The Old Zig Zag Brewery was first built around 1888 upon a well-known spring water source deep within a steep sandstone valley on the outskirts of the small Lithgow coalmining community.
Even in its early years the spring water was considered to be a crucial ingredient in the delicate art of brewing a fine ale and the brewery achieved further distinction in the 1950's when its stout won a world championship award in London.
The brewery went on to be used for soft drink production as the home of Dales Soft Drinks in the 60's and 70's and with the spring water business commencing in 1991.
The famous brewery is once again striving to make award-winning beers using pure spring water and regionally sourced grains.
The former brewery retains many quite discernible elements of the 19th and 20th century brewing processes, including the malting tower, boiler house, water supply and a virtually intact early 20th century refrigeration plant. The place also retains one of only three recorded Australian made Fram refrigeration compressors. The brewery site is the only surviving brewery in Lithgow and is one of only a handful of breweries known to survive in regional New South Wales.
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