Breweries & distilleries

Discover a new breed of artisanal small batch brews and spirits at Victoria's ever-growing stable of craft breweries, cideries and distilleries.

Breweries

Across Melbourne and Victoria, independent boutique breweries and cideries are producing artisan, craft beers and ciders with their own unique flavours. From well-known Little Creatures in Geelong and Bright Brewery in the High Country, to smaller producers Bullant Brewery in Bruthen and The Taproom in Castlemaine, there are plenty of places (and excuses) to stop at cellar doors for a tasting paddle, a tour, or a long, beer-matched lunch.

Out and about? The road is paved with liquid gold on the High Country Brewery Trail and the Yarra Valley Cider & Ale Trail.

City dwellers, go west: discover Two Birds Brewing in Spotswood, Hop Nation in Footscray, and Thunder Road in Brunswick. Or, on the city fringe, explore Richmond, home to pioneer Mountain Goat Beer and newcomer Burnley Brewing.

Distilleries

Small batch spirits are in like artisan gin as new distilleries fling open their doors across Victoria, offering tastings and tours. Start your spirit-ual journey with single malt whisky at Starward Distillery in Port Melbourne and Timboon Railyway Shed Distillery on the Great Ocean Road. Behold the botanicals of bespoke and small-batch gins at Four Pillars in Healesville, Bass and Flinders Distillery in Red Hill, Kilderkin Distillery in Ballarat, and Reed and Co. in Bright. Branching out? Try quinoa vodka and other experimental spirits at Alchemy Distillers or the 'healing liqueurs' at Herbal Lore in Daylesford. Whatever your tipple, Victoria's new breed of distilleries has a flight for you.