Articles by Will Ziebell
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.
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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.
Range To Set Up Home In Abbotsford
Melburnian fans of Range Brewing's much-hyped beers are in for a treat: they're opening a 16-tap venue in Abbotsford later in the year.
Who Brews Wandana Beers?
It's home to yoga retreats, hippies and an annual music festival. And now Mullumbimby is also home to its own brewery. We caught up with the team at Wandana Brewing Co to find out more about fermenting beer to music.
Hand Over The Deeds
It's been one of the most drawn out processes in modern Aussie brewing but, four years on from their initial application, Deeds Brewing finally have permission to build a taproom at their Glen Iris brewery.
Postcards from the Edge No.39: It Ain't Weak To Speak
More than 20 Brisbane brewers plus other industry suppliers have joined forces to create a collaborative beer designed to raise funds and awareness for Queensland mental health charity LIVIN.
Who Brews Bay Rd Beers?
It's not found in Bay Rd but it does have its locals at heart. Having switched a greater focus onto canning during COVID-19, Bay Rd Brewing in Gosford is now looking forward to welcoming those locals back.
Postcards from the Edge No.38: Room At The Inn
Now venues are reopening across Australia, two mates keen to get back to their favourite watering hole have devised a new system that allows customers to find out if there's room for them at their local.
Indie Brewers Score NSW Government Support
The indie brewing industry received welcome news today as the NSW State Government announced it was injecting close to $200,000 into Independent Brewers Association coffers to aid in their recovery from COVID-19.
Postcards from the Edge No.37: Band Aid
The live music scene has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, longstanding live music supporters Young Henrys have joined forces with Inertia Music to sell local artists' vinyl with their beers.
Postcards from the Edge No.36: Centralian Care
With venues open again and restrictions eased more than elsewhere in Australia, Alice Springs Brewing Co have been doing their bit to get local hospo businesses going again with their Centralian Care Package.
Postcards from the Edge No.35: Keeping Local Alive Alive
The Keeping Local Alive campaign has been embraced by the beer community as businesses navigate unprecedented times. Some brewers have even put it on their cans, including Boatrocker with their new fundraising Local Lager.
Sun Dog World
Moon Dog World has attracted plenty of attention – and for good reason. There's another good reason to pay attention to the building too, as they've installed so many solar panels they're almost regarded as a power station.
Postcards from the Edge No.34: A Lucky Break
There's never a good time to break your leg, but during a global pandemic while running a regional business is most definitely not good. Yet, with a little help from their friends at Lallemand, Pioneer Brewing turned it into an opportunity.
Postcards from the Edge No.33: Gambling On A Better Future
With venues closed, The PBC not only took the chance to undertake much-needed renos, but the Sydney bowlo's president also took the opportunity to highlight the success they've had since ripping out their pokies.
Postcards from the Edge No.32: Keeping Hospo Alive
An initiative providing meals and support for hospo workers impacted by COVID-19 has already provided more than 6,000 meals since launching in March. Will Ziebell spoke to one of the founders of CoViD-19 EAD.
Postcards from the Edge No.28: Pint of Online
You might not be able to partake in a PoO Crawl at Good Beer Week 2020 but that hasn't stopped one group finding a way to join each other on a cross-city Pint of Origin trek while in isolation.
Postcards from the Edge No.27: Bunker Down
For the team at The Welder's Dog in northern New South Wales, the challenges of dealing with COVID-19 have brought them new partners, new customers and a new approach for their business going ahead.
The Master Of The Brewniverse
It's not the first time a homebrewer has won the chance to scale up a winning brew for commercial release. But winning Coopers' Masters of the Brewniverse competition means Chris Woods' honey IPA is going nationwide.
The Collaborators: Kaddy
A pair of childhood mates have joined forces to launch a new business they believe will help streamline the relationships between breweries and other small producers and the venues and bottleshops after their beverages.
On The Frontline Of Online
Since venues shut down, there's been a flurry of new startups looking to offer new marketplace solutions. Will Ziebell spoke to three businesses – one that was already in the works – about their plans for the pandemic.
Postcards from the Edge No.24: Grain Re-Store-d
After a short break to take stock, the Grain Store team leapt back into action last month as a takeaway and home delivery service. They've even reimagined their legendary beergustations for Novocastrians to enjoy at home.
Postcards from the Edge No.22: Have A Beer Together
Plenty of beer businesses have been connecting with their fans online since venues were shutdown. And a new YouTube channel launched the day after they closed has been bringing a variety of shows to isolated beer fans too.
Postcards from the Edge No.21: Crafting New Connections
After an epic and brewery-filled road trip with her partner and their dog, Ziggy, Erin Skubiski launched Crafted Connections with the aim of connecting regional brewers with venues. Then venues closed...
Postcards from the Edge No.20: All Together Now
Just months on from the global Resilence Beer project in support of bushfire-impacted communities, brewers around the world are rallying again to support hospo workers hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Postcards from the Edge No.19: Green Lighted District
They're involved in brewing companies, distribution and venues and, in time for Easter weekend, the Drysdales and Canevas opened District Bottle Store in Pascoe Vale. We spoke to Joel about his ups and downs during the pandemic.
Brew & A: Ash Hazell
He started homebrewing at 17 before cleaning kegs at Little Creatures followed by a stint with Barrow Boys led to the head brewer role at one of the biggest craft breweries in the land. Here's Ash Hazell to tell us more.
Who Brews Bondi Beers?
Beach Beer Bondi appeared as if from nowhere to land at 46 in the GABS Hottest 100 of 2019. Many beer drinkers hadn't heard much about them so we caught up with founder Paul Parks to ask Who Brews Bondi Beers?
Brewer Be-Guiled
Since launching his first book on historical homebrewing recipes, Peter Symons has continued scouring the world for more. As he returns with Guile Brews, we got in touch to find out where his research took him this time.
