There is something about being on holiday that frees us to feel like celebrating! The clinking of glasses is often a song that signifies the celebration has begun.
In a destination with so much to celebrate it’s no wonder there are local community breweries with beach hearts and hinterland distilleries that serve sips with a little of nature’s magic.
Put on your explorer’s hat, meet passionate creators and gain an entirely new level of understanding for the ingredients plucked from the Northern Rivers region and transformed into delicious artisan sips.
It’s time to make those taste buds dance.
100 Centennial Circuit, Byron Bay
The story of this approachable, fiercely local beer began with three ingredients – Brad, Ross and Jamie. These three friends spent many years working in the brewing industry and their passion still overflows.
They channelled that energy into an idea, not just for a beer, but also for a village brewery that brought the local community together and brewed for a purpose.
The result is a suite of easy drinking beers with flavours straight out of summer served from a brewery that welcomes patrons like their part of the family.
Located in the Byron Arts and Industry Estate, Stone and Wood Brewery is the destination for an easy afternoon drink and nibble or a fun brewery tour within walking distance of Elements of Byron.
Stone and Wood brews are made by sourcing the best quality water, malt, hops and yeast and slow brewing exceptional beers. The Original Pacific Ale is ocean inspired while Green Coast Lager celebrates Byron’s deep green hinterland. There are more brews where those came from.
4 Banksia Drive, Byron Bay
An easy 20 minute walk from Elements of Byron, Lord Byron Distillery is a family owned distillery that uses 100% renewable energy and produces zero waste in its quest to hand craft premium local rums and gins that personify the spirit of Byron (pun intended).
Owners Brian and Helen Restall have a passion for premium, handcrafted, artisan spirits.
For several years, Brian was the CEO of a local 100% renewable electricity generator that happened to be located adjacent to some sugar mills.
He noticed that the food-grade molasses that was a by-product from the sugar mill was being used as cattle feed. He had a sneaking suspicion it could be the hero ingredient in an incredible rum.
And so, Lord Byron Distillery was born.
A visit to the distillery can include a tour of the processing plant, a cocktail making class, the opportunity to distill your very own gin or just book a table and have the professionals serve up some local goodness.
80 St Helena Road, McLeods Shoot
This iconic Byron cellar door is located in the heart of the Cape Byron Distillery family farm, 10 minutes drive from Elements of Byron. Led by distillers Eddie Brook and Jim McEwan, Cape Byron Distillery offers highly personalised tours – but make sure you book first.
You’ll begin by walking through the rainforest, learning about the history of the Big Scrub and smelling the native botanicals that are used to make their award-winning gins (which you’ll get to learn how they distil before tasting them).
Cape Byron Distillery keeps true to the time honoured traditions and art of distillation so that its gin and whisky tastes like the Northern Rivers. Leave with newly found knowledge and a slew of delicious souvenirs. We recommend Shirl the Pear Cumquat Gin or the Cape Byron ‘The Original’ Australian Single Malt Whisky.
9 Dudgeons Land, Bangalow
Whether you’re on the breezy deck in the summer or by the fireplace on comfy couches in the winter, Common People Brewery is only 20 minutes drive from Elements of Byron but will feel like a home away from home.
Common People Brewery is so genuinely friendly its team even welcomes your four legged friends. Find a cosy place in the taproom where you’ll find an assortment of the brewery’s beers on tap, along with hand-picked wines and non-alcoholic drinks.
Quench your thirst on the Back Beach White Ale, the perfectly balanced Villager’s Pale Ale or the subtle notes of spice and soft finish of their Helles Hole Lager.
One of the true beauties of the Common People Brewery is that no matter how many times you visit there will always be something new to try. Did you know that in the brewery’s first year of operation they produced 20 beers?
Clunes Store Cellar Door, 33 Main Street, Clunes
Just a 30 minute drive from Elements (and 10 minutes from Common People Brewery) to the quaint hinterland village of Clunes, you will find a truly unique winery with a story that begins with exile.
Owner Jared Dixon’s great grandfather was exiled from Cumbria. Put on a boat and cast off to the new world, he soon earned a reputation as the White Wolf of Cumbria. He was named after the legendary wolf that had been hunted to extinction in England.
The spirit of this wild and majestic creature carries through this collection of wines as Jared continues to follow in his great grandfather’s footsteps and have the courage to break all the rules.
Jared only creates small-batch, seasonal wines with the very minimum intervention.
Each vintage is an extension of Jared and a moment in time, captured in a bottle, which you can taste at the Clunes Store.
20 Manns Road, Mullumbimby
Wandana Brewing Co. is a craft beer brewery unlike any other. Located in loveable Mullumbimby, just 20 minutes’ drive from Elements of Byron, Wandana Brewing Co. is the only brewery in the world who plays non-stop music to every beer – each type of beer has its own style of music.
You’ll taste everything from a little flamenco music in the Grapefruit Sour to kiwi dub in the Mullum Madness Hazy IPA. Perhaps that’s why their Wandana Soundcloud sunset DJ sessions in the taproom and beer garden are so popular.
To enjoy this unique brewery check the website and choose from multiple events each week. What about pizza and trivia, a DJ and iconic Asian food van or a live musician served alongside a Texan BBQ.
188-202 Southern Cross Drive, Ballina
Prior to 2010, technology journalist Matt Wilson was travelling the world. He always asked for a local beer on his travels and was served one in Los Angeles that gave him an epiphany.
It tasted unlike anything that he’d had before and sent Matt into the world of homebrewing. He revelled in the technicality and precision required to perfect a quality brew.
He followed his passion into the brewing industry and in 2010 Matt and his father opened Seven Miles Brewing .
Today, Seven Miles Brewing has one of Australia’s largest collections of craft beers and showcases new seasonal releases.
The West Coast IPA pays homage to the LA beer that gave Matt an epiphany, the Cali Cream is light, refreshing with a soft floral aroma and the Wildling Hard Ginger Beer has a full bodied sweetness with the right amount of fresh Aussie ginger kick.
1152 Dulguigan Road, North Tumbulgum
Inspired by the vibrant rum culture of the Caribbean islands along with a desire to add to Australia’s market of fine spirits, distiller Paul Messenger and his family set out on a mission to create Husk Distillers, a plantation distillery on their cattle and cane farm, nestled deep in the green caldera surrounding Mt Warning.
The family’s main goal was to produce a ‘premium, paddock to bottle agricole rum with a unique Australian expression’. What they ended up doing was pioneering a new style of Australian rum.
The key to their new style rum was in the creation of sipping quality Australian cane juice that becomes a hero ingredient in every dram of Husk Rum. Husk Rum can only be made from freshly crushed cane juice and only in the harvest season that’s between August and November.
A little further afield, Husk Distillery is a 45 minute drive from Elements of Byron. The distillery is set amongst stunning hinterland scenery that invites you to walk through their farm-based production facility and lounge on the beautiful sprawling lawn while sipping Husk Rum and Ink Gin cocktail creations while you picnic from delectable spreads available at their onsite restaurant.
Whether you seek the subtle botanical mix of a premium gin, the burnt sweetness of rum, the crisp lightness of an ale or the vanilla tones of an exceptional drop of wine, you’ll find your next favourite drop in Byron Bay.
Raise a glass, toast to your holiday and share a moment with the passionate people behind your drink.
If you need more inspiration check out the Ultimate Guide to Byron Bay.
