A guide to Sydney’s Inner West breweries (& where to fuel up)

Willie the Boatman, St Peters

Part of creative community hub Precinct 75 in the back streets of St Peters, Willie the Boatman’s sprawling brewery and bar is filled with comfy couches, hanging plants, vintage signs and an 1850s oak bar brought over from a US saloon. At this brewery, beers are often named after friends of the brewers or local legends – you’ll recognise Prime Minister (and Inner West local) Anthony Albanese on the tin of the Albo Pale Ale.

Where to eat: The brewery often has food trucks on site – check their social media to see who’s coming next. Alternatively, Chuck and Son’s Brewing Co is just a seven-minute walk from the brewery, and serves up burgers, tacos, loaded fries and grazing boards.

Willie The Boatman, St. Peters

Batch Brewing Company, Marrickville

The fit out inside Marrickville’s Batch Brewing is simple – the timber walls of this former panel beaters’ workshop are painted black, you might be sitting on low stools and the bar is made from recycled pallets. A lot more thought goes into the beers though, with quirky brews like a Blueberry Cheesecake Nitro Sour and Lemondrop Kolsh. Here, what’s on tap is always evolving, so there’s always a new reason to visit.

Where to eat: The Bifana Lab food truck is on site from Wednesday to Sunday. Their traditional Portuguese sandwiches come with marinated pork, smoky chicken, beef and chorizo, or roasted vegetables. 

Batch Brewing Company, Marrickville - Credit: Batch Brewing Co

Hawke’s Brewing, Marrickville

Dedicated to the beloved former Australian Prime Minister, The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre is a little slice of the 1980s in the middle of Marrickville. Home to Hawke’s Brewing and restaurant Lucky Prawn, the spacious bar-restaurant-brewery has the feel of a bustling country RSL complete with sporting memorabilia on the walls, wood panelling and brown glass. They keep it simple on the taps too, pouring a mix of the core range and limited releases. There are also brewery tours, if that tickles your fancy.

Where to eat: The in-house restaurant, Lucky Prawn, is an homage to the Australian-Chinese restaurants of the ‘80s. Fill the lazy Susan with steaming bowls of fried rice, honey prawns, sweet and sour pork, and sizzling beef and black bean, then order the deep-fried Viennetta ice-cream to finish.

The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre - Credit: Jessie Ann Harris

Philter Public Bar and Brewery, Marrickville

Another nod to vintage Australiana, Philter’s Public Bar is decked out like a classic suburban pub. Take a brewery tour, then settle into the separate sports bar or fun rooftop bar, Marrickville Springs. On tap, there are around a dozen of their beers, including some limited releases. 

Where to eat: The brewery has an extensive menu of snacks, share plates, burgers and pizzas, or cross the road to try one of Sydney’s favourite pizzas at Pizza Madre. The dough is made with a sourdough starter and the meat-free toppings rotate regularly, using seasonal produce. A five-minute walk away, Baba’s Place is a hidden gem of the Inner West, plating up dishes inspired by multicultural communities of Southwest Sydney.

Philter Public Bar and Brewery, Marrickville - Credit: Liz Ham

Sauce Brewing Co, Marrickville

Walking through the roller door at Sauce, you wouldn’t expect it to house one of Sydney’s most loved beer gardens: a huge (fake) grass-covered space that’s packed with people, kids and dogs every weekend. Inside, the production system is impressively high-tech and produces the compact core range as well as a few out-of-the-box flavours and canned cocktails. They could be infused with mango and pineapple or inspired by classic cocktails, like a mimosa or Bloody Mary.

Where to eat: There’s a regular rotation of food trucks on site from Thursday to Sunday, dishing out burgers, barbecue or tacos. Hello Auntie is a 15-minute walk away on buzzy Illawarra Road and offers a modern twist on Vietnamese. Try VN Street Foods for a more traditional and casual take.

Sauce Brewing Co., Marrickville

Mixtape Brewing & Bar, Marrickville 

Mixtape opened in 2022 and offers a bit of everything (hence the name). There are 18 beer taps which pour their own small batch brews, alongside a handful of other Australian independent craft beers, plus a few internationals. There’s also a huge wine selection and more than 50 whiskies. 

Where to eat: The kitchen at Mixtape turns out pizzas, chicken wings, dumplings and ice-cream with Milo. For something more sophisticated, 20 Chapel is just a block away. It’s focused on cooking over fire, with an ex-Rockpool chef searing dry-aged Blackmore wagyu, and vegetables sourced daily from the organic STIX farm in the Hawkesbury. 

Mixtape Brewing & Bar, Marrickville

Wildflower Brewing & Blending, Marrickville 

Indigenous yeast collected from the bush is used to create wild-fermented brews that are tart, slightly pungent and very complex. Think of them as the natural wine of the beer world. The atmospheric brewery, housed in a grand tin shed, is lined with oak barrels and native cuttings – none of the commercial metal brew tanks you’ll see at other breweries. It’s also a tap room for the Blue Mountains’ Mountain Culture Brewery, with 10 of their beers on tap. 

Where to eat: The brewery’s snacky, shareable menu changes regularly, but you can expect cheese plates from Gold Street Dairy (a ‘micro cheesery’ based in the brewery), tinned mussels, olives and terrines. There are also regular kitchen takeovers and pop-up restaurants. For something sweet, Gelato Messina’s Marrickville HQ is just around the corner with 40 gelato flavours to choose from. 

Wildflower Brewing & Blending, Marrickville

The Grifter Brewing Co, Marrickville 

Even if you’ve never been to Grifter’s Marrickville brewery, you’ll probably recognise the signature black and gold of their pale ale – known affectionately as the ‘orange goblin’. Set inside a former laundromat warehouse, the huge space is split between the brewery and the bar, the latter decorated with black tiles, native flowers and a retro pool room. On tap, look out for flavourful brews such as a watermelon pilsner, pink lemonade sour and oatmeal stout. 

Where to eat: On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Fortune Pizza is the brewery’s onsite pizza dealer. If you’re looking for a burger on the go, the People’s Burger food truck is in the parking lot of the Metro service station right beside the brewery from Thursday to Sunday. 

Grifter Brewing Co, Marrickville

Small Batch, Petersham 

The second outpost of Marrickville’s Batch Brewing, Small Batch sits behind the popular Public House Petersham. The team use this space to test new beers, bring back old favourites and even try out a few experiments. That means you can find brews like a milk coffee stout, white chocolate and raspberry cream ale, and cherry sour ale on the menu. 

Where to eat: You can order something from Small Batch’s bar menu or bring food over from Public House. Or, you could dine at the Inner West’s only three-hat restaurant, Sixpenny, which is a 1km walk away in Stanmore. The seven-course tasting menu changes every day but is always a celebration of contemporary Australian cuisine and small-scale producers. 

Small Batch by Batch Brewing Co., Petersham

Young Henrys Brewery and Distillery, Newtown 

Arguably Newtown's most famous craft brewery, the Young Henrys team have been brewing and pouring beers in their converted warehouse since 2012. Everything about it feels quintessentially Australian, from the AC/DC and You Am I playing on the stereo to the murals on the wall and the mullets on the bar staff. You’ll always find their core range on tap (including the famed Newtowner Pale Ale) as well as a few experimental brews. 

Where to eat: Enmore Road is just a stroll away and lined with great eating options. Cairo Takeaway is the go-to spot for Egyptian falafel. For dessert, international award-winner Cow and the Moon gelato is only a few blocks away. Post-everything, visit Bar Planet for an expertly poured martini and pide, chips and kebabs from Saray next door. 

Young Henrys Brewery and Distillery, Newtown - Credit: Kyle Ford

Wayward Brewing Co Taproom, Camperdown 

The team at Wayward share a passion for travel and they bring that into every beer they brew, creating a little taste of adventure (try a Berlin-style raspberry Weisse or an American-style IPA). All the beers use natural ingredients and are preservative-free, unpasteurised and unfiltered, part of their commitment to a top-quality product. Tucked down a laneway in Camperdown and fronted by a bright yellow door, the Wayward taproom hosts regular events including live music, comedy, trivia, silent discos and more. 

Where to eat: The in-house Wayward Eats food truck serves up an American- and Mexican-inspired menu of burgers, loaded fries, tacos and quesadillas every night of the week and all day on the weekends. Alternatively, embrace the retro charm of Derrel’s, just across Paramatta Road. Its Anglo-Indian menu puts a modern spin on classic dishes like a tandoori chicken zinger burger and chip putty (chips with bread and butter chicken sauce), all available until the early hours. 

Wayward Brewing Co., Camperdown

White Bay Brewery, Rozelle 

Set inside a 150-year-old steel mill on the edge of the Sydney Harbour, White Bay is the first craft brewery on the Balmain Peninsula. The enormous space has retained its unfinished, industrial charm and you’ll be drinking surrounded by the vast steel tanks. As well as the core range, they release new brews often and boast a solid wine list from independent Australian wineries. 

Where to eat: The brewery has a compact menu of pizzas from Balmain favourite Tipo 00, paired with a few snacks and salads, and gelato for dessert. Or take the 15-minute walk up the hill into Balmain and visit Casa Equina, a sprawling indoor-outdoor Argentinian restaurant serving South American barbecue. 

White Bay Brewery, Rozelle - Credit: Samantha Hanton/Nestlifestyle Photography

Still thirsty? Check out these additional breweries in the area. 

Future Brewing, St Peters 

One of the newest breweries in the Inner West, this microbrewery has just a handful of their American-style beers on tap in a constantly changing line up. Grab a seat at the bar or one of the picnic tables out the front overlooking Camdenville Park. 

Brickworks Brewing, St Peters 

Taking its name from the iconic brick chimneys on the edge of Sydney Park, Brickworks has been brewing craft beer in St Peters for more than 20 years. Come for regular food trucks, live music and a crowd of beer-loving locals. 

Chuck and Son's Brewing Co, St Peters 

Chuck Hahn is a legend of the Australian brewing industry, spending more than 50 years working on the country’s most iconic beers. In 2024, he opened this independent brewery and taproom with his son, Scott, creating classic craft beers from a lifetime of experience. 

Chuck & Son's Brewing Co., St Peters - Credit: The Chuck & Son's Brewing Co

Mountain Goat, Newtown 

Mountain Goat has been brewing since 1997 and opened their first Sydney brewpub in Newtown in 2020. As well as the core range, there are also varied styles exclusive to the venue, and a beer garden for sunny sipping. 

One Drop Brewing Co, Botany 

The husband-and-wife team behind One Drop wanted to create a community space that served top-notch beers. Their light-filled brewery is set inside a former paper warehouse, complete with banana trees in the beer garden, DJs and tasty food trucks. 

Kicks Brewing, Marrickville 

Small and minimalist, the Kicks Brewing taproom sits behind a black roller door in an industrial part of Marrickville. Expect big hops, bold American-style IPAs and some experimental flavours. On your way out, take home some of their incredibly stylish tinnies. 

Kicks Brewing, Marrickville - Credit: Kicks Brewing

Yulli’s Brews, Alexandria 

Originally crafting beers for famed Surry Hills restaurant Yulli’s, the team expanded into their own Alexandria warehouse in 2018. Everything on the menu is vegan (including beer and wine) and each beer is named after a classic Aussie character. 

Staves Brewery, Glebe 

Staves Brewery is tucked into a former steelworks in an alleyway in Glebe in the shadow of the Broadway Shopping Centre. Specialising in English-style craft beers, there’s a small AstroTurf laid beer garden and regular events like comedy, trivia and live music.