Enjoy a brew or two at the Central Coast's best craft breweries

What originally began as a home brewing hobby developed from a love of good beer, Six String Brewing became the first home-grown craft brewery and tasting room on the Central Coast. Today it is the home of “the best lager in the world”, with their Coastie Lager winning the 2021 AIBA Champion International Lager category!

“As a small locally owned independent brewery we are extremely proud to have this recognition at an international level." says Sharon Benson, Six String Brewing Marketing Co-ordinator.

"When we opened our doors 8 years ago ‘craft beer’ was fairly non-existent on the Central Coast and Coastie Lager was created in response to this; a simple, clean, crisp refreshing but full flavoured lager that was accessible for the non-craft drinker, a beer Coasties could call their own!

“So for this beer to win makes us incredibly proud. Our brewery team work hard day to day to ensure we are putting out high quality beers and are pretty chuffed to be able to say the Central Coast has the best Lager in the world!”

The Six String Brewing tasting room located at Erina is a popular watering hole among locals and visitors. Try their award-winning brews in a pint or paddle, and enjoy on site catering from dry-ageing meat masters, Moobi Valley, who will ensure you don’t go hungry. Don’t miss their mouth-watering premium Wagyu & Black Angus beefburgers and loaded fries! It's a dog friendly venue, so bring you pooch along too!

Tours of Six String’s brewery are run on Saturday mornings and Brew Days are run once a month, where you can learn the craft of brewing. You’ll also find Six String available on tap at many establishments and in cans at local retailers across the Central Coast. Six String’s philosophy is all about great beer and great music and, whenever possible, uses only local ingredients. Their entire range is preservative-free, unpasteurised and unfiltered, which ensures their award-winning beer tastes great.

Six String Brewing Co. have recently collaborated with other passionate local producers to develop an artisan beverage trail from Erina, through to the leafy suburbs of Matcham and Holgate. Central Coast Scenic Sips is a self-guided trail that visits Six String Brewing Co., Firescreek Winery, Distillery Botanica and Bar Botanica.

For more information, visit the Six String Brewing Co. website

In 2018, three local friends had a dream. They combined their passion for beer with their desire to create a standout venue on the Central Coast and opened the Bay Rd Brewing microbrewery and taproom in the heart of Gosford. 

Once you step inside, notice the interior walls are adorned with incredible murals by local artist Grant Molony. There’s also often a rotation of foodie truck vendors who set up shop out of the front of the brewery to ensure there’s always delicious local bites with your beer. The brewery is dog-friendly, so you can definitely bring your furry friend along.

Bay Rd's quality beer range, which owners Grant, Darren and Sam believe are best shared with friends, is so diverse there is a brew to suit all tastes – including a porter, XPA, sour, lager, and many more emerging throughout the seasons. The beer and venue reflect the Central Coast’s relaxed coastal vibe, with the team creating a social atmosphere that is light, refreshing and featuring pops of colour.

Given the region’s growing population, the brewery’s owners believe the Central Coast is the perfect location for their debut into the Central Coast craft beer market:

“The Coast has a large sense of community, which was a driving force behind the growth in Bay Rd… small businesses with large dreams have the chance to succeed here.” Brewery Director, Grant Buckham says.

Block ‘N Tackle is a working craft brewery and cellar door in Kincumber, within the neighbourhoods cool industrial yard and right near a self-guided historic shipping trail of Brisbane Water. If you’re making a day of it, just a couple of minutes’ drive away you’ll find the beautiful Avoca Beach, Macmasters Beach and Copacabana.

Order your favourite brew from the board, or a tasting paddle to sample the range for the first time. Kick back and watch the beer in production or book a tasting tour. They also have you covered for your next party or function, with minibars available to hire, each set up with up to four Block ‘N Tackle brews. Block N' Tackle welcome dogs too, so feel free to bring your four legged bestie for company.

The brewery changed hands recently to new owner Paul, a high school teacher on the Central Coast who previously lived in Sydney for around 14 years. Of his career change, Paul says,

“I am a local and my decision to buy the brewery was one of those that you would regret if you didn’t give it a go.”

Paul highlights that the support of locals has been a huge benefit and the brewery only uses local suppliers and has developed quite a few collaborative relationships. He also said the brewery visitors are not just locals.

“The brewery has a strong local following as well as a strong tourist flow from Sydney,” Paul says.

“We are getting larger numbers of people coming up for the day or weekend from Sydney. Having breweries, wineries and distilleries are a great drawcard to the Coast.”

Focused on creating pure beer, Central Coast Brewery is the Coast's essential microbrewery for dedicated or fledgling home brewers. Although they don’t offer a taproom or beer bar right now, they’ve got something exciting on the cards as they develop their site over the summer months – watch this space!

If you have a knack for DIY then perhaps brewing your own crafties could be your next big hobby? Central Coast Brewery is essentially the home brewer’s go-to shop on the Central Coast with all the goodies you need to create your own range, with more than 170 different types and styles of beer available. They brew their range with nothing but water, keeping their products chemical and preservative free.

Drop by and the team are happy to show you around and provide a tasting of some of their finished beers, help you find a keg for an upcoming party, or guide you through the home brew process to set you up with everything you need to proudly put your name to your own beer. They can even help you design your own fancy labels.

For more information, visit the Central Coast Brewery website.

Hawkesbury Brewing Co beers are 100% natural and brewed on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and also in Lisarow valley on the Central Coast. Their range includes an award-winning non-alcoholic beers, Prohibition, and their Ginger Yowie alcoholic ginger beer, named after an escaped convict who fled into the Hawkesbury bushland.

As Australian independent brewers, Hawkesbury Brewing Co have announced they are opening a brand new taphouse and kitchen at their Lisarow brewery – and we can’t wait! The signs are up. The t-shirts are already sold out. And we are patiently waiting for the doors to officially open soon! 

This new taproom nestled in Lisarow valley brings another quality venue to the Central Coast craft brewery scene, putting Lisarow on the map for a foodie road trip exploring the region. Keep an eye on their socials and website for the latest news on the taphouse.

Oak Haven Brewery is owned by Gosford RSL Club and is located at West Gosford NSW. The brewery currently brews four core range ales, which you can pop in and try at Gosford RSL in West Gosford. The original land owners of the established Gosford area were the Fagans, and the Fagan’s stone house on that land was called Oak Haven, so the brewery pays tribute to the history of Gosford RSL.

The core range features Dr Paul's Pils, Rusty Sail, The Bolthole Porter and the Sly Grog Kolsch hybrid (crisp, delicate and oh-so-drinkable).The Bolthole is a standout dark ale exclusively brewed with five Australian malts, with dark ruby highlights and a fluffy tan head.