News & Feature Stories
Events Wrap – 12.05.17
Good Beer Week will be dominating proceedings for many beer lovers over the next week or so. But there's plenty of action taking place elsewhere too, including some events in other cities taking advantage of international guests on their way to and from Melbourne.
Boatrocker's Kindred Spirits
Boatrocker is to merge with award-winning gin and vodka producer Hippocampus Metropolitan Distillery. The West Perth distillery will move in its entirety to the Boatrocker Barrel Room in the coming months.
Cheers To Change
From the deep bush of Papua New Guinea via one of Mexico's most dangerous cities to creating Eden in the Southern Highlands, Marie Claire Jarratt discovers one couple's journey to brewery owners has taken the road less travelled.
X Marks The... Something
It's been three years since Wolf of the Willows launched its XPA and the number of beers bearing that name is growing fast. But does anyone agree on what an XPA should be? We ask some XPA brewers about the X factor.
GBW PoO Crawl: South
At this year's Good Beer Week, Pint of Origin has spread its wings further outwards across Melbourne than ever before. To help you navigate all the awesome beers and brewers on offer, we've created three PoO Crawls complete with maps.
GBW PoO Crawl: North
At this year's Good Beer Week, Pint of Origin has spread its wings further outwards across Melbourne than ever before. To help you navigate all the awesome beers and brewers on offer, we've created three PoO Crawls complete with maps.
The Crafty Dozen – May 2017
We've added another dozen new brewery, bar and bottleshop listings since our last roundup. Which means it's time for another beery postcard and a reminder for you of the last 12 business to find a home on Crafty.
Crafty Cabal Update – 05.05.17
What with the long weekends, the Crafty relaunch and all manner of other distractions, it's been a while since our last update on all the goodies we've got for our supporters. Which means there's plenty to tell you about...
Aussie Beer Blogs: Little Hop Beers
The title of this article may be a little misleading as the latest person to appear in our featured beer blogs series isn't an Aussie. Hannah Louise Grugel is a Brit who started writing about beer in the UK and has continued since landing in Sydney last year.
Brew & A: Wilson Hede of Two Birds
He may not be a "bird", but Two Birds head brewer Wilson Hede has certainly played an important part in helping the Spotswood brewery stretch its wings. Here, he shares his brewing tips and insights as part of our Brew & A series.
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A New Dawn
We've given Crafty a refresh. Out with the old and in with the new: a new logo, a new look and some new features, including Crafty Recommends – an enhanced map helping you find more of the goods stuff. We hope you like it!
Looking For New England – The Haze Craze
New England style IPAs are appearing with ever greater frequencies on these shores. Frontiersman Guy Southern dove deep into their swirling, muddy pool in the company of four local proponents to find out more.
Craft Beer Rides North
For all the talk about microbreweries bursting into life across Tasmania, the north has been lacking supportive retailers. That's steadily changing, with new venues opening and old ones enjoying a new lease on life.
A Day In The Life Of: A Beer Judge
Next month sees brewers and beer experts from across the globe gather in Melbourne for the Australian International Beer Awards. But what goes into being a beer judge? Is it the best job in the world. Nick O find out.
Breaking China
A growing number of Australian brewers is looking to break into the Chinese market. The craft beer market may be tiny percentage wise, but is still large in numbers. So how can brewers hope to make it there? And what beers are in demand?
Events Wrap – 14.04.17
Such is the splendour of the local beer world these days, there’s no time for idle sitting; new beers must be launched, birthdays must be celebrated, legends must be toasted.
Who Brews Hack Beers?
One of the original founders of Kooinda is back in the beer game with three mates. Together, the foursome go by the name Hack Brewing and have so far brought out one beer: the Golden Ale.
Holgate's Bloody Big Endeavour
Before Paul Holgate sat down to chat about the sizeable expansion his brewery is undertaking, he said something to Kerry McBride that was immediately apparent on entering the new space. “It’s bloody big, isn’t it?” He wasn’t lying.
Cavitation Salvation
Could techniques similar to those used by the remarkable mantis shrimp help revolutionise brewing? According to a group of Italian scientists, a process called cavitation could save time, water, energy and waste. Dan Sandy takes a look.
Behind Bars: Zach Hill
There's been a fair bit focus on Ballarat recently, with the launch a Beer Trail and announcements of a $100m brewery project and a Brewing Centre of Excellence. Here, one of the city's barmen tells us what's happening on the ground.
Brew & A: Thirsty Crow
Craig Wealands wasted little time putting Wagga's Thirsty Crow on the map, winning an AIBA trophy for his Vanilla Milk Stout within months of opening. With his new, bigger brewpub firing on all cylinders, he fielded questions in our latest Brew & A.
Crafty Cabal Update – 07.04.17
We've been so busy hanging with Cabal members around the country, we haven't announced that much new stuff in the past couple of weeks. But don't worry: we do have new offers and events to announce...
First Among Equals
A brewery’s first beer can tell you a lot about how the owners want to present themselves, acting as a marker of what's to come. Kerry McBride chats to three brewers about the nature of what comes first, and how it sets up all that follows.
Our Man In NZ: Brewpubs
The brewpub model is growing in popularity on both sides of the Tasman. In his latest article for The Crafty Pint, Our Man In NZ, Jono Galuszka, chats to three people heading down that path in Wellington and Palmerston North.
Wildflower Blooming
Dozens of breweries will open their doors across Australia in 2017. They will come in all shapes and sizes, but we doubt any will be quite like Wildflower. Nick O spent time with the blendery's driving force, Topher Boehm.
Brewing Without Borders
Breweries will be able to hire brewers from overseas more easily after Hawkers successfully secured a 457 visa for one of their brewers. This is the first time brewing has been recognised as a skill suitable for a Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa.
Aussie Exports: Gerad Giles
Aussie Exports is a series in which we check in on Australians doing cool things in beer overseas. Here, we head to British Columbia where former Esperance inhabitant Gerad Giles is working for BNA Brewing.
The Secret Brewer: Gypsy Brewing Pt II
Yesterday, we launched a new series, The Secret Brewer, in which an unnamed brewer laid out their concerns about gypsy and contract brewing. Today, brewers from here and overseas respond to the points raised in the article.
The Secret Brewer: Gypsy Brewing
The Secret Brewer is a new series in which a local brewer lets off steam about an issue that's troubling them. First up: gypsy brewers. Tomorrow, we'll present responses to the points raised by our mystery brewer in part two.
Starting A Brewery: The Early Days
Thinking of starting out in brewing? Keen to learn more about the realities of chasing that dream? Here, we find out what four Australian brewing company owners have learned in their first year of operation.
Events Wrap – 24.03.17
There's one thing that can be said with certainty about the current Australian beer scene: it's all about the hops. Except, of course, when it's not. Although, for the most part with this event roundup, it is.
The Breeder
Washington State based Select Botanicals Group has developed some of the hops most beloved of craft brewers. We met head breeder Jason Perrault when he was in Melbourne to talk torture, promiscuity and limitless possibilities.
Foreign Import
It's not unusual for you startup breweries to seek advice from experts. They don't often fly them in from the other side of the world, however. Will Ziebell meets the former Pilsner Urquell brewer assisting the team at Brunswick's Foreigner.
Crafty Crawls: Manly & The Rocks
In the ten months since we published our first Crafty Crawl, we've somehow never managed to feature any water-based travel. But not more is that the case, as Judd Owen embarks on one taking in Manly, The Rocks and a ferry.
The Artisan
There are few people in Australia who have explored so many facets of the beer world as Brian Fitzgerald. Now winning plaudits for his Belgian style beers as Artisan Brewing, he's a beer judge, Cicerone, yeast importer and more.
The Biggest Week In Beer Is Coming
Good Beer Week has grown into a happening of global stature, encapsulating 270 events, the Australian International Beer Awards and the ever-growing beast that is GABS. The 2017 version promises to be the biggest yet.
Brewing Up Excellence
The Victorian State Government recently announced it was contributing half a million dollars towards the development of a Centre of Excellence for beer in Ballarat. Will Ziebell finds out more from the man driving the project.
Cabal Update – 16.03.17
We're a day early with our fortnightly update, but that's because we've got stuff going on this weekend and news related to Good Beer Week and GABS, which are now on sale. Plus other new news too...
The Collaborators: Voyager Craft Malt
The Collaborators is an ongoing series looking at businesses growing in tandem with the local craft beer industry. Here, Marie Claire Jarratt chats to the man behind a craft malthouse in NSW and brewers who use his malts.
Aussie Beer Blogs: Schoonerversity
With Brewsvegas set to launch this week, for our latest focus on one of the many beer-focused blogs in Australia, we turn to Brisbane. There we find Schoonerversity, created by Mick Wust because, well, because he loves sharing good beer.
Lion Quits Craft Beer Industry Association
Chuck Hahn, one of the figureheads of the Australian craft beer industry since the 1980s has today released a statement announcing Lion's departure from the Craft Beer Industry Association. We sought reaction from independent brewers.
Brew & A: Brendan O'Sullivan of 3 Ravens
As sour beers continue to grow in popularity, one man well set to reap the rewards is Brendan O'Sullivan. The 3 Ravens head brewer has been exploring that realm with success since long before he became a commercial brewer.
Our Man In NZ: Spontaneity
In his latest article on the New Zealand beer scene, Jono Galuszka talks to two of the men exploring beer's "final frontier". They are two of a growing number of brewers turning their attention to spontaneous fermentation.
Cabal Update - 3.2.17
It might be Autumn, but the beer calendar is still hot, with events and festivals going strong, especially as fresh hop season gets closer. Cabalistas can make the most of it, thanks to a bumper crop of special events and new offers.
The Collaborators: Spark Breweries & Distilleries
We know plenty about the Aussie brewers, hop growers, venues and festivals helping the local industry grow. But did you know there's a local business designing and installing innovative breweries? Meet Spark.
1,000 Brews And Counting
Mornington Peninsula Brewery recently brewed the 1,000th batch of beer at its original site. So we chatted to the man at the helm for them all, a brewer who's been making beer since the early days of Mountain Goat.
Events Wrap – 24.02.17
Like a vintage episode of Sesame Street, the latest roundup of the Aussie beer world is brought to you by the letter S. So if you're up for showcases, showdowns, sharing, silly stuff, serious business and a load of SuperBeasts, do read on...
Crafty Crawls: Ballarat City Guide
Each summer, Ballarat attracts thousands of beer fanciers to its City Oval for its annual festival. But, with four breweries and a growing number a craft venues, there's plenty of reason for beer lovers to visit at other times.
Get Fresh
It's hop harvest time across Australia. And this year's offers more chances than ever to get up close and personal with the little green flowers, not least thanks to a pair of festivals celebrating the harvest and fresh hops beers.
The Beers Really From Up Here
There's been plenty of talk about the rise of craft beer in Queensland in recent years. For the most part, it's been centred around the state's South East but, as Will Ziebell finds, it's gaining a toehold in the Far North too.
