The Crafty Pinthttps://craftypint.comAustralia's leading craft beer site, covering the Australian beer industry since 2010. We publish daily news, features and more from a team of writers across the country at craftypint.com as well as a weekly newsletter to 40,000 readers.en-AUcrafty@craftypint.com (James Smith) Who Brews Canobolas Beers?Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:09:13 +1100NewsWho BrewsCanobolasOrangehttps://craftypint.com/news/3392/who-brews-canobolas-beershttps://craftypint.com/news/3392/who-brews-canobolas-beersbenny@cox.com (Benedict "Benny" Kennedy-Cox)Canobolas Brewing launched their first beers in 2023, brewed at their taproom in Orange. We chatted to Jeff Vaughn about his journey from homebrewing in Oregon via winemaking to becoming a head brewer in the Central West.

For locals and those visiting Orange, a stop at the Mad Hatter Drink Lab is a cute and curious experience: a cozy little courtyard with room for 80, a sizzling burger-focused food truck, a bright bar space bursting with greenery and 20 taps of locally produced RTDs, wine and beer, the latter made on premises by Canobolas Brewing.

What's more, as you’re pondering which of the many drinks on offer will be your next, you hear the voice of head brewer Jeff Vaughn and find yourself asking: "What is an American doing all the way out here?"

“It was literally an overnight decision to come here,” he says.

“I had a job in the Yakima Valley, in Washington State, so I did a vintage in Orange to make enough money to move there. I’ve been here five years – my six month adventure in Australia and New Zealand has been five years.”

Jeff’s first home, the Walla Walla region of Washington State, is mountainous wine country where the seven breweries and five distilleries (at time of writing) are completely outnumbered by more than 200 vineyards. As for his current home, it's not just wine-making or the fact his adventure in Australia includes getting married and starting a family here that are the draw, it’s Orange itself.

“This place reminds me of the town I grew up in,” Jeff says. “I appreciate how close it is to the metropolitan areas: a three-hour drive to Canberra and Western Sydney, only a four-hour drive to the beach which I had back home. There are four seasons here, none of which are extreme.

“I really enjoy being here. It's a great little town, I really understand why so many people have moved here.”

Years of study, homebrewing and operating his own brewery in Oregon prepared Jeff well for his stay in the Central West, which involved a three years at Pioneer Brewing before that closed last year and saw him take on the head brewer job at Canobolas Brewing. Named for the nearby extinct volcano that’s part of the Great Dividing Range, it's part of the Mad Hatter Drinks Lab where wine and RTDs are also made.

With Badlands Brewery now operating their taproom just a few hundred metres away, this region best known for wine is becoming rather appealing for beer tourist too. To find out more, we invited Jeff to join us for this entry in our Who Brews…? series.


Canobolas Brewing

Jeff Vaughn behind the bar at Canobolas Brewing's home in Orange.

 

Who are you?

I’ve spent nearly my entire adult life brewing, winemaking and distilling. Other than some small stints between jobs and during the peak of the pandemic where I worked on a sheep and cattle station for seven months, the entirety of the last 12 years has been spent on a production floor.

I joined Canobolas Brewing Company as the head brewer in May of 2023 and we swiftly kicked off production.


Where do you brew?

Canobolas Brewing Co has its own dedicated brewery at the Mad Hatter Drink Lab, 147 Lords Place, Orange.


Why do you brew?

Why do I brew? It’s pure passion, it’s savouring the next bitter sip of wort and the smell of freshly milled grain going into the mash.

It’s the other brewers you meet along the way and whinge about trivial industry matters while our spouses roll their eyes because we don’t turn off.

It’s enjoying the fruit of your labour with patrons and discussing the nuances from that single hop variety made in that lager.


Was there a beer or a moment that set you on the path to becoming a brewer?

I was an 18-year-old uni student back home in Oregon studying architecture. I was spending an evening “studying”, watching everyone's favourite free streaming service, and stumbled across the show Brew Masters. I saw Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Brewing discussing philosophy and how beer was made and talked about homebrewing. 

I didn’t know how beer was made. I didn’t know I could make beer at home. Then the lightbulb went off and I bought an extract kit online immediately. 

I thought I was just going to fulfil the needs of many young adults in the US. But from the moment the wort was cooling and it was going into the fermenter, even though that first beer was downright awful, I was hooked. 

So, like any other aspiring young brewer, I dropped out of uni and moved back home where I promptly got a position at a winery and started at my first brewery a year later – and the rest is history.


What’s the inspiration behind the brewery name?

Mount Canobolas is arguably one of the largest defining features of the Orange region and, like Mount Canobolas, we wanted to create a defining business that can capture the beauties of the region and have a brand that reflected the community we were a part of. 

 


What beer in your lineup best represents you and why?

It’s between two because of two different philosophies: Our West Coast Hazy – a 65 IBU Pacific Northwest-inspired hazy pale and our Old Man Ale – an English dark mild.

When New England IPAs started making their way westbound around 2013, we didn’t really know what all the fuss was about. We were busy making 80 to 100 IBU resin monsters and tinnies of Heady Topper, Treehouse or Trillium were nowhere in sight so, for a very short time, we all just made the assumption that NEIPAs were just West Coast inspired IPAs with a bit of adjunct and no finings. 

This version, however, is the evolution of the mistakes we learned along the way. A nod to the region in which I grew up in and a different take on a crowd favourite. 

When it came to looking at building a core range for our brewery, I wanted to build up a small portfolio that fits our surroundings. So I went searching for a style of beer I could play with; as we started building our current core range, I always follow a quote by another brewer: “A good beer is one that the drinker can think about if they wish, but doesn’t have to if they don’t." I wanted to create a beer that was an accessory to life.

So we looked at an English dark mild (or to put it simply an old ale). I looked at adding nuance by using some smaller percentages of unique malts from Voyager and then rounding it off with a small dry-hopping charge of Bramling Cross to make a light-bodied but nuanced, extremely drinkable dark ale.


If you could have any person in the world join you on a brew day, who would it be, and why?

Alan Sprints, founder of Hair of the Dog Brewing in Portland.

I never had an opportunity to meet Alan over the years while brewing in the Pacific Northwest but his creations were always my favourite. Every time I would be in Portland, Oregon, I’d make it a mission to stop into the tasting room. He paved his own path where he built a great following. 

His high gravity beers and his unique conditioning practices were awe-inspiring and a constant form of inspiration. In my opinion, much like the Grossmans, Maytags, Calagiones, and Cilurzos of the brewing world, Alan Sprints is a true brewing pioneer.


If anyone drops in on brew day, what are they most likely to hear blasting from the speakers?

The exciting sounds of me catching up to brewing podcasts. Learning never stops.

 


What beers are in your fridge right now?

Wildflower St Phoebe 2022, Holgate Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, Slow Lane Botany Weisse Apricot Mix Ferm, Deeds Fade into Darkness, 8 Wired Rendition of the Devil, 30+ cans of Pioneer Saison, an absolute shit tonne of US imperial stouts and various other projects I’ve worked on.


What would be your desert island beer of choice?

Fresh and cool Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in glass bottles straight from Chico.


Which local beers have blown your mind in recent weeks?

Notably the bottle-released Fruited Saisons by Cosmo Brewing that just recently hit the shelves, and Badlands Brewing’s Mexican Nitro Stout at their new taproom. The Monkey Bar in Dubbo also has some wonderful small batch stuff out of their Pilot Room that I would highly recommend.


Is there a particular style, ingredient, or trend in beer you'd like to explore further?

I’m a very big fan of using as local, high quality ingredients as possible. We’re very fortunate to have Voyager Malt not too far away – six hours – and the team there has been essential to us making some beer we’re really happy with. I’m looking forward to the hopeful expansion of hop farms and even the talks of more yeast producers popping up. 


Where can people find your beers?

Online in our retail shop, local stockists around the Central West and, of course, during our operating hours at our Taproom located just a block off the CBD in Orange.


Where do you hope your brewery will be ten years from now?

In ten years, I’m hoping to ride the tide of making some awesome lagers and building a really solid lagering program for some tasty, crispy beverages, while also incorporating more localised ingredients.


You can sample Jeff's beers at source in 147 Lords Place, Orange. You'll also find Canobolas Brewing alongside hundreds of breweries and beer venues in the free Crafty Pint app.

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Grain And Grape To Close In MayFri, 15 Mar 2024 09:32:13 +1100NewsGrain And Grapehttps://craftypint.com/news/3391/grain-and-grape-to-close-in-mayhttps://craftypint.com/news/3391/grain-and-grape-to-close-in-maywill@craftypint.com (Will Ziebell)After more than three decades of supplying the local industry with homebrewing equipment, John Preston is set to retire. It means Grain and Grape will close its doors in May but before it does, we spent some time reflecting with the local beer hero behind it.

Grain and Grape is set to close in May as owner John Preston retires after more than three decades in the local beer industry.

While it might be sad news for countless homebrewers and the wider beer world, it’s a positive moment for John, who told The Crafty Pint that he simply knows it’s time.

“I’m 65 and my lease finishes up in July,” John says. “I feel really positive about doing it.

“I want to travel, I plan to do some gardening, I play piano, I love to cook and I love to make cheese and beer."

In 1990, John opened Southern Home Brewing in Edithvale with his friend Laurie Cahir after the pair had considered starting a brewery of their own. John and Laurie later separated into two businesses and in 2005, John moved to the expansive Yarraville warehouse that Grain and Grape sits in today. Its popularity extends far beyond Melbourne's western suburbs, with the store loved far and while by homebrewers, winemakers, salami makers and anyone else eager to learn the joys of making their own food or drinks.

Although he never did start a brewery, John's impact on the local industry has been immense; something we explored in 2017 when we featured John as a Craft Beer Hero. Few people, if any, have been working in the local beer industry for as long, and during his career in beer, John's helped launch the careers of countless professional brewers by either employing them or by selling them equipment, including the Braumeister systems inside many of the country's smaller breweries. 

John also played a key role in helping to formalise the local homebrewing community by being part of the small group that created the Australian National Homebrewing Conference (ANHC) in 2008. In 2016, John was awarded the inaugural Preston Award (pictured above); a trophy named in his honour and given to individuals for their contribution to Australian home brewing

John says that even in retirement, he plans to stay connected with the local beer industry, remain involved in the ANHC and continue the passion he’s had since the mid-1980s.

“I certainly don’t want to get out of homebrewing at all,” John says. “I’ve reduced how much I’m doing but I’m not burnt out from it.”

 

One of Good Beer Week's System Wars where pro brewers competed for homebrewed glory.


John’s early customers include the likes of Mountain Goat’s cofounder Dave Bonighton, Red Hill’s Dave Golding (who even built one of John’s early websites) and Paul Holgate, whose pioneering Woodend brewery turns 25 this year.

There’s also been a vast number of staff members who have gone on to play important roles in the local beer industry, including 3 Ravens’ head brewer Brendan O’Sullivan. Brendan first started working for Grain and Grape in 2006 as 20-year-old who moved to Melbourne from WA to study. When moving back to Melbourne years later, Brendan ran frequent homebrew demonstrations for the store, with those monthly sessions another unique aspect of the business that helped cement it as a community hub for homebrewers. 

Brendan told The Crafty Pint that he always loved John’s passion for homebrewing and his continued support for homebrewers through sponsorships and initiatives like the ANHC.

“I love everything John is about and everything he’s done; I learnt so much from him and the team.” Brendan says. “I have so much respect for the homebrew conference which I’ve been a part of since I moved back to Melbourne.

“On a personal level, working for him was really special in terms of his personality and how he treats people. I felt like an adult for the first time where we could have these really mature conversations about the world and I just found it really refreshing and empowering as a new adult to be treated that way”

John says he's loved how much both the professional beer and the homebrewing industry have developed and remained intertwined, whether through professional brewers picking up homebrew systems or through the likes of System Wars where pro brewers competed on homebrew systems of varying complexity.

“There’s been such a build in the quality, the range and the connection between home and pro brewing,” John says.

"In my career, there’s been such an improvement in the range of stuff and improvement in quality. It’s so much better than it was back when I started."

Other career highlights have included both the distribution of Speidels and the production of their fresh wort kits - both of which are a substantial part of the business today and aspects he's selling. But with the store itself closing, there's a sale on just about everything in the shop, which you can find out about here

As for final words, John's personal message should be read in its entirety. Unsurprisingly to those who know John, he spends a great deal of time thanking the many staff he employed over the year. 

We have little doubt that many of them will be placing a long-forgotten special bottle of sour beer into their fridges to toast to John over the weekend and they'll do so along with countless others in the local industry.

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Deeds Enter Voluntary AdministrationThu, 14 Mar 2024 12:08:39 +1100Newshttps://craftypint.com/news/3390/deeds-enter-voluntary-administrationhttps://craftypint.com/news/3390/deeds-enter-voluntary-administrationwill@craftypint.com (Will Ziebell)Deeds Brewing have become the latest brewery to enter voluntary administration, with the Melbourne brewery appointing Deloitte Financial Advisory as administrators this week but with the founders remaining at the helm.

Deeds Brewing have become the latest brewery to enter voluntary administration, with the Melbourne brewery appointing Deloitte Financial Advisory as administrators yesterday. 

Cofounder Pat Alé told The Crafty Pint that Deloitte are currently reviewing the business while he and fellow founder Dave Milstein continue at the helm, with the taproom remaining open, production continuing and the business operating as usual. 

Pat says the decision was in large part due to an Australian Taxation Office (ATO) debt accrued during COVID.

“That just puts a huge amount of pressure on the business’s cash flow,” Pat says, adding that they had tried to negotiate longer payment terms with the ATO but been unable to come to an agreement. 

He said they'd also been impacted by a need to pull a significant amount of beer from sale more than a year ago following an issue with contaminated malt which impacted the flavour of their beer. Since then, Pat says they’d spent a lot of time working with their insurer to recover the loss. 

“It seemed to be progressing in the right direction and then, on Tuesday, they rejected that claim,” Pat says.

“We’ve got a massive cash flow hole as a result of that issue that we’ve been carrying and, coupled with the ATO, it’s made it really challenging in an already difficult market.”

 

Dave and Pat inside their impressive Deeds taproom.

 

The combined impact of legacy ATO debt, declining consumer confidence and spiraling operating costs for breweries are issues we explored recently as both Hawkers Beer and Big Shed Brewing entered administration in the same week. Such administrations have become a frequent occurrence in Australia over the past 18 months or so; in Western Australia, Golden West also appointed administrators at the tail-end of February, with the founders leaving the business. 

At Deeds, Pat and Dave say they had worked closely together and tirelessly to find a way forward as a business in the hope they wouldn’t end up going down this path. 

“Dave and I feel terrible about it," Pat says. "We’ve been in business for 20 years and never gone through this; we’ve always paid our bills and pride ourselves in having really good relationships with all our suppliers. It’s not something we thought the business would ever have to do and there’s been a lot of sleepless nights on this side.

“We didn’t want to go through this at all; it’s just got to the point where we’ve had to pull the trigger. The plan is to come out the other side and be in a much better position."

Deeds’ beers first appeared in 2012 as Quiet Deeds after Pat and Dave had already spent many years distributing drinks under the Red Island banner. Their quest to build a brewery and taproom was one of Australia's longest, following a drawn-out search and extended application process. Their dream became fully realised midway through 2021 when they opened one of Melbourne’s most distinctive brewery venues in the inner south-east suburb of Glen Iris - an area that had historically been one of Melbourne's "dry surburbs". 

Last year, they took out the Australian International Beer Awards Champion Medium Brewery and Champion Victorian Brewery trophies, while they’ve also made a recent move into distilling under the name Future Proof. 

Pat says that, upon entering administration yesterday, they spent much of the day working through it with their tight-knit team. 

“It’s a nerve-wracking process in a lot of ways that Dave and I have never been through - and neither have our staff," he says. "Our major focus yesterday was getting staff together to help them understand what was going on and to try and relieve any stress.”


The first meeting of creditors is to be held on March 25. 

The administrators are inviting inquiries regarding the sale and/or recapitalisation of the Deeds Brewing Group of Companies. Those interested are requested to email deedsbrewing@deloitte.com.au to register their interest.

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Summer Of The Seventeenth HopWed, 13 Mar 2024 18:06:51 +1100NewsIngredientsHopshttps://craftypint.com/news/3389/summer-of-the-seventeenth-hophttps://craftypint.com/news/3389/summer-of-the-seventeenth-hopwillie@sevensheds.com (Willie Simpson)After a lengthy career in beer writing – publishing books as well as a regular column in the Sydney Morning Herald – Willie Simpson swapped pen for mash paddle. Here, he returns to his former profession to look back at his time growing hops.

"If hop-stringing was an Olympic event, I coulda been a contender!"

Willie Simpson enjoyed a lengthy career writing about beer – publishing a number of books as well as a regular column in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age – before deciding to swap pen for mash paddle.

Alongside partner Catherine Stark, he launched Seven Sheds – a brewery, hop garden and meadery – in 2008 in Railton, a small town in Tasmania. Over the years, they've released many beers exploring historical styles, even recreating the journey that barrels of IPA would have made between the UK and India by sending their own back and forth across the Bass Strait.

With their seventeenth hop harvest underway, Willie dipped back into his former profession for a look back over nearly two decades tending hops and the changes taking place in the wider beer world.


Cascade hops flourishing at Seven Sheds hop garden in Railton.

 

Before we fired up our artisan brewery or built our tasting room, we planted a hop garden. It seemed like a great idea at the time. We wanted to surround our visitors with the live ingredient that ended up in their glass, just as a vineyard can embroider a wine experience. Besides, north-west Tassie is the ideal latitude to grow humulus lupulus.

Little did we know.

This year will be our seventeenth season, so I wanted to call our annual harvest beer Summer of the Seventeenth Hop, after the classic Australian play.

“Hang on,” my mate Tim mused when I told him, “isn’t that when it all went pear-shaped for the main characters?”

Well, yes, it was. And, yes, it has all gone a bit lumpy for craft brewers in the current fractious beer-scape. Regular brewery closures and others going into administration are the new normal.

At the beginning, though, we were wide-eyed innocents. When a commercial hop farm closed up the road at Gunns Plains, we bought a bunch of their eight-metre poles and heavy cables for a song. 

An acquaintance helped us design and erect our modest 20-by-10-metre trellising (he just happens to be the son of Tasmanian hop royalty). We dug the metre-deep holes for the thirteen poles by hand.

We planted Fuggle, Golding and Styrian Golding – classic Euro/UK varieties which would suit the beer styles I had in mind; and we added Leggett, a new strain which had been bred to suit Tasmanian growing conditions.

 

Early growth during The Crafty Pint's first visit to Seven Sheds back in November 2011: what would become their fourth harvest.

 

The first season’s harvest was pretty feeble, as expected. Meanwhile, the beer side of things took off like we’d hitched a ride on a runaway freight train. We struggled to churn out enough beer from our twin open fermenters to keep up with demand. All our beers are bottle- and keg-conditioned, so space was always a challenge and our shed was soon chocka with maturing stock.

Within the first three years we both gave up our day jobs, started putting in ridiculous hours and never quite matched those lost revenue streams. The joys of an artisan business. But it was a wild, fun ride, mostly. Initially, one Hobart pub took every keg we could fill, and we pitched our marquee at food and drink festivals across the state.

Being so time-poor, the hop garden got sadly neglected. Winter weeding was often left to backpackers and I was sometimes weeks late putting up the strings. While the Fuggle and Leggett were reasonably productive, the Styrian Golding failed to launch and the Golding grew only tiny cones which took forever to fill a bucket on picking day.


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We hit Peak Beer in 2015. Our cobbled-together brewhouse cranked out more than 40,000 litres that year and at one event alone – the week-long Taste of Tasmania – we sold 60 kegs.

And then the competition arrived. In droves.

Almost overnight, half a dozen of our Hobart outlets became our direct competitors – either installing their own breweries or replacing our beers on tap with their own contract-produced lines. While the industry as whole went on a turbocharged bender of ramped-up production and new start-ups, we trimmed our sails. 

We brewed less volume year on year, as we concentrated on the tourist market coming through our tasting room and a handful of tap outlets in our local region. And I spent more time learning to become a hop farmer.

 

 

We pulled out the two under-performing varieties and replaced them with Cascade and a second row of Fuggle. Over time, I embraced the seasonality of the hop garden: weeding diligently in winter and building up the mounds with extra top soil; mulching with pea straw, ready for the first shoots to appear in early September.

Each autumn I hook up the trailer and drive to Sassafras to pick up a large bale of pea straw from Farmer Rob. He loads the bale onto the trailer with the tractor forks, I hand over the cash and then we stand around like a couple of farmers anywhere – talking about the weather, the price of diesel, COVID, (sometimes) our latest flood, and whatever has impacted our businesses lately. Through all these years, the price of Rob’s bale is about the only thing which hasn’t gone up in price.

If hop-stringing was an Olympic event, I coulda been a contender! With a double string attached to my dibbler, I toss it high enough to just clear the wire and flop down to earth (just like Fosbury himself). Then it’s a matter of pulling over the second string, untying it from its mate, making a slip-knot and pulling it tight against the top wire. Rinse and repeat down the row – three strings per plant, 33 strings per row. 

When I’m in the zone I can nail the whole row with 33 perfect tosses. “And the gold medal for hop stringing goes to … Tas-mania!”

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The dibbler is really just the bottom part of a swing-ball set but it does the job for tossing and actual “dibbling”. This is where I go back down the row, rolling the string ends into tight balls and driving them into the ground with said dibbler. 

Once the hop bines are about a metre long, it’s time to train them onto the strings – three shoots per string, delicately wound around clockwise. The bines have tiny prickles which grip on tight as they wind their way upwards, sometimes growing 50 to 60mm a day. Timing is crucial to ensure most of the bines reach the wire around the summer solstice – going too early means they’ll overshoot and dangle about hopelessly; too late and the bines struggle to hit the wire at all.

Flowering hop bines are all female (just like their close cousin cannabis) and once the days start getting shorter, these girls sprout laterals where the flowers or cones will develop. First, a furry “burr” appears which – a bit like a tadpole turning a frog – will morph into a miniature hop cone around the end of January. Now it’s the time for a final burst of fertiliser and regular watering as the cones get plumper and build up their precious resins.

In late summer the hops become the rock stars of our tasting room. Visitors often emerge from their cars and head straight to the garden, drawn by their charismatic display; others sit on our deck and take selfies with a tasting paddle and the lush, green curtain in the background.

 

Come for the view, but keep an eye out for the Hop Imp...

 

Hand-picking hops is slow and laborious, so you need cunning ways to co-op unpaid help. For our annual hop picking day in early March, we “pay” our pickers with hop tokens, just like the old days. These are exchanged for cups of beer and bratwurst rolls, so they never know they’re working, basically, for well below the minimum wage.

The hop bounty gets dried in one of our sheds and a fair whack goes into an annual harvest brew. The rest is vacuum-packed and stored in our coolroom for future use. The plants are dormant over winter, careless of our hard frosts and then, come spring, will send their shoots upwards like clockwork.

After harvest I’ll use the leftover bines to create a Hop Imp, basically a life-size wicker man which we hang up between hop poles. In the depth of winter, once he’s nicely dry and gnarly, we share some hearty food with friends, all washed down with some of our stronger ales. Later, a bottle of single malt is uncorked and we burn the Hop Imp, cheering lustily to chase away the bad vibes and ensure a bountiful harvest the following season.

And then we’ll start all over again, ready for our 18th season.

Who knows what lies ahead for craft beer? When you hear that young French people are turning away from wine, more young Aussies than ever are choosing not to drink alcohol at all, and cost-of-living pressures have turned craft beer into a luxury item, you have to wonder. 

And old mate Tim was right – the Doll play ends badly for the central trio. But the movie version had a different ending, where Roo and Olive are reconciled and a brighter future beckons.

Let’s see how it goes with Summer of the Seventeenth Hop.


Photo at top of article by Ness Vanderburgh, supplied by Seven Sheds.

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Who Brews As The Malt Man?Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:44:00 +1100NewsWho BrewsMalt Manhttps://craftypint.com/news/3381/who-brews-as-the-malt-manhttps://craftypint.com/news/3381/who-brews-as-the-malt-manjames@craftypint.com (Crafty Pint)It was while travelling around Australia that Eric and Kirsty Blue decided to turn their Bodalla café into a small brewery. Benedict Kennedy-Cox dropped in for a drink and a chat at one of the country's smallest operations.

Drive along the scenic route skirting the NSW South Coast and you’ll see his face in the sky. Masked, menacing and malty – so very malty. His name is Malt Man, a brewer by day, bartender by night, and no one knows his true identity… until now.

Well, Malt Man is not a man at all. He’s actually two people: husband and wife team Kirsty and Eric Blue. The latter shared some time with us so we could hear about his various alter-egos.

During their 23 years together (successfully set up by their mums, it turns out), Kirsty and Eric taught English in Daqing, China, before moving to quiet Bodalla 12 years ago.

“It’s a dairy farming town, used to be pretty rustic,” Eric told The Crafty pint. “Now it’s becoming quite a little tourist trap because it’s got nice green rolling hills and it’s quite laid-back.

"It’s getting a bit developed now. I sort of like it quieter but that’s a terrible philosophy for a businessman!”

Like Eric himself, the Malt Man brewery has lived many lives: it was originally built by an Austrian designer as a display home – something that explains the 45 degree pitch roof and wooden ski lodge warmth inside. Later, it became a real estate agency and pie shop, before Eric bought the premises, ran it as a café then made the switch to brewing after spending time on the road around Australia. 

“When we were traveling, we had a camper trailer and our dogs and traveled for two-and-a-half to three years," he says. "We went to a lot of weird places in the outback fossicking for rocks.

"While we were traveling, that's sort of where we had [the café] on the market. We used to visit a lot of breweries and we formulated an idea in our head. Took the property off the market while we were traveling, sold the house, built our house at the rear, and put the money into the brewery.”

If Eric’s life were a superhero movie, this would be the point where he dons the Malt Man mask and cape for the first time. On his gadget belt are the skills needed not only to brew the beer but also to build a new house on the back of the brewery property, renovate the brewery, and landscape the garden, a task that involved moving a collection of unique edible plants that he had cultivated over the years, many of which end up on the menu or in Malt Man beers.

“All our salad is grown either by my mum, me or Yuki who works at the bar. The honey is my sister's honey, which I use in blueberry beers. We use limes out of our garden in our gin.

“I’ve got five lemon trees which go into our kitchen and I make two beers a year every year with my own hops: Tiny Torro Amber Ale, which is brewed in my dog’s memory.”

Although superheroes are often figures of principle, Malt Man dodges detection by avoiding a traditional core range and focusing on going with the flow. Rather than cranking up the tiny 100L system for each new beer idea, Eric holds pilot brew sessions one-fifth of the size at which Kirsty, his brother Anton and the lucky few in his brains trust are encouraged to taste recipes he is refining and give honest feedback.

While many would love to be part of this inner sanctum, the real winner is you – well, those citizens who drop by to sip these well-laboured beers often inspired by traditional European styles such as Kolsch, pilsner and lager. Keep an eye out for the show-stopping porter I was lucky enough to enjoy while politely asking Eric if he wouldn’t mind sparing a minute to be part of our ongoing Who Brews…? series.

He agreed.


Malt Man Brewing

The Malt Man of Bodalla unmasked.

 

Who are you?

We are a team of two: Kirsty and Eric Blue. Kirsty runs the taps and Eric brews the beer and runs the kitchen.


Where do you brew?

Bodalla, NSW.


Why do you brew?

I love making beer and that, every time you brew something new, it could be the best beer you’ve ever made.


Was there a beer or a moment that set you on the path to becoming a brewer?

When i was gifted a 30 can box of macro lager for doing a favour. I cracked one and it tasted like the can it came in. I said to myself: “I can do  better than this.” And the rest is history.


What’s the inspiration behind the brewery name?

Kirsty loves superheroes and anime and we thought Malt Man kind of sounded like a beer-making superhero.


What beer in your lineup best represents you and why?

We think our Kolsch best represents us. It’s balanced, drinkable, tasty and is true to the original style. We love making beers that people like to drink that are uncomplicated but memorable.

 

Eric with hops – just one of the homegrown ingredients that appears in Malt Man beers

 

If you could have any person in the world join you on a brew day, who would it be, and why?

My mate Grant who inspired me to start homebrewing and helped me with advice and any questions I had when I first started out. Always made time to give me a hand and we get on great.

I don’t think Malt Man would exist without him having pushed me to brew.


If anyone drops in on brew day, what are they most likely to hear blasting from the speakers?

Grunge most likely.


What beers are in your fridge right now?

Just finished a box of Wildflower Organice Table Beer – fantastic beer. 


What would be your desert island beer of choice?

Rodenbach Classic – ticks all the boxes.


Which local beers have blown your mind in recent weeks?

I was in Sydney last week and spent a bit of time at Bracket Brewing in Alexandria. Their maibock was absolutely delicious. 

They brew lots of big IPAs and imperials but I have to say I love the way they do Euro styles.


Is there a particular style, ingredient, or trend in beer you'd like to explore further?

I brew a couple of beers every year with the hops I grow in my beer garden. I use rainwater for those brews. I would love to brew one of those beers with a yeast I foraged from my property so as to create a beer about as local as it can be.

This would be the holy grail for me and definitely something I would like to explore.


Where can people find your beers?

We don’t package beer so just at our taproom and the two local establishments that pour our beer: The One Tree Inn in Tuross Head, and JJ’s at the Marina in Batemans Bay.


Where do you hope your brewery will be ten years from now?

Hopefully, we will be trading the same way we currently are and are still enjoying it. We love our job and what we’ve created.]]> More Consolidation As Willie the Boatman Is Acquired By UK-based Powder MonkeyFri, 08 Mar 2024 07:42:32 +1100Newshttps://craftypint.com/news/3386/more-consolidation-as-willie-the-boatman-is-acquired-by-uk-based-powder-monkeyhttps://craftypint.com/news/3386/more-consolidation-as-willie-the-boatman-is-acquired-by-uk-based-powder-monkeycrafty@craftypint.com (James Smith)More consolidation in the local beer world, with news today that Sydney brewery Willie the Boatman has been acquired by UK-based Powder Monkey, which last year merged with fellow NSW operation South Highlands Brewing.

Consolidation continues in the local beer world with the announcement today that Sydney-based brewery Willie the Boatman has been acquired by UK-based Powder Monkey Group. The international operation first entered the Australian market last year via a merger with another NSW brewery, South Highlands Brewing, stating at the time plans to open more brewpubs around the state.

In a media statement announcing the asset and business sale to Southern Highlands Brewing, the new owners said the acquisition "will see the 'Willies' brand continue alongside Powder Monkey and Southern Highlands brands in Australia."

Willie The Boatman was launched in 2014, becoming one of the first of the wave of breweries to take up residence in Sydney's inner west – releasing a beer in tribute to Australia's current PM while he was just the local member, later moving to a larger brewpub site within part of the forme home outdoor Taubman’s paint factory. Last year, founder Pat McInerney (above right with Southern Highlands founder Ben Twomey) oversaw a rebrand, while also talking to Brews News about the challenges the business faced. 

Pat is now taking on the role of general manager of the consolidated Powder Monkey Group in Australia, with plans "to centralise operations and leverage the combined brewing, sales and marketing teams". 

The current Willie the Boatman brewpub in St Peters will become the new home for Powder Monkey Australia, pouring beers from all three brands. And, as we reported in late 2023, the business continues exploring options for a second venue in 2024, most likely in Southwest Sydney.

The move follows other examples of consolidation in the local craft beer industry. In October 2022, Wayward Brewing and Batch Brewing Co formed the Local Drinks Collective, while last year saw Nowhereman Brewing Company become part of Otherside Brewing's parent company Triple-1-Three. In January this year, Wayward Brewing and Local Drinks Collective went through a period of voluntary administration.

More to come...


Media Release: Willie the Boatman joins Powder Monkey crew

Renowned inner west Sydney brewery Willie the Boatman has joined the Powder Monkey crew after an asset and business sale to Southern Highlands Brewing, a Powder Monkey Group company. The deal will see the “Willies” brand continue alongside Powder Monkey and Southern Highlands brands in Australia. This follows the merger of Southern Highlands Brewing into the Gosport, UK, based Powder Monkey Group in September last year.

Legendary Australian craft beer pioneer Pat McInerney is being appointed the General Manager of the consolidated Group in Australia with a plan to centralise operations and leverage the combined brewing, sales and marketing teams. The current Willie the Boatman St Peters brewpub will become the new home for Powder Monkey Australia serving the beers that all three brands offer. Plans are also afoot for a second Brewpub in 2024, most likely in Southwest Sydney.

Group Director Ben Twomey commented: “Our merger last year with Powder Monkey provided us a solid corporate structure in Australia and access to capital – acquisition was always and will continue to be part of the plan. In terms of this purchase the real key to me was the alignment and rapport between Pat and myself, it’s going to be a fun ride.”

Pat McInerney commented: “I’m excited to be working with Ben and the Powder Monkey Group. There is a defined and tangible business plan with this Group which provides a great route for Willie the Boatman to sail into the future. I can already see the benefits of working with like-minded industry players.”

Finally, from the UK, Group CEO Andy Burdon added: “Powder Monkey started brewing in the UK in 2021 and has grown rapidly to date and the addition of Willie the Boatman to our portfolio and Pat joining the team in Australia is fantastic news for the brand.”

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Brew & A: Madi BruceWed, 06 Mar 2024 15:12:01 +1100NewsBright Breweryhttps://craftypint.com/news/3384/brew-and-a-madi-brucehttps://craftypint.com/news/3384/brew-and-a-madi-brucewill@craftypint.com (Will Ziebell)For the third year running, the women of Bright Brewery created Fred's Beer: a collab named in honour of the brewery's late co-founder. We chatted to the brewer behind the 2024 beer about why it matters.

For a brewer, making beer is your day-to-day undertaking. You might love your job and be learning continuously, but there's still an element of routine involved: mash in, look at your phone, transfer liquid, add hops, clean.

Bring in some non-brewers, however, and your own day isn't just far more exciting, it also gives others the chance to learn too. For Madi Bruce, Bright Brewery's annual International Women's Day brew is the chance to help empower women who work throughout the business, with the idea stemming from the first Pink Boots brew day she attended at Brick Lane. 

“I went to every meeting for about a year," Madi told The Crafty Pint, "and said, ‘When can we make this beer?' 

“I wanted to make a beer with all the female staff to encourage and empower. To give them that power in a situation when a male comes into the bar and says to the male bartender, ‘Can I have a beer?’ and disregards anything a female bartender might know."

While many within the craft beer industry are pushing for change, there are still beer drinkers who believe beer is a drink for men, so Madi she sees brew days as an important way to arm women who work in beer so they can disarm such notions. 

“The industry itself wants to be different, it does," she says. "But sometimes it’s the consumer and you can’t change that. You can’t change how bad a day that person has had when they walk into the bar, that’s not your power, but your power is being able to change their perspective.”

This year's release, an Apricot NEIPA, is the third time they've made Fred's Beer, which is named after the High Country brewery’s late co-founder Fiona "Fred" Reddaway and raises money for Pink Boots Australia. 

The first beer, a Blackberry Pale Ale, was something Madi had long wanted to brew but the following two have been picked by women working at the brewery. Given last year's Fred's Beer was a feijoa, orange and guava IPA, clearly combining fruit and hops is popular throughout Bright, with this year's release seeing the team combine season and style. 

“[Apricots are] a late summer fruit so they are in season at the moment,” Madi says. “You can get some really delicious stone fruit and apricot flavours from hops so I think that helps drive the interest as well."

 

The women of Bright Brewery making Fred's Apricot NEIPA.

 

On their brew days, there's always a mix of new staff members, who are often younger and work at the brewery's taproom, and those who have been at the brewery for years.

“For some," Madi says, "it’s always new and exciting, and they might not know how the brewing process worked if they started just ahead of these crazy summers we have here.

“I try and keep it interesting for long term staff members so the activities around the brew change a bit. One year, we talked about all the ingredients and why we chose them, last year we did sensory analysis where I spiked some beer with off-flavours. 

"This year, we had three different NEIPAs from three different breweries to go through what they are and how they can be brewed in different ways.”

Madi's own pathway into brewing started when she sent out a cold email from the cold mountains of British Columbia. Having grown up in Warrnambool, Madi and her husband knew they didn't want to move back there or to Melbourne and instead wanted their home to be somewhere where they could continue to follow their passion for snowboarding while she worked in a brewery. 

“We really liked living in the mountains and the lifestyle that it provides for us," Madi says. 

“I looked at breweries where I could snowboard in winter and hike in summer and Bright was pretty clear.”

After firing off an email along the lines of "Hi, can I please have a job?" Madi was soon in Bright, joining the brewery's front-of-house crew in 2019. It was a hectic time to move to the High Country, given that summer's bushfires which led straight into COVID, during which Madi combined work with studying brewing through the Kangan Institute. 

Since midway through 2022, she's been a permanent member of the production crew, which means she gets to brew and enjoy the balanced lifestyle the alpine town provides. 

“That’s what really attracted me to Bright," she says. "Our core values are active, authentic and sustainable, and it’s about being active in your community as well as at home. So, if you want to go for a bike ride at three in the afternoon, then you can work seven to three.

“We live somewhere where people constantly come to vacation, we need to be able to enjoy that.”

Ahead of the launch of the 2024 Fred's beer, Madi joined us for a Brew & A to tell us about brewing, crushing cucumbers and Workplace Noise...


Madi Bruce

 

Why are you a brewer?

I just love the blend of creativity and science that brewing requires. It’s rare to find that in a job. I love that each day is different and brings a new challenge and something new to learn.


What would you be if you weren’t a brewer?

When I was little, I wanted to be an Event Manager like J-Lo in The Wedding Planner, so I studied Event Management and I did that for a while, but I really didn’t enjoy it. I also always really wanted to be a mum.

Becoming a brewer was a passion born while travelling. I was living in Golden, British Columbia, in Canada and I emailed Bright Brewery saying: “Hi, I’m Madi and I want to be a brewer. Can I please have a job?” 

And here I am! Now I can’t imagine doing anything else. And I am also about to become a mum!


What was your epiphany beer?

I got into beers by drinking sour beers, but I really fell in love with beer when I started drinking wheat beers. 

 


How did you first get involved in the beer world?

While travelling, I would go to my local brewpub, Whitetooth Brewing Co in Golden. It was a great way to meet people and try different beers. I fell in love with the brewing industry under the ski hill.


What's the best beer you’ve ever brewed?

The first Fred’s beer will always be one of my favourite beers. It was a blackberry pale ale that I created and it was the first beer I brewed on my own as a trainee brewer.  


What's your single favourite ingredient to use in beer?

This is hard as there are so many that I love. I think yeast is my favourite category of ingredient. There are so many different strains and you can do so much with them.  


Are there any beers you’ve brewed that might have been better left on the drawing board?

The original Cucumber Basil Sour was something I’ll never forget. We had to cut, crush and juice 200 kilograms of cucumbers by hand and it was an absolute mission. That said, it was a great beer at the end day, so it was almost worth it. 

Almost. 

 

Madi and fellow Bright brewer, David Stockie.

If you could do a guest stint at any brewery in the world, which would it be and why?

I would love to go back to Whitetooth. They were so generous with their time and it would be cool to go with the knowledge I have now and see their improvements.


Which local breweries inspire you?

Nathan and the team at King River Brewing in the King Valley are making some amazing beers. I also love Garage Project and some of the non-alcoholic beers from One Drop are great, too. 


What inspires you outside the world of brewing beer?

Cooking, hiking, being in the snow and the team I work with - we are so tight that it’s like a family. And we all really just respect each other’s ideas, which I love. 


What's your desert island beer – the one to keep you going if you were stranded for the rest of your days?

Can I have a mixed case of all the different styles of beers so I can study them and choose depending on my mood? 

If not that then maybe our M.I.A. IPA. 

 

Madi and trainee brewer Claire Lock.



And what would be the soundtrack to those days? 

Our ‘Workplace Noise’ Spotify playlist. It’s a collaboration between all the brewing and packaging staff. It’s about three days long now and is so weird with such a huge variety of music. 


If you couldn’t have beer, what would be your tipple of choice?

Prosecco or Ringer Reef Sparkling Rose. There are so many amazing wineries around the Alpine Valleys so I’m spoilt for choice!


What's the one thing you wish you’d known before becoming a brewer?

That it would challenge me and that every day I would be learning. I love those things about brewing, though. 


And the one piece of advice you’d give to anyone considering a career in craft beer?

When you work in a brewery, always have a spare set of clothes. You never know when you will need them.


You can find other entries in our Brew & A series here. This year's Fred's beer officially launches at an International Women's Day Lunch at Bright Brewery, with tickets available here

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All Aboard For Pint of Origin 2024Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:49:22 +1100NewsPint Of Origin#poo24https://craftypint.com/news/3385/all-aboard-for-pint-of-origin-2024https://craftypint.com/news/3385/all-aboard-for-pint-of-origin-2024crafty@craftypint.com (James Smith)We're only a week into March but it's always good to have something to look forward to – so here's the 21-strong lineup for Pint of Origin. The festival returns to May for a 12th time from May 10 to 19.

All aboard, beer lovers! The lineup for Pint of Origin 2024 is locked and loaded.

Australia's biggest, longest, most delicious and diverse pub crawl returns to Melbourne for a 12th time from May 10 to 19 – and we've got one seriously tasty offering for you.

The 2024 festival features a blend of old #PoO24 favourites – some of them with new host regions, fresh faces, and a couple of past Pint of Origin venues returning after a hiatus.

And, in a festival first, we welcome Whisky and Alement to the fold. The 2023 World Whiskies Awards World's Best Whisky Bar (Rest of World) will become the Pint of Origin Boilermaker Hub, showcasing beer and whisky pairings from around the globe.

The other debutants are Heartbreaker, who will be representing the beers and brewers of Canada, and CoConspirators Brewpub, where you'll find the breweries of the Territories as well as some collabs they're creating with the CoCon brewers.

And, aside from a few regions changing hands, you'll also notice a change in the way home state brewers are represented. Regional Victorian brewers are back at one venue – The Cherry Tree – while those of Greater Melbourne will be split across two pubs. Freddie Wimpoles in St Kilda will be showcasing brewers from South of the Yarra; The Terminus in Fitzroy North will be the place to check out the best of beer North of the Yarra.


VIEW THE PINT OF ORIGIN 2024 LINEUP


The full Pint of Origin website will go live in April, at which point you'll be able to apply for a Pint of Origin Passport, see which breweries will be appearing where, and what events the host venues are planning on top of their ten days of tap takeovers.

We're making some improvements to the Passports for 2024 and have a few other new ideas we look forward to sharing with you as May 10 approaches.

For now, however, mark your diaries, tell your friends, and get ready to travel the world of beer at 21 great Melbourne venues.

]]>
Marking Ten Years Of The Best Beer MediaTue, 05 Mar 2024 19:38:43 +1100NewsAibaBeer MediaBeer WritingJournalismhttps://craftypint.com/news/3382/marking-ten-years-of-the-best-beer-mediahttps://craftypint.com/news/3382/marking-ten-years-of-the-best-beer-mediamick@craftypint.com (Mick Wust)The Beer Media trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards will be presented for a tenth time in May. Here, the current holder of the title looks back and forward with the winners from the past decade.

Entries for the 2024 Australian International Beer Awards close on Friday (March 8). Alongside the brewery and beer trophies, this year will see the Best Media trophy awarded for a tenth time.

Anyone covering beer in any form of media – online, in print, radio, TV, blogging, podcasting, on YouTube or other social platforms – is invited to enter here.

Here, current trophy-holder Mick Wüst looks back at the first decade of the Best Media award in the company of the past winners: their favourite stories, reflections on the beer world, and the stories they'd love to read.


Beer media is a funny thing when you think about it. It’s not making beer, packaging beer, or selling beer. At a glance, people in beer media can seem like weird hangers-on to the beer industry: like oxpeckers, those little African birds that perch on oxen and rhinos, or remoras, those sucker fish that attach to sharks and get protection and a free ride.

But beer media in all its forms – whether that’s news websites, magazines, blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels or any other way that people talk about beer with the world – serve the beer industry in all kinds of ways.

If you talk about a beer release, you stir up passion and help punters to find new beers to try.

If you talk about beer people, you show that the industry isn’t a faceless machine, but a collection of humans.

If you talk about beer businesses, you show how these people work hard to not only create good beer, but to do a million other things to get it into drinkers’ hands.

If you talk about beer trends, you help to place certain beers in their context, answering questions like why do they exist, how did they come about, and how are they changing.

If you talk about beer culture, you zoom out to see the bigger picture so people can see what they’re a part of – the good and the bad.

If you talk about the economics of beer, you reveal the lifeblood that keeps the beer industry alive, and the things that may threaten its existence.

If you talk about the problems in the industry, you give a voice to those who need it, you call to account anyone who might be harming people or the industry as a whole, and you shed light on all of this for those who weren’t even aware of the issues.

Ultimately, by telling stories – in any form – you're creating a live history of a moment in time which, given what's been going on in the Aussie beer world over the past couple of decades, feels like a worthy pursuit in itself.

 

Where once it was books and print media, now beer is discussed and dissected in all forms of media.

 

And all of this isn’t just useful for punters. Most people who work in the industry are run off their feet; talk to any brewer and they’ll tell you they’re so busy they rarely get to go out and see what everyone else is doing. Beer media keeps them informed and engaged with what’s going on outside of their four walls, and people are better off for it.

Maybe I don’t need to convince you that beer media is valuable; after all, you’re reading a beer website right now. But it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate how a strong and varied beer media benefits the industry. If you look into those oxpecker birds and remora fish, you’ll find that they keep the larger animals clean, comfortable and healthy; it’s a two-way relationship.

And those hangers-on to the beer industry who publish and broadcast and post about beer and everything to do with it? Well, they make the beer industry stronger and more creative than it could ever be without them. Brewers make better beer. More people buy beer. And when we see each other’s humanity, I like to think we all treat each other a little better as a result, too.

Why did I just spend 500 words being preachy? So you’ll see why the Best Media trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBAs) is a fantastic thing.

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In 2013 (and earlier), this award didn’t exist. Prior to the 2014 awards, The Crafty Pint's founder James Smith got together with the people running the AIBAs to create and sponsor this new category. It was done partly to recognise and celebrate where beer coverage in Australia was at, partly to encourage those involved to keep doing a better and better job of it, and partly to encourage more to get involved. [It also meant I would never be eligible to enter, hence would never have to face losing! – Editor]

In case you’re wondering how the judging works, rest assured there’s no conflict of interest – while The Crafty Pint sponsors the award, the winners are chosen by an independent panel of writers and other media-related people (not all from the beer world). They look for passion, knowledge, originality and quality, and award the trophy to the person whose entries shone the brightest that year.

Among the winners from the past ten years, there’s a healthy mix of people: a few who wrote for Brews News, a few who write for The Crafty Pint, and a few who write blogs and make podcasts. (We haven’t had a winner with video content yet. Come on, YouTubers – throw your hat in the ring!)

And even in this list of just eight people, not everyone has the same approach to writing/podcasting about beer. I think that’s beautiful. It means every angle is covered, the various beer media complement each other well, and there’s something for everyone. It makes for an interesting ecosystem; it’d be boring if everyone was the same.

Without further ado, I present to you the winners of the Best Media trophy from its first ten years, with their reflections on the industry they've observed and helped shape.


2014 – Matt Kirkegaard

Parallel to his role as beer journalist, Matt enjoyed introducing people to the breadth and depth of beer with his side business BeerMatt.
Parallel to his role as beer journalist, Matt has enjoyed introducing people to the breadth and depth of beer via side business BeerMatt.

 

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the Aussie beer industry who doesn’t know who Matt Kirkegaard is: he spent the last 20 years writing about beer in Australia.

While he’s contributed his insights and opinions on the state of beer in Australia to many news publications, the real feather in his cap is Australian Brews News. Alongside its accompanying podcasts, this long-running online magazine covered brewing industry news on both the craft and the macro sides of things. Matt’s always prided himself on his willingness to dig into the good, the bad and the ugly in Australian beer.

As you can imagine, doing that for two long decades – not to mention running a small business in a constantly evolving industry – is a hard slog. In February, Matt closed up shop at Brews News and hung up his hat on writing about beer; he’s overdue for a well-deserved break.

Many in the industry will feel the absence of Matt’s voice. But the impact he’s had on the beer scene will still be here.

Matt won the inaugural AIBA Beer Media trophy in 2014, and a decade later shares these parting words:

"I was thrilled to win the Beer Media award and I am grateful for the initiative by The Crafty Pint to create an award that celebrates beer writing and sustain it over such a long time.

"It's an important award within the AIBA program because the vibrant and healthy brewing industry that the awards celebrate can only flourish if it also has a media that can educate and enthuse consumers about good beer in all its forms, while also being willing to challenge the industry by asking hard questions and being willing to hold it to account when its actions don't match its words."


2015 - Luke Robertson

Luke Robertson in his current guise: brewery owner at Shortjaw in New Zealand.

 

Luke Robertson is a good beer citizen.

From starting beer blog Ale Of A Time as a university assignment in 2010, which eventually grew and included a podcast – and won him Best Media award – to writing for a number of illustrious beer publications including Brews News, Beer & Brewer, Good Beer Hunting, and yes, The Crafty Pint; from writing a book about Australian beer to working as a content producer for the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) and Good Beer Week. And, woven in amid all that, being a good beer educator and advocate wherever humanly possible.

Oh, and that was just while he was on Australian shores. At the end of 2021, Luke moved back to his hometown of Westport on New Zealand’s South Island to run Shortjaw Brewing, where he’s using all NZ ingredients and connecting with people in ways the local brewery has never done in that community. And they love him for it.


My favourite story I worked on is...

I always loved writing the "GABS comments" blog posts making fun of people's awful comments about the Hottest 100.

In terms of actual stories, one of the last stories I worked on for Good Beer Hunting. It was soon after the 2019/2020 bushfires, exploring the personal and financial impacts of the fires. It was just before COVID, so a pretty intense time in history… To even get that one finished was rewarding. It also won an international reporting award at the North American Beer Writers Guild awards.


To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is...

When I won the award in 2015, the concept of a hazy IPA was alien and to the best of my knowledge no one in Australia was doing one (as we know them now). That's not even a decade ago. Now, the thought of the beer world without "hazy" in it is pretty unfathomable. I don't think anyone could anticipate what was to grow out of those first few New England IPAs.

I also think the sense of irreverence that modern beer has bought to drinking has had a knock-on effect to other drinks. The industry spent years trying to put itself on a pedestal next to wine, but if you look at the big trends in wine in the last five years – brighter labels while celebrating drinkability and fun, for example, I believe wine took cues from our playbook.

 

All hail the haze!

A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is...

There's a lot more work in reporting on it. It probably takes the fun out of the beer itself, but I've always been someone that likes to know everything about the things I like (or dislike)…

Funnily enough, leaving my corporate job to write about beer full-time definitely ended up costing a lot more money over the years than just drinking it.


I'd like to see more people talking about...

Beer in general. I'd love to see a blog renaissance. It felt like there was more useful discussion happening around amateur blogging than we have now. There was more room for personality, opinions, and general chaos…

It’s great we have established media outlets like this one, but I miss the amateur [nature] and naivety of the blogs of that era.


A story I'd love to see is...

One thing I don't think we celebrate as an industry enough is the creation of a new drinking space with brewery taprooms. If you look around the customers at most taprooms on a busy weekend, you'll see an eclectic mix of people in an environment that's not a pub, nor a cellar door. It's not all hyper-geeks and hipsters, but rather families, couples and pets. Anyone that runs a taproom will tell you that most people aren't there for the beer, but rather the environment.

Like hazy beer, this space didn't exist until very recently… I think we can easily lose sight of what we have now, that barely existed before 2010.


2016 – Glen Humphries

 

Between his job as a journalist and his books [15 and counting], Glen Humphries’ writing covers a number of topics. Music. Sports. History. Music history. Sports history.

And beer. And beer history.

While beer has been a topic of four of his books and a number of his pieces for Illawarra Mercury, it was the beer blog he kept for six years that won Glen the 2016 Best Media award. Beer Is Your Friend was a passion project that gave him the chance to poke his nose into all corners of the beer world – without the constraint of "being appropriate for the publication".

Glen drinks less alcohol nowadays following a heart attack in January – a lifestyle change that includes inserting more alcohol free days into his weeks, and bringing more non-alc beers into the rotation.

But, for any aspiring beer writers out there, Glen – with his 30 years’ journalism experience – offered these wise words in a previous Crafty Pint article: “Quit pissfarting around and just start writing.”


My favourite story I worked on is...

I did a piece about Use By dates, and how US beers tended to have theirs magically extended when they hit our shores.

This story stuck in my mind because it created a few small waves in the local beer scene and even got picked up by a US beer website, who quizzed the American brewers.


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To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is…

Good beer is everywhere these days. Everywhere! The kids don’t know how lucky they are, etc etc.

I live in Wollongong and back when I was writing Beer Is Your Friend, there were only a few bottleshops that stocked interesting stuff. There was no point in going into the bottleshops owned by the supermarket chains, because there would be nothing there. But now I can go into those supermarket chain stores and find some cool stuff.


A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is…

That’s an easy one. The latter is way more fun than the former. The latter doesn’t involve any taking of notes, analysing things and then having to sit in front of a computer and try to write something someone else might want to read. Reporting means going to a brewery and having to sit down and ask a lot of questions – when you probably just want to relax with a beer.


I'd like to see more people talking about…

Dodgy beer lists at so many restaurants. Even those who claim to have "craft beer" on the menu… they have pages of wine offerings but just five beers: usually Coopers, Young Henrys Newtowner, Stone and Wood Pacific Ale, Asahi and Peroni.

Their logic is they don’t sell much beer so there’s no point in widening the selection. I’d suggest they don’t sell much beer because they haven’t widened the selection.


A story I'd love to see is…

If I had to offer a story idea, it would be about snob-free drinking. Not sure if beer snobs are still a thing these days, but it really shit me to see people who felt their choice of beer somehow made them a better person.

What other people are drinking doesn’t affect you at all. So just quit freaking out about it.


2017 & 2021 – James Atkinson

 

Clearly no one told James Atkinson it’s rude to double dip. He’s the only person to win this trophy twice, and he’s managed to do it with two quite different kinds of beer media.

In 2017, James was the editor of Brews News, and his writing there was recognised as being top shelf. There’s his first Best Media award.

Fast forward to 2021, when James was releasing the second season of his podcast, Drinks Adventures, where he tells stories from across the world of good booze from across the globe. And it’s at this time that James pulled the trophy a second time, largely because of his impressive documentary-style episode about the pioneering Stone & Wood.

In his years as a journo and 17 seasons(!) of Drinks Adventures, James has shared a myriad of stories of beer in different publications and formats. I’m expecting him to start working in another unexpected media soon – perhaps graphic novels showcasing the evolution of brewing, or beer reviews done entirely in the form of tattoos.


My favourite story I worked on is...

The beer docos I have produced for the Drinks Adventures podcast, on the rise of Stone & Wood (2019) and Chuck Hahn's 50 years of brewing (2021). I wish I had more time to devote to creative projects of this magnitude!


To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is…

The carnage of the last 12 months. We all knew that the boom in brewery openings over the last decade was unsustainable, but no one could have foreseen the combined impacts of COVID, rising cost of goods, and a retail environment that is extremely challenging due to factors including cost of living pressures.


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A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is…

One of them is definitely work! 


I'd like to see more people talking about...

The importance of freshness in beer. With a lot of consumers having cut spending on beer, I am seeing a lot of old stock on shelves. 

I'd like to see craft beer retailers tighten up their ranges, focus more keenly on stock rotation, and make a virtue out of what is fresh in store. I'm sick of spending so much time trying to read barely legible date codes that may or may not tell me when the product was brewed!


A story I'd love to see is...

That the federal government has announced plans for genuine, visionary reform of beer and spirits excise. This should start with a temporary freeze at the current rate to take the pressure off industry while more meaningful reforms can be considered.


2018 - Will Ziebell

 

I work with Will. He’s kind of fun. And he’s kind of a nerd. I like both those things about him.

He started submitting articles for The Crafty Pint in 2016, bringing his history degree to bear with an article on the early days of hop growing in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley.

After a while, Will went full-time with Crafty, and has broadened his focus beyond history. Now you’ll also find him deep diving into trending beer styles, covering health issues in the beer industry, and trying to understand Tik Tok. (Before you ask, yes, technically Will’s on Tik Tok, but please don’t encourage him.)

But Will still likes to throw a little bit of history into many of his articles: for his readers, and also for himself. If you’ve got a spare hour, hit him up about the history of pilsner and watch him light up as he waxes lyrical about Austro-Hungarian train lines and the democratisation of drinking from glass.


My favourite story I worked on is...

Easily the story about managing a chronic health condition while working in craft beer. It's not often that I write in first person or with a particularly personal angle, but it was an idea I'd had floating around for a little while that became a reality when Bakes and I were chatting over a Negroni at BrewCon.

It received a lot of really lovely responses with a number of people reaching out about their conditions, including several type one diabetics from overseas. 


To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is...

The "draught-style" beers from indie breweries that are made to sell alongside beers like Carlton Draught. It works for some breweries but you have to wonder if trying to beat the two biggest breweries in the country at their own game is really a pathway to sustainable growth when you don't have those efficiencies.


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A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is...

Drinking beer is fun! Writing is hard. 

For me, writing about beer takes place in front of a laptop and involves a lot of phone calls and meetings. So basically it looks like most jobs out there and isn't nearly as sociable or as lovely as enjoying beer with friends.


I'd like to see more people talking about...

How difficult rapid brewery expansion is for employees and how, when breweries sell, those staff don't get a giant pay cheque for their sweat.


A story I'd love to see is...

I'd love to spend 4,000 words exploring what happened to hoppy brown and amber ales in Australia and what's wrong with everyone for not drinking them.


2019 – MC Jarratt

When she was given the chance to explore the CUB Heritage Room, MC found a beer ad made just for her.
When given the chance to explore the CUB Heritage Room, MC found a beer ad made just for her.

 

When Marie Claire Jarratt began her science degree in 2010, she couldn’t predict she’d go on to complete a PhD in experimental quantum physics.

When she started her PhD in 2014, she didn’t know her move to Sydney’s Inner West would prompt her to start a beer blog called New South Ales.

When she started her blog, she didn’t know it would lead to her writing for The Crafty Pint and receiving the 2019 AIBA Best Media trophy* for her balanced and hard-hitting piece on sexism in Australian craft beer.

When she won that award,** she couldn’t have guessed that in 2023 she’d be on a different stage accepting Champion Brewery trophies at the Indies as part of the brew team at Brick Lane. (This is after having done stints with Batch Brewing, Asahi, and Two Birds.)

MC is also a Certified Cicerone, a beer judge, and at time of writing has just started in a role as Technical Brewer at Lion's XXXX Brewery.

“I’ll be working on maintaining, developing and continuously improving our brewing systems and processes – perfect for a science nerd like me!” she says.

A previous Crafty Pint article profiling MC referred to her as a polymath. I prefer to call her a friggin’ powerhouse.

Check back in with her in a few years. She’ll probably have invented faster-than-light lager.


My favourite story I worked on is…

The Collaborators series on Voyager Craft Malt. As a Sydney native, it was quite close to my heart to write a story on a local producer in regional NSW…

[Stu Whytcross and I] discussed everything from mental health in regional communities to the nitty gritty of malting, the latter of which laid the foundation of knowledge for my future brewing career. I got to brew with Voyager Malt at my most recent role at Brick Lane, so it's nice to have that come full circle.


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To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is...

The rise of seltzer, low carb and low alcohol beers. We all thought it was a fad, but they're here to stay. I'm interested to see how it develops over the next few years as consumers look to more health conscious options.


A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is...

The backstory. I got into journalism because I wanted to learn more than what I could just see at a brewery taproom. There are so many interesting stories behind beers, breweries, and people, just waiting to be found out.


I'd like to see more people talking about…

Diversity in the brewing industry. The stereotype of bearded craft beer lover is so old hat. I've had the opportunity to work in organisations with such a diverse range of people, who aren't really ever portrayed on social media or in articles. 

I want to see more variety in the people on my Instagram feed!


A story I'd love to see is…

There was an article I never got around to writing about terroir. Along with Voyager, there are also other local maltsters, hop growers, and breweries foraging for wild yeast from Australian plants, to make what could be a uniquely Australian beer. 

The USA has their West and East Coast IPAs, Belgium's got the Trappist beers, and Germany's basically invented a style per major city… I want to see and read about what else our country's talented brewers can make from our unique environment and native flora.


2022 – Clare Burnett

 

When you hear a beer news podcast and the host has a cheery personality, a Yorkshire accent, and a wide-reaching knowledge of the Australian beer industry, you might not immediately assume that person is also working on a PhD in literary studies and transcontinental history. But that’s Clare Burnett for you.

At the end of 2018, Clare left the UK and her job as a business journalist and moved to Australia. When it was time to settle down and get a job, she didn’t waste any time – within a few days of landing back in Brisbane (after six months of travelling), she sat down with Matt Kirkegaard to interview for the role of senior journalist at Brews News.

Clare found her feet in the beer industry quickly, aided by her previous experience in business journalism and the way brewery owners were willing to share the challenges and issues they faced – a transparency she found refreshing.

Between writing articles and co-hosting two podcasts, Clare’s work with Brews News spanned from in-depth state-by-state analysis of how brewing industry is going to chatting on the podcasts with brewers and other industry personalities about what the beer world looks like from their unique angle.

All of this led to Clare taking out the Best Media award in 2022 for her work at Brews News – while she was doing her PhD on the side. What a machine.


My favourite story I worked on is...

If I could be cheeky and spread the net wide, I would say anything I worked on relating to sustainability, whether it was packaging or CO2 recovery… [it’s a] testament to the heart of the industry to be running on tight margins and still care about the environment and their impact on the planet.

Oh, and holding the big brewers' feet to the fire on the regular was pretty fun too!


To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is...

Its ongoing resilience. In other industries, for instance, administrations are a death knell, but that's not the case in beer, even if it is painful. People in the business of beer seem, and have always seemed, willing to evolve and change.

There have also been huge moves in the industry to be a bit more cognisant of audiences outside the perceived standard beer drinker – Australian beer has worked hard and successfully to shake off its 80s beer advert roots, that's for sure.


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A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is...

You have to put all your prejudices away, or as much as you can, when you write about beer. 

When you're drinking it, that's personal and it's up to you what you like. When you write about beer, you have to keep one eye on what might be beneficial for the industry and what will help it grow, even if it's tough to talk about.


I'd like to see more people talking about...

What the future of beer in Australia is, given that Gen Z seem to not be major drinkers. How are we going to adapt and change for a new audience who might still like beer, but not in the quantities we used to drink?


A story I'd love to see is…

Probably anything on advertising in beer and alcohol generally. I always found that fascinating, and then the Hard Solo – sorry, "Hard Rated" – stuff popped up at the end of last year. This isn't the last we'll be seeing of this issue.


2023 - Mick Wüst

 

Then there’s this handsome fellow. You’ve already read his story recently.

I don’t have a PhD, or a podcast, or chase down incisive exposé type journalism. I went from writing a silly blog to writing for The Crafty Pint, where I continue to be silly wherever I can squeeze it in. I also write more serious stuff, but for the most part, I think people engage better with what they’re reading when they’re having fun.

To my delight, I won the award in 2023 by saying: “How cool is this brewer who sees different colours when he drinks beer!” and “Can I interest you in a nine stanza beer write-up inspired by Greek epic poetry?

I also wrote a book to help people learn about beer and laugh at the same time, rather than get bored or bogged down with jargon. My mum thinks it’s good.


My favourite story I worked on is...

I’m going to cheat and share two, and you can’t stop me.

My two-parter on kveik. When I first heard about this Norwegian super yeast that broke all the rules, I looked for an article that explained what’s so amazing about it, what it can do, where it came from, etc in a way a non-brewer like me could understand. I couldn’t find an article like that, so I wrote one.

My two-parter on pastry beers. When a friend wanted to find out more about pastry beers, I couldn’t find a clear and helpful resource I could point them towards, so I created one. I was already familiar with pastry beers, but hadn’t truly grasp how they turned the rules upside-down for brewers and changed the game for bartenders.

 


To me, the biggest surprise about how the industry has developed is...

How beer is evolving in such different directions, and brewers are going to great lengths to make incredible beers on totally different parts of the beer spectrum.

The intense geeking-out and resource-heavy approach to creating flawless lagers. The extreme creativity and ridiculousness that go into pastry beers. The single-mindedness of a brewery focused on traditional European styles. The mad-scientist-level obsession that goes into wild beers and barrel programs.


A big difference between reporting on beer and just drinking beer is...

When you’re reporting on beer, you drink what you have to drink when you have to drink it (even if you don’t feel like it).

When you’re just drinking beer, you drink what you want, when you want, how you want. Which is way more fun!


I'd like to see more people talking about...

…what we can do differently as individuals to address the problems in beer, rather than just passing the responsibility to "The Industry". Every one of us needs to step up, even if that means we don’t get to make the naughty jokes we want, or have to pay a bit more for our beer (without complaining).


A story I'd love to see is...

One that peeks into the brain of a brewer who’s come from a totally unrelated field, and brings a different approach to making beer. How does a distiller approach making beer differently to other brewers? Or how does a chef go about it? Or a chocolatier?

Maybe it could be a whole series. Maybe I’ll write it.


*Technically, Crafty's founder collected the trophy on MC’s behalf while she was overseas, holding a photo of her to make it clear he was only a proxy.

**MC even got to hang on to the trophy for two years, since the full 2020 AIBAs were cancelled due to COVID and replaced by a mini online version.


There's still time to enter the Beer Media category at the 2024 AIBAs (provided you're reading this no later than March 8. They've even waived the entry fee after some gremlins in the submission process in 2023, and would love to see entries from outside the traditional beer media platforms.

ENTER HERE

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Hawkers Emerge From Administration With Same Team In ChargeWed, 06 Mar 2024 13:30:23 +1100Newshttps://craftypint.com/news/3383/hawkers-emerge-from-administration-with-same-team-in-chargehttps://craftypint.com/news/3383/hawkers-emerge-from-administration-with-same-team-in-chargecrafty@craftypint.com (James Smith)Hawkers have emerged from a period of voluntary administration with the same management structure in place after their proposal for a financial restructuring of the business was accepted unanimously by creditors.

Hawkers have emerged from a period of voluntary administration with the same management structure in place after their proposal for a financial restructuring of the business was accepted unanimously by creditors.

The Reservoir-based operation become one of the largest brewing companies to enter administration in the current spate of VAs last month, citing the challenges facing small breweries post-COVID. As reported in a Good Food article highlighting the plight of the country's indie brewers, Hawkers' debts included $1.7m owed to the ATO.

In statement today in which brewery founder and managing director Mazen Hajjar thanked customers and supply partners for their support, he said their "restructuring proposal was unanimously approved", which indicates all creditors, including the ATO, approved the offer. Creditors will receive ten cents on the dollar under the DOCA (Deed of Company Arrangement).

Following the creditors' meeting, he told The Crafty Pint: "It puts us in a much healthier position in terms of having to deal with market challenges. It gives us a reset and the ability to start again.

"It doesn't take away the challenges – the fundamentals of the market still have to change to offer brewers more support [as] it's obviously not fair. But this gives us a chance to have a crack at it again.

"Market conditions have been so dynamic and have changed so quickly; this buys us time to put in place more of what we have been doing in terms of restructuring the business. And we feel quite confident that we're in a good space to have a good crack."

Mazen has been outspoken about the challenges facing the local beer world over the years, notably so in recent times. He opened his books for The Crafty Pint to highlight the impact of rising costs across the board last year, and has been one of the loudest voices calling for change when it comes to longstanding issues such as market access and excise tax. Such challenges were highlighted a few days ago on ABC Radio National.

Since Hawkers entered administration last month, we're aware of two other independent Australian brewing companies to follow suit: Big Shed in Adelaide and Golden West in Perth.


Media Release: Hawkers Beer emerges from administration after financial restructuring 

Australian Brewers Guild Pty Ltd trading as “Hawkers Beer” (Hawkers) has successfully emerged from voluntary administration after creditors today approved a financial restructuring of the business.

Hawkers’ directors appointed DBA Reconstruction & Advisory as Administrator on 12 February 2024. This was a necessary step to deal with financial losses from a difficult period for the business, stemming from greater restrictions on market access and increased production costs.

Hawkers’ directors worked with the Administrator to develop a compelling Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA) proposal to financially restructure the business, to ensure a stronger and more resilient operation moving forward. The Administrator recommended that creditors accept the DOCA proposal to provide the best outcome to creditors.

The DOCA was signed after the meeting of creditors today, so control of the business has reverted to Hawkers’ management, headed by Mazen Hajjar as Founder and Managing Director.

Mazen noted that under administration it’s been business as usual: “The administration process didn’t change the way we operated at all. Beer production and sales have not been impacted.”

Looking forward, Mazen added: “After a challenging period for the business, we are grateful that our restructuring proposal was unanimously approved. Through a challenging time for the business, we have been buoyed by the support of our customers and supply partners.”

“We are excited at the opportunities ahead and being able to continue writing the Hawkers story. We are confident the restructuring will ensure the business is in a stronger position to compete in challenging market conditions.”

Hawkers is one of Melbourne’s largest manufacturers and distributors of craft beers, based in Reservoir. Hawkers remains committed to producing quality beer for their customers and community. 

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