Beers - The Crafty Pint

Moon Dog Beer Can

Published November 29, 2016

As their senor brewer said with typical self awareness when posting a photo online to reveal Moon Dog's first canned beer: "Bravely going where most other Australian craft breweries have gone before." But, if everyone's doing it and summer festival season is upon us... For the Abbotsford brewery's venture into the land of aluminium, they've created a new beer and are sending it out into the world in ten-packs (very well priced ten-packs if some of the activity we've seen online is any guide),… Read more

Style: Fruity Lager
ABV: 4.2%

Morrison Brewery "Jack" Doppelbock

Published November 28, 2016

It's been a busy few years for the Morrison family. Not only did they open their brewery in Launceston and then spend the subsequent years adding more and more beers to their lineup – as well as helping other brewers get off the ground – but head brewer Paul, wife Melissa and now Paul's sister, Jess, and husband Bevan, who are part owners and frequently lend a hand when the brewery rocks up to public events have been preparing the next generation of brewers too. The growing collection of "junior… Read more

Style: Barrel Aged Doppelbock
ABV: 7.3%

Stockists

Crown Cellars

Saint John Craft Beer

And select bottleshops around Tasmania

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Two Birds Brewing Oaty McOatface

Published November 28, 2016

Opening up decision making to the people can have mixed results. While it may transpire that The Donald has been on a wind up all this time and doesn't plan to set advances in social equality back decades and ignore climate change in favour of erecting a giant Trump sign on the moon, it seems all too likely that the decisions of two million people fewer than voted for his opponent will have condemned the world to a period of seat-of-your-pants instability. On the other hand, inviting the public to… Read more

Style: Oatmeal Pale Ale
ABV: 5.0%
Bitterness: 30 IBU

Stockists

Brewski

Cherry Tree Hotel

Dove & Olive Unlisted

Stone & Wood 2016 Essentials Box

Published November 27, 2016

Another mixed pack for your consideration this Summer, this time from Stone & Wood. And there's nothing new or limited release here, instead a reminder of what the Northern Rivers brewery delivers for its fans year round. That means 500ml bottles of each of its four core beers, the hugely popular Pacific Ale, the unfiltered kellerbier style lager Green Coast, the delicately floral and peachy English beer garden style quaffer Garden Ale and the quiet one, Jasper the red ale. The four-packs are… Read more

Style: Various

Stockists: Find the Essentials Box here

Young Henrys Craic & Barrel

Published November 24, 2016

Around the middle of 2016, Young Henrys teamed up with the Irish whiskey producers at Jameson on a project called Boilermates. The concept essentially pulled together more than 60 bars across the country to extol the virtues of boilermakers – a nip of whiskey paired with a beer. And because the Jameson Caskmates whiskey is aged in stout barrels, there was inherently an extra layer of relevance. Now there’s another. As part of the affair, a handful of Jameson whiskey barrels were shipped from… Read more

Style: Barrel Aged Irish Red
ABV: 7.6%

Bridge Road Brewers Beer 101 & IPA Pack

Published November 23, 2016

Bridge Road Brewers has always been keen to serve up a slice of education with its beers. Over its decade and more in brewing, there have been releases such as the Single Hop Series showcasing many of the country's hop varieties (with other experimental varieties highlighted in the annual Harvest Ale beers before everyone else started releasing them), a Variety Pack and an IPA Pack. And now, with Christmas approaching, updates on two of them are out and about. The Variety Pack has become Beer 101… Read more

Style: Various styles

Young Henrys Summer Hop Ale

Published November 21, 2016

The Hop Ale was one of the earliest beers to come from Young Henrys and when it began it took the spot within the range as their not-exactly-IPA IPA: a little bit English influenced, a little bit American, loads of hops. After a couple of years, when the brewers had trouble sourcing their regular hops and determined that those they could get weren’t up to standard, they took the opportunity to give the Hop Ale a proper makeover, turning it into (a) a dark beer and (b) a more limited winter seasonal.… Read more

Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.1%

Rocks Brewing Conviction Series Pale Ale – RETIRED

Published November 21, 2016

It may just be selective memory but, based on snippets of conversations with the Rocks brewing team over the past couple of years, it seemed like they’ve long been looking to add some sort of a highly hopped but low ABV session beer to their range. For example, going back a couple of years, they packaged an India Session Ale but even that, at 4.7 percent ABV, still felt like it was at the relatively high end of the spectrum and didn't quite nail the idea in full. But, just a couple of months ago,… Read more

Style: Mid Strength Pale Ale
ABV: 3.5%

New England Brewing Co Honey Amber Wheat

Published November 17, 2016

Spring 2016 has brought a bounty to the drinkers of the would be republic of New England as their eponymous brewery has put out a steady supply of new and returning treats. First was the carefully conditioned Amber Lager, then there was the West Coast IPA and now comes the most seasonally specific of the bunch. Their Honey Amber Wheat takes its origins from the wheat beers of southern Germany but adds a decidedly local touch: as the bees of the New England region emerged and began doing their dance… Read more

Style: Honey Wheat Beer
ABV: 4.5%
Bitterness: 15 IBU

Stockists

Taps Mooloolaba

Slater and Waldorf, Brisbane

The Dock, Redfern

The Grainery, Singleton

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Fury & Son IPA

Published November 16, 2016

He may be a sucker for big, malty brews but, with a brewing CV that includes stints at IPA loving Mountain Goat and The Monk, where he tweaked their trophy-winning Chief IPA en route to winning a Champion Brewery title, it's fair to say Fury & Son's head brewer Craig Eulenstein knows his way around an IPA. And it's the rampantly popular beer style – just see the size of our two-part IPA Blind Tasting to see how many are being produced locally now – that joins the New World Pilsner and American… Read more

Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.3%

Stockists

A Point of Difference Liquor

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Carwyn Cellars

Terminus Hotel

The Catfish

Beermash Cellars

And select quality beer outlets around Melbourne

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Dainton Family Brewery XSA (RETIRED)

Published November 14, 2016

The second can to join the American Pale Ale as part of the evolving Dainton core range is the XSA. It's the latest entry into the local acronym lexicon, bastardising the "Is it really a style?" XPA (Extra Pale Ale) a step further to represent Extra Session Ale. In other words, imagine taking a session ale (whatever that means – in this case, something of mid-strength booziness) and then give it something extra (in this case hops). It's the Holy Grail for many brewers: creating a beer… Read more

Style: Mid Strength Pale Ale
ABV: 3.5%
Bitterness: 37 IBU

Stockists

A Point of Difference Liquor

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Carwyn Cellars

Grape & Grain Liquor Cellars

Dainton Family Brewery All Black & Blood Orange

Published November 14, 2016

Now that it's canning line is fully operational and the first two core tinnies are out and about, the Dainton brewers have been able to have a bit of fun. Fun in the form of 500ml cans filled with one-off releases, kicking off with this pair: the All Black New Zealand IPA and Blood Orange Berliner Weisse. The All Black appears to have been made to suit the look Dan and co has opted for with its limited releases: bold black livery with a silver "D" front and centre. And, while it might just… Read more

Style: Black IPA & Berliner Weisse
ABV: 6.4% & 3.5%

Stockists

A Point of Difference Liquor

Blackhearts & Sparrows

Carwyn Cellars

Grape & Grain Liquor Cellars

Black Hops Brewing Hornet IPA

Published November 14, 2016

Each season, Black Hops releases an IPA or variant thereof. For Summer 2016/7, that takes the form of the Hornet, which is the brewery's first "regular" IPA in the two-and-a-half years since they started out. According to the trio it features a mix of Aussie, American & New Zealand hops, which combine to create "a dry, angry bitter beer with some serious sting." Look out for it on tap and in bottles around South East Queensland including, if course, from their brewery cellar… Read more

Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.0%

Lord Nelson Backburner IPA

Published November 13, 2016

The Lord turned 30 in 2016 and is showing no signs of resting on it laurels. Having embarked on a series of occasional limited releases in 500ml bottles in the previous couple of years, it's entered the world of cans with a couple of beers brewed off site to be sent far and wide for fans of the brewery that can't make it to the spiritual home in The Rocks. One is an old favourite, the Quayle Ale, while the other is a brand new beer. Backburner is an IPA, following in the footsteps of the popular… Read more

Style: Belgian IPA
ABV: 5.7%
Bitterness: 42 IBU

Hargreaves Hill & Four Pillars Gin Barrel Gose

Published November 12, 2016

It doesn't need pointing out that what's happening in the world of Aussie spirits is as exciting as what's been happening with beer. And among the rising tide of craft distillers there are few, at least when it comes to gin, that have been creating as much of a buzz as Four Pillars. They're based in the Yarra Valley so perhaps it was only a matter of time before they joined forces with the brewery that has done as much as any in the past to encourage visitors to think of the region as more than just… Read more

Style: Spiced, Barrel Aged Gose
ABV: 4.2%

Stockists

Carwyn Cellars

Goldmines Hotel

Grape & Grain Liquor Cellars

Terminus Hotel

The Catfish

The Lincoln

The Public Brewery

Hargreaves Hill, Yarra Glen

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Hobart Brewing Co Colorado IPA

Published November 11, 2016

They might not have been operating out of their Red Shed on the Hobart waterfront for that long, but November 11, 2016, marked two years since Brendan Parnell and Scott Overdorf took to the harbour in a wooden row boat to launch the first Hobart Brewing Co beer: the Harbour Master Tasmanian Ale. So they're marking the anniversary with a new beer – one that's a long way from that session strength beer but close to where things started out for brewer Scott. He commenced his brewing career in Colorado… Read more

Style: American IPA
ABV: 7.3%
Bitterness: 90-plus IBU

BentSpoke Brewing Co Cans

Published November 11, 2016

A year ago, BentSpoke announced plans to open a second, larger brewery it its hometown of Canberra. Part of the plan for the second site was to start packaging their beers. And now they are, with Barley Griffin and Crankshaft IPA the first two beers to receive tinnie treatment. For those who've come across beers such as Colonial's Small Ale in cans and enjoyed the "flip top" lids that turn the can into a wide mouthed drinking vessel, you'll be pleased to know BentSpoke have gone down that… Read more

Style: Pale Ale & American IPA
ABV: 4.2% & 5.8%
Bitterness: 18 IBU & 35 IBU

Hop Nation & Up In Smoke Red Haze

Published November 10, 2016

The beer scene in Melbourne's west has been coming into its own in some style in the past few years. Two of the more recent additions are Hop Nation, the brewery opened by a pair of winemakers, and Up In Smoke, a venue combining craft beer with smoked meats. And now the two have come together to create Red Haze, a beer that combines their two passions (and names): hops and smoke (and smoked malt for good measure). Sam and Dunc from Hop Nation took some ingredients along to Up In Smoke's kitchen.… Read more

Style: Smoked Red Ale
ABV: 7.0%

Vale Brewing Mid Coast

Published November 10, 2016

Vale Brewing pays homage to the beaches that surround their Willunga based brewery with a mid-strength bright ale called Mid Coast. Similar to the action on the local nudist beach, Maslin Beach, the beer has been stripped right back, at least in terms of booze, that is. Registering just 3.5 percent ABV, head brewer Jeff Wright believes it is perfect for a stinking hot day out at the beach. Canned in a summery bright blue tin, it's also designed to be easy to throw a six-pack into a beach bag. An… Read more

Style: Summer Ale
ABV: 3.5%
Bitterness: 30 IBU

La Sirène Harvest Ale

Published November 10, 2016

Brett sure is becoming a popular chap in Aussie beer circles. Having played around with various strains of Brettanomyces in a number of beers over the years, often as part of a blend of yeasts or picked up from the atmosphere around the brewery, La Sirène has now added a 100 percent Brett-fermented beer to its lineup. Its Harvest Ale is ostensibly a pale ale, one with a simple malt bill that allows the "wild" yeast to become the focus, albeit sharing the stage somewhat with tropical Galaxy… Read more

Style: Brett Pale Ale
ABV: 5.1%

Stockists

Beer DeLuxe

Foresters Pub & Dining

Junction Beer Hall

Superbus (formerly Sun Moth Canteen)

The Lincoln

And select tap points around Melbourne

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