Beer Travel
From walkable brewery crawls to journeys through beer cultures around the globe.
Mission To Mahrs
Stephan Michel from Mahrs Bräu makes some of the best lagers in Germany. So, when he visited Australia recently, Mick Wust chatted with him about lagers and their place in a craft beer market.
Aussie Exports: Dean McLeod
After working with many of the pioneers of Australia's craft beer scene, Dean McLeod headed to Vancouver Island with his Canadian wife. Here, he offers insight on the beer scenes in both countries.
Beer Travel: 48 Hours In Rome
While you shouldn't make your hunt for beer too much of a distraction from the city's iconic charms, Rome does have plenty to offer the visitor with a penchant for tasty local beer.
Crafty Crawls: Melbourne CBD – North
In part two of our guide to the best places to grab a good beer in Melbourne's CBD, we take in the northern half above Bourke Street, where you'll find boilermakers, container bars, Viking horns and history dripping from the walls.
Crafty Crawls: Melbourne CBD – South
The beer offering in Melbourne's CBD has come a long way since we ran our first Crafty Crawl guide. So it's time to rework it into a two-parter. Here, we kick off in the city's southern half.
Crafty Crawls: Footscray
In the relatively short period since we ran our first Crafty Crawl guide on Footscray and surrounds, things have developed apace. Here, Luke Robertson takes us on a tour of his home turf to bring things up to date.
Crafty Crawls: Wollongong
It's home to one of the longest-established brewing companies in Australia and, these days, a growing number of other good beer hangouts. Local beer writer Glen Humphries takes us on a tour of his hometown.
Crafty Crawls: Petersham
It might not have the density of crafty offerings of some neighbouring 'burbs, but times have been a-changing in Petersham. Local resident Marie Claire Jarratt guides you to the best spots for beer lovers.
Crafty Crawls: North By North East
There's been plenty of focus in recent years on the bars and breweries of Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. But the northern 'burbs have been enjoying their own crafty revival too.
Aussie Exports: Penyllan Brewery
It was while working in the Melbourne beer industry Jessica Andersen first met her husband, Christian Andersen of Beer Here. Having moved with him to Denmark, she now brews wood-aged beers on the island of Bornholm.
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Crafty Crawls: The Frankston Line
We kicked off our Crafty Crawls series with a public transport route – the 86 tram in Melbourne – and here's another. It's arguably not the most likely, yet it offers access to some of Victoria's best breweries, bars and bottleshops.
Beer Travel: The Adelaide Hills
Once better known for its wines, the Adelaide Hills have become a treasure trove for beer lovers. Here, Matt King takes a meandering tour through the many breweries, venues and bottleshops that are found throughout.
Aussie Exports: Lost And Grounded – Revisited
The very first entry in our Aussie Exports series featured the couple behind Lost and Grounded in the UK. They've since gone on to great things so, on a recent trip to his homeland, Neil Richardson called in to find out more.
Unfamiliar Territory
Slowly but surely, the beer scene in the Northern Territory is coming alive. Two more breweries opened in 2018 and more venues are dabbling too. We spoke to some of the Territory's pioneers and newcomers about the scene up Top.
Crafty Crawls: Hobart – The Breweries
In early spring, we revisited our Crafty Crawl guide to Hobart. The first article focused on the city's best beer venues and bottleshops. Now, in part two, we turn the focus to the small breweries and brewing companies that call the city home.
Crafty Crawls: Cairns
A year on from his guide to the fledgling beer scene in Far North Queensland, Philip Goslin returned to Cairns to find some new openings. And here are his findings in a new Crafty Crawl guide to the best beery spots in the city.
Crafty Crawls: Freo – South & North
Back in November 2016, we published a Crafty Crawl guide to the best beer venues in Freo. As the scene there continues to grow, we return to take in venues both south and north of the city's bustling tourist-friendly heart.
Crafty Crawls: The Breweries Of Marrickville
Two years on from publishing our Crafty Crawl guide to Sydney's Inner West, things have grown so fast we're having to revisit it. Here's a new hyper-local one focused on Marrickville with a broader Crafty Sprawl to follow.
Beer Travel: Another Belgium
Belgian beer culture is deservedly held in the highest regard by beer lovers the world over. Many of its classic breweries are household names, but what of the younger, newer wave? Bert Spinks goes searching for another Belgium.
Our Man In NZ: Liberty Brewing
Liberty Brewing is one of the brightest stars in the New Zealand beer scene and has recently started brewing some of its beers in Melbourne for the Aussie market. Jono Galuszka called in on founder Joe Wood to see what makes him tick.
Crafty Crawls: Hobart – The Venues
Whether it's classic pubs with great beer on tap, sparkling new brewpubs, journeys into beer's past or brewing by the waterfront, there's plenty to enjoy in Hobart these days. In our updated Crafty Crawl, part one takes in the city's beer venues.
Our Man In NZ: The Game Changer
There are plenty of far larger and higher profile beer competitions in New Zealand and Australia but, arguably, none as influential. Our Man In NZ travels back in time to trace the evolution of the annual West Coast IPA Challenge.
Beer Travel: Bali, Hops, Water & Yeast II
In part one of his endeavour to hunt down good beer in Bali, Mick Wust focused on the offerings from Big Beer. In part two, he delves a little deeper, calling in to the country's only craft brewery and meeting some US importers.
Beer Travel: Bali, Hops, Water & Yeast I
"Is there any good beer in Bali?" Our intrepid writer Mick Wust followed the well-trodden path to one of the most popular holiday destinations for Australians and set out to discover whether those with crafty palates can find satisfaction.
Crafty Crawls: Bendigo
Bendigo has come a long way on the beer front in recent years with a growing number of good beer venues, a brewery and festivals including the unique walking affair that is the annual Bendigo on the Hop.
Beer Travel: Iceland Revisited
Three years on from his last visit, Bert Spinks finds a craft beer scene in Iceland that has expanded significantly. He meets the first female led brewery, discovers a world of long happy hours and collaborations and finds common ground with home.
The Beer In North Korea
If you're a regular reader of The Crafty Pint, chances are high you've been on your fair share of brewery tours. But one in North Korea? We got in touch with the man leading the first of its kind for tourists to find out more about the DPRK beer scene.
Beer Travel: Cruising The Murray
Sinking a few beers on the banks of the Murray on a visit to the Woolshed Brewery is a pleasure in itself. But what about taking out one of the operation's houseboats, complete with two taps pouring the beers of your choice?
Beer Travel: Thirsty In Hungary
Our resident wanderer (can you be such a thing?), Bert Spinks has been soaking up the good times in Budapest. Join him as he calls in on the pioneers of Hungary's craft beer scene.
Crafty Crawls: Brisbane's West End
Brisbane's West End (and the adjoining parts of the city) is awash with great beer venues these days. Heck, there are even breweries that call the 'burb home. So we made the area a focus of a Crafty Crawl – and have since updated it with even more goodness.
Aussie Exports: Natalie Wollenberg
From Darwin via Perth to a small "island" in Ontario, it's been a long road from first homebrews to commercial brewing. But, says Aussie Export Natalie Wollenberg, since their opened 555 Brewing Co, it's been full on.
Lessons From America
For years, the Australian industry has followed the lead of its American counterpart. So what can we learn from a beer culture that's far more ingrained than ours and has fought many of the battles facing local brewers and beer lovers today?
Crafty Crawls: South Brisbane & Beyond
Much is made of the growth in breweries in and around Brisbane, but the bar scene is no slouch either. So, less than two years after publishing a South Brisbane/West End Crawl, we've had to divide and conquer, creating two where there had been one...
Crafty Crawls: Rozelle, Balmain and Barangaroo
Sydney's challenging topography can make it a challenge to get around. But in challenges, we see opportunity, which is why Judd Owen embarked on a mission to create a Crafty Crawl tying together some of the less easily accessed venues – with a ferry trip to boot.
Sydney's Thai Tribe
The Sydney based operation behind Stockade Brew Co has launched a new craft beer brand for the Thai market. Will Ziebell chatted to the man heading up the launch of Chao Siam about their intentions – and his days in a Thai monastery.
Our Man In NZ: Craftwork Brewery
Wizards, a tumble dryer, Belgian-inspired ales, porno beer, the tiniest of tasting rooms and a dark lord... Our Man In NZ heads to Craftwork Brewery and falls under the spell of Michael O'Brien and Lee-Ann Scotti.
Wild And Wise
Jaega Wise from Wild Card is one of the London brewers appearing in Melbourne as part of Good Beer Week's Good Beer Mates program. We caught up with the brewer-singer-campaigner-presenter-van driver-chemical engineer at her Walthamstow home.
Crafty Crawls: The 86 Tram Pt II
As promised, here's part two of our reworked 86 tram Crafty Crawl. This one starts in Clifton Hill and heads north to Thornbury with many and varied places to check out along the way.
Crafty Crawls: The 86 Tram Pt I
We kicked off our Crafty Crawls series of guides to Australia's best beer venues, grouped by their proximity and easily navigable by foot, bike or public transport, with the 86 tram. Two years on, there's so much more to find, it's now a two-parter.
Aussie Exports: Craig Thorn of BAOS
He's a hip hop artist who runs a Canadian beer podcast, YouTube channel and writes about beer too. But, before that, Craig Thorn was in Melbourne drinking macro lagers and feeling fancy. Now, as part of our Aussie Exports series, he tells us how that all changed.
Beer Travel: Yarra Valley
The region might still be best known for wine but today the Yarra Valley offers visits a plethora of food and drink options. It's home to a growing number of breweries and venues where you'll find a few crafties too, so here's our guide to finding grain amid the grapes.
A Beer Drinker's Guide To The Commonwealth Games
With the Commonwealth Games in full swing and the Gold Coast home to much in the way of great beer, expat Kiwi Steffan Paton serves up his first article for The Crafty Pint.
Crafty Crawls: The 19 Tram
Two years on from launching our Crafty Crawl series with a tour along Melbourne's iconic 86 tram route, we're hopping about PT again. This time, it's the turn of the city's 19 tram, from Coburg to the CBD and taking in the vibes of Brunswick's Sydney Road.
Beer Travel: Christchurch
For a city with an extensive brewing history, Christchurch breweries are not as prominent in beer drinkers’ thoughts as those from Wellington and Auckland. But Our Man in New Zealand, Jono Galuszka, found a beer culture comfortable in its own skin.
Aussie Exports: Cristal Peck – Parasite Produktions
If you picked up some cans of Wolf Of The Willow's third Acidulus release, you've experienced a little bit of Berlin's Parasite Produktions. Formed by an American-Australian couple and focused on experimenting with booze, here's the Aussie half, Cristal Peck, to tell us more.
Aussie Exports: Jess Wolfgang
Jess Wolfgang spent years working with Keith Grice at Hunter Beer Co before being convinced to move to her partner's homeland in New Zealand. Together, they started Rhyme and Reason in Wanaka, where they brew local beer for anyone enjoying the town's splendour.
Aussie Exports: Trystam Hayden
He grew up skateboarding around the bar of Sydney's oldest continuously licensed pub, the Lord Nelson. Now, having moved to the other side of the planet, Trystam Hayden is keeping the family brewing tradition alive at the Britannia Brewing Co in Vancouver.
Beer Travel: Bavaria
Himmel Hünd Brewery co-founder Annabel Meagher won a Pink Boots Society scholarship last year that saw her travel to Germany's south. There, she immersed herself in Bavarian beer culture –
Beer Travel: The South Of The Great Southern State
While better known for its wineries, the region to the south of Adelaide has long been home to a number of small breweries too. With three more set to open venues in and around McLaren Vale in 2018, we figured it was ripe for a beer-themed travel guide...
Crafty Crawls: The Hunter Valley
It's not all wine, you know. The Hunter Valley now has four breweries amid the vines. Neil Richardson took a tour of them all for this Crafty Crawl.
