News & Feature Stories
Sip, Speak, Repeat... Taking To The Soapbox
As Felons launches on Brisbane's river edge and with Soapbox and Stone & Wood coming to Fortitude Valley in the coming weeks, Mick Wust caught up with all three brewers and found them all keen to shout loud about the local beer scene.
WA's Brewers Birth A Collabosaurus
Of all the states in the country, it seems none is home to as many people keen to collaborate as WA. And now that passion has been taken to the next level by the crew at Petition, who've created no less than 15 collab beers for WA Beer Week.
The Beer Festival Six-Pack
As beer festival season hots up, we chat to the BeerFest team running no less than six major events across the country to find out more about the people behind the festivals and how they're navigating an increasingly busy market.
Who Brews Forktree Beers?
It turns out turning an old shearing shed into a brewery can take a fair old while. But with all approvals finally signed off this month and guests now welcome at Forktree Brewery, we got in touch with founder Ben Hatcher to find out more.
Where Next For The Wig & Pen?
In June 2019, Canberra's Wig & Pen will turn 25. But, following its owners decision to sell, it's likely a new chapter will be underway in the brewery's tale. We chatted to Lachie McOmish about his decision and hopes for the future.
SA's Beer Industry Pays Tribute To Marco Bona
Marco Bona, the founder of Libation Army and a hugely popular figure in the SA beer scene passed away suddenly recently. The local beer industry has come together to create Marco Hour in support of his family.
Crafty Crawls: Freo – South & North
Back in November 2016, we published a Crafty Crawl guide to the best beer venues in Freo. As the scene there continues to grow, we return to take in venues both south and north of the city's bustling tourist-friendly heart.
Victorian Heritage
Bad Shepherd have plundered a bit of local brewing history in creating their new Victoria Pale Ale. It features the historic Melbourne Ale Yeast, brought back to life recently but dating back to the late 19th century.
Sydney – A Winning Perspective
At this year's Sydney Beer Week awards, two local businesses took out two trophies. We spoke to the man behind Akasha and Dylan Hayes, barman at Bitter Phew, about their triumph and the changing landscape for beer in the city.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Mid-Strengths
Following our article on the golden age of mid-strengths, we gathered a panel to assess more than 20 available around Australia for our latest blind tasting. So who came out on top...?
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Good Beer Week & The IBA Become One
The country's leading beer week and the national body representing Australia's independent brewers have today announced they are to merge with both parties confident the move will help both achieve more in the future.
Solid Philosophy
As the number of breweries dotted along the South Coast of New South Wales starts to swell, the splendid little seaside town of Gerringong is the latest to get one of its own following the opening of Stoic Brewing.
Craft Beer Heroes: Newstead, The Mill & Brewski At 5
Three of the key players in Brisbane's burgeoning beer scene in recent years all turn five as 2018 draws to a close. We caught up with the founders of Newstead Brewing, The Mill and Brewski to look back, forward and ask who'd win in a fight.
Who Brews Left Barrel Beers?
Brad Bown is on a mission to bring more farmhouse style beers to the Australian beer scene from his brewery home in the Adelaide Hills. Matt King caught up with him to find out more for our Who Brews...? series.
GABS Heads To Brisbane
The travelling circus that is GABS is adding another stop to its itinerary in 2019 when it heads to Brisbane for the first time.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Slybeer
As Sydney Beer Week 2018 heads into its final weekend, Guy Southern puts the focus on one of the city's best Beerstagrammers for the latest in his series. This time around, it's slybeer AKA Jakkii Musgrave, in the hot seat.
Going Green: Carbon Reduction
Brewing beer is intensive in many ways, from the amount of energy required to the use of water. Hannah Louise Grugel caught up with the team at Batch to find out how they're working to be a more sustainable brewery.
The Big Issue: Drinking
Working with beer is a dream job: free-flowing deliciousness, fun people and cool places. But alcohol is also a poison and working long or odd hours and being surrounded by beer poses challenges too.
Help Us Get Blind: Mid-Strengths
Following our Golden Age Of Mids? feature, we're bringing our blind tastings out of hibernation to see who's doing such beers the best. We're getting a panel together in early November and want your help picking the lineup.
From The Pacific To The Forest
The man who created the most successful Aussie craft beer of the past decade has been back on the tools. Stone & Wood co-founder Brad Rogers has returned to hands-on brewing with the launch of the new farmhouse range Forest For The Trees.
Crafty Crawls: The Breweries Of Marrickville
Two years on from publishing our Crafty Crawl guide to Sydney's Inner West, things have grown so fast we're having to revisit it. Here's a new hyper-local one focused on Marrickville with a broader Crafty Sprawl to follow.
Sowing The Seeds Of Hemp Beer
Young Henrys become the latest brewery to launch a hemp beer following law changes in Australia last year. We spoke to brewers using hemp as well as the researchers helping them get the flavours and aromas into their beers.
The Golden Age Of Mids?
There's never been a better time to be in the market for a lower alcohol beer. But why is that? And is demand growing as fast as the quality new releases? We speak to brewers and retailers to find out whether it's the golden age of mids.
Free To Brew What We Want
Greater awareness around coeliac disease and gluten intolerance is leading to more GF products hitting the market, including beers. As a new gluten free brewery in Victoria nears opening, we find out more from brewers and researchers.
Forrest Fells New Ground
Otways brewery Forrest has unveiled ambitious plans for the future. The brother and sister team behind the brewery have secured $1.49m in government funding and plan to create a large brewery and venue in a historic timber mill.
The Patron of Footscray
In one of the more unusual collaborations of recent times, Hop Nation is releasing a new beer created with the Footscray Historical Society. The Patron is a mid-strength featuring the image of one of the suburb's past industrial leaders.
Podcast People: Sessionable
Sessionable is one of the longest running beer podcasts in Australia, hosted by a team of Sydney based beer lovers and movers and shakers. Ahead of their events at Sydney Beer Week, we fired them some questions to find out more.
The Collaborators: Provenance Flour And Malt
Provenance Flour And Malt works with farmers using regenerative techniques to supply single source flour and malt to Australian producers. Hannah Louise Grugel spoke to founder John Campbell and one of the brewers using his malt.
Bigger Business
We've made some additions to The Crafty Pint Business Directory, both in terms of featured businesses and new categories too. It's part of our ongoing mission to create a one-stop-shop resource for the local craft beer industry.
Craft Beer Heroes: Chicks With Ales
At this year's Beeries, the Gold Beery for Best Community Contributor went to Chicks With Ales, a group for beer loving women. We caught up with brewer, microbiologist and former pro basketballer Kerry Claydon to find out more.
Spirituous Away
The rise of craft brewers and distillers is creating ever more chances for cross-pollination. As Wolf of the Willows launches its Barrel Exchange Program with Lark, we speak to them as well as the small Gippsland operation blending boozes in house.
The Story Of: Hop Hog At Ten
When the story of this crazy period in Australia's beer history comes to be told, there will be a special place for Feral and its flagship beer, Hop Hog. As the beer turns ten, we go back in time with the two men behind it.
The Winemaker, The Chef & The Brewer
Victor's Place is a brewery, winery and kitchen that represents the realisation of a dream for three mates. Matt King called into the rustic McLaren Vale venue to catch up with one of the owners to find out more.
Beer Travel: Another Belgium
Belgian beer culture is deservedly held in the highest regard by beer lovers the world over. Many of its classic breweries are household names, but what of the younger, newer wave? Bert Spinks goes searching for another Belgium.
Time For Change At Rocks
A change in ownership structure at Rocks Brewing in Sydney will see the Alexandria brewery and venue evolve into the Bourke Road Brewhouse in the coming months.
Crafty Cabal Update - October 2018
Keen to get your hands on free festival tickets, cases of Philter's beers, free brewery tours, tasting paddles galore and invites to exclusive events? Then you need to check out the latest update for Crafty supporters.
Our Man In NZ: Liberty Brewing
Liberty Brewing is one of the brightest stars in the New Zealand beer scene and has recently started brewing some of its beers in Melbourne for the Aussie market. Jono Galuszka called in on founder Joe Wood to see what makes him tick.
Who Brews Heroes & Villains?
Inspired by Queens Of The Stone Age, long-term homebrewer and erstwhile salesy Shannon Mizen has launched Heroes and Villains on a brewery out the back of a Swan Valley winery. Guy Southern got in touch to find out more.
Advancing Beer Education
Matt Marinich has been one of the leaders when it comes to education in the Australian beer world for years. And this month, he's become an Advanced Cicerone, the first in Australia – and, indeed, the Southern Hemisphere.
Crafty Crawls: Hobart – The Venues
Whether it's classic pubs with great beer on tap, sparkling new brewpubs, journeys into beer's past or brewing by the waterfront, there's plenty to enjoy in Hobart these days. In our updated Crafty Crawl, part one takes in the city's beer venues.
Australian Beer Festivals 2018/19
For beer lovers, there's never been more opportunity to enjoy beer in the company of thousands with all manner of beer festivals taking place across the country. Here's our guide to where and when to find them.
Crafty Dozen – September 2018
It's that time again... We've added another dozen new breweries, bars and bottleshops to the Crafty directory since our last update so here they are in case you missed them first time around, covering the south of WA to the north of Brisbane.
Who Brews Bucket Beers?
They're bringing local beer to the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, brew in an old powerstation overlooking a river and their name has one heck of a convoluted backstory involving kids and dogs. Meet Bucket Brewery.
Festive Adventage
Since their debut in Australia just a handful of years ago, beer-filled advent calendars have become remarkably popular, with thousands expected to be sold this year. Will Ziebell spoke to some of the people putting them together.
Behind Bars: Hopheads
Back in the early days of The Crafty Pint, Adrian Chong was one of the keenest beer lovers we'd see at events across Melbourne. Since then, he's opened craft beer bars in Malaysia and recently added a second Hopheads in Melbourne's west.
Beeries Winners 2018
The wider Brisbane beer community came together last night for the annual celebration going by the name The Beeries. There were popular wins aplenty on a night Cameron Dick MP was christened the "Minister for Craft Beer".
Good Drinking For Gage Roads
Gage Roads is putting of its brands, both those developed in house and those they've acquired, under the new Good Drinks Australia umbrella and looks set to continue to build a family of drinks brands like Tribe and Fermentum.
Brew & A: The Gold Coast Pioneers
Long before the Gold Coast became a hotbed of world class beer, a couple with young kids jacked in their jobs and built a brewery there. Eleven years on, we got back to the beginning and beyond with Peta and Brennan of Burleigh Brewing.
Aussie Beerstagrammers: Blue Doors
For the second in our series focusing on Australia's most avid and creative beer-focused Instagram accounts, Guy Southern chats to Bryn Price, the photographer behind Blue Doors.
Beer Springs In Alice
The challenges of establishing a craft beer scene in the Northern Territory are greater than any other region of Australia. But the past few years have seen one start to take shape, with Alice Springs Brewing Co the latest addition.
