News & Feature Stories
Growing With Intention
Craft beer is a fast-paced industry in which small breweries tend to be nimble operations. Now, in a time of economic uncertainty, many are adapting and changing, but what's it like to change course? And why do it?
Crafty Crawls: Sydney's Northern Beaches
Sydney's Northern Beaches are often called The Insular Peninsula but word has spread about the sheer number of local breweries that call the area home. Let us be your guide as we traverse the coast and backstreets in this Crafty Crawl.
Moon Dog Get Green Light For Franco Cozzo Site
The on-off saga of Moon Dog's attempts to move into the former Franco Cozzo site in Footscray is back on. Following further discussions, the City of Maribyrnong confirmed the brewery has the green light to move in.
Grainfed Get There In The End
More than a decade after releasing his first Sneaky One, Lachlan MacBean finally opened the doors to Grainfed Brewing's brewpub in June. We chatted to him about the long, laid-back journey.
The Beer Slingers: Bendigo's Black Swan
Bendigo's craft beer scene is a vibrant one that welcomed another member when one of the city's oldest pubs switched its focus to regional breweries. We chatted to the Black Swan's new owners about the grand building's new life.
4 Pines & Mountain Culture Star At Sydney's Beer Awards
Hometown brewery 4 Pines starred at the 2023 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show, claiming both Champion Packaged Beer and Champion Draught Beer as well as Champion NSW Beer. The other beer trophy went to Mountain Culture.
Brewing A More Sustainable Future
A conversation over beers at Russian River in California sparked a multifaceted collaboration between businesses big and small that has led to the production of Certified Sustainable malts on both coasts of Australia.
Brew & A: Jared Palu
With a majestic mane, cheeky smile, and a trophy that says he's a good brewer, Jared Palu has been around good beer in Brisbane longer than most. We chatted to him about brewing, running bars, a beer festival, and just plain old running.
8 Wired On Top At NZ Beer Awards
8 Wired won two top gongs at the 2023 New Zealand Beer Awards: Overall Champion NZ Brewing Company and Champion New Zealand Beer. Garage Project claimed a hat-trick, with a third straight Champion Large Brewery trophy.
Who Brews As Quakers Hat?
Quakers Hat Brewing is a genuinely family-run affair: driven by head brewer Cam, with brother Nick on IT and maintenance, dad Dave on logistics, building and pizzas, mum Sue on social media, cheese boards and chandeliers.
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Craft Beer's Next Generation
Is craft beer becoming cringe or cheugy? Listen to many senior figures and you could easily draw the conclusion Gen Z poses an existential threat but is the industry really engaging with Zoomers? We chatted to craft beer's next generation.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Budget Busters
Looking for a crafty drop to fill your fridge that isn't going to break the bank in these straitened times? We lined up a bunch of budget-busting beers for a blind tasting with a difference.
Festive Cheer?
Summer brings with it a raft of beer festivals of all shapes and sizes. But there are concerns about how they will fare this time around as consumers continue to tighten their belts and the costs of staging major events rise.
Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Breweries Part II
The Sunny Coast has far too many breweries to contain them all in just one article. Here, we continue our three-part guide to the Sunshine Coast, this time looking at the breweries in the upper half of the region.
The Writer Behind The Beer Drinker's Toolkit
Mick Wüst is one of the most recognisable names on The Crafty Pint; now the award-winning writer is launching his first book. Here he tells us about the Beer Drinker's Toolkit and his longstanding love for the written word.
Meet The New Crafty
Today, we’re delighted to unveil something we’ve been working on for a number of months: a vastly reworked and enhanced version of The Crafty Pint. We hope you like it!
GABS Acquire More Festivals
The GABS team has expanded its festival reach considerably after buying a number of beer and drinks festivals from the Schwartz Family Company. We spoke to GABS owner Mike Bray about the acquisition and their future plans.
A Full Colour Life: From Brewer To Leader
Most people open a brewery or become brewers because they love making and drinking beer. Yet, as businesses grow and careers progress, brewing can play second fiddle to management tasks requiring very different skills.
Brookvale – Brewing A Beer Paradise?
Brookvale has been hailed as a beer paradise with multiple breweries joining the local scene in recent years. But despite each carving out a niche and being packed to the rafters on weekends, it's not always smooth sailing on the Northern Beaches.
Ale Stars: 15 Years & Still Going Strong
It's an achievement to keep anything going for 15 years, let alone a midweek event at a pub, so hats off to all involved in Ale Stars, the beer appreciation night at The Local Taphouse. Take a trip down Memory Lane with some of them.
Help Us Get Blind: Fridge Fillers
It's been a while between drinks but, after a longer-than-planned hiatus, we're bringing our blind tastings back. First up: less a style, more a vibe (OK, price point), we're putting budget-busting beers to the test.
Barossa Valley Brewing Clean Up At SA's Beer Awards
Barossa Valley Brewing picked up four trophies at the 2023 Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards, although the Best Beer In Show trophy is heading interstate to WA after Nowhereman's Rhapsody XPA was judged the top drop.
Crafty Crawls: Wollongong
Sydneysiders sometimes poke fun at their southern neighbours but the amount of craft beer to enjoy in Wollongong is no joke. Let The Crafty Pint be your guide to the best places for a beer in a city that's worth the travel.
Podcast People: Aussie Beer Voyage
Like beer? Like TV? Like exploring new breweries and hearing from people in the industry from the comfort of your home? Then take an Aussie Beer Voyage, the YouTube show guiding you through the Aussie beer scene.
Backing Beer: Australia's Cicerone Community
Paul Daley has spent the best part of a decade advocating for beer. Now, he's launched the Australian Cicerone – Certified Professionals Community with some of the country's top beer advocates to better promote the industry they love.
Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Breweries Part I
When you hear "Sunshine Coast", you think "beaches". But the Sunny Coast is a sprawling region that includes hinterland towns, cities and farms... and plenty of good beer. Our three-part guide to the region starts in the south.
Fury & Son Decide To Quit While Ahead
The father and son behind Fury & Son have ceased brewing and put their assets up for auction, citing the challenges currently facing the beer industry. But they're retaining the brand and IP as they sign off with: "Never say never."
Who Brews At Ward's Brewery?
Gladstone has long been known for its exports but when it comes to beer, typically that's been imported via long highways. Ward's Brewery have helped rectify that problem by turning the cordial factory into a local beer factory.
Crafty Crawls: Fortitude Valley
The beast that is Fortitude Valley is ever evolving, so we've updated our Crafty Crawl through this dodgy and frequently delightful part of Brisbane in order to guide you to the best craft beer breweries and bars.
Beer Basics: Yeast Part I
A few years back, we invited Molly Rose founder Nic Sandery to guide us through the essential elements that make up beer. Having covered malt, hops and water, now he turns his brewer's gaze to yeast.
Who Brews Boundary Island Beers?
Boundary Island Brewery launched in 2022 and have wasted little time making an impression beyond their coastal home in WA. After they won Best New Exhibitor trophies in Melbourne and Perth, we got in touch to find out more.
Lion Kill Two Birds With One Move
Lion are to close Two Birds' Spotswood home and discontinue the brand. The move comes less than two years on from the multinational's acquisition of Fermentum, which included Two Birds and other breweries alongside Stone & Wood.
Blizzard Brewery Founder's OnMarket Raise
A significant number of craft breweries have crowdfunded in recent years. Now, with sources of funding ever harder to come by, a former brewery owner is hoping to help guide others along that path as he returns with OnMarket.
Who Brews Mountain Monk Beers?
The Bellman family has a long association with Mount Beauty, from working on the mountain to regular family holidays. Now, their association runs deeper than ever after they took over the local pub and built a brewery there too.
Beer Travel: Denver's RiNo District
The Denver Nuggets waited a long time to become NBA champs but you don't have to wait long - or travel far - to find excellent beer in the Mile High City. Join Will Ziebell for a stroll through the city's RiNo district, soaking in the local beer.
Athena: On A Mission To Boost Beer Quality
Clare Clouting has spent years working on craft beer quality and earlier this year launched a business to support breweries looking to build better processes. Jono Outred chatted to her about Athena Quality, good beer and good chips.
The Story Of: B2 Bomber
When Bridge Road Brewers first released their B2 Bomber in 2010, the imperial Belgian black IPA was unlike anything else. It remains an oddity to this day so, as Mach 13.0 lands, we asked brewery founder Ben Kraus how it came to be.
Who Brews Cypher Beers?
Mention Canberra and brewing to most Aussie beer lovers and BentSpoke and Capital are most likely to come to mind. There's more to the capital's beer scene than the big-hitters, however, not least now Cypher's brewpub is open.
Rocky Ridge Go Back-To-Back At The Perth Royal Beer Awards
For the second year running, Rocky Ridge have claimed the Champion Beer trophy at the Perth Royal Beer Awards. And, again, they've done it with a rarely-seen style: their barrel-aged barleywine Jindong Balling.
Crafty Crawls: South Sydney
South Sydney is a diverse place in which industrial zones rub shoulders with residential and commercial hubs. As such, it's a perfect place to open a brewery – and plenty have, as you'll discover in this delicious Crafty Crawl.
That's Dope! The US Brewers On A High
The cannabis plant is a close relative of hops but we don't – legally – see them together in Australia. The situation is rather different in the US, as Will Ziebell discovered in conversation with some of those pioneering weed-beer hybrids.
Who Brews Crafty Robot Beers?
Tim and Damo met while brewing at Mismatch in the Adelaide Hills in 2018. Now, alongside Damo's wife Genevieve, they're at the helm of Crafty Robot, a brewery and taproom that opened in Adelaide's CBD this autumn.
I'm Growin' Down: Lessons From America's Shrinking Breweries
Late last year, Tomme Arthur did something brewery owners don't often do: talked about shrinking The Lost Abbey to survive. Will Ziebell caught up with him in America to find out what's happening in a country often seen as craft beer's future.
Pint of Origin 2023 Consumer Survey
Pint of Origin 2023 appears to have been another success, as we brought beers from across the planet to some of Melbourne's best beer venues. But how was it for you? And how can we make it even better in the future?
Looking After The Lake, Man
Last week, Lakeman Brewing took out the Supreme Beer Award at the New World Beer & Cider Awards. Here, Michael Donaldson tracks the unique journey of the Taupō brewery from farming to making award-winning beers.
BoozeBud Bought By Hairydog
BoozeBud is set to continue operating after being bought by fellow online retailers, Hairydog Group. The announcement follows Boozebud appointing voluntary administrators in early May as the business collapsed.
Behind Bars: Mongrel
If you're into skeletons, sour cocktails and sausage daddies – or, at least, if they don't scare you off – then Mongrel's brand of weirdness is for you. We chatted with the pint-pouring pooches at the Milton bar for our Behind Bars series.
Dollar Bill Triumph At The Australian International Beer Awards Again
Tiny Ballarat operation Dollar Bill, who specialise in barrel-aged and wild ales, have claimed Champion Australian Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards just two years on from their first triumph.
The Australian International Beer Awards At 30 – Part II
In part two of our mini-series marking 30 years of the Australian International Beer Awards, we invite some of those with long and significant involvement to share their memories and photos, and trace just how much it's changed.
Who Brews As The Thirsty Messiah?
He might not be the Messiah, and he may be a very naughty boy. What we know for certain is that Thomas Delgatto, alongside wife Libby, is now the owner of Newcastle's newest brewpub. Meet the Thirsty Messiah.
