New Beers

Barely a day goes by without another seasonal or one-off special flying out of an Australian brewery (if not ten). Here and in our weekly newsletter, we'll bring you news and, if we've sampled them, our take on as many of them as possible. Happy hunting!

Bright Brewery

Bright Brewery Black Diamond & Affogato Stout

Tapped July 8th, 2019
Bright Brewery's Darker Days festival didn't just herald the arrival of the 2019 Stubborn Russian – which you can read about here – it also saw the High Country brewery welcome two other dark stubbies into the world. Black Diamond is a returning black IPA, named after the most challenging ski runs in Victoria’s alpine resort. On the hop front, there’s a mix of piney and herbal flavours that match against a rather roasted malt profile with lots of dark chocolate. The second release, Affogato… Read more
Style
Black IPA & Affogato Stout
ABV
6.0% & 5.3%

Future Mountain Silhouette 2019

Tapped July 6th, 2019
A silhouette might typically be thought of as a simple two-dimensional imprint of a far more complex world, but that charge can’t be levelled against Future Mountain’s beer of the same name. Instead, the bourbon barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout is a deeply complex affair, one in which underlying flavours keep slowly rising to the top and making themselves known. Instead of being a cardboard cut-out, it’s an incredibly smooth and velvety beer, pouring thick and abyss-like. To start with there’s… Read more
Style
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout
ABV
9.4%
Stockists

Launching at the brewery on July 6

Wildflower St Thomas 2019

Tapped July 4th, 2019
If you’ve been to the Marrickville home of Wildflower Brewing and Blending lately, you’ll likely have noticed enough barrels to keep a cooper in business. The steady increase in barrel capacity has meant there’s not only more room for delicious Amber, Gold and Table beer, but potential for larger and more frequent one-off releases and the annual Saint series. The first of the last of these to appear in 2019 is St Thomas. Like last year’s, this vintage is comprised of an Amber base with the… Read more
Style
Australian Wild Ale with Cherries
ABV
5.0%
Stockists

Bitter Phew

Launching at Bitter Phew on July 4

Available for purchase by the glass and bottle at the brewery from July 5

Online sales from 2pm on July 5 here

More stockists...

Future Mountain Kalingrad & A Million Stars

Tapped July 4th, 2019
Their first winter since opening isn’t even close to being over and already Shane Ferguson and Ian Jones are keen to treat drinkers to an impressively diverse mix of dark beers. One of them, Radio Kaliningrad, is a beer inspired by Prague’s U Fleku, which solely brews a single dark lager; in homage, this lower ABV Baltic porter has been designated a Czech porter. It’s one with plenty of flavour on the dark malt front too, with espresso, chocolate and raisins all tied together before the clean… Read more
Style
Czech Porter & Spiced Winter Farmhouse Ale
ABV
5.6% & 5.5%

The Public Brewery Maku Hemp Session Ale

Tapped July 4th, 2019
In Chinese mythology, Maku is a goddess connected with the elixir of life and often she shares a close bond with hemp. Being the world’s oldest domesticated crop and one often associated with sustainability practices, the connection seems a reasonable one. It’s a link The Public Brewery hope to draw upon in their latest endeavour, a collaboration with the Yarra Valley Hemp Company designed to showcase the crop’s versatility. The first release under the Maku banner is labelled Hemp Session Ale… Read more
Style
Hemp Ale
ABV
4.7%

Deeds Brewing Dark Deeds: The First Horseman

Tapped July 4th, 2019
Quiet Deeds have welcomed their first beery cousin into the world with the launch of the Dark Deeds lineup of beers by Glen Iris’ Deeds Brewing. It’s a big, dark beast too, an imperial stout sitting at 9.5 percent ABV and bearing the suitably epic name The First Horseman – a reference to the beer’s conquest over light, and the fact we’ll likely see more of a similar ilk in the near future. There’s a sweet and thick – almost oil like – body to the beer, with roasted coffee aromas galloping… Read more
Style
Imperial Stout
ABV
9.5%

Holgate Brewhouse Double Stout

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
You can’t blame Paul and Natasha Holgate for wanting to spend a bit of time reflecting in 2019. When they launched their brewery at the back of their house 20 years ago, the craft beer industry barely existed. Today, there are breweries springing up in all parts of the country at a phenomenal rate and they’ve grown considerably too; head to Woodend now and you'll find them brewing on a 50 hectolitre German brewery as their visitor centre takes shape. As part of their reflecting, they're revisiting… Read more
Style
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV
8.0%

Temple & Big Shed Tripale

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
High profile collaborations have been a part of Good Beer Week since the early days, with Melbourne breweries taking advantage of their international peers who descend on the city. But brewers don’t need to traverse oceans to pick up a malt shovel when in town, as was the case during this year’s festival when Adelaide’s Big Shed Brewing popped to Brunswick to brew up something Belgian. While it might be appearing in can, Tripale is a decidedly Old World beer, with the gothic fonts of its packaging… Read more
Style
Tripel
ABV
9.6%

O'Brien Beer Gluten Free Stout 2019

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
Slowly but surely, beer lovers with coeliac disease or who are otherwise gluten intolerant are being catered for by a greater number of local brewers. For years, however, their options were far fewer, with the main supplier for their particular needs being O'Brien, the Ballarat brewery that's been producing nothing but gluten free beers since 2005. In 2019, almost a decade and a half on from their first release, the brewery team has been undergoing a little change, releasing their first cans and… Read more
Style
Gluten Free Stout
ABV
5.3%
Awards

Gold – AIBA 2019

Ogdens Brewery Dark Lager

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
Brewed for midwinter 2019, Ogdens' Dark Lager arrives as a Schwarzbier / Dunkel hybrid. While not as visually dark as the former, the malt focus asserts its Germanic inspiration as well as head brewer Damo’s classical outlook. Caramel and toffee run the length of the clean lager profile - there’s not a wisp of roast on display here - with all German hops providing a soft bitterness for balance. All that’s missing is a large pork knuckle pairing. Guy Southern… Read more
Style
Dark Lager
ABV
5.0%

Ogdens Brewery Espy IPA

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
Named after the strip of South Perth foreshore that gazes back at the Perth skyline and Kings Park, located just metres from the brewery, Espy sticks to head brewer Damo Bussemaker’s inclusive sensibility. It’s a wise choice, as the house taps have now started to dominate the bars around the Windsor Hotel within months of him firing up the onsite brewery and the locals are becoming more familiar with craftier styles. As such, Espy presents more like a hoppy pale ale with a lean body than a full… Read more
Style
West Coast IPA
ABV
6.8%

Newstead Brewing The Leshy Rye American Imperial Stout

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
Anyone who still has nightmares about the Demogorgon from Stranger Things or the Wendigo from Hannibal should keep their eyes off this label. Everyone else should admire it. The monster in the forest stands tall and majestic, with smooth curved horns. This is the perfect embodiment of this beer - it’s powerful and demands your attention, and yet it has a gentle beauty to it. The Leshy first made its appearance in 2017, and has been haunting us ever since. Newstead Brewing and gypsy outfit Brewtal… Read more
Style
Imperial Stout
ABV
9.0%
Bitterness
30

Newstead Brewing Westerlies Winter Lager

Tapped July 3rd, 2019
“Awww bugger off, it’s freezing! Gonna have to put my uggies on. Yeah nah the sun’s out, but it’s cold in the shade. Yeah I know it’s 22 degrees… it feels 15 but. Cos of the wind chill factor.”* Brisbane winter; there’s nothing like it. Brisbanites complain about the cold but those conversations are largely just a ritualistic reminder that the seasons have indeed changed. Newstead Brewing knows this and plays along by releasing the Westerlies Winter Lager each year. The dark lager… Read more
Style
Dark Lager
ABV
4.9%
Bitterness
25

3 Ravens Choc Mint Shake

Tapped July 1st, 2019
The Shake series from 3 Ravens – one that started under the Juicy banner with the Moussey Juicy GABS beer in 2018 – has a new member. And, following Salted Caramel and Coffee & Blueberry, the brewers tell us this one is a return of sorts to the original, albeit with a few twists and turns along the way. As is their wont, there’s a fair bit at play, with the "Choc" side of things created via a combination of speciality malts and heaps of Dutch cocoa, and the "Mint" coming… Read more
Style
Milkshake IPA
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
16 IBU
Stockists

Being canned on July 1

2 Brothers Baltic Porter & Eleven

Tapped June 30th, 2019
For winter 2019, 2 Brothers have released two dark beers in darkly clad cans. The lighter of those (which still sits at 7 percent ABV) is a familiar face, one the brewery has been releasing for the better part of a decade: Voodoo Baltic Porter. What pours from the can is also a familiar mix of flavours, with roasted coffee and chocolate, plus some liquorice, all delivered with a clean finish. The second dark tinnie from the Moorabbin brewery is their GABS 2019 beer – a far denser affair that comes… Read more
Style
Baltic Porter & Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV
7.0% & 11.0%

2 Brothers The Guvnor II: Part 3

Tapped June 30th, 2019
The Guvnor II series is an ongoing celebration of 2 Brothers’ tenth birthday, one that is appearing over time in four separate parts. The strong ale base beer has spent time ageing away in different kinds of barrels: the first was aged in French oak for six months; the second spending time in Starward whisky barrels. For Part 3, bourbon barrels were the weapon of choice and, as a result, the beer shares more in common with its immediate predecessor than version one. It has a rich caramel sweetness,… Read more
Style
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Strong Ale
ABV
10.0%

Red Hill Imperial Stout & Pancho Mole Imperial Stout

Tapped June 28th, 2019
There's little left to be said about Red Hill's Imperial Stout. One of the originals in Australia and released annually for more than a decade, it delivers a wonderfully integrated blend of many of the elements you desire in such a beer: coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, dried fruits, earthiness and a hint of smokiness. There is something new in 2019, however: it's joining its stablemates in waving goodbye to bottles and hello to cans. And that's not all. For their 2019 GABS entry, the Goldings decided… Read more
Style
Imperial Stouts
ABV
8.1%
Bitterness
65 IBU

Your Mates Sally IPA

Tapped June 28th, 2019
Your Mates Larry, Donnie and Macca have welcomed a newcomer to the fold: the brewery's first female character. She's called Sally and started hitting taps and fridges throughout the Sunshine Coast as winter 2019 approached. Named via a customer poll in which she beat out other worthy nominations Izzy, Daisy, Annie, Matilda and Poppy, she's a West Coast style IPA featuring American hops Chinook, Citra, Simcoe and El Dorado. It took the brewers a few attempts to get the combination they were after… Read more
Style
West Coast IPA
ABV
6.0%

Bridge Road & Friends Beer Glamp Beers 2019

Tapped June 27th, 2019
The Kraus clan may be heading to Austria for a year spent living with Bridge Road Brewers co-founder Maria’s family, but husband Ben ensured he stayed busy right up until departure day, not only declaring their brewery an independent nation but also launching the Beer Glamp series. Inspired by Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camps, this saw his brewery team joined by Hop Nation, Wildflower and winemaker Patrick Sullivan for a couple of brews in the lead up to the 2019 High Country Hops festival. The NEIPA… Read more
Style
NEIPA & Pilsner
ABV
6.9% & 4.4%

Fox Hat Heavy Handed XPA

Tapped June 27th, 2019
To be heavy handed means to be forceful or somewhat rough. Alternatively, in the cooking sense, it means to add more than is required, resulting in, say, a rather salty or spicy meal. When it comes to Fox Hat’s Heavy Handed XPA, the name is a reference to the extra hops that have made their way into the beer. That said, with the beer designed to sit at the front of the queue for Fox Hat’s core range at just 5.2 percent ABV, it's a case of being a little more forceful without taking the beer… Read more
Style
XPA
ABV
5.2%

The Crafty Pint is an independent online magazine and resource for anyone interested in craft beer in Australia. We bring an honest, old-fashioned journalistic approach to beer's brave new world, telling stories because they're worth telling not because someone is paying us to write them.

Like many of the people who have changed the face of beer in Australia, we believe in authenticity, integrity, enjoyment and love. We hope to play a role in helping good beer, brewed by good people, find its way into the hands of more drinkers.

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