While WA’s capital city and surrounding metropolitan zones have a bustling craft beer scene worth bragging about, much of the vast state is also dotted with breweries from its far-reaching north (Broome’s Matso's Brewery) and inland Goldfields region (Kalgoorlie’s Beaten Track Brewery) to the deep south (Lucky Bay Brewing in Esperance).

And while the South West’s coastal, tourist towns of Margaret River, Busselton, Dunsborough and surrounds boast several breweries of their own, just a few hours of highway driving south lands you in WA’s forest- and coast-flanked Great Southern region, where a good beer – local and otherwise – is never too hard to find either.

Similar to its South West neighbour, the Great Southern is a vibrant hub for incredible produce, wine, beer and restaurants – all amid alongside stunning forests, world-class beaches and bucolic agricultural land. A trip to the Great Southern means endless exploring, no matter your penchant, and if you have the time, exploring its history will be both fascinating and eye-opening. Hikes, sightseeing, beach swims and tours are all on the cards.

While the region technically covers 39,000 square kilometres of land, this Crafty Crawl takes us predominantly to the wine-centric, coastal towns of Denmark and Albany. Both are loaded with good places to stop for a drink and a bite, ensuring a visit to this part of the world offers a unique look at Western Australian brewing in a region that is famed for so much more.

Wilson's Brewery Bar

One of the Great Southern’s most enduring breweries also has humble beginnings, and after a long tenure of brewing beer for the locals, Wilson Brewing Co have garnered a firm reputation as Albany’s brewery, with their wares now widely available throughout Western Australia.

That being said, a visit to their home base shouldn’t be passed up: a relocation in 2024 to the iconic White Star Hotel elevated the DIY brewers offering to include a solid pub menu and a good spread of beer in a retro, refurbed pub setting.

While their beers are never too far away in Albany, a pint of their Sure Thing summer ale or Locals Only lager alongside a bowl of chicken wings or a pepperoni pizza is a quintessential Albany pub experience that can’t be beat – especially alongside a feisty game of pool.

Guest taps from friends, plus seasonal Wilson offerings like Scurvy Nights strawberry sour dark ale and Ice Breaker IPL keep the drinking interesting, while a constant roster of live music from local and far away artists provides entertainment year-round.

Be a Local Only at 72 Stirling Terrace, Albany.

Due South

Due South Albany combines two of life’s purest pleasures: good beer and endless waterside views. The harbourside venue has always had a soft spot for local craft beer – albeit with a good chunk of bigger business beer too. 

The venue's massive bar regularly features the likes of Beerfarm, Boston Brewing, Feral and rotating seasonals. The food leans pubby – think pizzas, burgers and steaks – but the huge, bustling venue is well equipped for quick service, big groups and families, and the views are second to none.

Due South also boasts are very well-stocked Cellarbrations bottleshop that's home to a solid ranging of Australian craft, local wines and all the usual suspects – a perfect opportunity to top up for inevitable accommodation kick-ons.

Head Due South by typing 6 Toll Place, Albany into Google Maps.

Barrel Farm

One of the region's newest brewery additions, Barrel Farm is situated just outside of Albany, set up on a 38-acre farm with established vineyards, olive groves, and a long history of dairy farming. Most recently, a rustic farmhouse has been built to house Barrel Farm Brewery and Restaurant.

The spacious venue oozes with charm thanks to its recycled red brick features, timber bar, and huge glass windows offering views of rolling green paddocks. The fit-out and the food lean contemporary, with dishes such as crumbed Albany shark and beef brisket rillettes sitting comfortably alongside more regular brewery plates: fish tacos; sweet and sour pork belly bites.

The beers weren't being brewed on-site at the time of writing, instead made under contract locally. The range includes core range beers including an IPA, a hazy XPA, and a six-week matured Euro lager, plus a selection of ciders. All are served on tap exclusively at the venue where you can choose from cosy indoor dining or lakeside outdoor seating.

Find the Barrel Farm at 47898 South Coast Highway, Albany.

Boston Brewing Co

These days, Boston Brewing can claim OG status when it comes to breweries in the Great Southern. Their sprawling, family-friendly brewery opened in 2011 and across the years since they’ve brewed a plethora of beers within their core ranging and seasonal limited releases. 

In recent years, they’ve developed a penchant for the weird and wonderful – not least since head brewer Reid Stratton arrived from Bright – to keep things interesting, including the likes of a pistachio cannoli pastry ale and a trio of stouts inspired by Neapolitan ice-cream. 

The lawn-flanked venue is about as idyllic as a brewery setting can be, with vineyards and dense native trees the perfect backdrop for sipping freshly-brewed beers, from the Great Southern IPA and Squeeze NEIPA to Indies trophy-winning Little Wren non-alc raspberry sour.

Boston is a worthy spot for a meal, too. It’s a "something for everyone" style menu that covers just about everything with big flavours a focus: peri-peri chicken; grilled steak and blue cheese salad; harissa cauliflower; spicy Italian pizza, to name just a few. It’s worth planning to stay for a while as there are plenty of beers to taste or takeaway as well as a huge playground for the kids.

Make hay by heading to 678 South Coast Highway, Hay.

The Denmark Tavern

The Denmark Tavern is a long-time supporter of local beer, pourer of Denmark brewing royalty, Artisan, since that brewing company's very early days. Across the venue's bars and bottleshop, good craft beer from nearby and from a little further afield are well represented – extra good news given the small coastal town offers only a couple of spots for a beverage.

Alongside Artisan’s wares, including their Belgian Blonde and IPA, there are corporate classics and good drops from throughout WA’s South West, including those from Rocky Ridge and Wilson, plus the occasional goodie all the way from the big smoke. 

The setting is casual at The Denmark Tavern, with their beer garden space perfect for sinking a few in the sun – it even features an aviary filled with exotic and native birds. You don’t often get that with your pint!

Enjoy games and good times at 135 South Coast Highway, Denmark.

The Dam

This relative newcomer to the Great Southern’s beer offering opened in late 2021. The modern venue is surrounded by lush greenery and hand-formed rock feature walls alongside – you guessed it – a pristine freshwater dam. The team at The Dam do a little bit of everything, and while their bread and butter is distilling, they also produce their own wines and have a ranging of mixed drinks using estate grown produce.

But, if you’re reading this, you’re likely looking for a beer. The Dam has you covered there as well, with a house-brewed middy featuring Sitiva hops and hemp seeds, plus a 5.2 percent ABV hazy, alongside rotational seasonals, guest beers, and a ginger beer.

Across their 800-acre property, oak trees produce black truffle, Marron are grown and harvested from several dams, and Black Angus cattle roam pasture before finding their way onto the menu. In short, The Dam is probably a good spot to pull up for a feed if you get the chance.

Dive in at 305 Wentworth Road, Denmark.

Other Options

Still looking for more beer? Well, you're in luck as there’s plenty more around…

• Denmark Hotel: Recently renovated by new management and ownership, the Denmark Hotel is a local icon bought back to life. While the taps are mostly big brewery-tied, there's a couple of local goodies and the attached bottleshop, Denmark Drops, has a very solid ranging of local beers, wines and spirits.
• Bar Liberté: A cult classic in the heart of Albany, Bar Liberté serves epic French x Vietnamese dishes alongside very good cocktails. There’s an emphasis on celebrating local and that extends to beer with taps of Artisan plus a solid ranging of local craft in package. Do not skip on the famous crab noodles!
• The Bottle-O North Road: Don’t let its banner status fool you, this Bottle-O is all about supporting local. Within, there’s a fine range of WA-owned beer and a few from further afield. Keep an eye out for tastings from local breweries and occasional food truck pop-ups, too.
• Sotao: A fresh face for Albany, this is a small-town bar with big city bar feels. Curated small plates focusing on locally-sourced ingredients go very well alongside a tap bank stacked with independent beer soured from Perth; as you might expect, the wine list goes above and beyond.
• The Earl of Spencer Historic Inn: Just off Albany’s main drag, The Earl – as it’s known locally – is an ode to the classic English pub. All the fan favourites feature alongside iconic British drops – Old Speckled Hen, Theakston Old Peculiar and Belhaven’s Scottish Ale – plus a few local taps. The fit-out and food menu are decidedly British too, plenty of old brewery gimcrack lines the walls, while the menu boasts bangers and mash, fish and chips, and beef and ale pie, among others.
• Artisan Brewing: Artisan Brewing have a fine reputation throughout WA for their Belgian-style ales – everything ranging from lambic-inspired sours to dubbels, blondes and Belgian IPAs. The small but productive brewery is based out of Denmark but doesn’t have a cellar door or facility to visit. Instead, their yeast-driven beers are available throughout Albany and Denmark on tap and in bottleshops. Keep an eye out for limited releases with seasonal availability.
• Ocean Beach Brewing: Still in the throes of launching their first beers when this article was put together, Ocean Beach Brewing Co hit the ground running in early 2025 with their OBB Draft and OBB Pale Ale. The small operation, started by local mates with an eye on brewing sustainably and capturing the essence of the deep south, has beers readily available throughout Denmark, notably at local favourites Denmark Tavern and The Denmark Hotel.

Crafty Crawls are the name we give to suburb and, on occasion, regional guides; you can find more from across Australia here and download the free Crafty Pint app to find all the above venues and hundreds of others plus events, special deals and more.

About Jono

Jono Outred is a food and beverage writer based in WA’s Southwest. He has been involved in craft beer across a variety of capacities over the past 11 years, from beer blogging to production brewing and everything in between. When not immersed in beer, Jono is a cricket tragic, grows grapes and tends to his farm in Nannup.

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The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:

That would be would be BrewDog Tokyo, gifted to me by a colleague for my 18th birthday. Its existence alone as a 12.5 percent ABV beer blew my mind; previously I had only consumed Emu Bitter (in excess) at house parties. Discovering that beer led to a visit to the International Beer Shop where, obviously, many more mind-blowing beers were purchased and consumed.

You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?

• Rocky Ridge Peach Invasion: For me, it's the perfect craft beer. It's big flavoured but perfectly smashable. Interesting but easy-drinking. Bold but balanced. Naughty but nice. Made entirely out of locally made ingredients in WA, you'd be mad not to give it a crack!

• Boatroacker Ramjet: Because THIS is what beer can be. It's massive. You might hate it now but you certainly won't forget it. One day you'll understand and you won't be able to get enough. This beer is everything that is right about crazy, "big" beers.

• Jester King El Cedro: It's American craft beer at its best. A beautiful, bubbly farmhouse ale aged in cedar barrels. We're lucky here in Australia to get our hands on these fantastic American ales and I think Jester King stands for everything we love about beer. Great beer, great story.

The last beer you enjoyed:

Beerfarm Native series Quandong & Samphire Gose.

Name three examples of music/art/culture/sport/travel/other that represent you.

• Cricket – a passion from a young age. A mediocre off-spinner with an U17's club record of 8-30. Currently playing for the Nannup Tigers!
• Punk rock and heavy metal – A passion for over 15 years, from singing in a dodgy death metal garage band as a teenager and being active in Perth's punk and hardcore scene, to mic grabs at Slayer and traveling cross country to farewell I Killed the Prom Queen in Adelaide!
• Food – A chef in a past life, now out from behind the pass and exploring food throughout Western Australia and cooking more at home.

Articles by Jono