Articles by James Smith
James Smith launched The Crafty Pint in 2010, two years after moving to Australia from the UK. He was taken to Mountain Goat within weeks of landing in Melbourne, joined their indoor cricket team, and is still navigating the rabbit hole that is craft beer to this day.
The beers that turned you on to good beer:
- Watching pints of McEwan's 80 Shilling settle when visiting family in Edinburgh.
- Pints of flat Bass from the jug at the Cap & Stocking in Kegworth.
- A first Paulaner Hefeweizen when working in Munich in 1998: “This smells of bananas!”
- Castle Rock Harvest Pale – how could a 3.8 percent ABV beer be so good? (It turns out it was an early example of the three Cs – Cascade, Centennial and Columbus – in an English bitter).
- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA poured through hops at the Sunset Grill in Cambridge, MA, in the company of a man who turned out to be the Beer Nut (while we were both covering a double murder case at the time).
- Ordering a Mountain Goat Hightail on my first day as an Aussie resident as it was local and I’d never heard of it; “A dark Australian beer; well I never…”
- Murray’s Icon 2IPA at Beer DeLuxe Fed Square, recommended by a guy I’d not long known who's now the main man at Fixation, served by Mik Halse, now head of sales at Hawkers. How could an Australian beer smell as good as that?!?
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
- Any really good, fresh and balanced West Coast style IPA. Punchy hop aromatics are the most obvious way to capture someone's attention and these IPAs, done well, present the key components in beer (if you're sticking to just water, malt, hops and yeast) in harmony yet with the volume turned up.
- Saison Dupont. Arguably a selfish choice here as I bloody love the broad saison style and dearly hope it will finally take hold in Australia one day. Given a choice, I'd probably crack one enlivened with Brettanomyces like Molly Rose Matilde for myself but, when it comes to turning on someone new, you've got to go with the classic.
- Rodenbach Caractère Rouge. Because if you don't enjoy or can't appreciate this beer, I'll never win you over. And because Filip, the fruit and wood specialist at Rodenbach that designed it, is a beautiful human.
The last beer you enjoyed:
Fixation IPA at The Incubator.
Three things that represent you:
- The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Golden Plains
NB All articles written by James in the first eight years of the site appear as By Crafty Pint. Today, that's used for collaborative efforts by the wider team.
The Crafty Pint's Best Of 2021 – So Far
After skipping a year due to the madness of COVID, our Best New Beers – So Far mid-year feature is back. It's a little different this time around, reflecting the changing beer landscape, and so late it's barely mid-year for that matter...
Our Story: The Next Chapter
In the wake of allegations and articles documenting sexual assault, abuse and harassment in the beer world, work is ongoing to make positive, lasting change in the local beer and hospitality communities. We spoke to those driving it.
Postcards From The Edge Revisited
We hoped we wouldn't have to resurrect this series, but with most of Australia back in some form of lockdown or restrictions, we chatted to two Sydney brewers who've pivoted back into action since the weekend.
Who Brews Dangerous Ales?
As they work on a major brewery expansion at their home in Milton, NSW, we caught up with Dangerous Ales founder and head brewer Damo Martin to find out how he went from big wave-chasing chef to brewery owner.
Sailors Grave To Create Multimillion Dollar Dunetown
Sailors Grave are set to realise the long-held dream for a farmhouse style brewery, securing a $2.35m grant that will go towards the creation of Dunetown on the East Gippsland coast.
Going Green: Brew Rocket Launches
A new grant designed to encourage new brewing companies to put an environmental and/or social enterprise focus at the heart of their business has just launched. We spoke to the woman behind Brew Rocket to find out more.
Australian International Beer Awards Winners 2021
Dollar Bill proved hugely popular winners when they took out Champion Australian Beer at the 2021 Australian International Beer Awards as the beer industry gathered en masse again after missing out in 2020.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Pale Lagers 2021
Much has changed in the half decade and more since we last put lagers to the blind taste test. For one, there's bloody loads of them, but who's brewing them really well? We compiled an expert panel to find out.
A Day In The Life Of: A Technical Brewer
He gets to play around with new ingredients and techniques as much, if not more, than any brewer in the country, yet you'll never taste his beers. We spent A Day In The Life Of Ellerslie Hop's technical brewer Glenn Harrison.
A Year On The COVID Roller-Coaster – Part I
It was a year nobody could foresee and nobody wanted, yet the worst fears of March 2020 haven't been realised. Over two features, we take on in-depth look at the local beer industry 12 months on from the nationwide lockdown.
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Beer Swag Day Is Back!
Beer Swag Day was a day of celebration that ran as part of the Keeping Local Alive campaign in the early weeks of the national lockdown. And now it's back – on the anniversary of the lockdown so we can mark that dark day with a smile.
How's The Serenity Of Speed?
Readers will know Corinna Steeb and Frank Samson through the beers of Prancing Pony, but it's only one of their passions. They met through a shared love of motorbikes and next month Corinna will attempt to break her own land speed record.
Hops Without Borders
In a normal year, brewers and other beer industry people would be preparing to visit the Southern Hemisphere's hop farms for harvest. It's not a normal year, however, leading Hop Products Australia to invite guests to join them online.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Hazy Pales
They're hazy. They're pale. They're all the rage. But who's doing them well? For our first blind tasting of 2021, we got our hands on a stack of Aussie examples, amassed some expert palates, and put them to the test.
2020: The Year In Beer – Victoria
It might have been a year to forget in many ways, yet there was still plenty to admire and celebrate in Victoria's beer scene in 2020. Join us as we try to make sense of the madness.
2020: The Year In Beer
Well, who saw that coming? We kick off our end of 2020 coverage with a look back at some of the biggest trends and standout moments of the past twelve months.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Non-Alcoholic Beer
For our first and only blind tasting of 2020, we went with a suitably 2020 lineup: non-alcoholic beers. They may well ruin the pun in the series title, but how do they stack up in front of our panel of industry experts?
Little Bang To Release 12,000 Hazy IPAs
Need more hazy IPA in your life? Then you're in luck as Adelaide's Little Bang are releasing 12,000 of them this December. We chatted to the lunatic behind the venture.
Total Eclipse Of The Hop
Seven years after the launch of Enigma, Hop Products Australia today unveil the latest` hop variety to graduate from their breeding program. Eclipse is a sibling of star pupil Galaxy set to bring a hit of mandarin to an IPA near you soon.
Brew & A: Five Barrel Brewing
From bushfires to COVID, closures, cans, quarantine and a Kiwi, it's been a full-on year at Wollongong's Five Barrel. As they launch their new look lineup, we chat to founder Phil and his new head brewer, imported via hotel quarantine from NZ.
More Good News For Victoria's Brewers
The day after they were able to open for the first time since July, Victoria's brewers have received more good news by the state government. Those with producer's licenses are now eligible for the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund.
Back On The Craft Beers Pt I
As Melbourne's venues prepare to reopen, we return to the pub with which we kicked off our Postcards from the Edge series on March 23. We joined Cherry Tree staff and a local to see how they've survived two lockdowns.
Postcards from the Edge No.58: #ShoutAVicADrink
With Melbourne's venues finally set to open as restrictions ease significantly across Victoria, the team at an Armadale bar and bottleshop have launched a campaign enabling people to shout people exiting lockdown a drink.
Who Brews Noodledoof Beers?
Noodledoof is a brewery and distillery opened by two mates in Victoria's west. As they approach their first birthday, we chatted to co-founder Alex "Doof" Carr about an opening twelve months encompassing a pandemic.
Budget Delivers Little For Indie Beer
The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) has welcomed some aspects of the Federal Government "recession-busting", jobs-focused budget, but many of the industry's request do not appear to have been addressed.
Dollar Bill's Dream Edges Closer
The family behind Dollar Bill Brewing is hopeful they'll be able to open their unique cellar door experience in spring 2020 after reaching the advertising stage for their "Invermay Beer Farm" in Ballarat.
Vic Brewers Excluded From Hospo Support Grants
Brewers who were hoping to apply for financial support from the Licensed Hospitality Venue Grant have found their venues are currently excluded from the Victorian government's COVID-19 program.
Postcards from the Edge No.54: So Long, Farewell...
Among the thousands of Aussies stranded overseas are Ben and Maria Kraus and their kids. A planned year long stay has been extended by flight cancellations, so Ben is now helping commission a new brewery in Innsbruck.
Ten Years Of Crafty: Changing Tastes
Styles have come and gone, limited releases are a growing focus, and there's never been more choice for drinkers. Here, we look at just how far and fast tastes have changed since we launched The Crafty Pint.
Ten Years Of Crafty: Meet The Team II
In part two of the midway feature in our Ten Years Of Crafty series we again hand the mic to some of the people who've been part of the growth of the site over the past decade.
Ten Years Of Crafty: Meet The Team I
We've been blessed to have some wonderful people contribute to The Crafty Pint in various ways over the past decade. Here we kick off a two-parter featuring some of them and their highlights of the past decade.
Ten Years Of Crafty: The Big Ones
Lists. Bad news. Controversy. That's all people want, right? Thankfully, a perusal of the most read stories of the past decade on The Crafty Pint suggests you're a more discerning audience.
Ten Years Of Crafty: Infiltrating And Taking Over
The beer industry today is far bigger, far better in many ways, far more colourful and far more competitive. It's also changed plenty with independence now declared with the same gusto once applied to craft. Here's a look at how.
Ten Years Of Crafty: In Pictures
If a picture says a thousand words, then many millions have been spoken over the past decade in beer. Here's a collection of beers from the past decade. We could have run many, many more...
Ten Years Of Crafty: The Wobbly Boot
Today we kick off a series of features looking back over the ten years since The Crafty Pint launched. And where better to start than the start. Or, more accurately, before the start...
Brewers Celebrate Keg Theft Result
Late last year, a spate of keg thefts was brought into the public eye by WA's brewers. With two men now sentenced, they're hoping it serves as a warning to people unaware of the serious and costly impact of such actions.
Postcards from the Edge No.49: Wombating COVID
Three years ago, KAIJU! founders Nat and Callum Reeves chatted about collaborating with a New York brewery. When the pandemic shut the world down, instead of putting an end to such talk, it sparked Mortal Wombat.
Postcards from the Edge No.44: The Million Dollar Tip Jar
As soon as Lockdown Mk II hit, the team behind Tip Jar, a fund launched to support the hospitality sector, ramped up their efforts again. We chatted to them about their fundraising beer and cocktail and hopes for the future.
The 2020 Australian Craft Beer Survey Launches
Beer Cartel's annual survey of attitudes, opinions, trends and spends in the Australian craft beer world has opened for 2020. It's your chance to contribute to a snapshot of the beer scene at this uniquely challenging time.
Craft Beer Heroes: Pete Meddings
He might not be a household name but if there's any craft beer-loving household in Australia that hasn't enjoyed the fruits of Pete Meddings' labour, we'd be surprised.
The Collaborators: The Post Project
From the first GABS to breweries big and small – more than 50 of them – shooting brand stories, beer launches, collabs and even a beer song, Alister Robbie has helped bring the Aussie beer world to life over the past decade.
Postcards from the Edge No.40: All Change, Please!
One of Melbourne's best-loved pubs reopens today. The Terminus changed ownership before COVID hit and the pandemic gave the new team the chance to bring forward planned renovations.
Brew & A: Cam Turner
Cam Turner has been brewing beers on the Mornington Peninsula for close to 15 years, first for Hickinbotham then Dainton. We traced his career in beer right back to caring for cask ales in London and beyond.
Colonial Challenge
One of the country's largest independent breweries has found itself caught up in growing global calls for racial equality after public pressure led to a prominent bottleshop chain drop their beers from their stores.
The Future Is...?
Many venues in Victoria opened for the first time in 70 days today as restrictions elsewhere were eased further. Yet any celebrations will be tempered by the fact the road to recovery remains long and many won't make it to the end.
Beer Swag Day: The Finalists!
We've sifted through hundreds of posts from Saturday to anoint winners around the country. Now it's up to you to decide who'll win the swag full of swag and the year of beer from Fury & Son. Vote away!
Postcard From The UK: Cloudwater
The UK has been hit even harder by COVID-19 than Australia. Ahead of his virtual Meet The Brewer this weekend, we chatted to Cloudwater founder Paul Jones about life as a brewer in the UK and what he thinks lies ahead.
50 Days Of Shutdown
It will be a long time before we know the full impact of COVID-19. But on day 50 of the momentous decision to shutdown the country's venues, we asked people throughout the industry for their thoughts.
Postcards from the Edge No 25: Help Yourself
The impact of COVID-19 has left many beer businesses striving to adapt. As part of the #keepinglocalalive campaign, brand designer Jessie Jungalwalla is pulling together a panel of experts to help guide people through.
Postcards from the Edge No.23: IsoMateship
Staying connected with friends and family during these challenging times is crucial. And, as we approach May 8 – Mate Day to many – there are beer businesses doing what they can to facilitate this and support people's wellbeing.
