Insight & Analysis

Supported by HPA

Deep dives, trends, hot topic issues and lessons learned.

Insight & Analysis
The Crafty Pint's Biggest Stories Of 2021

From brewery sales to the rise of hazy pales, homebrand beers to wild frontiers, and winners to those tackling sinners, here's a look back at some of the biggest stories to appear on The Crafty Pint in 2021.

The Best Of The Territories In 2021

Time to wrap up our state by state by territories wrap of the year in beer that was 2021 with a look back over the past 12 months in the ACT and NT, a time in which the beer scenes in both territories have been expanding.

Best New SA Beers Of 2021

With Christmas approaching, we head to SA for the sixth of our features looking back at the past year in beer. Which beers stood out from the crowd, what impressed readers, and what can we look forward to in 2022?

Best New Victorian Beers Of 2021

For Victorians, 2021 was for too close a carbon copy of 2020 for comfort, but there were beer highlights aplenty. Here we look back on a year of great beer, close shaves, and brave leadership that shone through the lockdowns.

Best New Queensland Beers Of 2021

Borders have opened and shut, lockdowns have come and gone, but the beer scene in Queensland continues to go from strength to strength. Here we look back over 2021 to shine a light on the brightest beer moments of the year.

Best New NSW Beers Of 2021

If you ignore the 107 day lockdown – or even if you can't – there's been much to enjoy and embrace in the NSW beer scene in 2021. Here, Judd Owen looks at the standout beers and highlight moments from the past 12 months.

Best New Tasmanian Beers Of 2021

For most Aussies, Tasmania has been off limits for much of 2021, which has allowed the island states brewers and beer lovers to get to know each other better than ever. Join us as we round up the year's standout beer highlights.

Best New WA Beers Of 2021

Yes, it's that time for The Crafty Pint team and friends to attempt the ever trickier task of encapsulating the best of Aussie craft beer for another year. And once again we kick off our annual Best Of series in Western Australia.

Beer's Diversity And Discrimination Problem

A survey looking at diversity in the Australian beer industry shows there is much work to do for it to become truly inclusive. We spoke to the survey creators, Beer Agents For Change, about their mission to create a better beer world.

Australian Beer Industry Diversity Survey Results 2021

In July, the Beer Agents For Change, a collective of females with more than 60 years experience in the beer industry, launched an industry-wide diversity survey. You can view their findings in an infographic released with the results.

PoO25 venue applications
Podcast B2
Back To The Bar, Melbourne

Today, after making it through a world record number of days in lockdown, Melbourne is open again. James Smith and Will Ziebell spoke to brewery and venue owners and returning customers to assess the vibe.

Back To The Bar, Sydney

Many businesses across Sydney and New South Wales opened to customers for the first time in more than three months yesterday. Two members of The Crafty Pint team were among those heading back to the bar.

Back To The Bar – For The Last Time?

Venues in much of New South Wales are reopening today, with Victoria set to follow in the coming weeks. Will Ziebell chatted to business owners about their hopes, fears, vaccine passports and excitement at welcoming back guests.

Exclusively Yours: The Rise Of Brewery Subscriptions

Beer clubs and brewery memberships are far from new but recent years have seen such them grow alongside online beer sales. We spoke to Molly Rose, Black Arts and Van Dieman Brewing about their exclusive clubs and why they do it.

Seltzers: Hard Sell Or Easy As?

At the start of 2020, we looked at the arrival of hard seltzers in Australia. With local producers hoping for a summer of seltzer ahead, we chatted to those making and selling them to find out how far they've come and where they're heading.

What Next For Indie Beer?

The sale of the Fermentum Group to Lion raises a number of question, not least what it means for the indie beer sector. We've been speaking to people in the beer industry to see what they make of the move.

What We'll Be Drinking Next

The local beer and hospo world needs a big beer-drinking season like never before. So, with spring approaching and the drinks landscape more complex than ever, we've invited a few experts to peer into their crystal balls.

The Club Life

More sports clubs are making the switch to craft beer and reaping the rewards. Will Ziebell spoke to a golf club in Toowoomba and a smaller bowlo in Brisbane's southwest about their successful recent conversions.

Our Story: The Next Chapter

In the wake of allegations and articles documenting sexual assault, abuse and harassment in the beer world, work is ongoing to make positive, lasting change in the local beer and hospitality communities. We spoke to those driving it.

Two Birds: Ten Lessons From Ten Years

Two Birds Brewing celebrate ten years of beers in 2021, after a decade of blazing a trail through the Australian beer industry. We invited the founders of the country's first female-owned brewing company to reflect on the journey so far.

The Big Issue: Skills Shortage

It goes without saying that the COVID pandemic has created huge problems for the local beer and hospitality industries. One issue it's exacerbated is a skills shortage, both when it comes to brewing and running venues.

Her Story

The craft beer industry likes to hold itself to high standards, yet sexist behaviours and attitudes persist. Here, a woman raped by a brewer after a beer event tells her story and calls for impactful and lasting change.

Our Story

In this companion piece to Her Story, we examine what needs to happen on an individual, societal, workplace and industry scale to tackle the issues of sexism, sexual assault and gender inequality.

Doors To Dunnies Part II: Meet Me At The Bar

In his ongoing mission to find out what makes a great boozer great, Luke Robertson moves from the doorway to the bar, heading back in time to Pompeii and back again to the modern era of polished timber and glazed lava.

A Year On The COVID Roller-Coaster – Part II

Following on from our look at the impact of COVID-19 on the brewing industry, we switch our focus to hospo, retail and beer lovers – one year on from the day the country was closed for business.

A Year On The COVID Roller-Coaster – Part I

It was a year nobody could foresee and nobody wanted, yet the worst fears of March 2020 haven't been realised. Over two features, we take on in-depth look at the local beer industry 12 months on from the nationwide lockdown.

"This Girl Can Brew"

For International Women's Day 2021, we chatted to five women making waves in the local beer industry.

Doors To Dunnies Part I: Let Me In

What makes a great boozer great? In a unique new series, award-winning beer writer and podcaster Luke Robertson sets out to find the answer, breaking down the experience of going out in Australia in the company of experts.

The Big Issue: The Future Of Beer Fests II

Six months ago, we asked what beer festivals might look like in the new COVID-altered landscape. As events start to make their comeback, we revisited the topic to see what else has been learned and what might lie ahead.

TikTok On The Beer Clock

TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform on the planet, but is there any craft beer content on there? And, if so, should Aussie beer lovers and breweries be using it? Will Ziebell heads down the rabbit hole...

Holgate at 25
Krush HPA bonus
H100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2020: Analysis

Nearly 40,000 people cast close to 200,000 votes. There was change at the top and a mix of consolidation and surprises below. Here's what we made of it all.

2020: The Year In Beer – ACT

It wasn't just fires and COVID-19 that hit the ACT in 2020; they had a destructive hailstorm to deal with too. Yet, while there were losses, there were great beers, comebacks and new openings too.

2020: The Year In Beer – NT

The Northern Territory may have lost much of its tourism trade in 2020, but support from the local community and a willingness to adapt ensured brewers were able to end the year on the up.

2020: The Year In Beer – Victoria

It might have been a year to forget in many ways, yet there was still plenty to admire and celebrate in Victoria's beer scene in 2020. Join us as we try to make sense of the madness.

2020: The Year In Beer – SA

Despite the bushfires and the pandemic, SA's craft beer industry continued to grow in 2020. With the support of dozens of industry experts, here's Matt King with his look at the year in beer in South Australia.

2020: The Year In Beer – WA

Supporting local while broadening horizons, new openings, cracking beers, and #bigdumbdelicioussoughtaftercheckedinthings, here's Guy Southern with a look back at the year in beer in WA in 2020.

2020: The Year In Beer - Queensland

Take a break from complaining about 2020 to celebrate with the annoyingly optimistic Mick Wust as he looks over a year of beer in Queensland.

2020: The Year In Beer – NSW

Great beers, standout moments and horrific, unnecessary analogies... Judd Owen casts an eye over the year in beer in New South Wales.

2020: The Year In Beer – Tasmania

Following our look at the standout trends in the Australian beer scene, we head to Tasmania to kick off our state by state by territory roundup of the year in beer that was 2020.

2020: The Year In Beer

Well, who saw that coming? We kick off our end of 2020 coverage with a look back at some of the biggest trends and standout moments of the past twelve months.

HPA Liquid Hops Oct 2024
Lallemand 1
Black Hops & Love For Local Dominate Beer Cartel's 2020 Survey

Support for local beer rose sharply in 2020 as drinkers rallied behind their locals during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Beer Cartel's annual survey. It also says Black Hops replace Balter as the country's favourite brewery.

Back On The Craft Beers Pt II

Many of Melbourne's historic pubs have been closed this year longer than they were during even the world wars. Among them is the Rainbow Hotel in Fitzroy. As they prepare to reopen after 180 days closed, we ask how it's been.

Back On The Craft Beers Pt I

As Melbourne's venues prepare to reopen, we return to the pub with which we kicked off our Postcards from the Edge series on March 23. We joined Cherry Tree staff and a local to see how they've survived two lockdowns.

More Sober, More Often

As Ocsober kicks off, the choices for anyone wanting an booze-free beer, wine or spirit in their hand is bigger than ever before. Heck, there's even a new online retailer specialising in them.

Ten Years Of Crafty: Beer In The Media

For most people, the idea that beer writers even exist is a hard one to conceive. Yet there's an evolving media landscape dedicated in one way or another to the beer world. Here we look at how it's changed over the years.

The Big Issue: The Future Of Beer Fests

How will beer festivals look in a post-COVID world? We chat to the organisers of those still going ahead in 2020 and others who've had to adapt about the future of major events in the local beer world.

The Big Issue: Coping with COVID-19 Part II

Many of us face mental health challenges at the best of times. With the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting the beer and hospo industries, we look at the difficulties people are facing and the support they can seek.

The Big Issue: Coping With COVID-19 Part I

Many of us face mental health challenges at the best of times. With the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacting the beer and hospo industries, we look at the difficulties people are facing and the support they can seek.

Craft: What Does It Mean & Does It Matter?

The debate is almost as old as craft beer itself: just what does "craft" mean? British beer writer Pete Brown spent lockdown writing a book examining the term and arguing that it remains absolutely essential.

The Future Is...?

Many venues in Victoria opened for the first time in 70 days today as restrictions elsewhere were eased further. Yet any celebrations will be tempered by the fact the road to recovery remains long and many won't make it to the end.