The Best Craft Beer Bars and Pubs in Brisbane

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Five years ago, you would have been hard pressed to find a craft beer bar in Brisbane any better than the collection of yeasty hand grenades stored in the back corner of your Uncle Tom's garage. But times have changed. The XXXX joint in Milton is no longer Brisbane's only brewery and chances are you'll even find a craft beer or two sneaking onto the taps at your local. Read on, drink up (responsibly) and enjoy.

Archive Beer Boutique

If you haven't already heard about Archive then we're honestly surprised you've managed to find your way to this article. Even so, I'll briefly wax lyrical about what may not be our city's first craft beer bar but is certainly its longest running. With 22 constantly rotating taps and more than 400 different bottled beverages, this West End institution is likely Brisbane's most comprehensive beerblioteca. For the craft beer novices it's never too hard to find an easy-to-drink classic from the likes of Stone and Wood, James Squire or Little Creatures and for the more experienced there's no shortage of choice in ales from pale to black, porters, wheat and rye beer. A sparse but tasty bar menu and regular live music cap off the experience nicely.

100 Boundary St, West End; (07) 3844 3419; www.archivebeerboutique.com.au

Newstead Brewing Co.

Right in the middle of Newstead's craft beer district (henceforth known as Brewstead™) Newstead Brewing Co is the tonic for anything that ails you. Inside this old bus depot/art gallery you'll find eight home-grown favourites on tap, plus a couple of seasonal specialties and a guest beer or two. You'll need many repeat visits to make a dent in the 'Other People's Beer' list without doing yourself some lasting damage. There's also a delicious range of snacks including honey and hops roasted cashews, jerky and pizza. The buffalo wings with blue cheese dipping sauce are probably the best this beer-lover has ever had. Sticky hands? Never fear. With state-of-the-art brewing comes state-of-the-art hand drying. Welcome to one of the only places in Brisbane you can find the all-in-one moisture-battling masterpiece that is the Dyson Airblade Tap.

85 Doggett Street, Newstead; (07) 3172 2488; www.newsteadbrewing.com.au

Embassy Bar

Remember the familiar compromise you made when The Vic was too busy, The Port Office too far to walk, and a cab ride to the Valley was money better spent on another drink? You'd always head to The Embassy. Now, of all the obvious signs that Brisbane's craft beer scene has come a long way, there are possibly none more telling than the transformation of Brisbane's premier piece of average after-dark entertainment into a stellar craft beer bar. Now when you pour your own (on the hand-pump tap) you're more likely to see a nod of approval from the bartender than be swiftly ejected by some fun-squashing bouncer. Thankfully, you're more likely to see classic Charlie Chaplin on a TV screen than someone vomiting back into the jug they were drinking straight out of like in the (not so good) old days.

214 Elizabeth St, Brisbane; (07) 3221 7616; www.embassybar.com.au

Brisbane German Club

Okay, so it's not technically a 'craft' beer bar but where else in Brisbane can you find this many weizens, dunkels, bocks, biers and braus from one of the great beverage's traditional homes. On this Deutsch drinkery's taps you'll find 12 of the finest German offerings — from mainstream brews like Becks to more adventurous (and dare we say rewarding) options like the tar-black Schwarzbier or lighter, fruitier weissbiers (wheat beers, simple right?). I don't know about you, but my mum always told me not to drink on an empty stomach. Once again the Brisbane German Club has you covered. You'll find staples like sauerbraten, schnitzels, sausages and pork knuckle so good it has to be eaten to be believed.

416 Vulture Street, East Brisbane; (07) 3391 2434; www.brisbanegermanclub.com

Woolly Mammoth Alehouse

The Valley's newest extinct-animal-themed venue is another example of the craft beerhemoth sending its hoppy tendrils into places we never thought it could go. Surely nobody would have predicted the infamous Mustang Bar would become a craft beer paradise. With six mainstay taps pouring favourites like James Squire One Fifty Lashes and Stone and Wood Pacific Ale and a craft bar with another 23 independent brews from all over the country, you're spoilt for choice. If you're hungry, there's also a great menu of pizzas, ribs, and some surprise options you're unlikely to see elsewhere in Brisbane.

633 Ann St, Fortitude Valley; (07) 3257 4439

Green Beacon Brewing Co.

Another staple of Brewstead™, Green Beacon Brewing Co. stocks all its own brews; from regular classics like the 3 Bolt Pale Ale to seasonal varieties. The team thinks beer can be about more than just drinking, so there's a heavy focus on pairing different drops with items on the menu of share plates, toasted sangas and fresh local seafood. On the all-important taps you'll find a great range of seven ales, porters and lagers. The malty Barbary Coast and an American golden ale called The Whaler are featuring on the seasonal taps for now, and the Uppercut IPA is a powerful drop that lives up to its pugilistic name with a 9.3 percent ABV and a palate to match.

26 Helen St, Teneriffe; (07) 3252 8393

The Scratch

The Scratch's motto is "No pretension, no dress code and no pub cover bands". The small bar is a cosy, chilled, shabby-chic addition to Milton's wining 'n' dining Park Road precinct; an area once better known for metre-long pizzas, espressos and relatively diminutive Eiffel Towers. At the bar you'll find six regularly rotating taps stocked with a range likely to offer a few surprises for all but the most experienced crafty beerggars. For instance, right now the drops range from a 2.5 percent passionfruit sour to a 9.6 percent Russian imperial stout.

8/1 Park Rd, Milton; (07) 3107 9910; www.scratchbar.com

Brewski Bar

This cosy spot on Caxton Street has a wide range of beers and some great simple eats to match. You'll find an ever-changing selection of eight beers on tap along with more than 120 varieties of your favourite libations bottled and ready to go. As a bonus for those new to the wonders of craft beer, this bar hosts a series of Beerginners talks, starting with a basic guide to the craft industry before drilling deeper into just how each of the amber nectar's ingredients affects the taste.

22 Caxton St, Brisbane; (07) 3369 2198; www.brewskibar.com.au

Want to brush up on a few craft beer basics before buying? Check out our Bluffer's Guide to Craft Beer.

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