People & Culture
Celebrating the people who make the beer world such a colourful place.
Beer Nuts: Dave Croft
Dave Croft is a man who likes to travel for beer. While many beer geeks make outrageous detours to drink beer from the source, Dave is truly a persistent pilgrim. We caught up with him to find out how it all started and how he plans to spend his 40th.
The Incubators: Batch Brewing
As they prepare to turn five, we look at how Batch has acted as an incubator for so much talent in and around the Sydney beer scene through the eyes of its founders and those who've worked there over the years.
Beer Garden Brews
After a career in the mines, the Butterworths moved to Port Lincoln with their kids for a seachange. They took over a mothballed bakery and now the grain deliveries are flowing again to fill the mash tun at Beer Garden Brewing.
Who Brews Mephisto Beers?
It's been a while now since we first spoke to Pete Wellington of Mephisto as part of a look at the next wave of SA brewers. Now, with his beers a regular fixture at indie venues in Adelaide, we went back to find out more.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Beers In The Sun
Summer's here so it must be time for beers in the sun. Or, more accurately, Beers In The Sun, the unique Instagram account featuring illustrations of Aussie beer cans.
Who Brews One Barrel Beers?
He's worked in the military, the wine industry, been a private investigator and driven trucks around the country. Now, the Too Many Zooz-loving Mark Prior is focused on his beer operation, One Barrel Brewing.
Beer Nuts: Haydz Sam
One of the more familiar – and unforgettable – faces around the Melbourne beer scene belongs to Haydz Sam. We chatted to him about beer Big and small, inspirations, dream beers and four blankets' worth of t-shirts.
Who Brews Forktree Beers?
It turns out turning an old shearing shed into a brewery can take a fair old while. But with all approvals finally signed off this month and guests now welcome at Forktree Brewery, we got in touch with founder Ben Hatcher to find out more.
Craft Beer Heroes: Newstead, The Mill & Brewski At 5
Three of the key players in Brisbane's burgeoning beer scene in recent years all turn five as 2018 draws to a close. We caught up with the founders of Newstead Brewing, The Mill and Brewski to look back, forward and ask who'd win in a fight.
Who Brews Left Barrel Beers?
Brad Bown is on a mission to bring more farmhouse style beers to the Australian beer scene from his brewery home in the Adelaide Hills. Matt King caught up with him to find out more for our Who Brews...? series.
Get more Crafty!
Sign up to our newsletters and get the latest craft beer news delivered free to your inbox. Choose from our Friday Roundup of the week, the quick-read, social feed-like Crafty Cuppa – or both!
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Slybeer
As Sydney Beer Week 2018 heads into its final weekend, Guy Southern puts the focus on one of the city's best Beerstagrammers for the latest in his series. This time around, it's slybeer AKA Jakkii Musgrave, in the hot seat.
Podcast People: Sessionable
Sessionable is one of the longest running beer podcasts in Australia, hosted by a team of Sydney based beer lovers and movers and shakers. Ahead of their events at Sydney Beer Week, we fired them some questions to find out more.
Craft Beer Heroes: Chicks With Ales
At this year's Beeries, the Gold Beery for Best Community Contributor went to Chicks With Ales, a group for beer loving women. We caught up with brewer, microbiologist and former pro basketballer Kerry Claydon to find out more.
Who Brews Heroes & Villains?
Inspired by Queens Of The Stone Age, long-term homebrewer and erstwhile salesy Shannon Mizen has launched Heroes and Villains on a brewery out the back of a Swan Valley winery. Guy Southern got in touch to find out more.
Who Brews Bucket Beers?
They're bringing local beer to the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, brew in an old powerstation overlooking a river and their name has one heck of a convoluted backstory involving kids and dogs. Meet Bucket Brewery.
Behind Bars: Hopheads
Back in the early days of The Crafty Pint, Adrian Chong was one of the keenest beer lovers we'd see at events across Melbourne. Since then, he's opened craft beer bars in Malaysia and recently added a second Hopheads in Melbourne's west.
Brew & A: The Gold Coast Pioneers
Long before the Gold Coast became a hotbed of world class beer, a couple with young kids jacked in their jobs and built a brewery there. Eleven years on, we got back to the beginning and beyond with Peta and Brennan of Burleigh Brewing.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Blue Doors
For the second in our series focusing on Australia's most avid and creative beer-focused Instagram accounts, Guy Southern chats to Bryn Price, the photographer behind Blue Doors.
Brew & A: Joel Nash of Innate Brewers
Innate Brewers has been quietly building a reputation and amassing silverware from its cosy brewery in Spearwood, WA. Now they've expanded their original kit, we chatted to brewer Joel Nash to find out more.
Behind Bars: Cambrian Hotel
Bendigo's Cambrian Hotel is a fine example of how to embrace the modern beer world without losing touch with heritage, combining good local beer with good food and warm hospitality in a pub altered little from its gold rush origins.
Brew & A: Andrew Robson of The Lord
He first learned about beer at his dad's legendary homebrew store and, after filling in where needed, rose to become head brewer at The Lord. On the back of his recent trophy win, we invited Andrew Robson to be part of our Brew & A series.
Behind Bars: The Hive Bar
The Hive Bar has been keeping things local and crafty in Sydney's Inner West longer than most. It makes co-owner Adam Parker well placed to comment on the rapidly changing scene there as the number of breweries continues to grow.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Sips & Sessions
Instagram has quickly become a focal point for many in the beer world keen to share their adventures and passions. So we're kicking off a new series featuring some of the country's most avid Beerstagrammers.
Who Brews As The Rogue Scholar?
It was experiencing his first real ale in the UK that started Adam Hardy on a mission that led to the launch of Rogue Scholar. As his brewing company turns two, we find out more for our Who Brews...? series.
Who Brews Baffle Beers?
Since 2015, Baffle Creek has been introducing the people of rural Queensland to German style lagers as well as rather less traditional ales. We spoke to the German couple behind the brewery for our Who Brews...? series.
Who Brews DooLittle Beers?
He fell for good beer after getting a taste of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale decades ago but, arguably, Australia's domestic lagers did more to inspire Paul Nickodem to launch a brewing company. As his second beer launches, we find out more.
Beer Nuts: Beer Bogan Jamie Reeves
He grew up drinking bad beer in Bunbury, was turned on to craft beer by a brewer mate and now celebrates his local beer scene via the South West Craft Beer Bogans Facebook group. Guy Southern caught up with Jamie Reeves for our Beer Nuts series.
Who Brews Bravo Beers?
It's been almost eight years since we launched The Crafty Pint yet this is the first time we've come across Aussie brewers who were inspired to start brewing by traditional the Scottish beer style 80 shillings. Meet Brisbane's Bravo.
Brew & A: Justin Corbitt
Three years ago, his brewing was confined to his home. Now Justin Corbitt finds himself as head brewer at one of the fastest growing breweries in Australia. We caught up with him with Hawkers in the midst of releasing ten barrel aged beers back to back.
Who Brews Coastal Beers?
After more than two decades spent in globe-trotting corporate careers, you'd think most people would head to the coast for a quiet life. Not so Helen and David Black. As their Forster based brewery approaches it's first birthday, we find out why.
Behind Bars: Refuge Small Bar
Refuge Small Bar is one of the finest looking beer bars you'll find anywhere in Australia. We caught up with the Subiaco venue's owners to find out where they think the local beer scene is headed as part of our Behind Bars series.
Brew & A: Pizey
A decade ago, he was offered the chance to help out at Bootleg Brewery by a couple of mates from his cricket team. Now head brewer and celebrating a decade at the WA legend, Ryan "Pizey" Nilsson-Linne tells all as part of our Brew & A series.
Who Is Adelaide's Suburban Brewer?
He started sharing his homebrew with neighbours in a bid to get to know them better and they were so well received Tony Dichiera decided to test the water commercially. We find out more about Adelaide-based gypsy operation The Suburban Brew.
Beer Nuts: Ben Costin
At Brewsvegas 2018, the inaugural running of the Brewniverse Pageant took place. The aim was to crown a beer king or queen of Brisbane and the winner was Ben Costin. We find out more about him as part of our Beer Nuts series.
Behind Bars: Monkey Bar Dubbo
He went from a first experience of craft beer at the Grain Store in Newcastle to documenting a year of beer online and now, along with wife Cass, Tim Smith is helping build the beer scene in Dubbo.
Who Brews At Deepwater?
He's got a strong track record when it comes to bringing good beer to places where there was little to be found. And now former Archive and The Park Werribee man, Isaac Zietek, has joined his father-in-law to bring beer to the people of NSW's Northern Tablelands.
Who Brews Froth Beers?
Exmouth is a place better known for tourism than local beer, but two breweries in the coastal town are changing that. Last year we caught up with Whalebone Brewing and now it's the turn of Ningaloo Coast's other brewery: Froth Craft Beer.
Podcast People: Beer Sucks
Beer Sucks is a podcast run by three characters from the WA beer community: Tim Hoskins from Black Brewing, Adam Lesk from Cellarbrations Carlisle and Brendan Day from Cheeky Monkey. We find out more about the inspiration behind their off-the-wall show.
Who Brews Into Six Tanks?
Slowly but surely, a craft beer scene is taking shape in and around Darwin. Six Tanks Brew Co is playing a key role, brewing a range of beers onsite that share the venue's 26 taps with other local and independent Australian brewers.
Craft Beer Heroes: Les Riddell
From the Pineapple Hotel via a dark lager epiphany in Canada to The Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst, Bright Brewery, countless snow-covered slopes and then back to the Pineapple Hotel... We take a journey through good beer with Brisbane's beery Spiderman, Les Riddell.
Brew & A: Ben Simmons
When the family that owned the Clifton Hill Hotel decided to move it from being an Irish pub with TAB to inner-city brewpub, we doubt they envisaged it would lead to the development of a sour beer program. We caught up with the brewer that started taking it in that direction.
Behind Bars: Adam Lesk
It's not be that long since Adam Lesk switched working for a builder for running one of the craftiest bottleshops in Australia, but he's wasted little time becoming a guru. Already a Certified Cicerone and hunter of the world's best beers, here he offers some insight as part of our Behind Bars series.
Who Brews Whalebone Beers?
Hoping to add local beer to the long list of reasons for visiting Exmouth is Whalebone Brewing Company, which takes its name - and some of its building materials - from the area it calls home.
Who Brews Hoppin' Mad Beers?
While there’s no shortage of breweries in Australia that contain a reference to hops in their name, we’d wager there’s few – if any – whose name is also a reference to jazz legends or plastic saxophones. Meet Sydney gypsies Hoppin' Mad.
Brew & A: Charlie Hodgson
The rapid growth of the beer industry in and around Brisbane continues apace. Among the newcomers is Helios Brewing, a Yeerongpilly based operation that made a great signing before launch, snapping up Mash's trophy-winning brewer Charlie Hodgson.
Brew & A: Keith Grice
The Hunter Valley today boasts quite the collection of diverse microbreweries. But, for many years, there was just one: the Hunter Beer Co based at Potters Hotel. Keith Grice has been at the brewing helm for the past decade; we find out more.
Who Brews Blasta Beers?
In just two years, Steven Russell has gone from his first homebrew to launching Blasta Brewing and next year will open a brewpub designed to be a community hub as well as a home for his beers. We found out more.
Who Brews Farmhouse Ginger Beer?
Both farmhouse ales and soured beers have been rising in popularity for some time. Yet has Australia seen a farmhouse ginger beer yet? It's the beer chosen by the team behind the Welder's Dog bars to launch their brewery. We find out more.
Craft Beer Heroes: Clodagh Harris
As The Fox Hotel in Collingwood prepares to host its tenth birthday bash, we caught up with one of its three founders. Clodagh Harris has been working in and around beer in Melbourne for two decades, educating and inspiring many others along the way.
Who Brews On The Western Ridge?
From a single keg first release to expletive-bearing tinnies and nine other beers along the way, it's been a busy first 11 months for the fiercely local and independent Western Ridge Brewing Collective from the Barossa Valley.
