There are two main beer scenes in Sydney, so we’ve arranged our list of favourites by area. If you’re visiting from out of town, we recommend checking out the beer scene on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Catch the ferry from Circular Quay and start beer hopping from there. If you’re a local, we recommend checking out the best breweries near Sydney CBD. Catch the train to Central Station, jump on a bus/ uber, and work your way around the best craft breweries around Marrickville.

Young Henrys offers its own brews straight from the tap and is one of the best spots to sample some craft beer in Sydney. The embodiment of Newtown in a glass, we love the rock’n’roll vibe. Patrons can sit and look directly at the brewing process happening right before their eyes, or take one of their famous brewery tours via the reservation link here. While they don’t have a kitchen, food is taken care of by food trucks which can be monitored via their Facebook.

If you’re looking to catch any of the Man of Many team on a Friday night, there’s a good chance we’ll be hanging out at The Grifter in Marrickville. The brewery serves up a range of favourites on tap (including the famous watermelon beer) and you can even walk away with a squealer or two if you’re interested. The atmosphere is excellent, the tables are clean, there’s a pool table, it’s dog friendly, and the list goes on. Stay on the lookout for food trucks – our favourite being the classic Rico’s Taco’s that’s around from 5pm Fridays, and 12pm Saturdays & Sundays.

Yulli’s Brews is a favourite of ours for a good old-fashioned Sunday Session. Take your pick of any one of their beers and be satisfied, or line up your visit with their weekly rotating lineup of music acts, including Jazz on Thursdays, Canned Heat on Fridays, and our favourite ‘Dusty Sundays’ on the weekend. This is one of our favourite breweries in Sydney for food with tasty, honest, and affordable grub focusing on Vietnamese with a bit of true blue Aussie thrown in the mix too.

These guys have come a long way since they started brewing beers in a Marrickville backyard. Located in an unassuming brick building in the heartland of Sydney’s burgeoning craft beer scene, Philter Brewing houses a bar, and an in-house restaurant serving up all your favourite pub-style meals. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, head upstairs and you will find Marrickville Springs – a resort-style rooftop bar that makes our list of the best in Sydney. In terms of recommendations, we can’t go past the staple Philter XPA.

At Willie the Boatman it’s all about beer with character. Just like its name, derived from the legend of a convict boatman, the brews all have a story of their own. The nautical-themed bar offers a boatload of atmosphere for sampling beers named after real people, including briny pale ales, XPAs, IPAs, dark ales and even a beer named after Albo. Stay up to date with all Willie the Boatman happenings via their Instagram right here. Eat before you arrive as there are only nibbles on site.

Batch Brewing Company now houses three top-tier establishments around Sydney, but our focus will be on their humble beginnings in Marrickville (home to beer in Sydney). You’ll find this beer in many of Sydney’s top restaurants and bars but going to the brewery and drinking from the tap offers so much more. The core range includes American pales ales and IPAs but it constantly rotates to the latest tastiest batches. Food trucks can be found on-site (typically Thursday to Sunday) so you can grab a bite to eat with your beer.

We went looking for Sydney’s most unique brewery and we think we found it with Wildflower. These boys and girls collate a mix of wild yeast, brewer’s yeast and foraged bacteria from New South Wales to give their brews a truly localised flavour. The Australian wild ales are ever-changing, so there is always something new to try with this unique little microbrewery. In terms of food, check out the brand’s Facebook as food trucks frequent the venue.

This craft beer Sydney brewery is, ironically enough, set up in an old winery. Wayward Brewing Co started brewing all over the place but settled in its current home back in 2015. Its core lineup includes all the classics from a top-tier brewery in Sydney, try IPAs and red ale, lager, sour ale, and Keller bier alongside a scrumptious range of seasonal beers. Keep your eye on their Facebook page for food specials but you can tuck into classic smash burgers and spring rolls onsite if you’re peckish.

Another one that serves the Man of Many team a few memories after a typically rowdy Christmas Party, this Sydney microbrewery has everything you’d want in new craft beers. Located in Sydney’s inner west, this saucy brew offers a range of ales and lagers, our favourite of which remains Hop sauce – the flagship pale ale with hints of tropical and stone fruits – perfect for summer in our books. You’ll also find an ever-changing array of IPAs, sours and darks, alongside a quality selection of food that ranges from chicken wings to salads and burgers.

Housed in a beautiful 19th-century building, Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel is one of the longest-running pub breweries in Sydney. On your average day, you’ll find six on-site brews on offer with summer ales, bitters and even a caramel-infused English ale. We love the old English pub style, but it’s the scenic harbour that takes things up a notch. It’s a great venue to check out before walking down the hill to Barangaroo where you can find some of our favourite restaurants.

Stockade Brew Co Barrel room has already won more than 60 awards since it was founded in 2015, including the world’s best imperial stout at the World Beer Awards. Core beers include your well-known pale ales, IPAs and lagers but where they really shine are the seasonal batches. Ever tried maple syrup beer or Roly smoked Jalapeno porter? For those looking for something different Stockade is the place to be. Stay on the lookout for Baby Rey’s food truck, it’s one of our favourites in Sydney and serves up the classic ‘Cheesegasm’ burger for just over $10.

Surry Hills Pils, Pyrmont Rye IPA, Lovedale lager, try your own suburb in beer form! Sydney Brewery celebrates all that makes Sydney unique and wonderful. Even the beers are named after its most famous suburbs, each with its own character and uniqueness. The award-winning microbrewery also has your typical pub grub and live music.

Staves Brewery comes from the sheer will of one Englishman, looking to follow his big dreams of opening a proper English brewery and it’s paid off tenfold as the brewery has gone from strength to strength. Offering up a core range of IPAs, pale ales, stout and even a spicy Belgian ale, you’ll be spoilt for choice at one of the best microbreweries Sydney’s got to offer.

This is anything but an average brewery. You can expect flowing beers on the top floor, but downstairs is a whole different story, with a front bar, pool room and a Chinese Restaurant. The decor is also something else—the venue is a celebration of Bon Hawke (who co-founded the brand), with plenty of nods to the 80s design trends of his heyday.

In a light-filled former paper house in Botany, sits One Drop Brewing Co, a brewery that’s about as local as it gets. Along with plenty of refreshing beers, you can also expect to see food trucks and live DJs dropping some funky tunes on most nights. Chilled-out vibes and fruity beers, this place is a tropical oasis like none other, tucked away in the streets of Botany.

Craft beer, natural wines, whisky and an onsite kitchen—this Marrickville brewery does not take any shortcuts. Mixtape is a brewpub, with 18 taps pouring out all your favourites, including Yulli’s and Frenchies, just to name a few. With dumplings and chicken wings close by to help soak it all up, this warehouse is a much-welcomed addition to the bustling brewery scene in the inner west suburb.

Marrying techniques and styles from around the world with the best Australian native ingredients is a recipe for some of the best craft beer Sydney has ever seen. Nomad Brewing Co offers pacific style pale ales, IPAs, sour ales, spiced beer and more on their 11 taps that are constantly rotating new and exciting tastes.

After spending months in the USA, and cultivating a deep understanding of the brewing method, Modus Operandi Brewing was born. With Live yeast from the USA, malts and hops from all corners of the globe, this craft brewery is putting the beer first and has scored multiple entries in the GABS Top 50 beers over the years. If you’re looking for a brewery on the Northern Beaches that also serves food, this is our pick of the bunch with everything from Halloumi Fries to Tacos.

Located in the heart of Brookvale, 7th Day Brewery is a local favourite. Sit amongst the fermentation tanks and drink crisp, cool brews from the head brewer, Mike, and enjoy his many innovative, fresh take on brewing. Head next door for authentic Italian food and pizza from Sale Pepe, if you’re in the mood for a feed!

From the Hunter Valley to Brookvale, Bucketty’s Brewing Co. encapsulates the paddock-to-pint ethos as no other brewery does. Joining Brookvale’s rapidly expanding brewery zone, the guys here are all about the beer, without any extra thrills. Expect creative beers, live music and food trucks.

Father and son team originally home-brewed their beer at Quakers Hat Bay, have turned things up a notch, now serving up thirsty crowds at a boutique brewery in Manly Vale. They brew in small batches, and their main focus is on making excellent beer, which is exactly what you’ll find at Quakers Hat Brewing. Make sure you eat before you arrive as food is few and far between in this industrial business park.

A new kid on the block, Freshwater Brewing Company recently opened their taproom and restaurant in Brookvale. The vibes here are chill, but refined, with an immaculate seafood menu to accompany the fresh beers and laid-back atmosphere that defines the Northern beaches. The 120-seat taproom is the perfect way to discover one of the beaches’ most iconic brewers.

This family-run brewery has one thing in mind, making delicious beer, as per their motto — “We make beer, delicious beer!” They focus on using traditional ingredients of malt, hops, water and yeast, and then combine these with some innovative ingredients and brewing techniques. They always have something fun going on, too, with trivia nights. live music, half-priced burgers and plenty more. Did we mention burgers?! They have some of the best burgers at any brewery in Sydney.

Riverside Brewing Company are dedicated to brewing pure, natural handcrafted beers with a focus on quality, not quantity. A true Aussie beer, the Sixty Nine Summer ale is a proud beer brewed with 100% Australian barley and hops. Their lineup also includes a robust porter, IPA and American Amber. Head to this Sydney brewery where you can sample all the beers fresh at the source.

Mount Colah’s very first brewery, Ekim Brewing is bringing some excitement (and good beer) to Northern Sydney. The small, locally-owned craft brewery brew in small batches, unfiltered and unpasteurised, with their selection varying each week. Their cellar door is the definition of no-thrills attached, and whilst it may be small, it makes up for it in the quality of beer on offer. Sit-down down tastings are also available as well as takeaway cans & growler fills.

Akasha Brewing is the inner-west brewery that likes to fly under the radar, and while you may have seen Akasha beers in many pubs and drinking spots, we bet you haven’t been to their brewery (yet.) The rustic interior of the Five Dock brewery houses 12 taps of hop-forward, light-bodied styles that are all extremely drinkable.

This husband and wife-owned brewery specialise in modern interpretations of old-world European ales and lagers, which is what makes them stand out from the crowd. They use traditional brewing methods to produce slow-fermented beer, and trust us when we say you can taste the difference. The brewery itself is small, and laid-back and makes for the perfect spot to put your feet up and enjoy some Sunday afternoon bevvies.

Repping the ever-trendy Alexandria is 2 Halfs Brewing & Distilling. The spacious taproom is an old-world European beer lovers’ dream—think Czech pilsners, and Belgian Blondes. They also distil gin, whiskey and eastern European spirits, and there are delicious, cheesy pizzas made in-house to satisfy the cravings when they inevitably hit, or cheese boards if you’re just feeling peckish.

Another Alexandria brewery making waves in the suburb, Bracket Brewing is all about unique beers you won’t find anywhere else, with a constantly evolving rotation, so you will never get bored. You can expect to try varying styles of IPA and blonde lagers, to name a few. The space is kitsch and charming, and you can order Uber Eats when you get hungry.