to one of its beer devoted venues instead. There’s Craft Cargo, a taphouse which pours a rotating selection of ten independently owned craft beers. Or combine your brew sampling with a meal at the likes of Cauldron Brewing Co, which combines a brewery and restaurant in one.

Queensland Country

Go west into the belly of Queensland Country and you’ll find some of the best craft breweries in Queensland to entertain you during your stay. Toowoomba isn’t just the Garden City but a beer powerhouse these days - quench your thirst at the town’s first brew pub, Monty Brewing Co. or sample the unusual drinks on offer at the 4 Brothers Brewing taproom down the road.

Or make your way to wine country - it’s in Stanthorpe where you'll find Granite Belt Brewery, with Castle Glen Brewery and Brass Monkey Brewhouse nearby.

Bundaberg

Teetering your way up along the Queensland coastline to Bundaberg you’ll still find your craving for craft brews satisfied. Bargara Brewing is on the up and up, a local brewer gaining attention for its beer made from 100% Queensland rainwater, and recently purchased by Brisbane’s Ballistic Beer Co.

Or sample the small batch brewing varieties courtesy of 384 North Brewing, which creates a mere 20-120 litres of beer at a time, primarily in the fields of IPA and pale ales.

Townsville

Local Townsville Brewing Co is well-versed in a good frothy. Drop by this pseudo-pub for a steak, accompanied by a pint of its specialty beers, ranging from a smoked porter to a peach and mango sour.

The Whitsundays

This collection of islands may be most famous for its natural wonders, but now its drinkable offerings are just as tempting. One of Brisbane's favourite beer teams, Ballistic Beer Co has recently arrived in Airlie Beach, the gateway to the region.

Mackay

Bid hello to Mackay’s brew houses with a trip to Goanna Brewing. The concept here is rather unique - members are welcomed to drop by the microbrewery and make their own beer on site (with the help of staff). Brewing takes just an hour to make one of 200 drinks, with your finished (preservative-free) product will be ready within a fortnight.

Red Dog Brewery is the newest craft beer hub on the block, further adding to Mackay's eclectic beer scene. 

Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Aside from spending your time snorkelling among the coral, your trip to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef should include a visit to some of its breweries. Drop by the award-winning Barrier Reef Brewing Co for one of its specialty ales, or make your way to one of the duo of outposts (Cairns or Port Douglas) of the famed Hemingways, a family-friendly addition that’s as famous for its beer as it is its pub grub.

At the base of the Macalister Range sits Macalister Brewing Co. a space firmly focused on unpasteurised, unfilited, preservative free brews. Or there's Coral Sea Brewing Co, founded with the mission to make beers perfectly suited to its tropical surrounds, with a tropic ale, a tropic lager, a tropic IPA, and a tropic wheat to choose from.

Capricorn 

While exploring the Capricorn Coast, make sure you save yourself the time to go and sample the region’s burgeoning population of beer focused endeavours. In Yeppoon you'll find Monkey Pig Brewing, where an array of 12 specialty beers are available to try, alongside a selection of fruit spritzers and non-alcoholic cordials. After something a little more sophisticated? Make the easy drive to neighbouring Rockhampton and Headricks Lane, an innovative dining destination with a microbrewery within, showcasing some of the state’s best beers.