News & Feature Stories
Gage Roads Heads East
WA brewery Gage Roads have announced the next stage in their expansion: moving into the Sydney market with a new brand that will have a brewery and taproom home in Redfern.
Gold Coast Brewers Dominate Queensland's Beer Awards
It was another day of triumph for Gold Coast brewers as Burleigh Brewing, Black Hops and Balter all picked up trophies at the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Beer Awards, with Burleigh's new Bock taking out Champion Beer.
Who Brews Heads of Noosa Beers?
When they worked the stock market, they enjoyed craft beers at the end of the day. So, a few years back, brothers Lance and Craig Masterton decided to embark on a brewing adventure of their own, with Heads of Noosa opening in early 2019.
The Big Issue: Withdrawing The Line
There's been a clutch of product withdrawals in the local craft beer and cider industry in recent months. Here, we ask why, look at what steps brewery owners are taking and why knowing how to handle a quality issue is key.
Black Hops II Launches
The milestones keep flying past for Black Hops Brewing with the opening of their second brewery and venue on the Gold Coast the latest.
Women In Drinks
International Women's Day 2019 will see a new festival celebrating women working in beer, wine and spirits launch in Sydney. We spoke to two women leading the way in the local beer world to find out more about their experiences and changing times.
Help Us Get Blind: XPAs
For our first blind tasting of 2019 we're going to look at XPAs. Sure, it's a category that remains open to some interpretation but plenty of people are brewing and drinking them so it seems only right.
Kveik – Something Borrowed, Something True Blue
In part one of this mini-series, Mick Wust took a journey into the history of Norwegian "super-yeast" kveik. Here, he speaks to some of the early adopters in Australia to find out more about its unique appeal.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Beer Thread
For our first Aussie Beerstagrammers feature of 2019, Guy Southern got in touch with the man behind the Beer Thread Facebook group to find out more about his approach to beer photography.
Kveik – Something Old, Something New
There's a new yeast in town. Actually, it's not new at all, but it is extraordinary. Here, Mick Wust delves into the romantic history of Norwegian kveik before speaking to Australian brewers and bar owners who've fallen for its charms.
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New Model Modus
They rebranded within months of opening, were the first local brewery to use CANimals, pioneered single design cans with labels and were early proponents of packaged on dates. So, as they unveil a new look lineup, we asked Modus Operandi why.
Brewmanity Go On Another March
After raising more than $35,000 for Fight MND with their first Beer March, the team at Brewmanity is preparing to go again, enlisting around 30 venues on the East Coast for a month-long fundraiser. We caught up with the duo behind it.
Going Green: SolaBrew
When Scott Shomer designed Helios Brewing in Brisbane with his business partners, the aim was to produce the most energy efficient brewery he could. Under the SolaBrew banner, he's keen to help other brewery owners do the same.
Beer Nuts: Deb Lieu
They're up there as one of the most unusual and inspired ideas in the local beer world: beer-themed cookies and desserts. We chatted to the woman behind them, Deb Lieu, for our Beer Nuts series.
Hopping Into The Wild
The burgeoning beer scene in the South West of WA grew again this week with the opening of Wild Hop. Jono Outred joined the team on their family farm to find out more about one of the most highly-anticipated new operations in the state.
Craft Beer Heroes: Marty Keetels
He announced his intentions in the most comically unlikely of manners and has gone on to create one of the country's leading beer festivals while helping build Brisbane's beer community. So we invited Marty Keetels to tell us more.
Mine's A Sunshine State
Thanks to the launch of small hop farms, a local operation producing yeast for brewers and the production of malt with Queensland provenance, Archer in Brisbane have created QPA, which they believe is the first modern, all-Queensland beer.
Who Brews One Drop Beers?
Botany's postcode is 2019 and it looks like 2019 could be the year of Botany beer after One Drop Brewing Co opened its doors. We caught up with the reggae-loving foursome behind Sydney's newest brewery for our Who Brews...? series.
Brew With A View
From brewing shit beer to champion brewery in three years and from taking two months to shift a keg of IPA to seeing an entire batch of double IPA disappear in a week, the Moffat Beach Brewing Co story is quite the ride.
Canned Laughter
It was a punchline that was waiting to happen as the beer world moves inexorably from bottles to cans and brewers strike up partnerships outside craft beer's original stomping grounds. It's Canned Laughter, a beer from Newstead and Brisbane Comedy Festival.
Drink Smarter
Two years on from their launch, the University of Melbourne's courses focusing on beer and brewing have been completed by hundreds, with some students already securing work. University alumnus Will Ziebell returned to the scene.
Brew & A: Jack Beavis of Woolshed Brewery
There's few breweries in Australia with as picturesque a location as Woolshed in SA's Riverland region. At the helm for most of its existence has been Jack Beavis, a local lad who returned to Renmark to follow his brewing dream.
Who Brews On Kangaroo Island?
Matt King takes a ferry ride to Kangaroo Island where he caught up with Mike Holden, the man behind the brewery of the same name, for our Who Brews...? series.
Beer Nuts: Ode To The Road
Oh, to hit the road with the end game being just that: the road. The couple behind Ode To The Road, Erin and Carmel, have been touring Australia more than a year, sampling as many breweries as possible – growlers and dog in tow.
Crafty Cabal Update - February 2019
Time for a first update of 2019 from The Crafty Cabal, our beer lovers bonus scheme. We've got exclusive events, a bar shout, new giveaways and new deals. Check it!
A Day In The Life Of: A Venue Manager
What's it like to work in the beer industry? As it expands at a rate of knots, the opportunities grow too. Our Day In The Life Of series aims to give readers a peek behind the scenes to understand what goes into making the industry tick.
Join The Club
The wartime munitions still hang on the walls, the old members still share stories on the greens outside, yet at many RSLs and bowlos around Australia craft beer is playing a role in attracting new members and keeping the joints alive.
All In Goodieson Time
One of the longest-established of South Australia's microbreweries turns ten this year. Yet, thanks to a desire to keep things small, local and family-focused, Goodieson have plotted a path that's kept them happily under the radar.
Behind The Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers Of 2018
The 2018 GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers countdown saw a big increase in hazy IPAs, a few debuts and a big presence for beers from the big man behind Behemoth. Here, Jono Galuszka chats to the people behind some of those stories.
Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers Of 2018
The results of the GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers Of 2018 are in and it's another show of dominance by Garage Project, with Behemoth not far behind. Hazy IPAs are on the rise as formerly independent brands fall away.
Crafty Crawls: The Frankston Line
We kicked off our Crafty Crawls series with a public transport route – the 86 tram in Melbourne – and here's another. It's arguably not the most likely, yet it offers access to some of Victoria's best breweries, bars and bottleshops.
FogHorn Sounds Anew
Late in 2018, word spread that FogHorn, the highly-rated Newcastle brewpub was up for sale. In truth, it was a case of one founder looking to get out and the other, head brewer Shawn Sherlock, looking to the future. And now he is.
Who Brews Hop Hen Beers?
A new year brings a new brewery for the Yarra Valley as a former primary school headmaster switches to brewmaster. Hop Hen opened just ahead of the Australia Day long weekend so we wasted no time finding out more.
Behind The Hottest 100 Beers Of 2018
There's been a couple of days for the dust to settle on the eleventh running of the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers, which has given us enough time to chat to the people behind the breweries and beers making the stories in 2018.
Crafty Dozen – January 2019
After a rush to start the new year and with more waiting in the wings, it's time to round up the most recent new additions to our brewery, venue and bottleshop directories with a dozen(ish) stretching from Albany in WA to a trio in Brisbane.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2018: The Results
Well, what an interesting countdown that has proven to be. The top four might not have changed but there's some big wins for some unlikely newcomers and big drops for the breweries that are now part of bigger brewing companies.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2018: Infographic
The results of the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2018 have been revealed, which means it's time for the annual Crafty Pint infographic! We pored over the results and made them into pictures for your visual pleasure!
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2018: Analysis
Maybe there's as much of the data nerd as the beer nerd within the Crafty team but we do enjoying taking the Hottest 100 results and seeing what, if anything can be surmised. And here's what we came up with from the 2018 results.
Black Hops Set Crowdfunding First
Just six days after opening their equity crowdfunding campaign to the public, Black Hops have reached their maximum fundraising target of $400,000 – and broken a few records in the process.
New Year. Lucky Beer
It's fair to say the Australian beer world isn't the most culturally diverse of places. But, as Chinese New Year approaches, the team at Temple is hoping to showcase aspects of that country's culture through a new "lucky ale".
Locals Heroes
They rarely rise to become big sellers for the breweries that make them and are often lagers or approachable pale ales, yet that hasn't stop a growing number of local brewers launching beers with their locals and locale front and centre.
Who Brews Seven Mile Beers?
After stints at Riverside and 4 Pines, Matt Wilson headed to Ballina to join his dad Lou and launch their own brewery. Within months, they'd snagged an Indies gold and discovered there was huge appetite for their beers.
Beer Travel: The Adelaide Hills
Once better known for its wines, the Adelaide Hills have become a treasure trove for beer lovers. Here, Matt King takes a meandering tour through the many breweries, venues and bottleshops that are found throughout.
Brew & A: Jack Purser
Indian Ocean Brewing Co, found in a marina on Perth's northern fringe, is a much-changed brewery from three years ago. Much of that is down to head brewer Jack Purser, so we decided to find out more about him.
The Milkman Of Human Kindness
For the past century, you were only ever likely to find lactose – AKA milk sugar – in the occasional sweet stout. These days, it's cropping up everywhere. Brewer and beer scholar Chris Brady examines why.
A Decade Of Oscar's Glory
Ten years ago, one of the best places to find a wide range of craft beer around Melbourne was a little bar in the Dandenongs. As Oscar's Alehouse's owners embark on a new beery venture, we invite them to reflect on a decade of beers.
Who Brews Styx Beers?
Styx is one of the smallest and newest breweries in New South Wales, brewing out of an old coal testing shed in Newcastle. We got in touch with the team there to find out more about them for our Who Brews...? series.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2018: The Voters
Voting is underway for the biggest public choice poll in the Aussie beer world. But faced with picking just five beers from thousands, how do you go about voting? And who's going to win? We posed questions of some of the nation's keenest beer lovers.
Brewed For Brendale
When we ran our Best New Queensland Beers Of 2018 feature, there was an honourable mention for a tiny brewery in Brisbane's northern suburbs. We soaked up the welcoming locals vibe at Brendale Brewing Co to find out more.
Beer Nuts: Dave Croft
Dave Croft is a man who likes to travel for beer. While many beer geeks make outrageous detours to drink beer from the source, Dave is truly a persistent pilgrim. We caught up with him to find out how it all started and how he plans to spend his 40th.
