Insight & Analysis

Supported by HPA

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

Insight & Analysis
The Best Of Beer 2022: WA

Join us as our touring review of the year in beer touches down in WA. It's a cracker too, not just looking at the trends and highlights of 2022 in the state but also addressing some of the broader issues at play for beer in Australia right now.

The Best Of Beer 2022: Victoria

It's been a funny old year in Victoria, with pioneers looking to exit the industry and many more battered from all sides. But there's been a whole lot of good beer and beautiful moments too; here we take a look at what stood out.

The Best Of Beer 2022: NSW

From Bondi to Bangalow, craft beer continued to crop up in more corners of New South Wales during 2022. Join us as we attempt to make sense of it all via the standout moments, beers and new arrivals from the past 12 months.

The Best Of Beer 2022

Christmas is approaching so it must be time for us to look back at the year just gone. And in a change from past years, we're kicking off with a look at the standout themes of 2022 on a national scale.

Beer Cartel To Be Online Only In 2023

Beer Cartel are closing their physical store in Sydney at the start of next year, with the popular beer retailer deciding to move their operation entirely online. We spoke to co-founder Richard Kelsey about the decision and their future plans.

Big Shed: Ten Lessons From Ten Years

Big Shed's story is the quintessential craft beer tale of two homebrewers taking a chance on themselves and their beers. As they celebrate a decade since launching, we asked Jason and Craig what they've learnt over the years.

The Spirit Of Oztoberfest

Oktoberfest celebrations have long been a fixture in the beer calendar but 2022 has seen such events go into overdrive. We chatted to some of those behind the feast of fests to find out what they love about this time of year.

2022: Craft Beer's Strangest Year Yet?

Lockdowns are a thing of the past yet 2022 is proving to be another grim year for many in the beer industry. We ask why, and look at what can be done to ensure better days lie ahead.

Breaking The Bias

The theme of International Women's Day 2022 is #breakthebias. In this article, MC Jarratt speaks to some of the people doing just that in the beer industry about their experiences and how others can follow suit.

Open And Shut: Omicron Crushes Hospo's Summer Comeback

Far from the new year bringing new hope, the beer and hospo industries face arguably their toughest period of the pandemic – and without government support. We spoke to business owners across the country as Omicron runs rampant.

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The Year Of No Booze

In 2020, Australia witnessed the launch of a number of alcohol-free brewing companies and brands, and in 2021 sales rocketed, quality rose and options blossomed. As 2022 starts, look at why booze-free beer has struck such a chord.

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.

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.

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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.

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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...

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.