It’s not just about the beers at breweries around the Sunshine Coast.
Many of them have added restaurants, eateries and function rooms to their range, but they’ve also branched out with an array of initiatives and events.
From choir-style singalongs, lawn bowls, farmyard experiences and ‘speed friending’, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Moffat Beach Brewing Co founder Matt Wilson said his brewery’s events were designed to get people together.
“They are new ways to introduce people to the family-friendly and community-focused atmosphere of a brewpub,” he said.
“It’s also about responding to our changing community.
“With our speed friending event for example, we know that with kids, work and all the rest, it can be harder to meet new people, especially if you’ve just moved into the area.”
He said social events were important for health and wellbeing.
“It’s about bringing people together for a good meal, good beer and a good time,” he said.
“We’re not into pokies or having a TV screen on every wall: that just doesn’t make sense to us.”
Moffat Beach Brewing Co hosts Brewpub Chorus events, where choirmaster Jen Young leads the crowd in learning to sing a few popular songs.
It has also held a Rock Scissors Paper tournament, hosted a summer festival and provided a beer and barbecue degustation dinner.
Family events have proved to be a hit, with bingo nights, kids’ disco parties and Sunday Funday mini festivals featuring face painting, jumping castles and art and craft.
The Mix and Mingle Speed Friending event is set to start soon: attendees will have the opportunity to meet like-minded people in a facilitated and welcoming session.
Your Mates Brewing hosts barefoot bowls and lawn games at its BowlsPub venue at Noosa, where you can also find vintage markets on October 13.
It also hosts monthly music event at its BrewPub venue at Warana, where it will also host Meats for Mates event next month and a 10-year party in November.
It also raises funds for its Mateship Foundation.
The foundation was dedicated to raise money to support social and environmental change. It was created “to encourage individuals to feel comfortable to express themselves through positive conversations and living life to the fullest”.
“The support of our mates and community has always been a big part of Your Mates, so it’s a key principle for us to give back and support the local community that’s always supported us,” they said.
“Since 2019, we’ve donated $150,000 to local charities and this year we’re stepping it up a notch and aiming for a hefty $100,000 in donations.”
Meanwhile, Brouhaha Brewery hosts weekly events with food trucks, live music and trivia nights, while Terella Brewing’s farmyard is a drawcard for young and old, with pigs, ducks, sheep, goats, miniature horses and more.
Terella Brewing also hosts outdoor movie nights, festivals and games, and it boasts of its sustainability initiatives, “producing what we need and using what we produce”.
It uses water from the neighbouring vertical farm to produce its beer and collects the CO2 by-product from its fermenters to re-inject back into the vertical farms system.
These are just some of the region’s breweries that are renowned for their craft beers but offer so much more. See more via Visit Sunshine Coast’s brewery guide.
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