News & Feature Stories
Scholarships Made Beerable
Looking to learn more about the science of brewing? The founders of Science Made Beerable have launched a scholarship to give people eager to study a science-focused beer-related course a helping hand.
8 Wired's Wild Success
8 Wired beers have been found – and much-admired – across Australia for well over a decade now. After the brewery claimed both top trophies at the 2023 NZ Beer Awards, Michael Donaldson chatted to founder Søren Eriksen.
Currumbin Valley Brewing's Taproom Finally Opens
After seven years of brewing and a false start last year, Currumbin Valley Brewing have finally opened their taproom. We chatted to co-owner Smokey about their rustic, upcycled new space literally just around the corner from Balter.
The Beer Gear of Tmorrow
Band and brewery t-shirts have much in common; now thanks to a Sydney-based business, they're becoming more sustainable too. Learn how Tmorrow are turning clothing waste and plastic bottles into excellent tees.
Crafty Crawls: Milton & Paddington
Milton and Paddington have evolved as venues have come and gone and grown over the years. So it makes sense this Crafty Crawl has evolved too. As spring 2023 unfurls, here's an updated guide to the good beer found there.
Local Brewing Co Lay Waste To Waste
Over the last few years, Local Brewing have been working closely with Coles Liquor and local farmers to turn excess fruit into beer. As they prepare to launch the fourth Surplus Series release, we chatted to the brewery and retailer about how it all works.
The Matchmakers: Pairing Food With Dark Ales
Drink good beer? Enjoy good food? Then you're going to love The Matchmakers, our new monthly series exploring beer and food pairing in the expert company of Nic Sandery and Ittichai Ngamtrairai at Molly Rose.
BinaryBeer Make Waves In Europe
Wollongong-based BinaryBeer has been building an international presence for several years and has just announced their smart keg tech has been picked up by Asahi in Europe.
Sobah Launch Australia's First Non-Alc Brewery
Sobah's brewery features the stainless you'll find in any Australian brewery yet the Gold Coast operation remains entirely unique. We visited Australia's first non-alc brewery to chat with founders Clinton and Lozen Schultz.
Alice Springs Brewing Co: Five Years In Five Beers
As he and his team prepare to embark on a multi-day fifth birthday celebration, we chatted to Alice Springs Brewing Co founder Kyle Pearson about a half decade in which "a bit of a hobby" has become an NT destination.
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Temple Top GABS 2023 Can Design Awards
The winners of the GABS Craft Beer Can Design Awards have been revealed, with Temple Brewing's Hello, My Name Is Amber taking out top spot and joined on the podium by Brick Lane and Aether Brewing.
Who Brews Smiley Beers?
Pakenham welcomed its very first brewery in the shape of Smiley's Brewing following a multi-year journey that involved COVID, planning objections and, ultimately, a lot of local support. Find out more in this Who Brews...?
Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Venues & Bottleshops
To wrap up our guide to the best of beer on the Sunshine Coast, we ducked into the bars, restaurants and bottleshops dedicated to showcasing good beer. Spoiler: it was at a lot of places.
Beer Basics: Milling & Mashing
We've covered the key ingredients in beer – water, malt, hops and yeast – so now it's time to take our Beer Basics series to the next stage and get stuck into the brewing process. First up: milling and mashing.
Burnout And Beer: A View From The States
Craft beer is an industry driven by passion but, if that fades, where can workers turn? Katie Muggli took an industry-wide moment of self reflection and decided to build a resource to support those working in American craft beer.
As Beer's Bleak Winter Ends, Is Optimism Starting To Take Root?
Winter is over, which feels like as good a time as any to pause and reflect – and to attempt encapsulate the hundreds of conversations we've had with people across Australia on the present and future of craft beer.
Craft Beer's Consolidation Continues As Otherside & Nowhereman Become One
Consolidation within the local beer world continues apace with the news today that WA breweries Otherside and Nowhereman are to become one. We spoke to the key players about the decision to share more than values.
Carwyn Cellars Bought By Fox Friday
Two of the best-loved names in Australian craft beer have agreed to join forces, with the team behind the fast-growing Fox Friday Craft Brewery buying pioneering retailer and venue Carwyn Cellars.
Marvel-ous Moon Dog To Open Vast Docklands Brewpub
It turns out Moon Dog’s plans for Franco Cozzo’s Footscray site and Frankston are just part of their grand vision. The fun-loving drinks producers are also set to open a vast brewpub next to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne’s Docklands.
Dollar Bill Bling It At The Indies With Their Gold Teeth
Tiny Ballarat-based brewery Dollar Bill completed a remarkable double, claiming Champion Australian Independent Beer at the Indies just months after winning Champion Australian Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards.
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WA Brewery Running With Thieves Goes Into Administration
Western Australian brewery Running With Thieves, which operates as a brewery, distillery and venue in South Freo, has gone into administration but the brewery says they continue to trade as normal.
The Kegmaster Mini Brings Draught Beer Home
It's always been easy to drink beer at home but pouring a draught beer has often alluded drinkers - particularly if they're tight on space. The Kegmaster Mini aims to bring the bar experience into even small homes.
Who Owns Your Beer? Updated
Ahead of the return of BrewCon on the Gold Coast, we've updated our guide to the ownership of craft beer brands in Australia. Much has changed in the past year or so, notably in the space we christened Indie Families in 2019.
Creating A Winning Brewery Experience
Breweries have transformed warehouses into social spaces and created new kinds of hospitality experiences. But what makes a good brewery venue and what do founders think about before they start building?
Beer Basics: Yeast Part II – Time To Get Funky
Having looked at the world of common brewer's yeasts and what they do to beer in Part I of this Beer Basics feature, here Nic Sandery of Molly Rose helps us get funky.
Dexter-ity – Crafting A Greener, Leaner, Local Malt
The rise of craft beer has changed the landscape in many ways, and the launch of Dexter Malt today highlights many of those. It's a project involving collaboration, innovation, sustainability, provenance and, of course, beer.
Who Brews Yellow Matter Beers?
Their name is taken from a Beatles classic, their idiosyncratic venue will transport you to another era, and their beers are designed to be super comfy and approachable. Meet the team behind Adelaide brewpub Yellow Matter.
The Local Taphouse To Open At Melbourne Airport
The team behind trailblazing craft beer venue The Local Taphouse are set to open a bar at Melbourne Airport. It's their second joint venture there, following the launch of a Stomping Ground venue in early 2020.
Growing With Intention
Craft beer is a fast-paced industry in which small breweries tend to be nimble operations. Now, in a time of economic uncertainty, many are adapting and changing, but what's it like to change course? And why do it?
Crafty Crawls: Sydney's Northern Beaches
Sydney's Northern Beaches are often called The Insular Peninsula but word has spread about the sheer number of local breweries that call the area home. Let us be your guide as we traverse the coast and backstreets in this Crafty Crawl.
Moon Dog Get Green Light For Franco Cozzo Site
The on-off saga of Moon Dog's attempts to move into the former Franco Cozzo site in Footscray is back on. Following further discussions, the City of Maribyrnong confirmed the brewery has the green light to move in.
Grainfed Get There In The End
More than a decade after releasing his first Sneaky One, Lachlan MacBean finally opened the doors to Grainfed Brewing's brewpub in June. We chatted to him about the long, laid-back journey.
The Beer Slingers: Bendigo's Black Swan
Bendigo's craft beer scene is a vibrant one that welcomed another member when one of the city's oldest pubs switched its focus to regional breweries. We chatted to the Black Swan's new owners about the grand building's new life.
4 Pines & Mountain Culture Star At Sydney's Beer Awards
Hometown brewery 4 Pines starred at the 2023 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show, claiming both Champion Packaged Beer and Champion Draught Beer as well as Champion NSW Beer. The other beer trophy went to Mountain Culture.
Brewing A More Sustainable Future
A conversation over beers at Russian River in California sparked a multifaceted collaboration between businesses big and small that has led to the production of Certified Sustainable malts on both coasts of Australia.
Brew & A: Jared Palu
With a majestic mane, cheeky smile, and a trophy that says he's a good brewer, Jared Palu has been around good beer in Brisbane longer than most. We chatted to him about brewing, running bars, a beer festival, and just plain old running.
8 Wired On Top At NZ Beer Awards
8 Wired won two top gongs at the 2023 New Zealand Beer Awards: Overall Champion NZ Brewing Company and Champion New Zealand Beer. Garage Project claimed a hat-trick, with a third straight Champion Large Brewery trophy.
Who Brews As Quakers Hat?
Quakers Hat Brewing is a genuinely family-run affair: driven by head brewer Cam, with brother Nick on IT and maintenance, dad Dave on logistics, building and pizzas, mum Sue on social media, cheese boards and chandeliers.
Craft Beer's Next Generation
Is craft beer becoming cringe or cheugy? Listen to many senior figures and you could easily draw the conclusion Gen Z poses an existential threat but is the industry really engaging with Zoomers? We chatted to craft beer's next generation.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Budget Busters
Looking for a crafty drop to fill your fridge that isn't going to break the bank in these straitened times? We lined up a bunch of budget-busting beers for a blind tasting with a difference.
Festive Cheer?
Summer brings with it a raft of beer festivals of all shapes and sizes. But there are concerns about how they will fare this time around as consumers continue to tighten their belts and the costs of staging major events rise.
Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Breweries Part II
The Sunny Coast has far too many breweries to contain them all in just one article. Here, we continue our three-part guide to the Sunshine Coast, this time looking at the breweries in the upper half of the region.
The Writer Behind The Beer Drinker's Toolkit
Mick Wüst is one of the most recognisable names on The Crafty Pint; now the award-winning writer is launching his first book. Here he tells us about the Beer Drinker's Toolkit and his longstanding love for the written word.
Meet The New Crafty
Today, we’re delighted to unveil something we’ve been working on for a number of months: a vastly reworked and enhanced version of The Crafty Pint. We hope you like it!
GABS Acquire More Festivals
The GABS team has expanded its festival reach considerably after buying a number of beer and drinks festivals from the Schwartz Family Company. We spoke to GABS owner Mike Bray about the acquisition and their future plans.
A Full Colour Life: From Brewer To Leader
Most people open a brewery or become brewers because they love making and drinking beer. Yet, as businesses grow and careers progress, brewing can play second fiddle to management tasks requiring very different skills.
Brookvale – Brewing A Beer Paradise?
Brookvale has been hailed as a beer paradise with multiple breweries joining the local scene in recent years. But despite each carving out a niche and being packed to the rafters on weekends, it's not always smooth sailing on the Northern Beaches.
Ale Stars: 15 Years & Still Going Strong
It's an achievement to keep anything going for 15 years, let alone a midweek event at a pub, so hats off to all involved in Ale Stars, the beer appreciation night at The Local Taphouse. Take a trip down Memory Lane with some of them.
Help Us Get Blind: Fridge Fillers
It's been a while between drinks but, after a longer-than-planned hiatus, we're bringing our blind tastings back. First up: less a style, more a vibe (OK, price point), we're putting budget-busting beers to the test.
Barossa Valley Brewing Clean Up At SA's Beer Awards
Barossa Valley Brewing picked up four trophies at the 2023 Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards, although the Best Beer In Show trophy is heading interstate to WA after Nowhereman's Rhapsody XPA was judged the top drop.
