Innovation: Selling Beer
Supported by
New ideas and technologies helping to drive beer forward.
Episode 014: Moon Dog's Marvellous Medicine
This week saw Moon Dog open their third megavenue, Doglands, on the Marvel Stadium concourse. We joined founders Karl van Buuren and Josh Uljans there to trace the evolution of their unique story.
Moon Dog To Open Doglands Next To Marvel Stadium In Coming Days
Moon Dog are set to open their fourth venue before the end of October. Doglands is located next to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne's Docklands, and joins their OG Abbotsford home plus Moon Dog World and Moon Dog Wild West.
Behind Bars: Natural Science Wine & Liquor
Natural Science Wine & Liquor opened in 2022 and brought a fresh approach to booze in Melbourne's east by focusing on Australian-owned products. With a bar now too, it seemed a good time to catch up with the team.
Episode 010: Gillian Letham, Brisbane's Queen of the Suburbs
Gillian Letham never meant to build an empire of suburban bars. But in 11 years, she's gone from not drinking beer to owning three and become a pillar of Brisbane’s beer community. She tells us how it happened on The Crafty Pint Podcast.
Episode 007: Steve Finney & Will Irving of FOUND.
FOUND. is little more than a year old, yet the story of the people driving the brewing company stretches back far longer, and is interwoven with the very fabric of craft beer in Western Australia.
Episode 005: Matt & Ant From Brewski
Another podcast episode featuring breaking news, as Ant and Matt signed the lease on a new My Beer Dealer bar & bottleshop on the day we were recording the intro for their chat about all things beer, Brisbane and Brewski.
Episode 004: Tom Delmont
Few people in Australia have put as much craft beer into as many venues as Tom Delmont. Mountain Goat's first sales rep and the co-founder of Fixation joined us in the studio for the fourth episode of The Crafty Pint Podcast.
Seeker Take Flight With Tiny Tins
Limited release beers tend to appear in 440ml cans but it can be a lot of liquid and booze to enjoy in one go. Seeker Brewing are shaking things up with big beers in tiny tins called The Art Of Flight.
Red Top Brewing’s Bedford Brews
If you ever spot Red Top Brewing Co's truck, you're in for a beer experience with a difference. It's the brainchild of brewer Emily Allsopp, who tells about her passion for beer, brewing and her impressive bar-for-hire.
Small Gods; Big Ideas
Small Gods are tiny by name and nature but have caused a stir with their unique approach. Michael Donaldson explores their story and beers, including the 8 Wired collab named Supreme Winner at the New World Beer & Cider Awards.
Get more Crafty!
Sign up to our newsletters and get the latest craft beer news delivered free to your inbox. Choose from our Friday Roundup of the week, the quick-read, social feed-like Crafty Cuppa – or both!
For The Love Of Beer: Bringing The World's Kegs To Pint of Origin
As Pint of Origin returns for a 12th time from May 10 to 19, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge amount of time and effort that goes into bringing the world of beer to Melbourne for ten days every year.
Quiz Meisters Celebrate 20 Years With Crafty Collaborations
After two decades spent bringing beer and trivia together, Quiz Meisters invited nine breweries to create some truly unique beers. We chatted to the company's founder and Tallboy & Moose about the marriage of craft beer and quizzes.
Bitter Phew: Ten Lessons From Ten Years
From lockout laws to lockdowns, running a Sydney bar has presented plenty of challenges over the past decade, yet Bitter Phew continues to stand tall. As the institution turns ten, we chatted to co-founder Aaron Edwards.
Netherworld Team To Launch Lost Souls "Theme Park" Karaoke
A new karaoke bar unlike any other is opening next to Brisbane's Netherworld. It features local beer, intricate art design, and "theme park level karaoke". You'll be singing to save your soul.
Creating A Winning Brewery Experience
Breweries have transformed warehouses into social spaces and created new kinds of hospitality experiences. But what makes a good brewery venue and what do founders think about before they start building?
The Keys To A Good Time – Yours From Today
The Keys Leisure Centre could well be Melbourne's most multifaceted venue, with the Preston haunt including a bowling alley, arcade, bistro, beer garden and three bars. As it opens, we chatted to one of the founders.
Want To Own A Bar For Free?
Want to own a bar for free? The founders of crafty Preston hangout Hard Rubbish are moving on and have decided the best way to find the right owners for their beloved Hardo is to give it away to the people with the best vision for its future.
The Perfect Pour: The Art Of The Side-Pull
It's a pretty good time to be a lover of lager but breweries and venues are finding ways to ensure such beers are perfectly poured. We chatted to the Australians dedicated to the fine art of the side-pull; a Czech traditional that's gaining ground locally.
Carving Out A Niche: Small Festivals. Big Ideas
It's been a tough couple of years for beer festivals but events both large and small are roaring back. We chatted to the folks behind Juicy Fest, Rauchbier Festival and Lagerland to hear how breweries are carving out a niche in the festival space.
Melbourne To Gain An Alcohol-Free Taproom
We've regularly covered the rise of non-alc beer, and while Monceau Co's main focus is kombucha their story mirrors that of many craft breweries. As they announce a Brunswick taproom, we spoke to the owners about their plans.
Want to know more?
The Crafty Pint's Innovation section is supported by
GABS: Making A Stand
Brewery stalls at festivals have gone from spill-spattered trestle tables to interactive experiences as brewers look to cut through the noise. Ahead of the first GABS of 2022, we asked 2021's Best in Show winners how they made a stand.
Matilda Bay Roll Out The Rejects
By the time Matilda Bay released their first new beer following the return of founder Phil Sexton, they'd tipped 27 trial batches down the drain. Now they're offering drinkers a chance to try four of the beers that didn't quite make the grade.
Short Back And Sour, Please!
It's not uncommon to enjoy a free beer while getting a haircut but La Bodega is taking things further. We caught up with the people behind the barbershop-meets-beer bar for a chat about their plan to bring craft beer to Williamstown.
Beer On The Blockchain
Blockchains. Crypto. The metaverse. They're terms we hear about a lot these days but do they have much common ground with the world of beer? We spoke to two Australian brewing companies embracing digital currencies to find out.
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.
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.
Exclusively Yours: The Rise Of Brewery Subscriptions
Beer clubs and brewery memberships are far from new but recent years have seen such them grow alongside online beer sales. We spoke to Molly Rose, Black Arts and Van Dieman Brewing about their exclusive clubs and why they do it.
The Collaborators: Vertek Innovations
Is that decal really moving or is it time to head home? If you're in a bar featuring decals from Perth's Vertek Innovations, don't worry: they really are moving. We chatted to the couple bringing beer brands to life on the bar.
The Dark & Disgusting Minds of The Scratch
No one's ever accused the folk at The Scratch of being normal. Their festivals have cult followings, and the videos they make to promote them can be downright disgusting. We sat down with manager Becca King to find out more.
Brunswick's Booze-Free Bar
Alcohol-free alternatives to beer, wine and spirits have come a long way in recent times and soon Melburnians will have a dedicated space to try those offerings in. We got in touch with the Brunswick Aces team to find out more.
Postcards from the Edge No.30: Exit Through The Bottleshop
Mixed brewery packs appeared in an instant as the shutdown hit and have kept on coming – in diverse arrangements too. But, with restrictions starting to ease across Australia, will they have post-pandemic staying power?
On The Frontline Of Online
Since venues shut down, there's been a flurry of new startups looking to offer new marketplace solutions. Will Ziebell spoke to three businesses – one that was already in the works – about their plans for the pandemic.
The Growler Renaissance
People have come up with many new concepts as they attempt to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. But it's a rather older one that's been helping keep many businesses afloat and our drains free of delicious draught beer.
Postcards from the Edge No.18: From Menulog To Menudog
If you live around Carlton North you may have seen an unusual form of home delivery service in recent weeks. The Great Northern team have been sending beer and food out via their security dog and barman on skateboard...
Postcards from the Edge No.10: Can Together
The craft beer industry has always been one fired by the spirit of collaboration, something which has come to the fore during the COVID-19 crisis. We spoke to two brewers helping get their peers beers into punters' hands.
Postcards from the Edge No.3: Quarantinnied
It's amazing how fast things can happen when the pressure's on. The team at Carwyn Cellars has created a special Canvent featuring 24 Victorian brewers in just a couple of days so people can enjoy beers together apart.
Postcards From The Edge No.1: Cherry Cheer
As the beer and hospitality industries adapt to the new reality, there are some inspiring examples around. We joined The Cherry Tree crew as they launched their home deliveries by bringing cheer to the streets of Richmond.
Back To The Future - The Rise Of Small Festivals
There's a new breed of beer festival on the rise, one that combines elements of those from craft beer's earlier days with a more tightly-curated program of beers and brewers.
The Abbotsford Renaissance
In recent times, you were more likely to see FOR LEASE signs going up on Abbotsford's historic pubs. But that's all changing, as new owners have injected life into a trio of pubs, helping turn it into one of Melbourne's best 'burbs for good beer.
Festive Adventage
Since their debut in Australia just a handful of years ago, beer-filled advent calendars have become remarkably popular, with thousands expected to be sold this year. Will Ziebell spoke to some of the people putting them together.
Fresh Or Dead
As the audience for craft beer grows and competition intensifies, quality and education are more important than ever. We speak to a Brisbane brewery and Melbourne retailer finding their own ways of spreading the fresh is best message.
The Collaborators: Feeling Animated
With more beers fighting for tap and fridge space than ever before, the challenge of capturing beer drinkers' attention has never been greater. Label manufacturer Graphix is hoping a moving new development will appeal to brewers looking to stand out.
The Big Issue: Cold Comfort
The "fresh is best" message is gaining traction in the beer world. But, for the vast majority of beers, keeping them cold is crucial too. As a couple of new businesses launch with cold storage and transport in mind, we look at why staying cool matters.
What's In A Name?
While many brewers are happy to stick to the [Brewery Name] [Beer Style] format when naming their beers, there are plenty who take great pleasure coming up with beer titles. We find out why from three of the most avid fans of beery wordplay.
Enter The Netherworld
Brisbane has its offbeat bars. And Australia has other venues that combine gaming and arcades with craft beer. But there's quite possibly never been anything quite like Netherworld. Ahead of its huge Monster Menagerie, we crawl tentatively inside...
Russian Moo-lette
In one of the more innovative promotional gambits we've seen, Moo Brew founder David Walsh has commissioned a roulette style vending machine filled with the brewery's cans – and one option drinkers may wish to give the bullet.
Canvas. Comic Strip. Can.
Following on from our look at branding in the beer industry, Ross Lewis chats to a couple of designers working on Australian breweries' cans as well as a brewery owner whose tinnies are among the most spectacular you'll see.
Mall Brewing
The team behind Perth's Northbridge Brewing Company is set to open a brewpub in a northern suburbs shopping mall. And the move could be a sign of things to come as the nature of shopping centres evolves.
CANimalia
It's not just standard tinnies that are on the rise in the local craft beer world. Slowly but surely, more venues and breweries are investing in CANimals, the repurposed food packing technology pioneered by Oskar Blues in the US.
In Hot Pursuit Of Hoppiness
When it comes to delivering the message of "Fresh is best", has anyone gone to greater lengths than the duo from Adelaide's Big Shed Brewing Concern? Matt King reports on their unique Cannonball Run of beer.
