The only brewery tour guide you will need for the Gold Coast and Byron bay If you love craft beer, then this is the only brewery tour guide that you'll need

If you love craft beer, then this is the only brewery tour guide that you’ll need.

Long sandy beaches stretch to the horizon, salty haired surfers run into the break, tanned bodies glisten in the sun, and glamorous hotels tower all around. Have you guessed where Aunt Betty is heading now? It’s the Gold Coast of course! This trip is all about beautiful beaches and beer. Yes, I love a good beer so I’ve decided to head to the Gold Coast with some of my closest girlfriends and do a brewery tour from the sunshine state’s Gold Coast, all the way down to the surfer’s mecca of Australia, Byron Bay. If you love craft beer, then this is the only brewery tour guide that you’ll need.

I used my not-so-hidden talent of finding cheap flights and found fares so affordable that none of my friends could say no to my plan. It's very easy to here fly to from most Australian cities. You can fly direct with the following airlines:

Jetstar from: Adelaide, Avalon, Cairns, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney

Qantas from: Melbourne, Sydney

Virgin Australia from: Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

When we arrived at Coolangatta airport we headed to pick up our rental car for the weekend. All major car rental companies are available, so it's very easy to find some wheels for the weekend. After much deliberation deciding on our designated driver for today (not me, thankfully!) we set off to our first brewery of the weekend: Black Hops Brewery.

Black Hops is a small brewery located in Burleigh Heads. This brewery was started by three best mates, but it’s no trivial thing, the boys have since gone on to win Australia's 2018 AIBA Champion Small Brewery and have their beer stocked in over 400 locations! I’m impressed! Perhaps the girls and I will have our own business breakthrough over some beers today. That brings me to the menu. With 14 beers on tap, I’m spoiled for choice, which makes it difficult to make a decision. Thankfully they have a tasting paddle available, so between us girls, we can try each beer! Aunt Betty’s favourite: the eggnog stout, a sweet, creamy, and slightly spiced stout beer. I can imagine enjoying one of these at Christmastime with a shortbread biscuit on the side, yum!

Time to head to the second brewery of the day and we’ve got high hops (excuse the pun), as it’s another ABIA award winner. Our next destination is Balter Brewing Company, located a 15 minutes drive from Black Hops, in Currumbin Waters. Balter Brewing was founded by eight good mates, one of whom you might know of, none other than the “White Lightning”, Mick Fanning! I hope we’ll bump into him today! An award-winning surfer brews an award-winning beer, how fabulous! When it comes to the menu, I’m going straight for the 19 award-winning XPA, it’s tropical, it’s fruity, it’s exactly the beer you need to be drinking in the warm sunshine state.

After filling our tummies with delicious beer, and snacks from the food trucks at Balter Brewing, we’re zooming down to Byron Bay to visit Stone & Wood Brewery. This beer has been born and raised in the Northern Rivers, where nature is beautiful and the people are down to earth, and I think the beer they have made reflects this. I’m trying the Cloud Catcher Australian Pale Ale, it’s very refreshing, with hints of tropical and stone fruit aromas.

Finally, we’re on our way to the last brewery of the day: Byron Bay Brewery. It’s a character-filled place, and I’m not just talking about the decor. Byron Bay attracts a diverse range of people and we’re all here at the brewery enjoying beers and live music. They’ve got eight beers brewed right here on-site, so you know it’s fresh! I’m trying the Rosy One Lager, which is a lovely ruby coloured beer with a toffee aroma and a tasty floral and orange marmalade flavour! I think it even matches my dress! Now I think it’s time for us girls to hit the dance floor!

That's all for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along on this craft beer brewery tour with me! I wonder if I surprised you with my extensive knowledge of craft beer? Ladies love beer too, you know. If you love beer, then I highly recommend these four breweries. Let me help you find some cheap fares to the Gold Coast so you can try them for yourself next weekend!

Love Always, Aunt Betty