News & Feature Stories
Who Brews Avnge Beers?
From pumpkin beers in the US through street art in Darwin and Melbourne to combining his love of beer and art in one, James Isacsson has enjoyed a unique path into brewing. We caught up with him on the back of his first release.
The Lord Nelson Set For Sale
For the first time in 35 years, Sydney's Lord Nelson is up for sale. We caught up with Blair Hayden, the man who turned it into a brewpub in the 80s, to find out what's next for him and one of the country's most iconic pubs.
Now Tapped To Cease Operating
Free tap list app Now Tapped is to cease operating. Founder Angus Bremner, who launched the app in 2014 as a " bit of a hobby" says Untappd have cut off his access to their data without warning, forcing his hand.
The Collaborators: Mortlock Malt
After studying brewing at ECU and gaining brewing experience at Little Creatures, Rex Rowles moved back to the family farm to combine his love of brewing with his experience growing barley to create Mortlock Malt.
Ballarat Notches 50 Years Of Teaching Brewers
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first postgraduate brewing course offered in Ballarat - and there's no sign of the course slowing down. We chatted to a few of the key figures from the past half century about its past, present and future.
Jetty Road Founders To Leave Brewery
The two faces best associated with Jetty Road are set to leave the business they founded, with Blake Bowden and Grant Bowden set to sell their shares at the end of the year. We spoke to them about their decision and future plans.
Feral To Be Sold As Coca-Cola Exit The Beer Market
Just days after we reported one of Feral's original founders was to buy back the brewpub where the brand started comes the news the brand is to be sold. Owners Coca-Cola EuroPacific Partners (CCEP) have decided to exit the beer market in Australia.
Step Inside The Virtual Bottleshop
How'd you fancy climbing a tree to find a rare bottle of Cantillon? It might sound wild, but if a new venture featuring Purvis Beer, a Melbourne-based software developer, and Oculus Quest comes off, it could become your virtual reality.
Beer, Algae & Cow Burps
Young Henrys and researchers at UTS have been researching the potential certain algae have to turn CO2 created during brewing into oxygen since 2020. Now The Algae Project is looking to reduce harmful emissions from livestock too.
Feral's Brewpub Comes Full Circle
Just weeks after Feral closed their Swan Valley brewpub, there's good news for WA's beer lovers. One of the original founders of Feral has taken over the site and will be opening a tavern and recommissioning the on-site brewery.
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Back To The Bar, Melbourne
Today, after making it through a world record number of days in lockdown, Melbourne is open again. James Smith and Will Ziebell spoke to brewery and venue owners and returning customers to assess the vibe.
Lockdowns, Locals & Future Mountain
As Melbourne emerges from another long lockdown, it's worth remembering how much local support has meant to many brewers. In Future Mountain's case, they've found a unique way to pay tribute to those who helped them survive.
Otherside's Anthem Named WA's Best Beer
Otherside's Anthem has been named Beer Of The Year at the WA Good Food Guide Awards. The IPA pipped Crate Digger Pale Ale from Nowhereman and Eagle Bay Brewing's Lager at an awards ceremony at Optus Stadium on Monday.
BecauseWeCAN Vol.5: Crazy For Hazy
A hazy with no hops, another with next to no booze, and one with heaps of hops and heaps of booze... Welcome to the fifth instalment of BecauseWeCAN, our look at some of the more out there beers in Australia today.
Uraidla & Heaps Normal Fly High At Drink Easy
Uraidla Brewery landed two beers in the overall top ten best Australian drinks at the second Drink Easy awards. They were joined in the best of list by Heaps Normal's Quiet XPA, flying the flag for non-alcoholic beers.
Badlands Building A New Home In Orange
Orange will be home to a new taproom experience from 2022 but the brewery behind the beers isn't so new. Badlands Brewery have announced that after a decade on the city's outskirts, they're moving to the centre of town.
Who Brews Little Rippa Beers?
The couple behind a long-established café in Mount Gambier are set to open a brewery and restaurant on their farm property as the home for Little Rippa Brewing. Matt King met up with them to find out more about the expanding operation.
Back To The Bar, Sydney
Many businesses across Sydney and New South Wales opened to customers for the first time in more than three months yesterday. Two members of The Crafty Pint team were among those heading back to the bar.
Be Part Of Pint of Origin At GBW 2022
Good Beer Week turned ten in 2021 and is set to embark on its second decade in May 2022. Once again, Pint of Origin will play a central role in the festival. If you'd like your venue to be a Pint of Origin host venue, tell us why.
Back To The Bar – For The Last Time?
Venues in much of New South Wales are reopening today, with Victoria set to follow in the coming weeks. Will Ziebell chatted to business owners about their hopes, fears, vaccine passports and excitement at welcoming back guests.
Dr Benny's Crafty Fixes: Special Occasion Beers
Ever found yourself in an awkward situation involving beer? Stuck in a quaffable quandary and can't see a way out? Meet Dr Benny, here to fix your every crafty dilemma. This time: what to do with an overabundance of big beers.
The Wild Ones: Van Dieman
The Wild Ones is a series showcasing Australian brewers creating spontaneously fermented ales. Following our launch piece last week, here we head to a farm in Tasmania to catch up with Van Dieman founder Will Tatchell.
Exclusively Yours: The Rise Of Brewery Subscriptions
Beer clubs and brewery memberships are far from new but recent years have seen such them grow alongside online beer sales. We spoke to Molly Rose, Black Arts and Van Dieman Brewing about their exclusive clubs and why they do it.
Oztoberfest
Across Australia right now, you can hardly move for German beers, pretzels, bratwurst and lederhosen. Yet our love for the wonders of traditional German styles fades through the rest of the year. Judd Owen tries to rectify matters.
The Mill Expand And Rebrand
Melbourne venues are looking forward to the end of the month but The Mill Brewery have more reason than most to be excited. They've recently finished work on a production brewery in Thomastown and rebranded too.
Shapeshifter's Taproom Opens Today
Shapeshifter have been building a reputation for their hazy beers, big stouts and willingness to embrace new trends since launching in 2019. Today, they open the doors to their new home, featuring a 12hL brewhouse and a dozen taps.
The Wild Ones
A spontaneously fermented beer won Champion Australian Beer at this year's AIBAs, and a number of Australian brewers are creating beers inspired by the lambics of Belgium. In The Wild Ones, we join them down the rabbit hole.
Firies-Supporting Brewing Company Wins Brew Rocket Grant
A brewing company created to support emergency service workers has won the first Brew Rocket grant designed to reward sustainability and social responsibility. Firehouse 51 was selected by a panel put together by Craft Instinct.
The Overland Corner Hotel Flowers Anew
There have been many heartwarming and inspirational tales to come from the beer world during the pandemic, but few as colourful as this. Here's how a Sydney family went from hitting the road to a houseboat to an historic pub.
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.
The IBA Launches A Code Of Conduct
Australia's Independent Brewers Association has today unveiled its new code of conduct. It has been created on the back of allegations of sexual assault, harassment and discrimination in the beer industry both here and overseas.
Yarragon-na Love The New Ale House
The Yarragon Ale House has been serving drinkers and homebrewers in Gippsland for 15 years. But, following a major refit it's been reinvented as a 15-tap bar and bottleshop that wouldn't be out of place in Brunswick or Collingwood.
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.
The Big Sale: Is It A Big Deal?
Last week's announcement that Stone & Wood's founders had agreed to sell their business to Lion sent shockwaves through the industry. But, as the dust settles, what has really changed for indie brewers and those who buy indie beer?
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.
Who Brews Lake Mac Beers?
It started out as a money-saving hobby, became a rather more expensive one, and ultimately turned into part of the craft beer culture on the NSW coast between Sydney and Newcastle. We got in touch to find out who brews Lake Mac beers.
Brick Lane & O'Brien Toast World Beer Awards Success
Brick Lane and gluten free beer specialist O'Brien Beer woke to good news with both winning trophies in the World Beer Awards. Brick Lane's Revolver claimed World's Best Porter and O'Brien's Belgian Ale Best Gluten Free Beer.
Lion Buys Stone & Wood
In news that will send shockwaves through the local beer community, Lion have today confirmed the acquisition of Stone & Wood as well as associated brands in the Fermentum Group, including Fixation and Two Birds.
What Next For Indie Beer?
The sale of the Fermentum Group to Lion raises a number of question, not least what it means for the indie beer sector. We've been speaking to people in the beer industry to see what they make of the move.
Fermentum To Lion: The Founders' Tale
Following the sale of the Fermentum Group to Lion, we chatted to co-founders Ross Jurisich and Jamie Cook to get more on how they reached this point.
BecauseWeCAN Vol.4: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stouts
The colder months tend to bring out the beasts inside brewers, beasts that often take the shape of barrel-aged imperial stouts. Here, we take a look at three of the biggest and most unusual to hit Aussie fridges this winter.
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.
Dr Benny's Crafty Fixes: Lockdown Loneliness
Stuck in lockdown and over Zoom events and refreshing your Instagram feed? Well, so is Dr Benny, who's here with some ideas on how to make it through to the other side – maybe with some new beer-loving mates to boot.
KAIJU! Head For Home
Almost ten years after they first talked about opening a hospitality venue and two years after securing a site, KAIJU! are hopeful they may finally open their proposed 16-tap brewpub in Huntingdale by the end of the year.
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.
Wildflower – Back From The Brink
A rogue element appeared in Wildflower's house culture recently, plunging the brewery team into despair. But, thanks to the kindness of friends in the food and drinks community, they're back from the brink.
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 Collaborators: Grain Totes, Totes Great
Matt Lawrence wants to see repurposed malt bags replace single use bags across the beer industry. We got in touch to find out how he’s making it happen one tote bag at a time.
What We'll Be Drinking Next
The local beer and hospo world needs a big beer-drinking season like never before. So, with spring approaching and the drinks landscape more complex than ever, we've invited a few experts to peer into their crystal balls.
