Endeavour Brewing & Tap Rooms

The Rocks is home to some of the oldest hotels in Australia, places that have welcomed locals and tourists alike for well over 150 years. And while the Endeavour Tap Rooms doesn’t have 150-plus years under its belt like some of the neighbouring establishments in this unique pocket of Sydney, this quite beautiful little brewpub has been doing a fine job of giving locals and tourists a good time since it opened in late 2016.

In terms of where you would want a brewery to be – perhaps where you’d want any venue in the business of serving up good times to be – it is an enviable location: take a few steps from the front door and you're staring at the Opera House; a short stroll up the hill and you're on the Harbour Bridge; you’re almost close enough to the Museum of Contemporary Art to tickle it with a paintbrush.

Despite being home to one of the smaller breweries in the country – taller than it is wide and stacked within the nooks and crannies of a heritage building – you still can’t help but wonder how on earth they got the equipment inside. But they use the space well; with the ability to literally touch the tanks and the taps at the same time, the brew team has the freedom to make small batches of whatever they want to rotate alongside Endeavour’s tight core range.

There are nine taps in total, split between regulars and limited releases, with the bona fide tourist magnet – ideally placed to cater for holidaymakers pouring off the cruise ships docked at the end of the street – knowing its clientele will be drawn from far and wide, and will bring varied tastes as a result. Thus, over time, they’ve showcased Aussie hops for clued-up American beer fans, and tapped everything from chocolate stouts and India red ales to rauchbiers and lighter wheat ales infused with native ingredients foraged from the nearby Botanical Gardens.

On the other side of the wall, you’ll find the pub. The old layout of the building means it’s made up of many small rooms, upstairs and down, which adds an automatic cosiness. Add some ornate decoration to give a touch of class and it’s a particularly pleasant pub in which to sit and enjoy a meal. Outside features more than 100 seats from which to sit and watch the world go by, with a mix of shaded and sunny spots under a huge Cottonwood tree and festoon lights.

The food errs towards a modern American style, with an emphasis on smoked meats from the smoker housed out back, and a menu that’s regularly updated with a fresh focus. In general it’s food that goes well with beer although there’s much else, from the pickled to the freshly picked, to keep you happy regardless of what’s in your glass.

As for the brewpub’s arrival, it was designed to be the first home for the Endeavour Beer brand, which had been launched by three mates as a contract operation celebrating Australian ingredients back in 2010. These days, one of those founders remains at the helm of the brewpub, which is the main focus of the Endeavour brand following a rocky (no pun intended) couple of years in which an IP battle with the Endeavour Drinks Group flowed into the pandemic.

Now, as with many other businesses that call the historic Rocks home, as well as the tourism operators for whom its a key attraction, they’re steadying the ship and looking forward – when the time is right – to embarking on the expansion plans laid out in 2018 when they became the first Australian brewing company to launch an equity crowdfunding campaign.

For those pulling up a pew in one of its elegant spaces, however, all you really need to know is that beers brewed a few steps away are flowing – and being refreshed – as freely as they were pre-pandemic. And that the warm welcome that’s helped make The Rocks the destination it is for two centuries awaits.

Name
Endeavour Brewing & Tap Rooms
Address

39-43 Argyle Street
The Rocks
Sydney 2000

Phone
(02) 8592 5404
Open Hours

Mon to Thurs: midday to 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11.30am to midnight
Sunday: 11.30am to 10pm


This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

Endeavour Brewing & Tap Rooms Regulars

Endeavour Brewing Rockstar Pale Ale

Published January 22, 2020
Summer in Australia seems to be dominated by cricket. People who follow cricket throw around terms like “big bash” and “sandpapergate” and people like me just have to nod along and pretend to understand. But there’s one thing I do know about cricket - watching a Test match is really an exercise in long days of taking it slow with a few beers, interspersed with moments of concentration and excitement. (I assume playing in a Test match is similar, albeit minus the beers.) Rockstar Pale Ale… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
4.5%

Endeavour Brewing Stacked IPA (Cans)

Published June 20, 2019
When Endeavour first found their Tap Rooms home in The Rocks, the first new beer to be brewed as a regular was the IPA. Space is a premium in the cosy brewery, and so the stainless steel tanks are stacked on top of each other. In tribute to this, the IPA became known as Stacked IPA. Fast forward to the present, and Stacked IPA has been released in tinnies for the benefit of those who can’t make their way to the Endeavour’s charming venue in the historic Sydney suburb. For a beer born in the midst… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.3%

Endeavour Brewing & Tap Rooms Specials

Endeavour Reserve Amber Ale 2020

Published October 7, 2020
Remember when beers could be sweet without using lactose? Me either, but apparently that used to be a thing. How very quaint! If anyone was going to remember, it was always going to be one of the two Colonial-esque breweries tucked away in The Rocks in Sydney. Endeavour Brewing Co, despite mostly being known these days for their light, hoppy pale ales in cans, regularly have English-inspired beer pouring at their cozy little Tap Rooms and have been brewing this Reserve Amber Ale for bloody ages and,… Read more
Style
Amber Ale
ABV
5.2%

Endeavour Brewing Sunset Haze & Red Flannel IPA

Published March 2, 2020
Anyone living in NSW over the summer of 2019/2020 has seen their share of hazy sunsets, which have carried a certain tragic beauty. But the beautiful haze in this IPA comes without any tragedy attached. Sunset Haze is a NEIPA bursting at the seams with aroma and flavour, and scored an instant following with its bountiful tropical character. Granted, any hop-loving punters are low-hanging fruit when you use four beloved hop varieties - Galaxy, Mosaic, Cascade, Citra - but that doesn’t mean this… Read more
Style
NEIPA & Red IPA
ABV
6.4% & 6.8%

Endeavour Brewing Hoppy Days XPA

Published January 22, 2020
Hoppy Days tastes like the first rain after a dry spell. It pours a lemony gold, looking more like a pale lager than most XPAs, which is the first hint at a refreshing drinking experience. And it certainly delivers on this promise - high carbonation, a full fluffy head, semi-dry on the palate and a clean finish all make this a beer that sinks faster than your sunnies when you drop them in the pool. But unlike a pale lager Hoppy Days hits you with Galaxy hop aromas before you even raise it to your… Read more
Style
XPA
ABV
4.2%

Endeavour Brewing Rosé Pilsner & Lemon Lime Sorbet Ale

Published January 22, 2020
If you enjoy beers that give you a pleasant little surprise, then Endeavour have a couple of treats for you. When you first look at the Rosé Pilsner, you get all kinds of expectations as to what it might taste like. Rosé? Raspberry? Strawberry? Then you’re told that it’s a Czech-style pilsner that tastes like a pilsner, with juuuust enough natural blackcurrant juice in it to give it a pink-reddish hue. But your eyes are still telling you to expect that “pink” flavour. Then you taste it…… Read more
Style
Fruit Pilsner & Fruit Sour
ABV
Both 5.1%

Endeavour Ygritte's Nitro Red & Grapefruit IIPA

Published June 13, 2019
Like the fiery red-haired warrior woman from Game of Thrones, Ygritte’s Nitro Red is a fan favourite. She’s a traditional Irish red, but with a higher proportion of nitrogen than your standard nitro pour, making this beer as smooth and creamy as they come. The cascading, off white head takes its sweet time to gather itself to the top of your glass, instead dancing in slow motion before your eyes, revealing more and more of the copper-red gleam in the liquid as it goes. Soft caramel and toffee… Read more
Style
Red Ale & IIPA
ABV
4.8% & 8.1%

Endeavour OPT Porter & Hazy Wet Hop IPA & Voyager Amber Ale

Published May 2, 2019
There’s a distinctly European vibe to these releases that hit tap at the Endeavor Tap Rooms in The Rocks in quick succession. And, given the aesthetics of the brand, the venue’s location in the colonial heart of Australia and the cooling weather, it all feels very fitting. It’s remarkable given almost all the ingredients are Australian and Aussies decided a long time ago that European beers are not and will never be cool. Quite frankly, it’s a disgrace. First up is the OPT Porter. Named for… Read more
Style
Various styles

Endeavour James Blonde

Published March 22, 2019
When staff member Andy won the naming rights for a beer in Endeavour’s Something with Staff series, he didn’t hesitate: “James Blonde.” And that’s how this Belgian blonde style beer ended up on tap #7 in the Endeavour Tap Rooms. Or rather, tap 007. James Blonde is as smooth and classy as you’d expect, designed to be a cross between Leffe Blond and La Chouffe. Dressed in a naturally hazy suit of golden orange and a stark white hat (this would be a terrible clothing choice for James Bond,… Read more
Style
Belgian Blonde Ale
ABV
6.9%
Bitterness
25 IBU

Endeavour & Akasha AK/EB Hoppy Brown

Published December 24, 2018
For their final small batch release of 2018, Endeavour teamed up with the hop maestros from Five Dock’s Akasha Brewing Company. The collaboration came about due to the co-founders of both companies, Ben Kooyman and Dave Padden, having worked together on the board of the Independent Brewers Association for the past few years before recently stepping down from those roles. No need to be strangers, they figured, so they met up again at Endeavour’s Tap Rooms in The Rocks and, with resident brewer… Read more
Style
Hoppy Brown Ale
ABV
6.0%

Endeavour Fresh Cut Citrus Pale Ale

Published November 20, 2018
Olfaction carries a unique kind of nostalgic magic. None of our other senses are so quick to flash us back to a specific memory in the long distant past; voyages in grandma’s wardrobe, the torment of a childhood medicine, the school-era aroma of pencil shavings and a new eraser. This was the ensuing train of thought having been poured a can of Endeavour’s new Citrus Pale Ale (since renamed Fresh Cut Citrus Pale Ale during summer 2019/20) to be met with an aroma not encountered for nigh on two… Read more
Style
Citrus Pale Ale
ABV
4.5%

Endeavour Dark Wheat

Published November 20, 2018
There’s a Fawlty Towers-esque “Don’t mention the war!” element underpinning this release from the Endeavour Tap Rooms. Specifically: “Don’t mention the Dunkel!”. This beer, according to most style guidelines, would be classed a Dunkelweizen but of course they wouldn’t dare call it that because who actually knows what that is or would buy one unless they were lingering alone and confused in some Bavarian beer hall? “Dark Wheat” seems far less foreign and terrifying so that’s… Read more
Style
Dunkelweizen
ABV
5.1%

Endeavour Kolsch & Red Rye IPA & Dessert Stout

Published October 10, 2018
As he prepares to move on from the Endeavour Tap Rooms to pastures new, head brewer John “JB” Bogan is leaving a lineup of new beers that are a fair representation of the journey both he and the little brewery in The Rocks have been on in the past 18 months. The first is a Kolsch, a beer that nestles comfortably in the realm of easy-drinking styles with which Endeavour first rose but whose early reputation is being slowly shed thanks to the brewpub releases. As with the Rauchbier and Altbier… Read more
Style
Kolsch & Red Rye IPA & Sweet Stout
ABV
5.2% / 6.1% / 6.4%

Endeavour Native Ale

Published September 6, 2018
At the beginning of 2018, Endeavour’s head brewer JB went walking. He stepped out of the brewery, turned right towards Circular Quay, followed the path past the Opera House, around Bennelong Point and into Sydney’s Botanical Gardens. There, he found himself tagging along on a Bush Food Tour that revealed an abundance of native ingredients growing in the area. It inspired him to celebrate Australia Day by making Bush Tucker Brew, the brewery’s first beer made with indigenous ingredients. Fast… Read more
Style
Fruit / Spice Beer
ABV
3.0%

Endeavour New South Pils & Reserve Amber & Belgian Tripel

Published August 6, 2018
From their company’s inception, the founders of Endeavour talked about one day having two things: a brewery of their own and a beer estate where they could grow their own grain and hops and produce beers that were a true reflection of their location. While they’ve managed to chalk off the first thing on the list with their lovely little brewpub in The Rocks, that dream of country life is still some way off. In the meantime they’re doing they next best thing and collaborating with growers. And,… Read more
Style
Pilsner & Amber & Tripel

Endeavour Scottish Heavy & Choc Orange Stout

Published July 5, 2018
They’ve adjusted to the seasons quite nicely down at the Endeavour Tap Rooms, unveiling a pair of distinct dark beers to please your palate across the warm days and cool nights currently constituting Sydney’s moderate winter weather. The first is a Scottish Heavy, a beer that’s weighty in name but light in nature at just 3.5 percent ABV. Unlike your average mid-strength golden ale, which can err towards a crisp nature and display of hop character, the Heavy is more determined to leave you… Read more
Style
Mid-Strength & Choc Orange Stout

Endeavour Belgian Blonde Ale & Vanilla Porter

Published June 1, 2018
With the Sydney weather finally threatening to break into something resembling winter but not quite managing to cloud out the sunshine completely, the brewers at Endeavour have straddled the seasons by releasing something light and something dark. Beginning on the light side we have the Belgian Blonde Ale. This is their tribute to the unassuming old style of golden ale, where a handful of lighter malts have been cooked up together with some candied sugar and a Belgian yeast. In terms of aroma, the… Read more
Style
Belgian Blonde & Vanilla Porter
ABV
6.1% & 4.2%

Endeavour Donker Zuur

Published May 11, 2018
Dark Saison. Barleywine. Double IPA. Cascadian Dark Ale. Remember the time when it felt like all Endeavour brewed was golden or pale ales? The latest in the increasingly expansive range of one-off beers to come from the little brewpub in The Rocks is arguably their most confronting to date: a dark sour ale that’s something of a homage to Oud Bruins. At the best of times it’s a style of beer that polarises thanks to its inherent vinegar-like quality, yet once you get past the intense sourness… Read more
Style
Sour ale
ABV
5.5%

Endeavour Wet-Hopped Cascadian Dark Ale & Summer Saison

Published April 18, 2018
Towards the back end of 2017 the brewers at Endeavour filled the brewery’s designated ‘Something Dark’ tap with a roasty and pleasantly bitter Cascadian Dark Ale. It proved a popular beer so, when they went to the drawing board ahead of this year’s hop harvest, they figured it was a recipe they could bring back with a few seasonal tweaks. There are two key differences between the two versions. The first is, most obviously, that the beer has been made with fresh hops (five kilograms of Cascade… Read more
Style
Cascadian Dark Ale & Saison
ABV
5.9% & 4.7%

Endeavour Argyle Ale 2018 & Double Stacked IPA

Published March 28, 2018
It’s been a year since the little brewery at the Endeavour Tap Rooms was fired up for the first time. To celebrate the fact, they’ve revisited one of the first new beers they put through the system: the Argyle Ale. That one, the 2017 edition, was an English strong ale but for this year’s version they’ve gone stronger still, moving into barleywine territory. Behind the scenes this beer was a bit of a brewer’s workout, requiring a mini mountain of malt to be hauled up ladders and tipped… Read more
Style
Barleywine & Double IPA
ABV
8.7% & 8.0%

Endeavour V.E.R.D.

Published March 2, 2018
Having foraged for inspiration and native ingredients for their recent Bush Tucker Brew, the brewers at the Endeavour Tap Rooms have looked towards locals of a different sort for their latest release. It stems from a trip that head brewer JB took to the home of NSW maltster Voyager, where he’d picked up the malt that went into a dark saison that appeared at the brewery over summer. A reciprocal visit from the Voyager team to The Rocks in February saw them hauling bags of a new "Super Munich"… Read more
Style
Red Ale
ABV
3.0%

Endeavour Bush Tucker Brew

Published February 1, 2018
Regardless of which side of the shifting the date debate you sit, history dictates that January 26 will always remain an important day in Australia. One place that will inevitably fall into the spotlight in that regard is The Rocks in Sydney. It’s where the Europeans first settled and where everything began to change in the country that would become Australia. John Bogan works there pretty much every day, brewing at the Endeavour Tap Rooms. It’s an enviable location, with the majesty of the… Read more
Style
Spiced Australian Ale
ABV
4.0%

Endeavour Melba Bitter

Published November 6, 2017
Leaping fast out of the starting gates in order to stay a few lengths ahead of the IP lawyers, Endeavour has released a beer just in time for the Melbourne Cup. Part celebration, part homage and mostly just an opportunity too good to pass up, Melba Bitter was the first new beer made by head brewer JB following the birth of his first child. Using his newly acquired ability to make dad jokes combined with the beer using Melba hops and a release right on the cusp of the major racing carnival in his… Read more
Style
Bitter
ABV
4.6%
Bitterness
34 IBU
Stockists

Endeavour Tap Rooms

Endeavour Helga's Last Yodel / Rauchbier

Published October 24, 2017
Ahead of Oktoberfest, Endeavour brewer JB decided he wanted to get in on the action by making a German style of beer. But he didn’t just want to do a lager. He wanted an alternative. And what could possibly be a better alternative than an altbier? Well, perhaps two alternatives. So he made a rauchbier as well. The alt (meaning “old”) is a copper coloured ale with some sweetness and toasty malt characters that was conditioned nearer the cool temperature favoured by lagers, with the ultimate… Read more
Style
Altbier & Rauchbier
ABV
4.4% & 4.7%

Endeavour Dark Ale

Published September 22, 2017
When you stand at the bar at the Endeavour Tap Rooms waiting to order a beer, you pretty well know what you're going to get: after all, it says the name of the beer right there above the taps. Except, that is, if you're looking at tap number 7. That one is simply called "Something Dark" and it indicates that, yes, there’s a dark beer in here but, no, it won’t always be the same one. When coming up with the next beer it’s almost a case of brewer JB sticking his head out the door, seeing… Read more
Style
Mild Ale
ABV
4.1%
Bitterness
19 IBU

Endeavour India Red Ale

Published September 22, 2017
Andy Stewart, one of Endeavour’s founders and the original driving force behind the business’ beer recipes, missed out on giving the Tap Rooms brewery a proper christening due to being ensconced in the USA. So, understandably, on his most recent trip home he was keen to get his hands dirty and head brewer JB was only too happy to help him; he was even so generous as to organise a 5am start, mere hours after Andy had spent the preceding 24 in a plane. The pair got busy brewing an India red ale,… Read more
Style
India Red Ale
ABV
6.1%
Bitterness
58 IBU

Endeavour IPA

Following the opening of the Endeavour Tap Rooms the IPA was the first beer to be made at the new brewery and gain a permanent place on the taps. That position was largely earned through outright popularity on the back of overseas tourists filing through The Rocks keen to get a taste of what Aussie hops could do. And thanks to the trio of Vic Secret, Ella and Galaxy they certainly got what they after, with the overall flavours erring towards the earthy, peppery, dry and bitter side rather than an… Read more
Style
IPA
ABV
6.4%
Bitterness
60

Endeavour Growers Golden Ale

As a business, Endeavour very much has an Aussie-first focus when it comes to ingredients and approach. The Growers Golden Ale is arguably the one core beer which allows itself to stray from the brief conceptually, sitting more in the camp of an English Mild than it does with the kinds of golden ales made in most Australia breweries. Sure, it uses Aussie hops Super Pride and Astra, but you'd be forgiven for believing there’s something of the noble or English variety lurking in there too. There… Read more
Style
Golden Ale
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
30 IBU

Endeavour Growers Pale Ale

The Growers Pale is the top seller in the Endeavour range and it's not especially difficult to see why that would be the case. After all, pale ales are the most popular beer for most breweries and this one pretty well delivers what you’d expect from an Aussie interpretation of the style. A combo of crystal, caramel and Munich malts gives the beer sweetness and body while Galaxy and Ella hops, added at several points – with particularly emphasis on dry hopping – do their bit to give off fruity… Read more
Style
Pale Ale
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
33

Endeavour Growers Summer Ale

The ‘tweener in the Endeavour range, the Growers Summer Ale is a halfway point for those that want a little more than the Lager but a little less than the Pale Ale. The beer is very pale courtesy of light malts – Vienna and Cara Pils plus a touch of raw wheat – and with a Vic Secret and Ella hop combo has a touch of resin, a bitterness that nibbles away gently and even a little spiciness leading into a dry finish.… Read more
Style
Summer Ale
ABV
4.2%
Bitterness
25

Endeavour Growers Lager

For most intents and purposes Endeavour's Growers Lager sits fairly neatly in the “clean, clear and cold” category of beer. However, dig a little deeper and you’ll find at its heart an interesting Aussie take on a European lager. That’s based first on having a fairly traditional malt bill but topped with Ella hops, the variety they’ve deemed to be the nearest local equivalent to the Czech Saaz hop which famously features in so many well known lagers. It means a beer of subtle bready malt… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
4.5%
Bitterness
29

Endeavour Harvest Mid Pale Ale

Within the ever expanding boundaries attempting to contain the craft beer world, there seems to be relatively little attention paid to traditional hop and malt focused beers hovering around the 3.5 percent ABV range. You might place blame for that on the inherently simple flavour profile which is something of an antithesis to what the modern craft beer movement has been about: namely, the pursuit of more flavour. And yet, a low alcohol middie holds an important place – especially for anyone wishing… Read more
Style
Australian Pale Ale
ABV
3.5%
Bitterness
25