The Five Best Online Bottle Shops for Craft Beer in Sydney

The craft beer evolution is continuing to revitalise our drinking culture and increasingly specialist online retailers are getting in on the action. Offering the best independent labels that you won't find at your local bottle shop, they offer an exciting range of new drinking options. Here's our guide to some of the best places to buy craft beer online and get it delivered in Sydney.

BEER STORE

Come here to order Piss. No really, they've got a lager from Geelong Brewing titled 'Piss' on offer. There's plenty more besides, including craft beer heroes Mountain Goat, James Squire and 3 Ravens. They're also particularly good at stocking little seen but intriguing independents — see, for instance, their stash of Skinny Blonde, the brew of former Vines Drummer and craft beer guru Hamish Rosser. Reminiscent of Japanese beers like Asahi, it's a beauty, though hard to find outside of inner Sydney. The website layout is simple and intuitive, making it easy to get the beer off the computer screen and down your throat.

HOPS AND CRAFT

A curated craft beer subscription service, Hops and Craft is an intriguing new option for fulfilling your craft beer needs. Each month you get a dozen different craft brews from across the country, and their wealth of online content gives you all the tasting notes and background on the beers you need to become an instant expert. There are no lock-in contracts, so it's easy to give it a trial run. They have hundreds of craft beers in stock, so expect the unexpected, but you could find the likes of Sydney Brewery's light Glamarama Summer Ale, a Quiet Deeds IPA or a Boatrocker SMASH! Ale in your mixed dozen.

BEER CARTEL

Boasting an impressive 1,100 beers in their catalogue and products from the likes of Nepal, Lebanon and Brazil, it's safe to say that the range here runs quite a bit beyond the standard slabs of VB and New. With beers arranged by country, style and brewery, it's an easy site to navigate and the staff recommendations are a nice touch. You can also sign up to their monthly beer club, or pick up a mixed pack, perfect for either a gift for a beer connoisseur mate or for a tasting session. With such an overwhelming range, choosing can be tricky, but for an easy drinking variety, you can't go wrong with the award-winning Two Birds Taco ($12.50 bottle), a wheat ale perfect for your new Mexican feast.

BEER BUD

For those who know what they want when they want it, you can search beers by their type, by brewery, or by Australian region at Beer Bud. If in doubt, you can go directly to their Craft Beer and Craft Cider pages, but we really do recommend having a snoop around; their selection is insane. Beer Bud also has access to rare and limited releases that are often a little experimental and packed with flavour, including brews from Doctors Orders and KAIJU!. Low prices and fast delivery are all part of the deal at Beer Bud.

CRAFTY BREW

It's all about supporting independent Australian breweries at Crafty Brew. The greatest thing to do on Crafty Brew is to play on their Build a Box page. Select the quantity of beers you're after, the style (or styles) you like, the ideal beer strength and the price range. They will bring you a selection of possibilities to match your wish list and you can either skip over them or add them to your cart. It's like a personality quiz, but with beer.

By Daniel Herborn and Hannah Valmadre.