People & Culture
Celebrating the people who make the beer world such a colourful place.
Who Brews Wild Polly's GF Beers?
Can brewing with ancient grains win you the title of Australian Father of the Year? Probably not. But Tim Sides is having a fair crack at it with Wild Polly, one of the newer brewing companies found in ACT.
Behind Bars: East of Everything & Rosalita's
Gen and Michael Cotter started bringing good booze to Melbourne's eastern suburbs a decade and a half ago. As they prepare to open Rosalita's – a third venue in the same building – we caught up with the team.
Brew & A: Bright's Reid Stratton
As Bright Brewery prepare to launch their first "Mystery Beer" we caught up with head brewer Reid Stratton. The recent signing from New England Brewing Co has a fascinating past take in Jolly Pumpkin and musical squeaks and farts.
Who Brews Reckless Beers?
From homebrew in the bathtub to brewpubs in Portland then gypsy brewing in Sydney's Inner West, the story of Reckless Brewing is one of three friends who could have their own sitcom.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: beerstagram_au
As users explore the possibilities within Instagram, beer-loving users are becoming ever more creative. A fine example is Sergio Montenegro, who has started bringing beer labels to vivid live at @beerstagram_au.
Who Brews Old Slang Beers?
Idioms and old sayings are a popular source for breweries seeking inspiration for beer names and that's where new Victorian operation Old Slang have gone too. We caught up with the man behind the beers to find out more.
The Blackhearts Family Story
The success of local producers is regularly lauded on these pages and elsewhere. But the achievements of Paul and Jess Ghaie in the world of good booze retail are as worthy of recognition as any indie brewer or winemaker.
Who Brews As Two Rupees?
Childhood friends Danny Perera and Amila Mendis fell in love with Melbourne's craft beer scene after moving from Sri Lanka. They started homebrewing together and have now opened Two Rupees, a brewpub in Clayton.
Who Brews BrewiColo Beers?
Ocean Grove is a relaxed coastal town, but BrewiColo are keen to take things even further, encouraging people to slow down and enjoy a taste of island life. Find out more as part of our Who Brews...? series.
Behind Bars: Copper & Oak
The brothers behind Copper & Oak have been selling booze to the people of Perth for more than 15 years. Guy Southern called in for a chat to see what they make of the fast-changing beer scene that surrounds them.
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Who Brews Frexi Beers?
They hail from France and Mexico, met in London and embarked on a trip through Europe and South East Asia sampling beers before landing in Melbourne. Now they've launched their first beers as Frexi Brewing, we got in touch.
Who Brews BoJaK Beers?
The name is inspired by their two sons rather than the world's most depressed horse and they pour up to a dozen beers at their Dandenong brewpub. As they move into cans, we find out more about BoJaK Brewing.
Brew & A: Sam Clayman
Sam Clayman loves the uncertainty of nature, from the biochemistry of snails to the distinct characteristics of different yeasts. Find out how the All Hands head brewer balances science and creativity in this Brew & A.
Who Brews Watsacowie Beers?
Half of Drew Coleman's heart is in rural South Australia; the other half is in northern Europe. See how both halves come together at Watsacowie Brewing in this entry in our Who Brews...? series.
Behind Bars: Big Ears
Big Ears is one of the bars working hard to bring better beer - along with tasty meatballs - to the people of Geelong. Ainsley Killingback is chief beer proselytist and here tells us about Geelong's crafty credentials.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Malt & Lead
Mark Gamble swapped London for Melbourne and has been working with local breweries in his role as a visual designer and art director. Here, he tells us about his approach to Instagram with his Malt & Lead account.
Who Brews Hoppy Puppy Beers?
The brewing industry seems to be obsessed with dogs more than most and now has another canine-themed operation in its midst. As their first beer hits taps, we find out more about Brisbane's Hoppy Puppy.
Brew & A: Mattias Isaksson
Mattias Isaksson has a dual role heading up the brewing at Queenscliff Brewhouse while also part of Old Wives Ales – two very different operations making very different beers. We caught up with him to see how he does it.
Who Brews Ornith Beers?
Daniel Venema is a bird photographer and beer lover who brews for two Brisbane brewing companies. We caught up with him to find out how his love of birds and brewing led him from homebrewing to his dual brewing role.
Behind Bars: Old Faithful Amos
He's one of the beer world's most colourful of characters – most passionate advocates too. For this Behind Bars feature, we get some insight on the Perth and WA beer scene from the inimitable Amos at Old Faithful.
Who Brews As Paper Scissors Rock?
Breweries have been popping up in small tourist towns across Australia for years. Thanks to Paper Scissors Rock, anyone visiting Victoria's Halls Gaps can now enjoy a local beer while in The Grampians too.
The Drinks Adventurer
Do you like exploring the links between drinks? Past AIBA Best Media winner James Atkinson's podcast Drinks Adventures looks at beer, wine, and spirits, and the collaborations between those world.
Brew & A: Headricks Lane
Rockhampton gained its own brewery this year. Headricks Lane launched in March and Matt Aitken wasted little time calling in to catch up with head brewer Alex Taubert.
Who Brews As The Sophisticated Beast?
It's one of the tiniest breweries in Australia and also produces cold brew coffee and pink oyster mushrooms. Jono Outred called into The Sophisticated Beast to find out more.
Who Brews Humpback Beers?
Towards the end of 2016, Cliff Wallis started taking the pokies out of the Tathra Hotel and laid the foundations for a brewery. Now Humpback Brewery is up and running, we thought we'd find out more.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Beer Australia
In the latest entry in our Aussie Beerstagrammers series, Guy Southern delves into the Instagram account and thoughts of the man behind Beer Australia.
Brew & A: Keegan Steinbacher
As they close in on ten years of beers, Eagle Bay have appointed a new head brewers as co-founder Nick D'Espeissis steps into a new role. We caught up with the new man for our Brew & A series.
Who Brews Hop & Clover Beers?
It started out as an impulse buy on Gumtree, led to a media buzz and is now taking shape as a brewery in Capertee. Mick Wust got in touch with Dave Henderson to find out more about Hop & Clover.
Beer Nuts: Kelly Whyte
Kelly Whyte has brought her brand of enthusiasm and passion for beer to the scenes in Melbourne and Perth over the past decade and more. So we got in touch to find out more for our Beer Nuts series.
Who Brews Burra Beers?
The local brewing industry in South Gippsland continues to grow, with Burra Brewing launching in Korumburra last August. We got in touch with the founder and head brewer to find out more.
Brew & A: Ken Friend
He went from homebrewing in the Air Force to trainee brewer to head brewer in just a year. Now settled in at the helm of 4 Hearts in Ipswich, we invited Ken Friend to be part of our Brew & A series.
Brew & A: Stu Grant
As he embarks on a new head brewer role with plans for more of his beers to be sent into the world, we invited Ocho founder Stu Grant to feature in our Brew & A series.
Podcast People: Aussie Beer Explorers
It was sparked over a few beers in a Melbourne pub and has turned into a podcast by two Daves chatting about beer. We got in touch with them, the Aussie Beer Explorers, for our Podcast People series.
Who Brews Homestead Beers?
Homestead Brewery have been pouring beers for thousands of visitors who pass through the home it shares with Mandoon Estate since 2014. As they look to expand across Perth, we caught up with their head brewer.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Brunswick Beer Collective
Paul from the Brunswick Beer Collective stars in this Aussie Beerstagrammer feature and offers up some fantastic advice and insight into the art of being a great Instagrammer.
Who Brews Buttons Beers?
Inspired to turn their dream into reality by the birth of their first son, Josh and Cora Roberts launched Buttons Brewing last year. Now their cellar door is open in Ulverstone, we got in touch to find out more.
Brew & A: Hannah Honnef
She grew up helping her dad on the family winery before a trip to Germany sparked a passion for beer,leading Hannah Hontef to build a brewery at Ocean View Estates. We dropped in to find out more.
Oscar & Glenn: Rocker, Skater, Brewers
In 2012, two brewing companies launched in Sydney's inner west, both brewing beers on the same kit. Among the founders were a frontman in a rock band and a skater. We caught up with them seven years on.
Who Brews With Sea Legs?
He was studying in Colorado as it was experiencing its craft beer boom so now, years later and on the other side of the world, Jon Fuchs has persuaded his mates to join him to become part of the Brisbane boom.
Who Brews South Fremantle Beers?
It started out as a bunch of mates brewing together at weekends, turned into a mission to get beer on tap in their favourite bars and eventually become South Fremantle Brewing. As they launch their first can, we find out more...
Brew & A: Mick O'Rance
Sunday Road are soon to open the doors of their brewery in Sydney's south. As the day nears, we chatted to their new head brewer, Mick O'Rance, who's taken a colourful route through beer, working for breweries big and small.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Beer Thread
For our first Aussie Beerstagrammers feature of 2019, Guy Southern got in touch with the man behind the Beer Thread Facebook group to find out more about his approach to beer photography.
Beer Nuts: Deb Lieu
They're up there as one of the most unusual and inspired ideas in the local beer world: beer-themed cookies and desserts. We chatted to the woman behind them, Deb Lieu, for our Beer Nuts series.
Craft Beer Heroes: Marty Keetels
He announced his intentions in the most comically unlikely of manners and has gone on to create one of the country's leading beer festivals while helping build Brisbane's beer community. So we invited Marty Keetels to tell us more.
Who Brews One Drop Beers?
Botany's postcode is 2019 and it looks like 2019 could be the year of Botany beer after One Drop Brewing Co opened its doors. We caught up with the reggae-loving foursome behind Sydney's newest brewery for our Who Brews...? series.
Brew & A: Jack Beavis of Woolshed Brewery
There's few breweries in Australia with as picturesque a location as Woolshed in SA's Riverland region. At the helm for most of its existence has been Jack Beavis, a local lad who returned to Renmark to follow his brewing dream.
Beer Nuts: Ode To The Road
Oh, to hit the road with the end game being just that: the road. The couple behind Ode To The Road, Erin and Carmel, have been touring Australia more than a year, sampling as many breweries as possible – growlers and dog in tow.
Brew & A: Jack Purser
Indian Ocean Brewing Co, found in a marina on Perth's northern fringe, is a much-changed brewery from three years ago. Much of that is down to head brewer Jack Purser, so we decided to find out more about him.
Who Brews Styx Beers?
Styx is one of the smallest and newest breweries in New South Wales, brewing out of an old coal testing shed in Newcastle. We got in touch with the team there to find out more about them for our Who Brews...? series.
Brewed For Brendale
When we ran our Best New Queensland Beers Of 2018 feature, there was an honourable mention for a tiny brewery in Brisbane's northern suburbs. We soaked up the welcoming locals vibe at Brendale Brewing Co to find out more.
