Visit Sunshine Coast: Australia’s ‘Craft Beer (And Emerging Gin) Capital'

GoRegional's Guide To The Best Craft Breweries And Distilleries To Visit On Queensland's Sunshine Coast

Beyond its popular beaches, café and restaurants, the Sunshine Coast is home to a rapidly growing collection of craft breweries and distilleries which collectively have earned the region the title of Australia’s ‘Craft Beer Capital’.

And for good reason. In the past five years the Sunshine Coast’s craft beer scene has exploded to feature more than 21 brewers who use the region’s natural landscape as their inspiration.

According to destination marketing organisation Visit Sunshine Coast below are the craft brewers and distillers to check out on your next trip to the north coast!

Breweries

Brouhaha Brewery

Located in the popular hinterland town of Maleny – best known for its cafes and craft shops, this popular brewpub uses local ingredients as its inspiration to produce a range of beers, including Hinterland Pale, Maleny Lager, Coastal Mid and its award-winning Strawberry Rhubarb Sour.

Above: Brouhaha offers 10 taps of award-winning craft beer (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Brouhaha also works closely with local producers on its menu; for example, the spent grain used to brew its beer is passed on to Maleny Wagyu to feed cattle, with the Wagyu back on the menu at Brouhaha where nothing goes to waste.

Now with a dedicated brewery at Baringa, this proudly independent brewery offers 10 taps of award-winning craft beer and a menu full of local produce sourced from within 20km of the brewpub.

For more information click here.

Moffat Beach Brewing Co

With views over Caloundra’s iconic surf break, Moffat Beach is all about laid-back vibes, good surf and great beer.

Moffat Beach Brewing Co took out first place in the 2021 Champion Brewpub category of the Royal Queensland Beer Awards, and its brews – including Moff’s Summer Ale, Passenger Pale Ale, Social Jam Pale Mid, Trilogy Best Coast IPA plus a raft of limited releases – have won numerous awards including several Golds at the 2021 Royal Queensland Beer Awards.

Above: Moffat Beach Brewing is about laid-back vibes, good surf and great beer (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Its on-site brewery is in full public view so you can sit back, take in the warm sea breeze, and watch the masters at work – as well as enjoy a selection of delicious food. Through its two venues - Beachside and Production House - Moffat Beach Brewing Co offer a truly immersive experience, celebrating fresh local produce, live music and delicious beers.

For more information click here.

Your Mates Brewing Co

With its Larry Pale Ale coming in third in the 2022 GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers, Your Mates Brewing Co is arguably the Sunshine Coast’s largest and most successful craft brewery.

Established in 2013 with an emphasis on having a good time with your mates over a great beer, the brewery is adored by locals and visitors from afar, with the brewhouse at Warana featuring a full tap list of Your Mates’ brews, including Larry Pale Ale, Sally IPA, Eddie Session XPA, Donnie Dark Ale, Macca Aussie Lager, Tilly Ginger Beer and a selection of limited-release beers.

Above: Your Mates Brewing Co's Larry Pale Ale ranked third in the 2022 GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers awards

Featuring an arcade area and huge seating and function areas, the popular brewhouse also serves up a mouth-watering menu, including 12-hour smoked meats, fresh share plates for mates, loaded parmies, juicy burgers and vegan treats. It also plays host to live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and is the perfect spot for after-work drinks, weekend get togethers or large parties and functions.

For more information click here.

Land and Sea - Noosa Brewing Co

A firm favourite with locals, Noosaville’s Land and Sea Brewery serves up a range of ale, IPA and lager brews, along with crowd-pleasing meals such as burgers, BBQ spareribs and a delicious ‘local plate’ antipasto.

Above: Noosaville’s Land and Sea Brewery serves up a range of ale, IPA and lager brews

Its Japanese Rice Lager has won Gold at the Indies (Independent Beer Awards) and the beachy aesthetic at the brewery is hard to beat.

For more information click here.

Copperhead Restaurant Brewery

Hidden away at Cooroy in the picturesque Noosa hinterland, Copperhead is a small-batch bespoke brewery that produces a core range of seven beers available only on tap, with the addition of ever-changing experimental batches for the craft beer aficionado.

Make sure to stay for lunch, with its a la carte menu offering fresh local seafood, delicious share plates and a memorable dessert menu.

An extensive wine list and fully stocked bar is also available, making Copperhead a great choice for your next function, wedding or big night out.

For more information click here.

Eumundi Brewery

Located in the charming hinterland town of Eumundi – home to the world-famous Eumundi Markets, the heritage-listed Imperial Hotel is renowned for its colourful decor, sensational food and live entertainment, as well as the on-site Eumundi Brewery and Eumundi Distillers.

First crafted back in 1988, the state-of-the-art brewery has been revived and now produces Eumundi Brewery Lager (which won a Bronze Award in the 2021 Australian Independent Beer Awards), Eumundi Brewery Pale Ale, plus a range of other seasonal beers.

Above: The state-of-the-art brewery produces Eumundi Brewery Lager and Eumundi Brewery Pale Ale

And if gin is more your thing, the Imperial Hotel is also home to Eumundi Distillers, with a fabulous gin bar serving up handcrafted Folktale Navy Strength Eumundi Gin, produced from a combination of fresh local ginger, limes and lemon myrtle, giving a real taste of Eumundi.

For more information click here.

Heads of Noosa Brewing Co

Heads of Noosa opened its doors in early 2019 and is an independent, family-owned brewery. With a unique focus on quality lagers, its beers are inspired by the nearby rocky headlands of Noosa Heads and include a Japanese Lager, an amber lager called Summer Dusk, a mid-strength lager and a Pilsener.

The taproom is the window into the brewery where you can sample its beers alongside a curated, seasonal menu with ingredients which are sourced sustainably and as locally as possible.

For more information click here.

Terella Brewing

Situated at North Arm in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Terella Brewing is a new sustainable farm-style brewery that’s integrated with a neighbouring vertical farm system which grows fresh produce in indoor growing booths under UV lights.

Fresh water is created as a by-product of this process, which Terella Brewing then uses as a water supply to produce its beers, including a lager, pale ale, mango XPA, hazy IPA and session ale – plus an alcoholic lemonade and imperial barley wine. Uniquely, when brewing the beer, the Co2 created in the fermentation process is captured and re-injected back into the vertical farm to help grow the green produce.

Above: Situated in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Terella Brewing is a new sustainable farm-style brewery

Making additional use of its space, Terella has installed a petting farm with a mixture of farm animals ranging from goats, pigs, chickens, sheep, ducks and even miniature horses - perfect for the kids to explore! Open Friday through to Sunday, each week Teralla rotates local food trucks at its taproom to provide visitors with great local food to enjoy while getting down a delicious brew.

For more information click here.

Distilleries

Like the region’s ever-expanding craft breweries, the Sunshine Coast has also witnessed a sharp rise in the number of craft distilleries, offering spirit-lovers more choice than ever before – from gin and vodka to rum and even whisky!

Sunshine & Sons

After just 18 months in business, Sunshine & Sons Original Dry Gin won Gold and its Small Batch Barrel Aged Gin picked up the coveted Best in Class trophy for Best Matured Gin at the Australian Gin Awards last December.

Above: Woombye's Sunshine & Sons is making waves with its range of coastal-inspired spirits

It’s a rapid rise for the distillery, based in the old Big Pineapple precinct at Woombye, which has been making waves with its range of coastal-inspired spirits, from its traditional dry gin and volcanic rock-filtered vodka, to its herbaceous Jet Juice Maroochy River sugarcane spirit and the cold-brew coffee and double roasted macadamia-infused organic molasses spirit – Mr Barista.

To top it off, it recently released Australia’s first organic-certified molasses rum, Nil Desperandum ‘FIRST’, which is made from organic molasses, Woombye water, yeast and nothing else – and aged in sherry-soaked oak barrels. Visitors are welcome every weekday 10am-5pm and at their cellar door each Saturday 10am-5pm for a tour, tastings and bottle sales.

For more information click here.

Pomona Distilling Co

Located in the Noosa hinterland, Pomona Distilling Co is built on the site of the old Pomona bakery, which has been completely rebuilt using heritage timbers and other reclaimed materials.

The real star of the show here – once you get past the delicious scents coming from the kitchen – is its hand-crafted spirits, which include a selection of organic botanical gins including Signature Dry, Pomona Pink, Blue Pea Flower Gin as well as a vodka – plus small-batch blends like a Christmas Gin using native organic botanicals, some foraged straight from Master Distiller and owner Robin Yates’ Pomona farm.

Above: Pomona Distilling Co is built on the site of the old Pomona bakery (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

The venue is full of surprises; as you pass the bistro and head out onto the deck to the highlight of the stunning outdoor timer arbour, garden gin bar and shipping container art gallery. If gin’s not your thing, there’s a mouth-watering selection of cocktails, wine and beer to keep you happy and refreshed.

For more information click here.

Beachtree Distilling Co

Using organic sugarcane and rainwater, Beachtree Distilling Co in Caloundra produces a range of Australian-themed gins and vodkas that taste as good as they look.

Above: Beachtree Distilling Co in Caloundra produces a range of Australian-themed gins and vodkas

The botanicals used in the tipples are organically grown, native or wild-harvested, and are combined with charcoal-filtered rainwater to create a product with no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or sweeteners. With stunning labels, you won’t be able to pass up taking a bottle home!

For more information click here.

Fortune Noosa

Tucked away in the industrial estate in Noosa (inside Land & Sea Brewery) is where you’ll find Fortune Noosa’s distillery churning out gin – and boy, is it worth a visit.

Above: Fortune’s distillery is tucked away inside the Land & Sea Brewery at Noosa

Make the effort to visit and not only can you sample (and buy) its dry gin, infused with botanicals like lemongrass, honeydew and green tea, but you’ll be able to knock back a few cocktails at its gin-focused bar.

For more information click here.

20 20 Distillery

Dedicated to making high-quality spirits using high-end ingredients, 20 20’s boutique booze artisans are putting their best foot forward with its debut drops – an East London Dry Gin containing just seven botanicals and a single-malt whisky distilled in a traditional copper pot, old-school-style. You can get a taste from the distillery’s on-site tasting room in Cooroy.

Above: 20 20 Distillery's East London Dry Gin contains just seven botanicals

To accompany you on your spirit-tasting journey, 20 20 also offers a selection of tasting boards with cheese, charcuterie and dips that shine a light on local produce sourced close by.

For more information click here.

Paradise Rum 

As the name suggests, Paradise Rum specialises in a five-year aged rum distilled in American oak barrels but it also produces a gin and two vodkas. The flavours of its coconut vodka and spiced rum will transport you straight to the sun-soaked shores of the Caribbean.

These guys keep the party going in Warana with a live DJ from Friday to Sunday every week.

For more information click here.

Diablo Co

In addition to its hero drink – the sweet and spicy Diablo alcoholic ginger beer – the guys at Diablo Co have whipped up a selection of three vodka products, three rums, nine liqueurs and a gin.

Above: Diablo Co serves up vodka products, three rums, nine liqueurs and a gin

Paying homage to Dimi Limnatitis’ homeland, the Azure Mediterranean Gin has been specially designed with a Mediterranean flavour.

Head to The Big Pineapple every Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon, where you’ll find the Diablo Australia Oasis outdoor bar fronting a grassy section at the back for a taste test.

For more information click here.

Seabourne

One of the newest kids on the block, Seabourne has popped up in Noosaville. Founded by intrepid local, Hayden Weir, it serves up just two tipples, a Coastal Dry Gin and a Berry Blush Gin, with a real focus on quality over quantity.

Above: Noosaville's Seabourne serves up just two tipples, a Coastal Dry Gin and a Berry Blush Gin

Pull up a chair and enjoy an exciting gin-blending class, an interesting distillery tour or simply sip on Seabourne’s signature gins.

For more information click here.

Steampunk Distillery

A home-based distilling business putting its own spin on local gin and vodka, Steampunk Distillery started off just this year. You can’t visit the farm but you can taste their dry gin, lemon eucalypt gin, classic vodka and ‘Matron’ gin at local café Frankies in Woombye or pick up a bottle at Cellarbrations in Nambour.

For more information click here.

Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours 

To make life easier, get on-board with Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours for a half-day or full-day brewery tour of the Sunshine Coast. Go behind the scenes and see brewing in action - sampling the beer as you go along – and enjoy lunch at one of the region’s many brew-pubs.

Above: Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours run half-day or full-day brewery tours (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

The business is run by local beer expert Josh Donohoe, who offers a range of hinterland brewery tours - including a ‘Farm to Fork’ tour that connects brewers with local producers - as well as a costal hop experience visiting the beachside establishments.

For more information click here.