The Park Werribee

The Park Hotel has led the craft-beer charge in Werribee since 2012. Owner Nick Christou was involved in setting up Brisbane bar Archive Beer Boutique, then took over the Park’s expansive corner site after moving south.

A two-minute walk from the train station, it’s an ideal place for locals to wind down. Polished concrete floors, exposed beams and glossy wood give it an industrial feel.

On busier days you’ll find a few families enjoying the sun in the beer garden, while groups come and go, sharing food and beer tasting flights. On Saturdays, the ambience gets a pump-up with live music, while Friday nights are reserved for RnB DJs.

The taps rotate constantly, including a traditional British hand-pump and a Guinness-style nitrogen tap. Despite these options, you're more likely to find beers from local breweries such as Boatrocker and Holgate. Bottles span sour Belgian lambics to American IPAs. Beer & Brewer awarded the pub Best Beer List in Australia for 2013.

Cocktails change seasonally and feature house-made spirit infusions. The apple-pie spiced rum is a big seller in cooler months. Wines focus on local producers from the Yarra Valley and the King Valley.

Much of the food comes courtesy of the pub’s custom-built offset smoker. There’s ribs and pulled pork, with other pub standards thrown in. Refreshingly, there are extensive vegan and gluten-free options.