News & Feature Stories
Who Brews Golden West Beers?
Golden West Brewing Co bears a name familiar to many in WA, and now the brewing company has a home of its own. The mates behind the Perth brewing company opened the doors to their Subiaco brewpub just before Christmas.
Best New SA Beers Of 2021
With Christmas approaching, we head to SA for the sixth of our features looking back at the past year in beer. Which beers stood out from the crowd, what impressed readers, and what can we look forward to in 2022?
Brew & A: Eden Pink
When Eden Pink got a hospitality job working for Prancing Pony, she hadn't considered becoming a brewer. Five years on she's senior brewer at the Adelaide Hills outfit and her likeness decorates their new Pinkers beer too.
Best New Victorian Beers Of 2021
For Victorians, 2021 was for too close a carbon copy of 2020 for comfort, but there were beer highlights aplenty. Here we look back on a year of great beer, close shaves, and brave leadership that shone through the lockdowns.
The Collaborators: Mind And Strength Support
David Spargo is a Melburnian with a background in hospitality and social work who's decided to combine his two careers to provide better mental health support for managers and owners in small venues and breweries.
Best New Queensland Beers Of 2021
Borders have opened and shut, lockdowns have come and gone, but the beer scene in Queensland continues to go from strength to strength. Here we look back over 2021 to shine a light on the brightest beer moments of the year.
Best New NSW Beers Of 2021
If you ignore the 107 day lockdown – or even if you can't – there's been much to enjoy and embrace in the NSW beer scene in 2021. Here, Judd Owen looks at the standout beers and highlight moments from the past 12 months.
Best New Tasmanian Beers Of 2021
For most Aussies, Tasmania has been off limits for much of 2021, which has allowed the island states brewers and beer lovers to get to know each other better than ever. Join us as we round up the year's standout beer highlights.
Brew & A: Ned Bowring
Following a long stint of travel, Ned Bowring switched careers to follow his passion for brewing. He then fell for the art of barrel-ageing at Boatrocker, before moving to Hawkers then Deeds, where he's created their first mixed culture beers.
Indie Beer Hits The SCG
Fans of cricket and Sydney's indie brewers have been given an early Christmas present. Beers from The Grifter Brewing Co and Young Henrys are now pouring at the SCG after Merivale secured hospitality rights.
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Best New WA Beers Of 2021
Yes, it's that time for The Crafty Pint team and friends to attempt the ever trickier task of encapsulating the best of Aussie craft beer for another year. And once again we kick off our annual Best Of series in Western Australia.
Last Call: Tell Us Your Beer Highlights Of 2021 And Win!
Have you enjoyed great beer, great breweries, great venues and great beer experiences in 2021? If so, we want to hear about it! Tell us what's impressed you the most in your local beer scene and you could win more great beer!
The Odd Culture of Newtown
Sour beer, natural wines, a fine dining menu, European opening hours and a prime spot on Newtown's King Street. The new Odd Culture venue may be difficult to categorise, but it's not difficult to enjoy.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Cold IPAs
Something a little different for our last blind tasting of 2021 as we tuck into an emerging style that's only been attempted by a small number of Aussie brewers. So, what did our panel make of the world of cold IPA?
Indies Trophies To Change Hands Following Audit
Four state champion trophies from the Indies awards in 2020 and 2021 are changing hands following an independent audit of results. Wildflower, Future Mountain and Mismatch are the new recipients as the audit continues.
Who Brews Five’ 3” Beers?
Killer Sprocket has fast become something of a brewing incubator for newcomers to the beer industry. Among them is Christopher Martin, the man behind Five' 3" Brewing, and now part of the Killer Sprocket team too.
Crafty's Christmas Giftathon!
To celebrate the imminent arrival of the festive season, we're running a weeklong Giftathon for our beer club, The Crafty Cabal. Each day until December 9 we're giving away mixed cases of beer and double passes to GABF Geelong.
Australia's First Gluten-Free Bottlo
Gluten-free beer has come a long way in Australia in recent years and one new retailer has committed to stocking the widest variety anyone can find. We spoke to David Lilley about his decision to launch the online Gluten Free Beer Shop.
Casey’s Brewery Opens Bar To Thirsty Locals
After spending six years keeping Penrith locals well supplied with takeaway beer and fresh wort, Casey's Brewing have finally opened a bar. We caught up with founder and head brewer Patrick Casey to find out more.
Wild Life Get Wilder
Shepparton-based Wild Life Brewing recently took their pilot kit away from home to spend a day in the elements. We caught up with co-founder Jack Thomson to find out about the adventure and plans for their own brewery.
Who Brews Tall Timbers Beers?
Fifty years on from Swan's aborted plans to build a brewery in Manjimup, a group of locals took over the building and created one themselves. We caught up with the team at Tall Timbers Brewing Co to find out more.
Blasta, Moffat Beach, Stomping Ground & Future Mountain Triumph At Indies 2021
WA's Blasta are once again toasting their awards success, with the brewery's wheat beer named Champion Beer at The Indies. The perennial award winners at Moffat Beach also had a huge night, as did Stomping Ground and Future Mountain.
A New Guide To Beer Ownership
We've been meaning to create an interactive version of our Who Owns Your Beer? infographic for some time. And, ahead of the 2021 Indies, we've finally made it happen, creating a version we can update with each and every sale.
From Beer Blogger To Brewery Owner
Luke Robertson has enjoyed a variety of roles in the Australian beer industry: providing commentary, telling stories, and working closely with brewers through the IBA and Good Beer Week. Now he's off to run a brewery New Zealand.
Who Brews Shout Beers?
After years of talk, a few beers at the Bitter & Twisted festival saw four mates commit to starting a brewery. As they prepare to upgrade from their current home and open a brewpub, we caught up with the Shout team to find out more.
Meet Geelong's Newest, Not New Brewery
A new brewery recently launched in Geelong but neither the beer nor the brewer are all that new. We chatted to Cockies' new owners about what they have planned for the brand and the newly-established Great Ocean Road Brewing.
Beer's Diversity And Discrimination Problem
A survey looking at diversity in the Australian beer industry shows there is much work to do for it to become truly inclusive. We spoke to the survey creators, Beer Agents For Change, about their mission to create a better beer world.
Australian Beer Industry Diversity Survey Results 2021
In July, the Beer Agents For Change, a collective of females with more than 60 years experience in the beer industry, launched an industry-wide diversity survey. You can view their findings in an infographic released with the results.
Who Brews Freshie Beers?
Much noise has been made about the craft beer hub that is Sydney's inner west, but the Northern Beaches are home to a growing number of local brewers too. We caught up with the founder of the newest: Freshwater Brewing.
From Belgium To The Gold Coast: Madocke's Mission
Few would have foreseen the Gold Coast becoming a craft beer powerhouse, yet it most certainly has. And now, following the opening of Madocke's taproom, it's even home to a brewery specialising in classic Belgian beers too.
Slow Lane Triumph At Sydney Beer Awards
Slow Lane continue to rise through the ranks of top Aussie brewers at quite a rate. The Botany brewery added more trophies to their collection at the Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Awards, with Belgian tripel Threefold leading the way.
Who Brews Avnge Beers?
From pumpkin beers in the US through street art in Darwin and Melbourne to combining his love of beer and art in one, James Isacsson has enjoyed a unique path into brewing. We caught up with him on the back of his first release.
The Lord Nelson Set For Sale
For the first time in 35 years, Sydney's Lord Nelson is up for sale. We caught up with Blair Hayden, the man who turned it into a brewpub in the 80s, to find out what's next for him and one of the country's most iconic pubs.
Now Tapped To Cease Operating
Free tap list app Now Tapped is to cease operating. Founder Angus Bremner, who launched the app in 2014 as a " bit of a hobby" says Untappd have cut off his access to their data without warning, forcing his hand.
The Collaborators: Mortlock Malt
After studying brewing at ECU and gaining brewing experience at Little Creatures, Rex Rowles moved back to the family farm to combine his love of brewing with his experience growing barley to create Mortlock Malt.
Ballarat Notches 50 Years Of Teaching Brewers
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first postgraduate brewing course offered in Ballarat - and there's no sign of the course slowing down. We chatted to a few of the key figures from the past half century about its past, present and future.
Jetty Road Founders To Leave Brewery
The two faces best associated with Jetty Road are set to leave the business they founded, with Blake Bowden and Grant Bowden set to sell their shares at the end of the year. We spoke to them about their decision and future plans.
Feral To Be Sold As Coca-Cola Exit The Beer Market
Just days after we reported one of Feral's original founders was to buy back the brewpub where the brand started comes the news the brand is to be sold. Owners Coca-Cola EuroPacific Partners (CCEP) have decided to exit the beer market in Australia.
Step Inside The Virtual Bottleshop
How'd you fancy climbing a tree to find a rare bottle of Cantillon? It might sound wild, but if a new venture featuring Purvis Beer, a Melbourne-based software developer, and Oculus Quest comes off, it could become your virtual reality.
Beer, Algae & Cow Burps
Young Henrys and researchers at UTS have been researching the potential certain algae have to turn CO2 created during brewing into oxygen since 2020. Now The Algae Project is looking to reduce harmful emissions from livestock too.
Feral's Brewpub Comes Full Circle
Just weeks after Feral closed their Swan Valley brewpub, there's good news for WA's beer lovers. One of the original founders of Feral has taken over the site and will be opening a tavern and recommissioning the on-site brewery.
Back To The Bar, Melbourne
Today, after making it through a world record number of days in lockdown, Melbourne is open again. James Smith and Will Ziebell spoke to brewery and venue owners and returning customers to assess the vibe.
Lockdowns, Locals & Future Mountain
As Melbourne emerges from another long lockdown, it's worth remembering how much local support has meant to many brewers. In Future Mountain's case, they've found a unique way to pay tribute to those who helped them survive.
Otherside's Anthem Named WA's Best Beer
Otherside's Anthem has been named Beer Of The Year at the WA Good Food Guide Awards. The IPA pipped Crate Digger Pale Ale from Nowhereman and Eagle Bay Brewing's Lager at an awards ceremony at Optus Stadium on Monday.
BecauseWeCAN Vol.5: Crazy For Hazy
A hazy with no hops, another with next to no booze, and one with heaps of hops and heaps of booze... Welcome to the fifth instalment of BecauseWeCAN, our look at some of the more out there beers in Australia today.
Uraidla & Heaps Normal Fly High At Drink Easy
Uraidla Brewery landed two beers in the overall top ten best Australian drinks at the second Drink Easy awards. They were joined in the best of list by Heaps Normal's Quiet XPA, flying the flag for non-alcoholic beers.
Badlands Building A New Home In Orange
Orange will be home to a new taproom experience from 2022 but the brewery behind the beers isn't so new. Badlands Brewery have announced that after a decade on the city's outskirts, they're moving to the centre of town.
Who Brews Little Rippa Beers?
The couple behind a long-established café in Mount Gambier are set to open a brewery and restaurant on their farm property as the home for Little Rippa Brewing. Matt King met up with them to find out more about the expanding operation.
Back To The Bar, Sydney
Many businesses across Sydney and New South Wales opened to customers for the first time in more than three months yesterday. Two members of The Crafty Pint team were among those heading back to the bar.
Be Part Of Pint of Origin At GBW 2022
Good Beer Week turned ten in 2021 and is set to embark on its second decade in May 2022. Once again, Pint of Origin will play a central role in the festival. If you'd like your venue to be a Pint of Origin host venue, tell us why.
