People & Culture: Who Brews

Celebrating the people who make the beer world such a colourful place.

People & Culture
Who Brews Surfboat Beers?

Surfboat Brewing's story begins with a closed RSL, an overabundance of honey, and nostalgic memories of being a volunteer surf lifesaver. Today, it lives on as a community hub that welcomes drinkers, dogs and jive dancers alike.

Who Brews Breakwall Beers?

We first met Chase Saraiva when he was head brewer at Wildflower, chatted again as he launched Lora Brewing, and now he's here in a third guise, leading all things beer at Breakwall Brewing in Narooma on the NSW South Coast.

Who Brews At Buddy Brewing?

Joining with others to "fight the greater evil," converting locals to malt-driven beers, and adding Carolina Reaper chillies, coffee and caramel to an ESB. Meet Buddy Brewing: more than friends... they're family.

Who Brews Little Blessings Beers?

It's time to head to church for a very different form of communion as Laura, a tiny town in the Southern Flinders Ranges, prepares to welcome Little Blessings: a brewery and taproom built inside a former Baptist church.

Who Brews Canobolas Beers?

Canobolas Brewing launched their first beers in 2023, brewed at their taproom in Orange. We chatted to Jeff Vaughn about his journey from homebrewing in Oregon via winemaking to becoming a head brewer in the Central West.

Who Brews As The Malt Man?

It was while travelling around Australia that Eric and Kirsty Blue decided to turn their Bodalla café into a small brewery. Benedict Kennedy-Cox dropped in for a drink and a chat at one of the country's smallest operations.

Who Brews Beereratne Beers?

From chemical engineer via Ale Star and avid #PoO Crawler to brewing student, brewer and now owner of his own beer brand, Ben Weereratne has enjoyed quite the path into brewing.

Who Brews In The Brew Garage?

Another suburb of Perth has a brewpub to call its own with Brew Garage opening in East Victoria Park. Guy Southern dropped in to soak in the charms of a venue that's also an urban winery serving up damn fine pizzas.

Who Brews At Future Brewing?

A trip to Texas sparked Brady Hannett's love for West Coast styles, one that led him to study in California and start his brewing career in Monterey. Now he's at the helm of Future Brewing in Sydney, alongside partner Laura Howard.

Who Brews Village Days Beers?

Given the rise in brewing hubs across the city, you'd be forgiven for all parts of Sydney were well covered for local beer. But Village Days found an area in need, opening in Gladesville and leaving North Shore locals glad they did.

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Who Brews Great Hops Beers?

Great Hops' home in Armidale is an impressive dome shed on the outskirts of town filled with a bunch of "collected shit". It's popular with locals and a much-appreciated stop for anyone travelling through, as our weary writer discovered.

Who Brews Yellow Matter Beers?

Their name is taken from a Beatles classic, their idiosyncratic venue will transport you to another era, and their beers are designed to be super comfy and approachable. Meet the team behind Adelaide brewpub Yellow Matter.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Who Brews On Point Beers?

Alexandra's old butter factory has been brought back to life by two best mates who've known each other since high school. We got in touch to find out more about On Point Brewery, which opened to the public at the tail end of 2022.

Who Brews Hiker Beers?

A celebration of the great outdoors, beers ranging from Scottish light ale to highly-rated hazy IPA, and a big airy venue with a place for everyone. Meet Hiker Brewing Concern in this instalment of our Who Brews...? series.


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People & Culture
Who Brews As The Brewers Collective?

Bendigo has garnered a fine reputation for beer over the years, with festivals, bars and even its own beer-pushing association. Yet it didn't have a brewpub. Until now. Meet the homebrewers gone pro behind the Brewers Collective.

Who Brews At Mixtape?

Spooning Goats was a pioneering craft beer venue – not to mention one of the quirkiest joints in Sydney. And while it fell victim to COVID, the founders' vision lives on at Mixtape Brewing & Bar in Marrickville.

Who Brews BOBs Beers?

From studying chemical engineering via a wine business in Bangkok and Singapore to opening a brewpub in the former Louis Vuitton store in Surfers Paradise, the story of BOBs Beer's genesis is one of the more circuitous.

Who Brews Whale Rock Beers?

It started out as a way to liven up a COVID lockdown but, with a helping hand from the team at Frenchies, the three-dads-escaping-lockdown-boredom-by-homebrewing has already morphed into Whale Rock Brewing.

Who Brews & Blends Barrel Shepherd Beers?

Wollongong has always been a manufacturing city but these days it feels like much of that production is beer. The Barrel Shepherd has joined the city's thriving beer scene, bringing with it a unique tale and love for barrels, local fruit and yeast.

Who Brews Aetheon Beers?

Kevin Martinovich’s fascination with all things fermented led him into a career encompassing retail, hospitality, and global travel. Now with his own brewing company, we invited him to take part in our Who Brews...? series.

Who Brews Wooden Axe Beers?

What could possibly possess someone to turn up to a homebrew competition with nothing but a couple of flannels, a homemade, lumberjack-themed jockeybox, and a keg of 9.5 percent ABV white stout? Meet the mates behind Wooden Axe.

Who Brews Good Folk Beers?

Newcastle's beer lovers have another brewery of their own after two well-known local publicans ventured into brewing for the first time. We caught up with the team at Good Folk Brewing as they opened their doors to the public.

Who Brews Little Giant beers?

An Aussie wine label making European-inspired beers in funky little bottles isn't something you see every day. So here's the story behind Little Giant beers in this Who Brews…? with a difference.

Who Brews Dusty Lizard Beers?

Dusty Lizard opened in Wollongong in later 2020 and, while their taproom has proved a hit, the runaway star has been Dustin the lizard. He was too busy to chat, so ahead of their second birthday we chatted to the founders instead.

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Who Brews Cold Hands Beers?

The crew behind Cold Hands Brewing only started brewing together in February but they've wasted no time launching with their first commercial release out in September. We got in touch to hear how they brought it all together.

Who Brews Hedonbar Beers?

It was while travelling they decided to start a brewery, and a beer label in Hong Kong that gave them their name. We caught up with the couple behind Hedonbar as they prepare to open their brewery and taproom on the Yorke Peninsula.

Who Brews Method Brewery Beers?

It takes a particular set of skills to set up a new brewery but when it comes to Newcastle's latest, the founders feel like they've been building towards it for some time. We caught up with the folks at Method Brewing to find out about the method behind the Islington brewery and beers.

Who Brews Common People Beers?

People are drawn to the Northern Rivers village of Bangalow for many reasons. One group of friends was drawn there to start a brewery by the people, for the people. Find out more as we ask Who Brews Common People Beers?

Who Brews Ursa Major Beer?

Ursa Major is only visible in the Northern Hemisphere but the brewing company bearing the name brew their "otherworldly beer" in Australia. The founders are global brewers, who met in another city and still make beer from two bases.

Who Brews Squinters Beers?

A squinter is someone who lives in Western Sydney and drives into the city early morning looking at the sun, only to face the same fate on the way home. That reality has inspired Penrith's newest brewery, Squinters Brewing Co.

Who Brews Full Circle Beers?

Small breweries cropping up in all manner of places but few as impressive as Bridgetown's grand hotel. We caught up with the Full Circle crew who brew out of The Bridgetown Hotel in the small town three hours from Perth.

Who Brews Yard Kings Beers?

Yard Kings Brewing Co combines brewery, taproom and smokehouse in Morriset. We got in touch with one of the five families behind the venture to find out more about their decision to enter the world of pro brewing.

Who Brews Forgotten Worlds?

It's taken a dozen years, but finally we're able to feature a brewing company run by omniscient entities that exist outside our earthly dimension. Judd Owen makes contact with the quartet keeping the Forgotten Worlds alive.

Who Brews On King Island?

King Island is rugged and isolated but, just like a growing number of small communities, it's also home to a brewery. We caught up with the family behind King Island Brewhouse to find out about living and making beer in the Bass Strait.

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Who Brews Communion Beers?

They started out brewing tiny batches of beer for their café called The Chapel and now the Turners welcome guests to enjoy communion at their brewery-meets-restaurant in North West Tasmania too.

Who Brews At Scarborough Harbour?

A trip to Canada inspired Sonia and Guy Schweitzer to open a craft brewery close to their home on the Redcliffe Peninsula. They finally achieved their dream this Easter, so we called in to check it out.

Who Brews Warrandyte Brewing Beers?

Warrandyte might sit within Melbourne's boundary but it's not your typical outer suburb, sitting on the banks of the Yarra River and home to stunning bushland. It's a spirit that Warrandyte Brewing have looked to capture with their beers.

Who Brews On Magnetic Island?

Magnetic Island is home to scenic beaches, stunning hikes, and a slower pace of life. Soon it will be home to a brewery too. We caught up with the head brewer of Maggie Island Brewery to hear what they have planned.

Who Brews Eclipse Beers?

Eclipse are one of the new kids in WA's bustling brewery scene but the name reaches back into the 19th century. The mates who have brought it back have big plans for the future too, with homes in the works in two parts of the state.

Who Brews Beachport Beers?

Beachport Brewing are located in a small coastal community on SA's Limestone Coast where the founders have ambitious plans to put Beachport on the map, and to see their beer, spirits, grain and meat all feed into each other.

Who Brews As Lucha Brewing?

Long-time public servants Damien and Sandie Odger decided to have some fun, quitting their jobs and following their dream. We got in touch with the founders of Lucha Brewing in Brisbane's west to find out more.

Who Brews Tinshed Beers?

Tinshed Brewery opened in the small NSW town of Dungog in 2016 in a main street where few shops were occupied. Six years on, not only has it become a community hub but the town's other businesses have whirred back to life too.

Who Brews Middle Island Beers?

Middle Island isn't as well known as some of Victoria's other coastal outposts but for Warrnambool locals, it holds a special place in their hearts. Middle Island Brewing Co is a new brewing company launched by a group of locals who want to put their island and region on the map for craft beer drinkers.

Who Brews Merino Beers?

Merino Brewery clearly take great pride in their region, putting its pioneering role in the Australian wool industry at the forefront of their business since opening in February. We caught up with them to find out Who Brews Merino beers?