Kick Back Brewing

Kick Back Brewing pours its own beer at 11 Old Coach Rd in Aldinga, on Adelaide's southern Fleurieu coast. The brewery's own site is clear about dogs: they are more than welcome on a leash outside in the beer garden. Doors open from midday Wednesday through Sunday, with later closings on Friday and Saturday nights, and Mondays and Tuesdays dark.

The beer menu changes constantly, which is the point of a working brewery, and tasting paddles are the standard way in. The food list runs to brewery staples done properly: brisket bites, a mushroom burger and a short list of sides, plus prosecco for the wine-leaning half of the table. The layout is family friendly, with a sand pit that keeps kids and dogs occupied in their own corners of the garden.

The dog setup

The beer garden is the dog zone and the leash stays on, but the space is generous enough that a quick pint is not the only plan that works. You can settle in for an afternoon: order a paddle, share the brisket bites, and let the dog work out the sand pit. In hot weather, check that the table you pick has shade through the afternoon, since the Aldinga sun is the main thing standing between a good session and a short one. Water bowls are the usual brewery-garden arrangement, but worth confirming at the counter.

Close by with the dogs

Aldinga's dog-friendly circuit fits one morning. Goodness Coffee Co and Sweet Life Gelateria and Pizzeria cover coffee and gelato closer to the shops, and the BIG4 Port Willunga Tourist Park is the pet-friendly base for a weekend. Our Aldinga guide and the South Australia pub list round out the area.