Articles by Will Ziebell
Going Green: KlippaKan
Plastic can holders might be ubiquitous in craft beer but a local company has developed another way to keep your tinnies together. Johnston Packaging and Grifter have just unveiled the KlippaKan, which has been in the works for a year.
Brew & A: Stingray
When you work in a bar or brewery, you may well impart a little of your personality onto the business. For Bodriggy's Stingray, however, he's gone rather further: his name is now that of their upstairs bar and an offshoot beer brand.
Chappy's Crafty Chippies
It started as a side hustle in the food truck at Thunder Road and has since outgrown two kitchens and become a popular snack – and beer pairing item – in Melbourne's crafty venues. We meet the man behind Chappy's Snacks.
Seltzers: Hard Sell Or Easy As?
At the start of 2020, we looked at the arrival of hard seltzers in Australia. With local producers hoping for a summer of seltzer ahead, we chatted to those making and selling them to find out how far they've come and where they're heading.
The Collaborators: Vertek Innovations
Is that decal really moving or is it time to head home? If you're in a bar featuring decals from Perth's Vertek Innovations, don't worry: they really are moving. We chatted to the couple bringing beer brands to life on the bar.
Hop Nation Add A Still To Their Bow
Hop Nation are set to make their booze offering even more multifaceted in the coming months, with the brewery this week installing a still at their Footscray home.
Aussie Exports: Charlotte Feehan
During six months in Melbourne, Charlotte Feehan faced redundancies, a pandemic and a broken ankle. But despite that, it's still a city she loves dearly. Today, she's head brewer at Abandoned Brewery in NZ, which we feel makes her a fitting Aussie Export.
The Big Issue: Private Label Beers
Initial, Zytho, Tinnies, Colossal, Algorithm, Culture House, Gogo Fish – all the names of brands behind pales, IPAs, stouts and sours. And all brewed for the country's major drinks retailers. We look at the renewed rise of "homebrand" beers.
The Club Life
More sports clubs are making the switch to craft beer and reaping the rewards. Will Ziebell spoke to a golf club in Toowoomba and a smaller bowlo in Brisbane's southwest about their successful recent conversions.
Embracing The Fruits
Brewing may be an industrial process reliant on stainless and manufacturing capacity but some brewers are working closely with farmers to showcase the seasons via their beers, including Future Mountain and La Sirène.
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Podcast People: Crack The Ceiling
Crack the Ceiling is an Australian beer podcast run by two Americans with a wealth of experience and expertise in the local beer industry. We got in touch with Lindsy Greig and Tif Waldron to find out how they became podcasters.
The Welder's Dog Pack Grows Again
Seven years on from the launch of their first craft beer bar in Armidale, The Welder's Dog team have opened a third. They've renovated the 135-year-old Oxford Hotel in Inverell, installing 20 taps and with a kitchen on the way.
Bridge Road To Open Melbourne Brewpub
Beechworth's Bridge Road Brewers have today unveiled their plans to build a brewery in Melbourne. The new, 30 tap, 350-seat venue will be part of the East Brunswick Village development.
The Great Australian BeerFest Merger
Two Australian beer festivals are combining their might, with Kieran Blood from the Great Australian Beer Festival taking on new business partners, James Harding and Stacy File from BeerFest Australia.
Brewers Take A Cold Dip
Haze and DDH might be here to stay but brewers are trialling new ways to brew punchy, hoppy beers. We caught up with two Australian brewers taking cues from America to brew "dip hopped" and "cold IPAs".
Brewmanity Find A Home In South Melbourne
After a four year search, Brewmanity have finally unveiled plans for their brewery and taproom, which is scheduled to open in South Melbourne in early 2022. We caught up with co-founder David Neitz to find out more.
Something Good Lands In Traralgon
Ten years after he first imagined opening his own brewery in his hometown, and following stints at breweries in Edinburgh and the Netherlands, Jimmy Krekelberg will finally open Good Land Brewery in Traralgon this Friday.
Who Brews Kick Back Beers?
Kick Back launched in the beachside town of Aldinga in the middle of winter, but the cold weather hasn't stopped them packing in guests since they opened. We caught up with one of South Australia's newest breweries to find out more.
The Big Issue: Skills Shortage
It goes without saying that the COVID pandemic has created huge problems for the local beer and hospitality industries. One issue it's exacerbated is a skills shortage, both when it comes to brewing and running venues.
Mighty Craft To Buy Mismatch In $47m Deal
Mighty Craft continue to snap up craft breweries and other alcoholic beverages, today announcing plans to acquire the Adelaide Hills Group, which includes Mismatch Brewing, in a $47m buyout.
Looking On The Bright Side
It might not be the 15th birthday weekend they had planned, but the team at Bright Brewery have a lot to be cheerful about. We caught up with owner Scott Brandon to discuss the brewery's impressive history and what's around the corner.
Capital's B Corp Journey
Capital Brewing are on track to become the latest Australian brewing company to achieve B Corp status. We chatted to the man driving the process for the Canberran brewery.
Brick Lane Plan $50 Million Expansion
Melbourne's Brick Lane have their sights set on a major expansion, with the brewery investing $50 million to give them the capacity to brew up to 20 million litres a year.
Communitinnies Return As Victoria Locks Down Again
As Melbourne's lockdown is extended, and Victorians face their own restrictions, Hop Nation have brought back their collaborative Communitinnies boxes, first launched during the early days of the pandemic.
Brouhaha's Brewery Boom
The Sunshine Coast is set to welcome a new brewery in the coming months, with Maleny's Brouhaha Brewery announcing expansion plans. We caught up with co-founder Matt Jancauskas to find out what's in the works.
More Facebook Beer Pages Removed
Boatocker Brewers & Distillers business page and the popular Beer Thread group have become the latest to disappear almost overnight from Facebook. We spoke to both to find out more.
Brew & A: Jum Ryan
Moving from Singapore and Hong Kong to brew in Alice Springs is one of the more unlikely moves you'll come across. Ahead of their tap takeover at Miss Moses as part of Good Beer Week, we chat to Jum Ryan, who swapped Little Creatures for the Red Centre.
Good Beer Week: Ten Years Of Beers
When Good Beer Week kicks off on Friday, the festival will finally turn ten – a year later than planned. To mark the occasion, we took a trip down Memory Lane with some of those involved in building and enjoying it over the past decade.
Is Fresh Always Best?
Fresh is best is a mantra we hear often in the beer world but can a beer be too fresh? Packaging shock is common parlance in the wine world but rarely raised in beer, while hazy, hoppy beers can perform better later too.
Federal Government Increases Excise Refund For Brewers
The Federal Government today announced that the excise refund cap for breweries and distilleries will increase from $100,000 to $350,000, with the decision welcomed by the Independent Breweries Association.
Follow The Beer Pioneer
William Buckley's tale of survival is one that's stuck with Australians thanks to one iconic phrase. Now, a Melbourne comedian is tracing Buckley's path while visiting as many local breweries as he can.
Beer Travel With Bright Eyes
How long do you think it would take to visit every single one of Australia's hundreds of breweries? Chelsea Bright is embarking on a mission to do just that – and plans to hit her target by Good Beer Week 2023.
The Collaborators: This Is My Boomstick!
Boomstick Glassware blend a love for craft beer, pop culture and collaboration into the design of unique creations from which you can enjoy your favourite crafties. We chatted to the small team behind the project to find out more.
Going Green: Bright Bins
Bright Brewery have long put sustainable practices at the core of their business and are now looking to take a recycling initiative nationwide.
We're Going On A Beer Hunt
Beer tourism is an oft-touted economic benefit of the rise of local breweries. Now two suburban areas with more local beer than most have invested in the establishment of local brewery trails with support from local government.
Who Brews Nice Guys Beers?
Melbourne is home to many suburban breweries with Richmond one that's played an essential role in the development in craft beer for decades. It's now home to Nice Guys, which brings a new aesthetic to the local beer scene.
West Bestern: The Rise Of The Hopheads
The Hopheads story started in Melbourne's outer west but has been moving closer to the city ever since. Ahead of their third store opening in Yarraville, we caught up with the team to chat about the bottleshop 'n' bar's rise.
Carwyn's Forgotten Beers
The mission at Carwyn Cellars has always been focused on bringing better booze to the people and now the bottleshop and bar team has started brewing. Well, brewing again. Well, releasing beer.
BrewDog Australia Ready To Grow Up
More brewpubs and bars, a hotel with shower beer fridges and catering for dogs, and new beers for Australian and NZ markets. We caught up with BrewDog's new main man here to find out more about the Scottish brewer's plans.
Fox Friday's Fantastic Foray
Fox Friday have announced major plans to expand in their home state of Tasmania and open a brewpub in Melbourne. We caught up with Benn Hooper from the hazy specialists to find out more.
Ballistic Add To Their Arsenal
Ballistic Beer have welcomed two more brewpubs into their family, with the announcement the Queensland brewery has bought The Whitsunday Island Brewing Company in Airlie Beach and Bargara Brewing in Bundaberg.
Quantum Physicist, Champion Beer Writer, Brewer
The country's biggest beer competition might have skipped a year due to COVID but the Australian International Beer Awards are back. With entries open, we caught up with the last winner of the Best Media Trophy, Marie Claire Jarratt.
Brew & A: Ben from Ida Pruul
Westside Ale Works in South Melbourne always have a wide variety of beers pouring from their 30 taps. These days, they tend to include wild ales created on-site by Ben Sewell under the Ida Pruul banner.
Brunswick's Booze-Free Bar
Alcohol-free alternatives to beer, wine and spirits have come a long way in recent times and soon Melburnians will have a dedicated space to try those offerings in. We got in touch with the Brunswick Aces team to find out more.
Who Brews Shapeshifter Beers?
Shapeshifter launched in 2019 and have been finding fans across South Australia for their limited release hazy beers. We caught up with the brewing company's founders to ask them Who Brews Shapeshifter beers?
Boekamp Bier Relaunches As The Albert Brewery
Boekamp Bier's sudden closure in December last year was sad news for Tassie craft drinkers and lager lovers. Now co-founder Mark French has relaunched with a new look and name but with the same dedication to lager.
Dollar Bill's Ballarat Dream Quashed
Dollar Bill's dream of opening a cellar door in Ballarat won't be turning into reality after the local council rejected their planning application. But the brewery's founders are already working on plans for what's next.
Putting The Micro In Microbrewing
Use of the term has dropped away somewhat in recent years, but there's really one way one to describe Edward Kerr's research into barley protein at the University of Queensland: microbrewing.
A Hazy Shade Of Pale
Hazy pale ales look set to be one of the styles of 2021 as more and more breweries add them to their core offerings and drinkers embrace their juicy, fluffy, fruity sessionability. But just what are they?
TikTok On The Beer Clock
TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform on the planet, but is there any craft beer content on there? And, if so, should Aussie beer lovers and breweries be using it? Will Ziebell heads down the rabbit hole...
