The Brewery Crawl That Proves Wollongong Is Real
I’ve been known to poke fun at Wollongong from time to time. Occasionally, I’ve admitted I am wrong. Today, I am going to do one of those things.
Wollongong is only an hour south of my native Sydney, but I’ve never felt tempted to go down there for a weekend, or even for some drinks. In fact, Crafty Pint editor James Smith had been asking me to do some research for a Wollongong Crafty Crawl for years and I kept putting it off. How foolish I was.
“There’s a footy stadium by a lovely big beach. It’s not expensive. A lot of food is grown and made locally. It’s easy to find your way around. The bush walks are superb. It rocks its original name and there are presently at least seven breweries in which you can drink local beer. What you see is what you get. Nothing is forced in The Gong.”
With (at least) seven independent craft breweries and many venues that stock independent beers, Wollongong is an amazing place to drink beer and if you can handle a bit of public transport you can sample beers and food at eight venues in just one day!
Check out my eight stop Wollongong Crafty Crawl on the Crafty Pint and check out my bonus list of favourite food and drinks below!
“Sydney craft beer lovers need to abandon their Gong prejudice, no matter how clever or derivative, and spend a day/weekend/lifetime exploring the amazing places serving local craft beer, served by kind and considerate locals who are increasingly aware they live in a close community with great beer.”
Best date spot: Barrel Shephard - it’s fairy tale like in the right evening.
Best for mates: Principle Brewing - lots of space to sit, beers to try, sport on the telly, burgers and wings.
Best sunny day spot: A tie between Five Barrel Brewing beer garden on a sunny day and Resin Brewing courtyard, which is right near the beach.
Beer nerd spot: Rueb Golberg Brewing Machine - built by beer nerds for beer nerds.
My personal favourite Food/Drink on the crawl:
Mystic NEIPA at Seeker Brewing
Spicy Prawn Burger at Five Barrel Brewing
Vanilla Yogurt Stout at Dusty Lizard Brewing Co
Special Fried Chicken Burger at His Boy Elroy
IPA by Principle Brewing
