News & Feature Stories

Aussie Exports: Pat Keeble

Stone & Wood have made an impression in the UK like few other genuinely Aussie brands in recent years. Much of that is down to one man, their London jack of all trades, Pat Keeble. Will Ziebell joined him for a Pac Ale in Fitzrovia.

The Blackhearts Family Story

The success of local producers is regularly lauded on these pages and elsewhere. But the achievements of Paul and Jess Ghaie in the world of good booze retail are as worthy of recognition as any indie brewer or winemaker.

No Beer On A Dead Planet

On September 20, people across the planet will join young campaigners for #ClimateStrike. The Crafty Pint will be one of the local beer businesses taking part and hope more people in the Aussie beer world will join us.

Alive And Swell In McLaren Vale

He was supposed to join his dad at DogRidge making wine, but an epic 18-month surf trip changed everything. Alexis Buxton-Collins joined Dan Wright at the Swell brewery venue to trace his journey from grape to grain.

Cancer Dads Come Together For Bear Beer

A group of WA cancer dads have started working with Whitelakes Brewing to create Bear Beer, an annual release that raises awareness and funds for families whose kids have cancer. We chatted to the man behind it.

Brisbane's Lithuanian Baker Boys

Kveik might be hogging the headlines for many but one Brisbane brewing team has taken inspiration from another Northern European beer style – one that involves baking the mash first: Lithuanian keptinis.

Ghosting Back To His Roots

Five Barrel founder Phil O'Shea started out as a homebrewer and remains connected to the local brewing community in Wollongong, even creating a unique series of beers with a homebrewer and their own sour culture.

Fixation, 3 Ravens & Dainton Top 2019's Indies

Dainton took out their second Champion Beer trophy in three years at The Indies 2019. Fixation also celebrated a second major trophy in three years, claiming Champion Large Brewery, with 3 Ravens and All Hands also winning big.

Indie Beer's Family Ties

Breweries are just diversifying their offering when it comes to beers and venues. There's a number of independent operations with multiple brands under their umbrella, both bought and birthed.

Ownership Infographic – September 2019

As one industry commentator put it to us recently, keeping this infographic up to date is something of a Sisyphean task. But, given recent moves, we figured we should at least attempt to put together a snapshot of who owns whom.

Pickled OnMarket
CBCo Goldy
The Big Issue: Beer Quality

As the craft industry grows and consumer knowledge increases in step, ensuring you're consistently releasing quality beer has arguably never been more important. In this Big Issue feature, we look at why – and how it can be done.

Indie Beer Gets Its Own National Day

October 26, 2019, is to become the inaugural Indie Beer Day, with supporters of independent Aussie beer encouraged to raise a glass in support of the local industry.

Ballistic Beer To Open Springfield Brewpub

Ballistic Beer will soon open their third venue in three years: a brewpub in Brisbane's western suburb of Springfield Central in addition to their Salisbury brewery and West End Alehouse & Kitchen.

Who Brews As Two Rupees?

Childhood friends Danny Perera and Amila Mendis fell in love with Melbourne's craft beer scene after moving from Sri Lanka. They started homebrewing together and have now opened Two Rupees, a brewpub in Clayton.

The Big Issue: Cracking The Code

A number of well publicised cases has brought the role of ABAC in setting the standards for alcohol advertising to the fore. We speak to ABAC's chair and industry figures to find out how businesses can avoid running into trouble.

Beer 'n' Spice & All Things Nice

No beer lovers trip to Bendigo is complete without a stop at Flight Bar for some spicy food and a restock of hot sauce. Now the owners have a burger joint too we caught up with them – and nicked their hot sauce recipe.

Who Brews BrewiColo Beers?

Ocean Grove is a relaxed coastal town, but BrewiColo are keen to take things even further, encouraging people to slow down and enjoy a taste of island life. Find out more as part of our Who Brews...? series.

The Great British Beer Writer

Pete Brown started out in beer marketing before becoming one of Britain's best-loved writers on beer and wider booze and pub culture. We caught up with him in London ahead of his keynote address at BrewCon.

A Sour Taste In Their Mouths

Sour beers have really taken off in Australia in the past couple of years, but what are they? Ahead of Blobfish, a festival dedicated to sour, wild and funky beers, we chatted to four Australian and Kiwi breweries who love them.

Green Beacon Bought By Asahi

Asahi's shopping spree continues apace with today's news that they've acquired Green Beacon. The move comes shortly after last month's announcement they plan to purchase CUB, 4 Pines and Pirate Life from AB InBev.

One Year. Five Beers. Nine Fingers

His entry into commercial brewing was unusual – the prize for winning a homebrew competition was to brew a 2,000 litre batch and receive 12 months of mentorship. A year on, we caught up with David of Nine Fingers.

Staves & Wayward Top Sydney Royal Beer Awards

Tiny Glebe brewpub Staves took out Best NSW Beer for their Pale as well as Champion Draught Beer at the 2019 Sydney Royal Beer Awards, with Wayward claiming Champion Packaged Beer for their Raspberry Berliner Weisse.

Gimme Shelter

The buzzing beer scene in South West WA is to gain another new brewery, with construction work beginning this week on Shelter. We caught up with director and head brewer Jason Credaro to find out more.

Crafty Cabal Update – August 2019

Want to know what's new with The Crafty Cabal, our beer lovers bonus scheme? In short, plenty! We've got festival giveaways, exclusive events, new offers and more!

Behind Bars: Copper & Oak

The brothers behind Copper & Oak have been selling booze to the people of Perth for more than 15 years. Guy Southern called in for a chat to see what they make of the fast-changing beer scene that surrounds them.

Who Brews Frexi Beers?

They hail from France and Mexico, met in London and embarked on a trip through Europe and South East Asia sampling beers before landing in Melbourne. Now they've launched their first beers as Frexi Brewing, we got in touch.

The Besk Comes To Those Who Wait

It's taken rather longer than planned to get here and is a different beast to that originally envisaged by the founders, but ambitious Perth venue Besk is finally open. Guy Southern caught up with the team to find out more.

Crafty Dozen – August 2019

So, once again, it turns out we can't count as we've added thirteen more listings to the directory side of the site since our last roundup. Ah well, the beer world is expanding fast. Anyway, here's a bunch of beery businesses.

Crafty Crawls: Adelaide

Two years on from its original publication, we've updated our Crafty Crawl guide to Adelaide's pubs and bigger bars. We'll be updating our guide to the city's small bars soon too.

Going Green: Ocean Friendly Brews

What would it take for breweries to go plastic free in their tap rooms? Not much, apparently. We spoke to Surfrider to see how they've helped some of Australia's biggest craft brewers say no to single-use plastic.

FB*Propak new D2
Premium Machinery D2
Hawking No More

In less than five years, Hawkers and the brewery's CEO Mazen Hajjar have made quite the impact on the local beer industry. As they close one chapter of their story and start another, we caught up with him for a chat.

Our Man In NZ: The Yeast Starters

They've been mates since they were 12 and have brewed together for years. Now Simon Cooke and Ryan Carville are looking to change the NZ brewing industry via Froth Technologies.

Bodriggy Fire Up Their Brewery Home

It's taken longer than they planned, but the Bodriggy team are finally able to open their brewery to the public. And we're pretty sure visitors will judge it worth the wait as it's one of the most striking of its kind in the country.

Sydney's State of Brews Rises Again

When Sydney Beer Week collapsed earlier in the year, a few of the city's venues saw it as an opportunity. The first fruits of their partnership kicks off today as State of Brews launches as a standalone venture.

Crafty Crawls: Toowoomba

As the fifth Brewoomba approaches, we take a tour of the best beer spots in Toowoomba, the regional city that's welcomed two new breweries and another crafty venue in the past 12 months.

Who Brews BoJaK Beers?

The name is inspired by their two sons rather than the world's most depressed horse and they pour up to a dozen beers at their Dandenong brewpub. As they move into cans, we find out more about BoJaK Brewing.

Best New Beers Of 2019 – So Far

With so many beers released across Australia every week, there's arguably never been more need for a mid-year wrap of the best to date. So, which new releases have impressed the most in the first six months of 2019?

Modus Operandi: Five Years In Five Beers

Modus Operandi have reached their five year mark, and are showing no signs of slowing down. Mick Wust talks with owners Grant and Jaz Wearin about the five beers that have shaped Modus into the brewery it is today.

Brew & A: Sam Clayman

Sam Clayman loves the uncertainty of nature, from the biochemistry of snails to the distinct characteristics of different yeasts. Find out how the All Hands head brewer balances science and creativity in this Brew & A.

Who Brews Watsacowie Beers?

Half of Drew Coleman's heart is in rural South Australia; the other half is in northern Europe. See how both halves come together at Watsacowie Brewing in this entry in our Who Brews...? series.

Lallemand 1
Bintani- Updated Behind The Brew- E
CUB Bought By Asahi

AB InBev have announced they are to sell Australia's CUB to Asahi for $16 billion Australian dollars.

Crafty Crawls: Geelong

Unlike many of the previous Crafty Crawls we've run, this one requires you to cover a little more distance to complete. But it's worth the effort as Geelong's fledgling craft beer scene is becoming a fun one to explore.

The Collaborators: Rockstar Brewing

His trophy-winning brewing company BrewCult might have folded but Steve "Hendo" Henderson is now involved in making more beers than ever. We caught up with him to find out about his diverse Rockstar Brewer operation.

Small Batch

Batch are to open a second brewery to help meet demand. But instead of going bigger, their new site in Petersham is far smaller and will be dedicated to small batch brews, experimentation and refinement.

Royal Adelaide Beer Awards Winners 2019

Most of the trophies at the 2019 Royal Adelaide Beer, Cider & Spirit Awards are staying in SA. Prancing Pony, Woolshed and Pirate Life, each won multiple awards, while Smiling Samoyed's Dark Ale won Most Outstanding Beer again.

Capital Landing At Canberra Airport

Capital Brewing announced today they're to open a 12-tap bar at Canberra Airport. The news bookends a week in which Stomping Ground announced their own plans to build a brewpub at Melbourne Airport.

Behind Bars: Big Ears

Big Ears is one of the bars working hard to bring better beer - along with tasty meatballs - to the people of Geelong. Ainsley Killingback is chief beer proselytist and here tells us about Geelong's crafty credentials.

Billson's Brews From The Archives

The new owners of a brewery with a history stretching back a century-and-a-half are bringing old beers back to life. Already Billson's have released an ale and a stout with origins in the late 19th century with more to follow.

Aussie Beerstagrammers: Malt & Lead

Mark Gamble swapped London for Melbourne and has been working with local breweries in his role as a visual designer and art director. Here, he tells us about his approach to Instagram with his Malt & Lead account.

Melbourne Airport Lands A Brewery

Melbourne Airport is to get its own brewery, with Stomping Ground set to open their third venue there this coming summer. It's part of a revamp of the airport's offering designed to showcase Melbourne's food and drink scene.