Beer guide
Melbourne craft beer: our selection of 10 breweries and bars
Melbourne is Australia's craft beer capital, and almost all of it sits in the inner north. Stomping Ground fills an old Collingwood warehouse with 20-plus taps, Bodriggy turned an art-deco garage in Abbotsford into a spacious taproom, and Molly Rose brews hazy pales and barrel-aged sours a few streets away. Add the brewery that started it all, Mountain Goat in Richmond (1997), the hop specialists at Hop Nation in Footscray, and Carwyn Cellars in Thornbury, which has a rotating craft beer tap list. Trams 11, 19, 86 and 109 link the lot — no car needed.
10 stops · Collingwood, Fitzroy & the inner north · Last updated: November 2026
The 10 stops
Seven breweries, a rotating craft beer tap list, and one tropical fever dream.
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1. Stomping Ground Brewery & Beer Hall - Collingwood
Brewery — Collingwood · Gipps St
100 Gipps St, Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia
Daily 11:30 to 23 (Fri-Sat to 1)
A first stop in Collingwood: a huge Collingwood beer hall inside an old warehouse, 20+ taps brewed on site and a kitchen that keeps up. Hop Sting IPA is one of the beers poured here.
Big, loud, industrial beer hall
Hop Sting IPA · Stomping Ground Pale Ale · Passionfruit Smash Sour
1h30
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2. Bodriggy Brewing Company
Brewery — Abbotsford · Johnston St
245 Johnston St, Abbotsford VIC 3067, Australia
Daily 12 to 23 (Fri-Sat to 1)
An art-deco garage on Johnston St turned into one of a spacious taprooms. Speccy Juice XPA is the local order; the food menu is genuinely good.
Design-led, buzzy, food-friendly
Speccy Juice XPA · Vandal Hazy IPA · Bodriggy Lager
1h30
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3. Molly Rose Brewery
Brewery — Collingwood · Wellington St
279/285 Wellington St, Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia
Wed–Thu 4pm–10pm · Fri 4pm–late · Sat 12pm–late · Sun 12pm–6pm · Mon–Tue closed
A small Collingwood brewery obsessed with detail — hazy pales, barrel-aged sours and a menu built around the beer.
Small, precise, beer-nerd heaven
Hazy Pale Ale · Barrel-aged sour · Table beer
1h
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4. The Fitzroy Beer Garden
Beer garden — Fitzroy · Gertrude St
243/245 Gertrude St, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia
Mon–Thu 12pm–late · Fri–Sun 11am–late
The Gertrude St classic: a covered courtyard, rotating Victorian taps and a crowd that shows up whatever the weather. A courtyard pause during a Fitzroy crawl.
Covered courtyard, all-weather locals
Rotating Victorian taps · Local pale ale · Craft cider
1h
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5. Mountain Goat Brewery
Brewery — Richmond · North St
80 North St, Richmond VIC 3121, Australia
Wed-Sun from 17 (weekends from 12), closed Mon-Tue
The brewery that started modern Melbourne craft in 1997, still in its Richmond warehouse. Steam Ale on tap where it was invented, plus barrel-aged one-offs.
Warehouse heritage, pizza nights
Steam Ale · Hightail Ale · Barrel-aged specials
1h30
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6. Hop Nation Brewing Co.
Brewery — Footscray · Whitehall St
Unit 6/107-109 Whitehall St, Footscray VIC 3011, Australia
Thu 3pm–9:30pm · Fri–Sat 12pm–10pm · Sun 12pm–9pm · Mon–Wed closed
Footscray warehouse, serious hops. The Dank IPA and Jedi Juice are two hoppy beers brewed here, and the taproom is pure concrete-and-pallets.
Raw warehouse, hop-forward
The Dank IPA · Jedi Juice Hazy IPA · Rakau Pale Ale
1h
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7. Co-conspirators Brewpub
Brewery — Brunswick · Victoria St
377 Victoria St, Brunswick VIC 3056, Australia
Wed–Thu 4pm–late · Fri–Sun 12pm–late · Mon–Tue closed
A tiny Brunswick brewpub with comic-book branding and beers that punch above their size. The Wingman pale ale is the easy win; ask what's fresh.
Tiny, friendly, neighbourhood
The Wingman Pale Ale · The Sidekick Lager · Rotating IPA
1h
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8. Carwyn Cellars
Craft beer bar — Thornbury · High St
877 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071, Australia
Mon–Tue 3pm–10pm · Wed 3pm–11pm · Thu 12pm–11pm · Fri–Sat 12pm–late · Sun 12pm–10pm
Part bottle shop, part beer bar with 24+ taps: a rotating craft beer list and the room where the local scene talks shop. Worth the tram ride to Thornbury.
Tap list obsessive, relaxed
24+ rotating Victorian taps · Wild ales & sours · Bottle shop finds
1h30
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9. Tallboy & Moose
Taproom — Preston · Raglan St
270 Raglan St, Preston VIC 3072, Australia
Wed–Thu 5pm–10pm · Fri 4pm–late · Sat–Sun 12pm–late · Mon–Tue closed
Preston's neighbourhood taproom: colourful cans, a bright fit-out and beers that change constantly. Pizza next door, dogs welcome, zero pretension.
Bright, casual, dog-friendly
Fresh IPA · Fruited sour · Crisp lager
1h
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10. Moon Dog World
Brewery — Preston · Chifley Dr
32 Chifley Dr, Preston VIC 3072, Australia
Mon–Tue 4:30pm–9:30pm · Wed–Thu 4:30pm–10:30pm · Fri–Sat 11:30am–11pm · Sun 11:30am–10:30pm
A tropical indoor fantasy land in a Preston industrial estate — lagoon, palm trees, big brewery behind glass. Ridiculous, and the lagers are legitimately good.
Tropical theme park for adults
Lagerbomb · Old Mate Pale Ale · Fruited sour
1h30
Melbourne beer — FAQ
What beer should I drink in Melbourne?
A fresh hazy or West Coast IPA — Hop Nation's The Dank IPA and Stomping Ground's Hop Sting are local examples. Then a Mountain Goat Steam Ale for the history, and whatever barrel-aged sour Molly Rose has open.
Which neighbourhood suits a beer crawl?
Collingwood, Abbotsford and Fitzroy. Stomping Ground, Bodriggy, Molly Rose and the Fitzroy Beer Garden are all within 25 minutes of walking, with trams 86 and 109 and Victoria Park station nearby.
How many days do I need?
Two evenings is comfortable: one for Collingwood/Fitzroy, one for the northern run up High St to Thornbury and Preston. One long day works if you stay in Collingwood or Fitzroy.
Do I need a car?
No — and you should not drive after tasting. Melbourne's tram network plus Metro trains cover every stop here; only Moon Dog World in Preston is easier with a short rideshare.
When should I visit?
October to April for beer gardens, but every venue here works year-round. Good Beer Week in May is the biggest event on the Australian beer calendar and worth planning around.
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