Keeping Local Alive

The #keepinglocalalive campaign sprung into life as Australia's national shutdown approached and helped galvanise the beer industry and the wider community that surrounds it.

While there have been casualties along the way – and some businesses and beer lovers have done it tougher than others – for the most part, we're still standing a year on. As the stories below highlight, the brewing, hospitality and retail sectors proved to be agile, adaptable and innovative to ensure they made it to where we are now: not out of the woods completely, but able to look forward with increasingly, if cautious, optimism.

One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that support for local breweries, bars and pubs has never been stronger – and we want to see it get stronger still. That comes down to the choices you make every time you buy a beer or go for a meal.

The future of local beer – it's STILL in your hands.

Postcards from the Edge

 

The Keeping Local Alive campaign was sparked by an article of the same name addressing the mounting challenges faced by the beer industry in the week before the nationwide lockdown.

Since then, The Crafty Pint has run a series of articles from the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis in the local beer community under the Postcards from the Edge banner. A mix of inspirational innovations, personal tales and the challenges businesses and individuals are facing, it sits alongside the photo stories on the #keepinglocalalive Facebook page and The Crafty Pint's Instagram as a document of this remarkable period in time – both for the local beer world and the world at large.

You can find all the stories below – and get in touch if you have a story you think should be there.


Postcards from the Edge No.52: Live & Loud

September 24, 2020 by Will Ziebell

The live music industry has been hit just has hard as beer – if not harder – by COVID-19. As it starts to return in new COVIDSafe fashion, long-time good times supporters Young Henrys are back supporting gigs in Sydney.


Postcards from the Edge No.24: Grain Re-Store-d

May 2, 2020 by Will Ziebell

After a short break to take stock, the Grain Store team leapt back into action last month as a takeaway and home delivery service. They've even reimagined their legendary beergustations for Novocastrians to enjoy at home.


Postcards from the Edge No.28: Pint of Online

May 15, 2020 by Will Ziebell

You might not be able to partake in a PoO Crawl at Good Beer Week 2020 but that hasn't stopped one group finding a way to join each other on a cross-city Pint of Origin trek while in isolation.


Postcards from the Edge No.11: Finding Funky Solutions

April 6, 2020 by James Smith

It's not venue and brewery owners and staff that have been hit hard in the beer world by the recent shutdown – there's the industry-within-an-industry of entertainers, musicians and trivia hosts looking for ways to adapt.


The Overland Corner Hotel Flowers Anew

September 28, 2021 by James Smith

There have been many heartwarming and inspirational tales to come from the beer world during the pandemic, but few as colourful as this. Here's how a Sydney family went from hitting the road to a houseboat to an historic pub.


Postcards from the Edge No.12: The Beer Essentials

April 7, 2020 by James Smith

Fancy saying thanks to the essential workers helping us get through the COVID-19 pandemic? A new campaign, A Good Beer Always Helps, offers you the chance to do just that while supporting craft brewers too.

READ MORE POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE

Take Care

 

These remain difficult times for employees and business owners across the industry. Look after each other. 

For more information or support surrounding mental health issues, you can contact:

* Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36

* Lifeline on 13 11 14 

* Movember Conversations is an interactive tool from the Movember mental health team