Your guide to the Gold Coast’s craft beer scene

Grab a seat at Burleigh Brewing Co and you’ll be soaking up a little history too. The team has been pouring beers made onsite since opening to the public in 2007 - at the time it was the only independent production brewery in Queensland, and this was before the Gold Coast had any craft beer bars of its own.

Founders Peta and Brennan Fielding run things with what they call a deliberately simple ethos: balance, character and soul. And it’s paid off, scooping up 28 World Gold Medals over the years.

While these days you can find many of the core Burleigh Brewing range in bottle shops around the country, a visit to HQ is a must. Not only can you sample the Taphouse Exclusives selection, an ever-changing, small batch offering that might include watermelon sour, hefeweizen, and dark lagers, but you can soak up live music, comedy, check out art, and even BYO dogs and kids.

Where: 2 Ern Harley Drive, Burleigh Heads.

Balter Brewing, Currumbin

Founded by a crew of the Gold Coast’s most famous pro surfers and buddies – including Mick Fanning, Bede Durbidge, Josh Kerr and Joel Parkinson – Balter is equal parts warehouse-style brew room and cool laneway bar. Recent renovations made it an even better place to unwind, thanks to the addition of a sun-drenched beer garden and vibrant upper-mezzanine bar.

The brewery’s taproom is a place for a casual catch up with mates over a freshly pulled XPA, Easy Hazy or Captain Sensible ale. There’s no beer snobbery here – it’s all about enjoyment, with a solid range of approachable beers that have won over the masses. Six Balter beers featured in the 2022 GABS Hottest 100.

Taste the offerings just metres from where all the magic happens, request a brewery tour, swing by for live music every Friday – Sunday, or nosh on some street food from one of the food trucks that roll up – depending on the day could be anything from woodfired Mexican fare to bao buns.

Where: 14 Traders Way, Currumbin.

Precinct Brewing Co, Miami

The beer comes first at Precinct Brewing Co, but creating a cool place to enjoy it is a close second.

A few blocks back from Burleigh Beach, Precinct is housed in an old workshop tucked away from the rush, but its graffiti-laden façade will capture your attention. The full working brewery is onsite, while large communal spaces make it the ideal spot to kick back with friends and family over a pacific ale, lager or gold-medal Indies-winning smashed berry sour ale.

Hungry? Tuck into beer-friendly share plates and gourmet pizzas .

Expect nothing but a quality experience here – this Gold Coast brewery is the mastermind of local hospitality heavyweight Scott Imlach (Nightjar, Bine Bar & Dining, Hideaway Kitchen & Bar) and the lineup of regular events from live music to comedy and game nights will keep giving you excuses to wander back through the doors.

Where: 17 Christine Ave, Miami QLD

Black Hops Brewery, Burleigh Heads and Biggera Waters 

Giving the people what they want – and paid for – is Black Hops’ reason for being. The crowdfunded social media darling of a brewery flung its doors open in April 2016 to rapturous applause and many thirsty mouths, and has been at the top of the Gold Coast craft beer scene ever since.

Naturally, Black Hops has grown since the early days of being just a big dream by three mates, and so has its beer empire. The operation is now home to four family and dog-friendly taprooms in Queensland, in order to craft six major limited release beers per year plus a host of small batch beers exclusive to their taprooms, alongside the much-loved core range that cover classic lagers, pale ale, IPAs and IIPAs.

Get a taste of the early days with a visit to the original taproom, a garage-esque space in Burleigh Heads, or wander around the corner to AWOL, the new barrel-aged brewing facility. On the northern end of the Gold Coast, Black Hops’ main production brewery hosts an industrial-style taproom too.

Where: The original taproom is at 15 Gardenia Grove, Burleigh Heads. AWOL Taproom is a short stroll away at 4 Hibiscus Haven, Burleigh Heads. Black Hops II – a second production brewery and taproom – is located at 671 Pine Ridge Road, Biggera Waters.

Another brewery and taproom is based in East Brisbane.

Lost Palms Brewing Co., Miami

A stone’s throw from bustling Miami Marketta is the pink-hued drinking den known as Lost Palms Brewing Co. If you rate the aesthetic of a brewery as much as what’s pouring, you’ll want to make a beeline here to sample everything from easy-drinking lagers to more creative options, like hibiscus and guava sours and an ever-changing lineup of limited release beers too.

Where: 11 Oak Avenue, Miami.

Burleigh Barrels, Burleigh Waters

Located just 1km back from the sands of Burleigh Beach, Burleigh Barrels offers a breezy, relaxed vibe away from the bustle of James Street.

A solid range of core beers includes hazy IPAs, amber and pale ales – and of course lagers and session ales for those hot summer days – scooped up numerous 2022 Independent Brewers Awards. Things get more experimental in the special release menu, which you can pair with a feast from the low n’ slow BBQ offering.

While Burleigh Barrels is a relative newcomer to the Gold Coast craft beer scene, pouring the first beer in April 2022, the team has been dedicated to making this a community space: it’s dog-friendly, there’s trivia every Wednesday, open mic night on Thursdays, and live music Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Where: 3-4/105 W Burleigh Rd, Burleigh Waters

Fortitude Brewing Co., Mount Tamborine

Head for the hills of the Gold Coast Hinterland to the flavour masters at Fortitude Brewing Co. and grab a pint from either of their two brewed-onsite product lines: the classics from Fortitude or Noisy Minor Co, where things get creative with single batch brews.

Perfect for a pint after a local hike or exploring art along the Gallery Walk, pop by Fortitude to join fellow beer lovers in the sunshine, make a tasting paddle from the 15 taps of brews, and get your hands around made-to-order pizzas.

Where: 165 Long Road, Mount Tamborine.

Madocke Bier/Beer Brewing Company, Ashmore

Need a break from the West Coast IPAs? Mix things up at Madocke Bier, a Gold Coast brewery passionate about serving the best Belgian-style brews in Australia. Husband and wife team, Annelies and Jimmy Nijskens, harness their Belgian roots to brew drops perfect for the Gold Coast, which has been their home since emigrating in 2016.

And the passion is paying off: the range of witbier, Belgian strong ales and quads is not only winning over locals, but industry judges too - scoring a gold medal at the Indies 2021 and a nomination for best new brewery at the Beeries.

Every now and then they invite beer lovers behind the scenes and into the realm of Belgian-brewing with a ‘Shindig with the Brewer’ – so keep an eye out for the next event.

Where: 286 Southport Nerang Rd, Ashmore QLD

Gold Coast craft beer bars

Bine Bar and Dining, Mermaid Beach 

When you want to turn a beer-session into more of a meal, make your way to Bine where craft beer is perfectly matched with bites, from decadent mac and cheese croquettes to spicy chook burgers and tacos. You’ll find eight rotating craft beer taps, a bunch of bottled beer, a selection of wines and cocktails – plus live music nearly every day of the week.

Where: 1/28 Chairlift Avenue, Mermaid Beach.

House of Brews, Surfers Paradise

Surfers Paradise may be the tourist hotspot of the Gold Coast, but you can expect good flavours to continue. If you’re thirsty, make your way to lively gastro-pub House of Brews to tackle the mammoth 32 taps that make up their craft beer selection and unleash your inner rock god or goddess with live music on weekends.

The American-inspired taphouse also serves up a huge food menu - expect monster portions of US flavours with burgers, wings, nachos and a big BBQ board to feed 2-3 people. There’s an extensive cocktail offering for any non-beer drinkers in the group too.

Where: 17 Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise.

Sandbar, Surfers Paradise

Sandbar is your chance to pull up a barstool at an enduring institution of Surfers Paradise. Embracing the Gold Coast’s alfresco-perfect weather, seating flows onto the Esplanade, moments from the sand.

Take your pick from taps that showcase Gold Coast breweries along with other notable craft beers, and an approachable food menu ideal for post-beach bites. The wine, cocktail and spirits list is worth a glance as well.

Where: 52 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise.

Tank Bar & Dining, Palm Beach

With ten rotating craft beer taps showcasing local and Aussie brews, Tank has become Palm Beach’s newest laid back watering hole for those who love their drinks malty and hoppy.

From the brains and friendly faces behind Bine Bar & Dining, Tank offers a family-friendly atmosphere across two storeys (some ocean views from the top level), a solid line up of Gold Coast craft beer, and bites that’ll please the whole crew, from burgers and parmis to bao buns and wings.

Where: 1166 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach