Sydney's best microbreweries

The Courthouse
The Courty pour legendary schooners, not least of all their own Justice Ale – a crisp, sweet brew made by Redoak. We plead guilty to loving their courtyard, one of the finest in Sydney where you can lounge around on a sturdy wooden bench or park yourself on the low garden wall where, against all odds and ciggie butts, tropical flowers and citrus plants bud and bloom.

Hotel Hollywood
The grand old lady of inner-city bars is helmed by Doris Goddard, one of Sydney's first female publicans, and it's still going strong thanks to its shabby chic environs, elegantly wasted punters and a vow never to cave to the crave of those ponytailed Sydney developers bent on turning it into another beer barn. On tap, they now feature their own Hollywood Lager, but are keeping schtum about who's making it for them.

4 Pines
You probably wouldn't know this microbrewery/bar was here unless you were a) a Manly local or b) looking for it. It's upstairs from the Manly cinemas. Now you know. It's also packed to the hilt with thirsty locals. You've got a choice between their pale ale, kolsch and (our favourite) heferweizen. Also, if you're interested, you can view the brewing process - the giant glass tank in the entrance holds the whole distillation kit.

The Lord Nelson
As Sydney's first boutique brewery (they started brewing back in 1986), with six different brews in their holster including three ales (love that Three Sheets pale), two bitters and a porter, the Lord Nelson is the place to go for checking out what local brewers can do. The pub itself is all high ceilings, cool sandstone, blazing hearths and convict history.

Red Oak
Now supplying plenty of places around town with bespoke brews, the source is still the sweetest spot of all. This inner-city cafe run by the Hollyoak siblings boasts 12 beers brewed in-house (with seasonal batches on top). The amber arsenal includes excellent organic pale ales and hefeweizens. A breezy, open room offers respite from the sticky city on a hot day and there's nothing better than the crisp honey ale to quench a dirty great thirst.

Opera Bar
Kudos to the Opera Bar for commissioning Sydney brewers Redoak to create a bespoke organic beer, OB Pale. Regular outdoor jazz acts sweeten the deal, as do the stunning views of Sydney Harbour.

Macquarie Hotel
The Macquarie, self-declared 'House of Funk', gets down to its bad self on Friday and Saturday nights and also has its own microbrewery – Schwartz, which makes five different types of beer including a pale ale, wheat beer, pilsener, dark beer and Bavarian red lager.

Out of town! The George IV Inn 
Visit the home of the Scharer's brewery – it's a short drive from the outskirts of Sydney and the pub is awesome. The best thing about it, of course, is the abundance of Sharer's, straight from the source. Mercy.

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