Craft Beer in Fremantle: Every Brewery, Bar and Taproom We Visited
While you probably think about Sydney and Melbourne first when you search for Australia’s craft beers, Fremantle is one of Australia's great beer cities.
In fact, you could even argue that it’s the birthplace of the country's modern craft beer movement. When Matilda Bay Brewing opened a microbrewery at Freo’s Sail and Anchor Hotel, it became Australia’s first craft brewery.
So, after flying into Perth from London on our way home to Sydney, we shook off our jet lag with a couple of days exploring the historic and fresh brews of Fremantle.
All roads lead to Freo? No matter where you go, including here at Gage Roads Freo, there’s some good beer.
Why Fremantle is Australia's secret craft beer hotspot
Fremantle can’t compete with Sydney’s Inner West or Melbourne’s Inner North for sheer volume, but nor does it have to.
Freo’s waterfront boasts Little Creatures Brewery, one of the outfits that helped sparked Australia’s craft beer revolution over a quarter of a century ago. Gage Roads Freo, Beerporium and Sail & Anchor are only a few minutes apart, and you get a lovely mix of bookshops, cafes and vintage stores filling in the gaps along the way.
What you end up with is less of a pub crawl, and more of a boozy excuse to explore one of West Australia’s favourite locations.
Little Creatures Brewery
Ok, so Little Creatures may not be an indie gem these days. Since 2012, they’ve been owned by Lion, who are in turn a part of Japanese giant Kirin’s holdings. Yet it’s history is part of craft culture: founded by some of Matilda Bay’s core brewing team, they released their eponymous Pale Ale back in 2000, getting the jump on the indie explosion by a good decade.
The beachfront locale is now a multi-building venue, or ‘village’. There’s the Loft, the Brewhouse and Cherub Hall. You can get food and their beer at both the Loft and the Cherub Hall, but the former is more of a seated dining scenario. For more casual pub vibes, and some lovely waterfront views, Cherub Hall is the place to be. Food includes pizzas, chips and other pub classics along with seafood and grills for non-vegetarians. Their main beers are on tap including the iconic Little Creatures Pale Ale, XPA, and seasonal releases. On our last visit, it was our first Australian beer stop after being away from home for three months. So, what else but the Aussie Dream IPA?
Gage Roads Freo
Picture this: you’re sitting by the water. You’ve got a beer or two on the table. To your right, the inner harbour where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean. A pod of dolphins leaps by. You’re at Gage Roads Freo.
Named for the ocean strip between Fremantle and the nearby Rottnest Island (where the quokkas live!), the Freo locale on the semi-industrial Walyalup Waterfront is only four years old. But the independent Gage Roads has been in the area for over 20 years. You’ll spot the giant painted water tank before you even get to the long shed. Inside, ‘road’ signs cheekily guide you between the various family friendly areas of the back yard, kitchen, dining room and aforementioned deck.
We love it for it’s casual, Sunday arvo vibes. There’s about nine taps, a mix of core range, exclusive Shed Series releases, and non-beery offerings from Good Drinks stablemate Matso’s. The World Cup was on during our last visit, and the communal atmosphere, multiple taps and great range of pizzas and nibbles gave us plenty of vegetarian options.
Sail & Anchor
The first bar on this list has already had its introduction: it’s name is written into the very history of Fremantle’s beer scene. Sitting on the corner of South Terrace and Henderson Street next to the Markets, even the building dates back to the 1850s where it was once the Freemasons Hotel, bought by the Swan Brewery in the 1920s and later the site of the first microbrewery in Australia.
Today, you’ll walk in and see a giant octopus chandelier hanging from the heritage ceiling, a nod to the contemporary pub vibes of this must-visit hangout. On tap was a mix of locals like Gage Roads, Little Creatures and their own brew. Their lager is clean and sessionable. The food runs from snacks and share plates to burgers, pizzas and desserts. We tried the mushroom arancini as a perfect sized nibble before moving onto our next locale.
Beerporium
Across the way from the Sail & Anchor on South Terrace, upstairs from the tempting churros and ice cream sold below, is a bar with an impressive 12 taps of local and interstate beers. While rain drove us indoors during our visit, the balcony is a perfect spot to sit and watch Freo go about its day.
We have to admit that we needed to coax a conversation about beer out of the taciturn barkeep, who would not be drawn into our standard prompt question of ‘what’s local?’ Thankfully, a combination of Untappd and thirst saw us through a Lancaster Larger from Impi Brewers (located in Wangara WA), The OG Pale from West Perth’s Phat Brew Club, and an indulgent wheel of baked brie. Definitely go for the local vibes.
Clancy’s Fish Pub
An unlikely destination for a couple of vegetarians is about a 10-minute walk from South Terrace. When we first walked in, out of the torrential rain I should add, it was hard to know where to look first. The live venue out the back, the bustling bar, the robust little library or the family-focused front bar.
While the menu is seafood-forward, there’s a great tap list of beer — including local microbrewers Last Drop Brewing and Otherside Brewing Co. — along with plenty of share plates, hot chips and snackables to keep us happy. If someone asked you to picture a Sunday afternoon in an Aussie pub, it would probably look a little something like this.
Calamity's Rod
You might walk straight past the unassuming structure at the foot of the Hougoumont Hotel on Bannister Road, especially in the dark. It is, in the words of the owners, the “front bit of a car park.” But inside you’ll find a working microbrewery and one of the cosiest bars in historic West Fremantle.
We walked in waterlogged after a long, wet day in Freo, but were instantly welcomed, warmed, watered and fed by the wonderful staff. We opted for a hot bowl of chips to go with our Dunkel and Continental Lager, chatting with some locals about travel, politics and movies before calling it a night. Put this place on your list if you want to try local, indie flavours.
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In short
Whether Fremantle is the stopover or the final destination, or you’re staying in Perth with a deep thirst, Fremantle’s craft beer scene is one of the best. With its historic pubs and buildings, broad range of options, and easy walking distance between spots, it’s an ale trail worth exploring.
