Micro-distilleries and breweries of the Sapphire Coast
SAPPHIRE COAST Small-Batch Beverage Producers
What better way to relax after a day spent exploring our wild coastline than enjoying a long cool drink from a cup of hand-crafted goodness? Along the Sapphire Coast there is a growing gang of craftspeople who are exciting palates and pushing boundaries with their bespoke beverages. Whether by the glistening seas or nestled deep in the rolling green hills of ‘gin country’ you will find stunning flavours and passion on show, ready to be shared with family and friends, or kept to be savoured as a memory of your far south coast holiday.
NORTH OF EDEN ARTISAN DISTILLERS
Award-winning micro-distillery North of Eden is nestled deep in the emerald hills just north of Bega. At their weekends-only cellar door you can indulge in a tasting from their growing family of extraordinary gins, naturally progressing to some classic and expertly made cocktails.
Sip your delicious drop on the lawns whilst taking in the glorious vista of Mumbulla Mountain under the ever changing big skies of the Sapphire Coast hinterland. There is also the rustic-barn-housed gin school, where dedicated students can choose their own botanicals to create their own recipe, and take home a bottle of their own uniquely distilled gin. At North of Eden there is always something to be learned: about the history and making of gin and how to relax and let the ginspiration flow.
LONGSTOCKING BREWERY
Follow the music and laughter to this vibe-y joint tucked away behind the cafes and nurseries of the Oaklands complex in Pambula. Longstocking Brewery is certainly serving up good beers along with their fun times and friendly food. With thirteen bevvies on the menu – 9 beers, 2 ciders and a popular ginger beer, the feel is totally relaxed, with energetic audience participation at afternoon music sessions on most Sunday afternoons.
To wet your whistle, order a platter of natural
(Broadwater) oysters and a beer-tasting paddle and start your journey to a perfect Bega Valley Summer evening accompanied by river flat sunsets and wood fired pizza. All Longstocking brews are canned and available around the Sapphire Coast.
CAMEL ROCK BREWhouse
Every afternoon dozens of families and youngsters grin and shimmy their way through brews and perfectly matched sticky, crunchy chicken wings, jalapeno poppers and burgers on the leafy deck at Camel Rock Brewhouse. Several varieties of hops grow up into the terraces, old timbers and stone walls add to the warmth, and live music flows alongside the brews, and kids and dogs abound.
Located just north of Bermagui village, Camel Rock Brewhouse produces beers from pales to porters, saisons and barrel-aged old ales, sourcing local malts and hops when available and native ingredients like wattleseed and pigface flowers. The American style menu matches the brews perfectly and will have you licking your fingers gleefully. There’s a happy hour, a plethora of cocktails, woodfired pizza and a ‘kids room’, which saves any panic, and a sweet finish with Poppy’s Pumpkin Pie slathered in real cream from nearby Tilba’s Jersey cows.
HUMPBACK BREWERY, TATHRA HOTEL
Perched high on the Tathra headland overlooking the ocean waters that provide the name for the Humpback Brewery (the seasonal Humpback Highway), this solar powered brewery is housed in the old ‘pokie’ room of the historic Tathra Hotel. With a core range of seven frothies, they also tempt palates with seasonal offerings like a raspberry sour or a delicious and hazy New England IPA.
Grab a paddle and choose your brew for an afternoon on the beautiful hotel deck within sight of old local Winkie the Whale. Match up your choice perfectly with a burger or fish and chips, or perhaps indulge in that classic pairing of fresh local oysters and stout. Humpback also cans a couple of their brews which are available throughout the Sapphire Coast.
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