Brews and Views

Posted on by Miriam

Don’t you love finding those unexpected places, sometimes virtually on your doorstep? Thanks to reading a review in my local paper that’s exactly what happened last weekend.

A last minute lunch plan with friends saw us enjoying shared tapas in a shipping container! How nice to cocoon in a cosy yet spacious booth where nearby an indoor lagoon shimmered through the filtered sun.  In the middle a waterfall cascades and paths wind up stairs to elevated bars, cosy lounge areas and secret nooks and crannies. Unexpected? Hell yes. Cool? Very.

Out the front
Not your ordinary brewery!
Dessert in a shipping container
An impressive entrance

There’s a buzz of music and conversation, it’s almost a party atmosphere and the decor is bold and bright.  It feels like a cross between Las Vegas and Disneyland for beer lovers!

In one of the newest, hippest venues around Melbourne. Moon Dog World is like a world of it’s own. It’s set inside four warehouses and it’s HUGE.

The bar has 72 taps. As well there’s espresso martinis on tap, cocktails, wine and a delicious menu with something for everyone. It has a beer garden, a hidden disco tiki bar, hidden alcoves with pinball machines, lounge areas and much more.

Lagoons and walkways
The feel of the tropics
Moon Dog World is family friendly

There’s elevated sun decks and a retractable roof to let in those sun rays on a sunny day.

We ended up sharing our shipping container “booth” with an eclectic bunch: Fiti from Samoa Fiji, Larissa from Russia and Jon the Pom. Our very affable waiter, Cian, made ordering a breeze and we passed a highly enjoyable afternoon.

Moon Dog Brewing is at 35 Chifley Drive in Preston. It’s bigger than Ben Hur, loads of fun and the most unusual brewery I’ve ever been to.

Most breweries aren’t quite so over the top as this one but each has its own charm.

Snoopy root beers

Further out from Melbourne there are dozens of microbreweries. Whilst I’m more of a winery gal myself, I don’t mind trying a new ale. Here’s a few we’ve enjoyed over the years:

Jamieson Brewery & Grill

This is a gem of a place, tucked away on eight lush acres in the High Country. Set by the picturesque Goulburn river with views and brews to satisfy any traveller.

There’s a great selection of delicious food and great ales to taste. I can highly recommend the Raspberry ale, delicious!

5953 Eildon-Jamieson Rd, Jamieson

A review of Jamieson Brewery I posted on Insta back in 2017

Forrest Brewing Company

Forrest Brewing Company has such a fun atmosphere. It’s equal parts micro brewery, eating place and mountain bike hang-out.

I love this part of the Otways. You can walk up a thirst around beautiful Lake Elizabeth nearby. Then venture into town and head for the brewery.

Enjoy lunch or a paddle of ales. It offers a true boutique product not widely available outside of Forrest and all beers are brewed using water from the Otways rainforest. How cool is that?

It’s at 26 Grant Street Forrest

Loch Brewery and Distillery

If you like your gin and vodka, as well as beer, you’ll love this place. Loch is a quaint little stopover, half way between Melbourne and Wilsons Prom. It’s worth the short detour off the South Gippsland Highway.

The small batch of beer was born because “to make good whisky, first you need to make a good beer base.”

You can sample all of this at the cellar door which occupies an imposing 19th century bank from Friday to Sunday. There’s no food available but a couple of great cafes in town. You can also take a stroll across the suspension bridge. Across the other side is a very peaceful campground!

44 Victoria Road Loch

“Life and beer are very similar. Chill for best results.”

King River Brewing

King River Brewing is a microbrewery in the picturesque King Valley in Victoria’s High Country. Inside it’s a lively and welcoming ambience.

Available on the six rotating taps are the latest fresh brews, straight from the brewery which is only metres away.

The brewery offers both familiar and exciting beer styles. The rustic and comfortable taproom is built inside the original tobacco kiln, which was once this locations previous industry.

4515 Wangaratta-Whitfield Road, King Valley

Holgate Brewhouse

Located not far from one of our most visited overnight stops at Macedon (i.e the in-laws place) Holgate Brewhouse at Woodend is one of the most popular craft breweries to come out of Victoria. The award winning brewery has been around since 1999 and was set up in Paul and Natasha Holgate’s backyard,

It’s very much a country corner pub, the bar has eight tabs, classic pub grub and live music every Friday night. If you’ve over indulged, no worries, you can grab a room upstairs for the night, with a dinner and beer tasting package while you’re at it.

79 High Street Woodend

High Country Beers

In the High Country there are literally dozens of breweries crafting beer on-site and serving up a range of handmade ales. The High Country Brewery Trail covers the length and breadth of the region comprising many that I haven’t even been to. Suffice to say, beer lovers will never be thirsty in this region.

One of the best parts about exploring these delicious breweries is the incredible scenery and vistas around every corner. Discovering new places and meeting people who love making their craft is what makes travel so memorable.

Whether it’s beer you love, or gin or wine or maybe it’s none of the above, every place has something that makes it unique.

Cheers to drinking responsibly, to safe travelling and epic adventures.

In light and love

Even the dunny block in Loch is picturesque!

Us in a corner
Flashback: The ultimate brew with a view at Glen Helen Gorge.

79 thoughts on “Brews and Views”

  3. A fabulous selection of places to visit Miriam, though I think I may give Moon Dog World a miss (I smiled when I saw it is “family friendly”). Yes, call me an old misery, but it’s not easy to find a place that isn’t “ff” these days! Was this a trip with your new “van”?

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  5. This looks like it was no fun at all! ha! Love exploring breweries…I always intend to post about a pub crawl in Colorado, but I can’t ever seem to get past 2 for a meaningful post. Hoping to at least try 3 or 4 while we are in London this weekend. Cheers Miriam!!

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  8. That sounds amazing but is it in Canberra and Melbourne? Love good tapas, but I too am more of a wine drinker although I don’t mind a good light ale.

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  16. A brew pub just opened minutes from us in beautiful Stanley Park, we’ve been twice already enjoying brunch on the deck overlooking some of my favourite trees and in the distance, the Pacific Ocean (each time we go, we sample a new beer!). Your lovely post makes me want to go again although Moon Dog World looks much more exciting!

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    1. That sounds so nice and relaxing Kim. And, to be honest, more my scene though it is fun trying new places. Hope you get back to your Stanley Park brewery soon. Have a great week. xx

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  18. What fun!!! (And not just because they were breweries, either…LOL!) But yes, I do especially love it when I find somewhere new and interesting in my own area. I keep telling my husband that there is so much of St. Louis and Missouri that we haven’t explored, and that’s a shame. Your post is a great motivation for us to address that!

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  20. Oh wow!! Moon Dog World looks so fabulous. Lots of treasure and fun! We have quite a few breweries nearby and I’ve yet to check them out. This definitely has me inspired to do so!! 🙂

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  22. Miriam, I’m off to the book the tickets to Melbourne! I’ve got to visit Moon Dog World … it looks fabulous and quite unlike any eatery I’ve seen! Great description and photos! It’s always a lot of fun to visit local breweries and vineyards – we tend to alternate as I don’t drink beer but my husband always appreciates the extra free pint! Happy Travels! 😀

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    1. Haha, okay, well I’ll book you a seat when you get here Annika, though seeing as it seats 750 people, maybe a booking won’t be necessary!
      So great to see you here and a big thanks for your lovely comment. Hope all’s well in your world. Cheers my friend. 😊

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  23. You had me at brews, Miriam!!!
    You know that we love our craft beer here…I was salivating at all the choices and neat locations that you highlighted.
    I love to see that craft/microbrewing is catching on worldwide. It’s so refreshing (literally and figuratively) to have new drafts to try and each brewer’s take on a certain genre. Husband Dan is partial to dark Porters and I like IPA’s, but we love to get small samples of 4 – called “flights” here – do you have a similar thing? – that lets us have a taste of several brews before committing to a full pint pour.
    LOVED this post; right in my wheelhouse.

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    1. Thanks Nancy, so glad you enjoyed my post. I do remember your love of craft beer. There really are so many microbreweries popping up all over the place here and it’s always great to discover a new one. Doug, like your Dan likes to sample a few, which is the beauty of some of the smaller breweries that offer samples. Ours are called paddles, where you can have up to six or eight small samples/shots. It’s a great idea. Cheers Nancy, hope you’re well.

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  25. I’m more of a tea lover myself, but I’m always up for trying new things, sightseeing, and fun time with friends. Darren would LOVE to go to all of these places that you highlighted. Great post Miriam.

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    1. Thanks so much Dominique. I love my tea as well and trying lots of different herbal ones.As well as my wine! As you said, it’s always fun trying new things in different places. And yes, I’m sure Darren would love all of these breweries!

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  28. This is a fantastic read! I absolutely loved it. I love reading about beer and stuff in various places. And Australia is definitely a place I want to check out and its cool to see the craft beer scene there, and its not just “Fosters” like many Americans think.

    Me and a friend run a dedicated craft beer blog where we do beer reviews, brewery reviews, beer events, etc. Would love if you gave it a check-out, you can leave a comment, and contact us, or whatever you want. Would love to do some guest blog posts for you if you want or vice versa. Always love collaborating with fellow beer blogs and the such.

    -B. Kline
    –The Beer Thrillers
    —https://thebeerthrillers.home.blog/

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    1. Firstly, thanks so much for your great feedback on my Brews and Views post. It was a fun one to write (and even more fun doing the research and finding all of the breweries!) You’re right, there’s much more to Australia than just Fosters!
      All the very best with your own beer blog, it’s definitely a niche area and I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with your posts. More than happy to check it out. Cheers and have a great weekend.

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  29. The buzz and ambience of Moon Dog World sounds like I place I would be happy to frequent. I can imagine myself
    visiting often to become familiar with the 72 taps.

    Miriam, I hope you are well. Not sure if you read my latest post, Inspiring Women of WordPress. It is a tribute for
    and about women. I am sure you have noticed I have a large female following. Many followers are too shy or frightened to comment on my blog, thus they email me. Some of these ladies are ill, others are in violent relationships, some have abusive pasts. I was hoping to introduce strong women like you. Perhaps, these ladies can make new friends and role models, and learn to make the most of their lives.

    I was really hoping you would allow me to allow you to be the first Inspiring Woman of WordPress that I introduce on my blog. Everything will be positive. I will attach a famous quote from an inspiring , successful woman.

    Is it okay for me to introduce you? I would like to do that with my Monday post. Sorry, for the short notice. I have been working so hard at getting this right, it has consumed my time.

    Let me know. Be well.

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    1. Hi Drew, sorry for my late response, I’ve actually been away for the weekend, the first trip in our new van, which has been absolutely wonderful (though also fraught with a few challenges). What can I say to your email, I’m so touched. Yes, I can imagine you’re inundated with so many emails, I know how popular you are, especially with the women. I’m honoured that you want to introduce me as your first inspiring woman and would be absolutely delighted if you wanted to introduce me. As you know I’m always happy to inspire others in any way that I can. So yes, you have my blessing. I look forward to reading it. Hope you’re well. Take care and thanks again my friend xx

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        1. That’s life isn’t it. Absolutely no worries Sue. We do what we can do when we can, with no pressure, at least there’s none from me my friend!Happy Friday. xx

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  33. That’s quite a comprehensive guide to Australian local breweries..!! Indeed they are worth paying a visit to.. 🍺
    I loved the Fosters draught beer a lot among the foreign made beers which are available in India. I am pretty sure that the local breweries of Australia will be comparable, maybe even better.. ☺️
    Thank you Madam for sharing.. ☺️

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