Another Crafty Dozen

May 1, 2015, by Crafty Pint

Another Crafty Dozen

Well, whaddya know, we've already added a dozen new brewery, bar and bottleshop listings since our last roundup, which means it's time to pull them all together in one place in case you missed them first time around.

We're delighted to say that, a mere four-and-a-half years after launching the site, we've finally included an ACT venue in the list, in the shape of the awesome BentSpoke Brewing Co. Elsewhere in the latest crafty dozen we've got new listings from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

In the locker room (ie awaiting the free time to actually write and edit them) are heaps more, particularly from SA. Looks like the fast-growing scene there will be keeping the new Crafty Pint SA, Matt King, rather busy.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the newest arrivals in the Crafty directory of craft beer awesomeness…


QUEENSLAND

Fortitude Brewing Company / Noisy MinorThe two breweries-in-one home of former Murray's brewer Ian Watson, with its new base atop Mt Tamborine, is a real rising star of the Queensland scene with one of the best and most consistent ranges in the country.

Pumpyard Brewery and BarFour years after launching his 4 Hearts Brewing band, Wade Curtis achieved his dream of opening a brewery in Ipswich. And what a great job he's done, turning an old pumpyard building into an impressive and welcoming venue pouring his beers and an expertly curated selection of others.

Bine Bar & KitchenWhat is going on in the Gold Coast? Burleigh Brewing is set to be joined by two new breweries and the bar scene is starting to take off too, with Bine Bar bringing great beer and regular events to Nobby Beach.


NEW SOUTH WALES

Ashfield Mall CellarsTake one common or garden bottle-o in the basement of a shopping centre. Add an awesome beer selection. Introduce some sweet offers to entice in beer lovers. End up with a great bottleshop and lots more customers. Simple!

Cutty Cellars So lightning can strike twice. Having transformed Ashfield Mall Cellars, the same team went to work on Cutty Cellars and, lo and behold, it worked there too. Here's to more run of the mill bottleshops following their example and giving their customers real choice.

Modus Operandi Brewing One of the great recent success stories of the Australian craft beer world: open brewery, enter inaugural Craft Beer Awards, win pretty much everything. The home of former Oskar Blues brewer DJ, the one litre CANimal can filler and a fantastic array of fine beers.

Empire Hotel AnnandaleAnother Sydney metamorphosis job here, as Kate Marsden and her team took a fading traditional pub and reinvented it with craft beer at the heart of its offering without losing the building's period charm, complete with "ornate seating, marble tabletops, vibrant colours, decorative wallpaper and thoughtful flourishes, such as lamps, vases, lights and candlesticks".


ACT

BentSpoke Brewing Co – The new home of former Wig & Pen brewer and double Australian International Beer Awards champ Richard Watkins, in partnership with partner Tracy Margrain. It's an amazing looking brewpub, with the machinations of the brewery front and centre and overhead and in your hands. And, as you'd expect, delicious (and occasionally bent) beers.


South Australia

Big Shed Brewing ConcernJason and Craig opened Big Shed as a home for their beers and also as a place for other SA brewers to brew too. It's helped the likes of Mismatch launch, now has a brewery bar onsite and, in recent months, has seen the founders stepping up the production and distribution of their strikingly, humorously packaged beers too.


Victoria

Far Side Beers A trip on the Pint of Origin bus at Good Beer Week 2013 inspired Mairead Kennedy to give up a two decade corporate career to start home brewing, study to become a brewer and open this excellent little bottleshop in Camberwell. She's even started importing Irish craft beers too.

Grape & Grain Booze industry professionals took a bit of a gamble and opened a bottleshop in the craft beer desert of Moorabbin. They got off to a flyer, have kept on building momentum, added a bar at the back and have been installing a small brewery too. Oh, and out there beer fans will be delighted to here they're now the only stockist of Bacchus beers outside Queensland.

The Spotted Mallard One of the most spectacular and idiosyncratic craft beer pouring venues in the country, this former Greek community function room, complete with high ceilings, stage and stained glass windows, delivers live music throughout the week, great pub food and an evolving tap lineup that is always enticing.


All being well, we'll be back with the next dozen in a month or so.

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