Articles by Will Ziebell
Is The Growler Honeymoon Over?
The popularity of growlers reached new heights when pubs shut and the government relaxed rules around repackaging booze. Those regulations return next month and people in the beer industry aren't overly happy..
No Save Point For Moon Dog
Moon Dog have joined forces with a dozen other breweries worldwide as part of hip hop duo Run The Jewels' No Save Point collab. We chatted to the Melbourne brewery about how the project came into being.
Who Blends Sobremesa Beers?
At the end of 2020, Casey Grieve and Hannah McErlane released the first farmhouse style release as Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery. We caught up with the couple to talk about their vision for the new brewing company.
Two Birds Bought By Fermentum
Two Birds have been acquired by Fermentum, the parent company of Stone & Wood and Fixation, among others. It comes ten years after founders Jayne Lewis decided to form Australia's first female-owned brewing company.
Ryefield Hops: Securing A Future
At the start of last year, the small-scale Ryefield Hops' entire harvest was destroyed by drought and the subsequent bushfires. We caught up with co-founder Jade McManus to talk about the year that was and their plans for the future.
The Curious Case Of Lord Howe Island's Breweries
Last week, Lion's managing director announced their plans to help build a brewery on Lord Howe Island. It turns out this was news to many of those running the island – and the existing Lord Howe Island Brewing Co.
Headin' Down To Castlemaine's Love Shack
New Year's Eve at Castlemaine's Theatre Royal is always a hoot. And the ringing in of 2021 is set to be bigger and beerier too, with the opening of Love Shack Brewing Co on New Year's Eve.
Beer Travel: The High Country Breweries Pt 2
In part two of our guide to the High Country breweries, we start off in Myrtleford before taking the long, winding and beer-soaked road back to Melbourne. Join us!
Manuka Oval's Crafty Takeover
In an historic decision, BentSpoke, Capital and Lion have each been given two bars each at the ACT's Manuka Oval for the upcoming 2020 cricket season.
Range Abbotsford Opens Today
Just over a week after they cleaned up at the Indies awards, Range Brewing are opening their Abbotsford taproom. Will Ziebell called in for a sneak peek with co-founder Gerard Martin.
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Bad Shepherd: Five Years In Five Beers
It's five years since Bad Shepherd opened their Cheltenham brewpub, a half decade of huge change in beer. We invited co-founder Dereck Hales to take a trip down Memory Lane via five of their beers.
Blackman's Grovedale Groove
Having well and truly outgrown their Torquay home, Blackman's are set to open a new brewery in Geelong next year. Will Ziebell spoke to founder Renn Blackman about the latest expansion for the family brewery.
Jetty Road To Lorne Pier
Mornington Peninsula-based Jetty Road are set to welcome beer fans to another popular tourist spot from next week as they set up home in Lorne. They've also confirmed they're no longer going ahead with a South Melbourne brewpub.
Hop Nation's Zymurgy Zone
Today sees Hop Nation open a new venue with the team behind Yarraville's fine diner Navi. We caught up with brewery co-founder Sam Hambour to find out more about the West Footscray space.
Range Win Big At 2020's Indies
Range had an impressive night at the Indies 2020, taking out four trophies including Champion Australian Independent Beer. Perennial award winners Dainton and Moffat Beach also added to their considerable collection of silverware.
A Summer Of GABS
The pandemic has ensured 2020 became a year of cancellations but the team at GABS is hoping 2021 will look a fair bit different with the festival organisers announcing two new Queensland events for January.
Beer Travel: The High Country Breweries Pt 1
No less than eight months on from when we planned to run our post-bushfires guide to the High Country, and with COVID-19 seemingly under control, the rig of steel down, and the NSW border opening, it's finally time...
Postcards From The Edge No.59: The Indies Reinvented
Most major beer events have been cancelled in Australia this year. But, having had to cull most of theirs, the IBA was determined the Indies awards would survive. We found out how they reworked it for our COVID times.
It's Good To Be Social
It's fair to say 2020 has thrown plenty of curveballs at the beer industry yet the industry's come up with plenty of ways to do good. Now Local Brewing Co have brought a number of them together under the Social Tinnies banner.
Black Hops & Love For Local Dominate Beer Cartel's 2020 Survey
Support for local beer rose sharply in 2020 as drinkers rallied behind their locals during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Beer Cartel's annual survey. It also says Black Hops replace Balter as the country's favourite brewery.
Back On The Craft Beers Pt II
Many of Melbourne's historic pubs have been closed this year longer than they were during even the world wars. Among them is the Rainbow Hotel in Fitzroy. As they prepare to reopen after 180 days closed, we ask how it's been.
Dark Emu – Telling Stories With Beer
Sailors Grave are among the country's most avid and adventurous collaborators and harvesters of all things local to East Gippsland. But the Orbost brewery's latest collab really gets to the heart of the brewery.
Bacchus To The Drawing Board
If there's a beer trend taking off, there's a good chance Brisbane's Bacchus Brewing will be one of the first on board. One that's passed the envelope-pushers by is cans; until now, with the brewery making the switch this November.
Black Hops Buy Brisbane's Semi-Pro
Black Hops have bought Brisbane's Semi-Pro Brewing and will turn their East Brisbane brewpub into the third Black Hops brewery venue. The Semi-Pro founders are sticking around as part of the new venture.
Going Green: BrewDog's Big Ideas
The beer industry is responsible for generating a lot of carbon dioxide but BrewDog are on a path to change that. We caught up with their top dog in Australia to talk about carbon offset plans as they mark one year here.
Postcards from the Edge No.55: Check Yourself
Venues across the country have implemented COVID-Safe plans to let punters inside and now the Night Time Industries Association is calling on customers to do their part too.
Who Brews Bracket Beers?
Bracket Brewing opened the doors to their Alexandria brewery a little after the City of Sydney began to enjoy an easing of COVID-19 restrictions. We caught up with the father and son team to ask Who Brews Bracket beers?
More Sober, More Often
As Ocsober kicks off, the choices for anyone wanting an booze-free beer, wine or spirit in their hand is bigger than ever before. Heck, there's even a new online retailer specialising in them.
Postcards from the Edge No.53: Monkey Brews
The couple who brought craft beer to Dubbo put the COVID-19 lockdown to good use: taking the skills learned over ten years of homebrewing to follow through on a long-held plan to brew their own beers for their regulars.
Postcards from the Edge No.52: Live & Loud
The live music industry has been hit just has hard as beer – if not harder – by COVID-19. As it starts to return in new COVIDSafe fashion, long-time good times supporters Young Henrys are back supporting gigs in Sydney.
All Change At All Hands Again
A joint venture between 4 Pines and Signature Hospitality Group will see the home of All Hands Brewing House, reigning Indies Champion Australian Brewpub, become part of The Sporting Globe chain of sports bars.
Postcards from the Edge No.51: Wide Open Roads
Today sees venues across Victoria open for the first time in weeks after restrictions were eased on their second shutdown. We chatted to two of the businesses eager to welcome guests back.
Victorians To Take To The Streets
Victorians could be heading to the streets (and rooftops and parks) as part of the state government's plan to bring the hospitality industry back to life in a COVIDSafe manner. But questions remain over what the future holds.
Ten Years Of Crafty: Beer In The Media
For most people, the idea that beer writers even exist is a hard one to conceive. Yet there's an evolving media landscape dedicated in one way or another to the beer world. Here we look at how it's changed over the years.
Postcards from the Edge No.50: Pivoting Properly
While they await the day they can open again, the team at The Cambrian in Bendigo have been keeping busy. Once they finished renos they embarked on a course to understand how to make their business better post-COVID.
Little Bang Top The GABS Can Design Awards
Little Bang claimed the inaugural GABS Can Design Awards title for their Face Inverter beer, designed by Matt O'Connor. Moon Dog and Fixation completed the podium with our designer Jessie Jungalwalla landing two in the top ten.
The Collaborators: Craft's Can Pioneers
Ahead of the announcement of the first GABS Can Design Awards, we chatted to the people who helped spark the craft beer's move into cans two decades ago, Canada's Cask.
Modus Of The Merewether
Modus Operandi are set to build a second brewery. They've been granted approval for a site in Newcastle, where they're planning a sustainable venue close to where co-owner Grant Wearin's grandfather used to run the corner store.
The Big Issue: The Future Of Beer Fests
How will beer festivals look in a post-COVID world? We chat to the organisers of those still going ahead in 2020 and others who've had to adapt about the future of major events in the local beer world.
Who Brews 27 South Beers?
Brisbane's busy beer scene is located along the 27th parallel; it's a fact one of the city's newest brewing companies is keen to shout about. We caught up with 27 South Brewing as part of our Who Brews? series.
Crafty Cabal Update - August 2020
As the beer world returns to something approaching normality in most of Australia, we've been adding plenty of new deals, giveaways and events for members of our beer club, The Crafty Cabal.
Hop Nation Set Up In Mornington
Hop Nation have taken over the former site of Mornington Peninsula Brewery's main production brewery. It follows Mornington owner Tribe Breweries' decision to stop using the site earlier in the year.
A New Competition For WA Brewers
This year's WA Good Food Guide Awards will feature beer for the first time. The competition will judge only WA beers with the judging panel led by The Crafty Pint's own Guy Southern.
Postcards from the Edge No.46: Lockdown Life
Streets are emptier, bottleshops and cellar doors are quieter, masks – and a greater sense of fear – are everywhere. Midway through the scheduled six weeks of Lockdown Mk II, we chat to two reps about life in Melbourne's beer world.
Postcards from the Edge No.43: Bingo – It's A Gas
Watching customers pull into and out of a servo in Wagga Wagga might sound like an odd way to spend a Tuesday night. But the Servo Bingo concept, launched by the Thirsty Crow during lockdown, is proving a hit.
Melbourne Goes Into Lockdown Again
Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews has announced Melbourne will face its second lockdown. The return to stage 3 conditions sees all pubs, bars and brewery venues closed for six weeks with potentially devastating consequences.
Postcards from the Edge No.43: Open & Shut Case
It's a scenario all venue owners have feared since Australia started to move towards reopening: a second lockdown. And it came to Ascot Vale on the day Jimmy's Tap & Barrel was set to open for the first time since March.
Craft: What Does It Mean & Does It Matter?
The debate is almost as old as craft beer itself: just what does "craft" mean? British beer writer Pete Brown spent lockdown writing a book examining the term and arguing that it remains absolutely essential.
Who Brews Golden Hills Beers?
Golden Hills make golden (and many other coloured) beer from a small brewpub in Diamond Creek and were ready to launch just as Australia closed down. We caught up with the team to find out Who Brews...? Golden Hills beers and ask what it was like opening during a nation-wide lockdown.
Postcards from the Edge No.42: Good Beer Still Helps
The campaign to provide four-packs of indie beer to thousands of essential workers has entered a new stage with mixed A Good Beer Always Helps packs now hitting BWS and Dan Murphy's stores across the country.
