Glebe Wine Shop, Glebe

As the name would suggest, beer isn’t the primary focus at Glebe Wine Shop. But a tight choice of good Australian beer makes it a solid go-to bottle-o for locals.

Glebe Wine Shop backs onto The Toxteth Hotel. It’s a pub that once played host to a couple of Young Henrys taps and would occasionally have beers on handpull thanks to the the British inspiration behind the venue.

In mid-2018, however, the pub had a makeover. It’s now a trendy family pub with vegan food, boozy brunches, live music and a cocktail list, as well as wine and cocktails on tap. It has a few crafty beers but most fall under the AB InBev umbrella.

The Glebe Wine Shop next door has a better choice, albeit limited to one or two fridges. Wine is the main focus but tucked away at the back are fridges with Aussie beer. Alongside these are some interesting imports including some classic German beers, and the likes of Kereru from New Zealand. One fridge, however, is dedicated to local names like Yulli’s Brews, Philter, and Akasha.

Solid Local Selection

There’s by no means a huge selection but if you’re looking for a fresh Philter XPA, or Akasha’s Hopsmith or Mosaic IPA then it’s a good stop off. This is particularly the case if you’re looking to pick up beers to take to one of Glebe’s many BYO-friendly restaurants.

Glebe Wine Shop seems to favour cans of craft beer too which is perfect if you’re walking to Blackwattle Bay or Jubilee Park for a picnic.

One of the most reassuring things about Glebe Wine Shop is that there’s no beer being stored at ambient temperatures on shelves. That’s less than can be said of some more popular and lauded specialist bottle shops.

Those who are familiar with Newtown Growler Depot (also known as Newtown Wine Shop) will be familiar with the set up of this very similar store in Glebe.

One For Locals

As craft beer enters the mainstream in Australia we’ll increasingly see a tight local offering at small, suburban bottle shops which primarily cater to locals rather than niche enthusiasts. That can only be a good thing.

Glebe locals will probably already know about The Little Guy and Forest Lodge Hotel as nearby hotspots for great beer.

Have you bought beer from Glebe Wine Shop? Leave a comment below and share your experience.