To the microbrewery or bust!

When traveling to Australia you’ll find two things out very quickly. First, Australia, specifically booze that isn’t subsidized wine, is very expensive. Secondly, non-craft, regular, Australian beers taste pretty horrendous. While I’ll take a Carlton Draught over a Bintang any day of the week, Australia’s cheap beers aren’t that cheap, and are much worse than what you find throughout the states. Have no fret though, because if you are traveling the east coast, there are a few microbreweries scattered throughout the mix to help ease the pain.

Byron Bay Brewery- Located in the middle of the action in one of the most popular tourist destinations Australia, Byron Bay Brewery is awesome. Attached to the Arts Factory Hostel, BBB offers some fantastic craft beer at fantastic prices. The standard pale ale (which is quite tasty) sells for $5 a pint, and the most expensive beer, the porter, only ups the cost by a dollar. On top of good beer, the brewery offers BOGO on part of their food menu with the purchase of a pitcher. If you are with a friend, for about $16 a piece, you can get a few beers and a great meal.

Murray’s Brewery- While Port Stephens may not be one of the biggest tourists destinations in Australia (which is crazy), the charming town 2 hours outside of Sydney houses one of the best breweries on the east coast. Murray’s was founded by an Aussie who was enthralled with the microbrew scene in the US, and brought it to Australia. The beers on tap range from Pale Ale to Porters to Stouts, and though the prices reflect that of Australia, the beers don’t disappoint. The tap room offers free tastes of each beer, as well as a 5-taster tray with 3 ounce pours of their favorite standards. The Brewery also offers food and live music, and is attached to the Port Stephens Winery.

Enjoy your time in the Outback, and remember, you don’t need to settle for bad beer. It may cost you a pretty penny, but the taste and satisfaction is worth the extra hit to your pocket.

Photo courtesy of Crafty Pint