People & Culture
Celebrating the people who make the beer world such a colourful place.
Who Brews Bay Rd Beers?
It's not found in Bay Rd but it does have its locals at heart. Having switched a greater focus onto canning during COVID-19, Bay Rd Brewing in Gosford is now looking forward to welcoming those locals back.
Who Brews In The Slow Lane?
While living in the US, Alex Jarman quit the corporate life to start working at San Francisco breweries. Now he and wife Yvonne are making yeast-driven European ales at a small brewery around the corner from One Drop in Botany.
Who Brews 7th Day Beers?
It all started with the hunt for a good craft pilsner and grew from there. From footy dads in a garage to a crowdfunding campaign to a brewery in Brookvale, you have to ask: Who Brews 7th Day beers?
Brew & A: Ash Hazell
He started homebrewing at 17 before cleaning kegs at Little Creatures followed by a stint with Barrow Boys led to the head brewer role at one of the biggest craft breweries in the land. Here's Ash Hazell to tell us more.
Who Brews Bondi Beers?
Beach Beer Bondi appeared as if from nowhere to land at 46 in the GABS Hottest 100 of 2019. Many beer drinkers hadn't heard much about them so we caught up with founder Paul Parks to ask Who Brews Bondi Beers?
Who Brews Blackflag Beers?
Launching a brewery as the country is about to be hit by a pandemic isn't ideal, but the team behind Mooloolaba's Blackflag have been taking stock while continuing to knock out beers and sling cases from their hole-in-the-wall.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: All Of The Beers
He fell down the rabbit hole of beer in London and has brought his passion to bear with the @allofthebeers Instagram account. Guy Southern spoke to Matt Kukura for another entry in our Beerstagrammers series.
Brew & A: Caolan Vaughan
They might be best known for their Pacific Ale but the Counter Culture series has been exciting beer geeks since launching last year. Overseeing brewing of all Stone & Wood beers is Caolan Vaughan, so we invited him for a Brew & A.
Podcast People: Step Brewers
The Step Brewers Podcast brings banter, beers and brewing along with diversions into pop culture and plenty of laughs. We caught up with the Tasmanian trio ahead of their trip to host events at Brewsvegas 2020.
Who Brews Sausage Queen Beers?
Killer snags, boss beers and mid-period Madonna... Judd Owen caught up with Chrissy Flanagan, the self-anointed Sausage Queen of Australia who also runs a brewing company of the same name (and a record label for good measure).
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Who Brews Project Beers?
A visit to Watts River Brewing on opening day proved the catalyst for Braden and Caitlin Beggs to launch their own brewery. Today, Project Brewing brings locally-brewed beer to the people of Rowville in Melbourne's south-east.
Brew & A: Sow & Piglets
It's named after an iconic tourist spot, is found in a hostel, and the Sow & Piglets team are already working on a new brewery venture in regional Victoria. We sat down with the German brewer behind their traditionally-minded beers.
Who Brews Cooks River Beers?
The duo behind Cooks River were the second winners of Frenchies' Brewers Got Talent competition, which has enabled them to launch their brand. We caught up with Ben and Nathan to find out more.
Craft Beer Heroes: Doug Donelan
From fermenting pumpkins at home and homebrewing with his brother via Malt Shovel to heading up New Zealand Hops, Doug Donelan has lived his life in beer. We sat down with him as he starts looking forward to retirement.
Who Brews Boekamp Biers?
It can be tough to stand out in today's busy beer landscape but the duo behind Boekamp Bier in Hobart are offering something different. They're eschewing contemporary trends to focus on Bavarian lagers and wheat beers.
Who Brews Cattleyard Beers?
Cattleyard Brewing Co was launched to serve thirsty festival-goers at Grooving the Moo but, with JJ Baker at the helm, has taken on a life of its own. We caught up with JJ to find out more?
Behind Bars: Harts Pub At Ten
Inside a 130-year-old building in The Rocks, Harts Pub is a ten-year-old bar that's won the gratitude of Sydney beer drinkers and Australian independent breweries alike as one of the city's earliest adopters of craft beer.
Who Brews Alchemy Beers?
Alchemy Brewing opened at the end of 2019, adding another option to Brunswick East's already impressive list of craft beer destinations. We caught up with the pair behind the brewery for our Who Brews...? series.
Who Brews FICK Beers?
A couple who first launched a nanobrewery in Luxembourg have just opened FICK in the Brisbane suburb of Northgate. We called in to sample their European-influenced offering as they fired up their brew kit.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Phil Sexton
He kicked the contemporary craft beer scene in WA in the early 80s and recently announced his return to Matilda Bay on a mission to reclaim its lost iconic status. We close out of end-of-decade series with Phil Sexton.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Wheaty Jade
From within the four walls of a corner pub in Thebarton, Jade Flavell, her colleagues and staff have not just blazed a trail for beer and beer venues in Australia but inspired and influenced thousands too.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Will Feral
He was a crap sales rep but turned out to be a bloody good brewer and these days leads the weay for Feral following the WA brewery's sale to CCA. He's also a goose's best friend; on day 23 of our Advent Calendar it's Will Irving.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Steve & Guy
They met across a St Kilda bar in the early years of the century and have gone on to help shape the local beer industry through venues, festivals, a brewing company and more. Behind door 22 are Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Kris Miles
From a bottleshop in Brisbane to hop-infused spirits in Melbourne then MONA and finally a pub and brewery, Kris Miles has taken on many roles in the local beer world. Here he is on day 21 of our end-of-decade Advent Calendar series.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Mulga
The Northern Territory has a few local beers to call its own these days, but one man who's been working to bring flavour to NT drinkers for almost two decades is Matt Mulga, who now runs three crafty bars in Alice and Darwin.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Sam Füss
If you've been involved in the local beer industry over the past decade or two, you'll have a story or three to tell involving Sam Füss. The multiple trophy-winning brewer from Philter joins us for day 19 of out Advent Calendar.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: OJ
Owen Johnston was head brewer at Moo Brew when it launched and now works for HPA, helping get Aussie hops into the hands of brewers across the world. Here he is as we reach day 18 in our Advent Calendar.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Scotty Hargrave
Along with his Balter co-founders, Scotty Hargrave has been part of the biggest story at the end of a big year. Here's what the head brewer has to say about the past decade and his thoughts on the industry now and to come.
Who Brews Grassy Knoll Beers?
Beer and music have a wonderful ability to bring people together, and both lie at the heart of Grassy Knoll. The gypsy operation was founded by three mates, with head brewer Jeff Argent also a drummer with indie quartet Pirra.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Kate & Shev
They're the dictionary definition of work hard, play hard and continue to make an indelible mark on the Melbourne and wider Australian beer community. Behind door 16, it's the irrepressible Kate and Shev.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Richard Adamson
From playing in bands to brewing with native ingredients at Barons, from kickstarting the Inner West's beer revolution in Sydney to becoming an educator, Richard Adamson has brought much to the local beer world.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Mick Cameron
After careers that took in bars, brewing and distribution here and overseas, Mick Cameron, son Jack and his best mate Red Proudfoot launched Pirate Life, a brewery that had instant impact before selling to AB InBev.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Pia Poynton
She's worked in bars, repped for breweries, helps run the Pink Boots Society in WA, ran one of the country's most prolific beer blogs. But Pia Poynton is also one of those people who just makes the beer world better.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Corey Crooks
He was raised in a family of publicans and has taken what's in his blood to help turn his hometown of Newcastle into a craft beer city. We chatted to Corey Crooks of the 100 percent independent Aussie beer venue The Grain Store.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Peta Fielding
Long before the Gold Coast became nationally recognised as a home of good beer, there was a couple trying to sell their beers to locals. Thirteen years on, here's Burleigh co-founder Peta Fielding reflecting on the change.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: David Cryer
It's time for a trip across The Ditch on day ten of our Advent Calendar, not for a New Zealand-themed entry in the series but to catch up with a man whose work will have made it into many of the beers you've enjoyed.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Paul and Tash Holgate
Paul and Tash Holgate recently celebrated twenty years as an independent, family-run brewery. It makes them one of the longest-established brewers in Australia so we asked them to be part of our end-of-decade series.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Stephen Nelsen
Stephen Nelsen has been integral to the rise of the craft brewing industry in his home state of SA and his influence crosses state lines too. We spoke to the former Brewboy for day eight of our end-of-decade Adventy Calendar.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Willie Simpson
Back when there was about one-hundredth as much to write about in the local beer world, Willie Simpson was documenting the country's beers and brewers. Today, he's a brewer and hop grower in North West Tasmania.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Gillian Letham
Time to head to Brewsvegas for day six in our end-of-decade series. We could have picked any number of legends from the city's beer scene but decided Gill formerly from The Mill could speak for them all.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Richard and Tracy
Back before "craft beer" was a thing, there was one man doing cool shit in Canberra. He still is, along with his partner and ever-growing team, and here he is as part of our Advent Calendar end-of-decade series.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Joel Beresford
We head west on day four of Crafty's Advent Calendar and into the arms of Joel Beresford, a man who via Cellarbrations Carlisle and The DTC has put wonderful beers and a passion to learn into the mouths and minds of thousands.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Dave Bonighton
Would the beer scene in Melbourne look like it does today without Mountain Goat? Highly unlikely. In day three of our end-of-decade Advent Calendar series we feature one half of the duo that helped build a beer city.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Jayne Lewis
For day two of our end-of-decade Advent Calendar, we turn to a trailblazer of the local beer world. Jayne Lewis is one half of the duo that founded Two Birds Brewing and has an influence that spreads far beyond that brewery's Nest.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Brad Rogers
As a momentous month for beer in Australia comes to a close, we look back and forward with 25 people who've helped shape the industry in our spin on a beer advent calendar. First up, Brad Rogers of Stone & Wood.
Behind Bars: Beer Cartel At Ten
What started as two guys hand-packing boxes of beer to put in the mail has grown into one of Australia's largest online beer retailers. It's fair to say Beer Cartel have come a long way in ten years.
Beer Nuts: The Indies Lovers
We've featured some impressively keen beer lovers in our Beer Nuts series over the years, but never any quite like Jess and Locky. Marie Claire Jarratt got in touch with the couple who got engaged onstage at indie beer's biggest night.
Who Brews Terra Forma Beers?
They run one of Perth's leading digital agencies and have a passion for underground music and great beer. Now the team behind Terra Forma is combining their passions in a new nanobrewery based in West Leederville.
Artisan Brewing: Five Years In Five Beers
They're one of the smallest brewing operations in Australia but Artisan and their Belgian-inspired ales punch well above their weight. As they celebrate a half decade of brewing, we look back over those five years via five beers.
Podcast People: The Chosen Brew
If you work in beer or just have a passion for it, chances are there are key beers that brought you to this point. That's the topic at the heart of The Chosen Brew, a podcast that's celebrating its third anniversary this week.
