News & Feature Stories
From Backyard Brews To The Real Deal
The team at Margaret River Brewhouse launched their Backyard Brewing Tournament as a means of staying connected to their homebrewing roots. Little did they know it would help launch the brewing careers of others.
Who Brews Middle Island Beers?
Middle Island isn't as well known as some of Victoria's other coastal outposts but for Warrnambool locals, it holds a special place in their hearts. Middle Island Brewing Co is a new brewing company launched by a group of locals who want to put their island and region on the map for craft beer drinkers.
Philter: Five Years In Five Beers
Philter may only just turned five but somehow it feels like the brewing company has been part of the craft beer industry for longer. We caught up with two of the Sydney outfit's founders to walk us through their first five years in five beers.
Aussies Win Big At US Awards
It's been a big week for Australian brewers and designers, with many claiming awards at the World Beer Cup and the Craft Beer Marketing Awards. We spoke to some of those celebrating adding to their trophy cabinets.
The Collaborators: Mogwai Labs
Wollongong and surrounds already have a vibrant local beer scene; now adding to its crafty credentials is a new liquid yeast manufacturer, Mogwai Labs. We spoke to founder Josh Allen about foraging yeast and his plans for the business.
The GABSiest GABS Yet?
With the GABS 2022 season mere days away, we spoke to main man Mike about pulling it all together, then attempted to navigate our way through what must be the zaniest festival beer lineup to date.
Melbourne To Gain An Alcohol-Free Taproom
We've regularly covered the rise of non-alc beer, and while Monceau Co's main focus is kombucha their story mirrors that of many craft breweries. As they announce a Brunswick taproom, we spoke to the owners about their plans.
Molly Rose's Grand Designs
Molly Rose are working on plans that will allow them to take their collaborations with winemakers and chefs to a new level. We caught up with founder Nic Sandery to hear what he's been cooking up at his Collingwood home.
Who Brews Merino Beers?
Merino Brewery clearly take great pride in their region, putting its pioneering role in the Australian wool industry at the forefront of their business since opening in February. We caught up with them to find out Who Brews Merino beers?
GABS: Making A Stand
Brewery stalls at festivals have gone from spill-spattered trestle tables to interactive experiences as brewers look to cut through the noise. Ahead of the first GABS of 2022, we asked 2021's Best in Show winners how they made a stand.
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The Disposable Hero Of Hopocrisy
He's been working in beer and hospo for more than three decades, has sold more beer than most Australians, and now finally has one of his own. We caught up with one of Melbourne's best known faces in beer to find out more.
Find All The Good Beer With Crafty!
With travel on the cards again and venues getting back somewhere close to normality, we’ve been creating the most comprehensive guide to good beer in Australia. Now we're calling on you to make sure there's nothing we've missed.
Young Henrys: Ten Lessons From Ten Years
Young Henrys have brewed so many collaborations, sponsored so many events, and sold beer at so many gigs you'd be forgiven for thinking they're older than ten. As they mark that milestone, they share some of the lessons learned.
Craft Beer & Blood: Meet Deathmatch Downunder
Fluorescent lights exploding on people's heads. Chairs wrapped in barbed wire being thrashed across blood-flecked backs. And a sweaty man in not a lot of lycra drinking a lager from The Albert Brewery. Meet Deathmatch Downunder.
Watch The High County Hop Technical Symposium
Once the party was done and dusted on the Saturday of The High Country Hop, industry figures gathered for the Bintani Technical Symposium at Beechworth Town Hall. Now you can catch up on the presentations.
Who Brews at Principle Brewing?
How do you focus on both quality of your beer and the local community? How do you both fit in with other breweries and stand out from the crowd? You follow your principles. Meet the team at Principle Brewing in another Who Brews...?
Follow The Brightstar
After years spent working overseas and soaking up the beer cultures of Germany and New England, Gareth and Megan Parker have opened their dream brewery. We called in to check out the shiny new Brightstar in Adelaide.
Capital Claim Carbon First As Aussies Brew A Greener Future
A number of Australian brewers are leading the way when it comes to sustainability, with Capital becoming the first Climate Active certified carbon neutral brewery, Rocky Ridge and Big Shed winning sustainability awards, and others going carbon neutral too.
Who Brews Brew Mountains Beers?
Watching his grandad brew fired a lifelong fascination with brewing for Craig Talbot, so he quit the commuting life to launch Brew Mountains. We invited him to take part in our long-running Who Brews...? series to find out more.
The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre Is Democracy Manifest
Hawke's Brewing have opened their brewery venue in Marrickville. Or to be more accurate, they've opened The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre, a place that's less taproom, more a time capsule of not just of another era but another mindset.
Australians Brew For Ukraine
As war in Ukraine continues, local brewers are rallying in support. Prancing Pony, Barossa Valley Brewing and Route 9 Distillery brewed a collab this week, while Dangerous Ales are releasing their Ukrainian Imperial Stout today.
Biotransformation: Where Hops & Yeast Meet
Many fans of hoppy beers will have enjoyed the fruits of Sam Bethune's labour from his days at Fixation. These days, he's with ingredients supplier Bintani where he's been experimenting ahead of the 2022 High Country Hop.
Who Brews Welcome Swallow Beers?
Welcome Swallow brew in the heart of Tasmania's hop country – the realisation of a long-held dream of a local farmer and his mate. With the hop harvest underway, we invited them to take part in our long-running Who Brews? series.
One Drop Look To Clean Up
One Drop are a brewery that frequently experiment with beer ingredients and styles but it's their latest process that has the Sydney outfit most excited. They've been trialling a process they call Clean Fusion, which they say not only gets the most out of their hops but solves a number of technical issues too.
Grassy Knoll Become The New Seekers
A new brewery is set to open in the Gong this weekend, except it's not quite new. Seeker Brewing sees Grassy Knoll founder Jeff Argent take over the space that previously housed Bulli Brewing for a new joint venture.
Who Brews At Broulee Brewhouse?
The need for a community space in Broulee was brought to a head by the Black Saturday fires of 2019/20. So, over a few games of tennis, two couples decided to make it happen and, late last year, Broulee Brewhouse was born.
Fundraiser Launched For Wags' Family
A GoFundMe has been launched to support the family of Mark "Wags" Wagthorne, the much-loved beer world character who passed away from cancer at the age of just 44 last week.
Bionic Beer Builds Bionic Arms
At its core, brewing is a manufacturing process but Ocean Reach's Bionic IPA shows how local breweries can change lives for the better. The brewers have partnered with Free 3D Hands to help develop bionic arms at an affordable price.
Vale Wags
Tributes have been pouring in following the sad news that one of the most popular figures in the local beer world, Mark "Wags" Waghorne, has passed away after a years-long battle with cancer. We spoke to some of those who worked with and knew him.
Fourteen Years Of Fresh Hop Beers
The hop harvest is underway in Australia, which means fresh hop beers are on their way. One brewery has been brewing them longer than most: Bridge Road Brewers, so we chatted to co-owner Ben Kraus about 14 years of harvest ales.
Who Brews Txoko Beers?
From a small takeaway pizza joint to a farm-brewery with an eye on a future filled with organic ingredients and wild ales, family-run Txoko has come a long way since homebrewing son started sharing his beers with his dad.
BecauseWeCAN Vol.6: Sour Power
There's little in beer as divisive as sours: often people love ‘em or can’t bloody stand ‘em in any way, shape or form. So, for the sixth edition of BecauseWeCAN we tackle three of the kookier offerings to hit stores over summer.
Two Mates Launch Fundraiser Following Devastating Floods
Lismore's Two Mates have been heavily impacted by NSW's devastating floods. To help them rebuild, they've set up a GoFundMe. We spoke to co-founder Andrew Newtown to find out about the last week and their determination to move forward.
Tassie's T-Bone Take A Big Bite
T-Bone built their brewpub largely to focus on keg beer but the success of their cans has seen them struggle to meet demand. That's set to change in the near future, however, with work underway on a new production facility.
Jan Bruckner: A Life In Brewing
For three decades, Last Drop Brewery has been serving traditional beers to WA's beer lovers and for the vast majority of that time, Jan Bruckner has been at the helm. As he marks 30 years in Australia, we reflect on a life in beer.
Breaking The Bias
The theme of International Women's Day 2022 is #breakthebias. In this article, MC Jarratt speaks to some of the people doing just that in the beer industry about their experiences and how others can follow suit.
Who Brews As The Boys?
From embarking on a project to stay sane during COVID to dreams of brewing with Shaq, we get the lowdown on The Boys and Scott Wyatt and Tim French's brewing journey in this instalment of Who Brews...?
Matilda Bay Roll Out The Rejects
By the time Matilda Bay released their first new beer following the return of founder Phil Sexton, they'd tipped 27 trial batches down the drain. Now they're offering drinkers a chance to try four of the beers that didn't quite make the grade.
24 Hour Barley People
They've brewed barleywines and plenty of double digit ABV beers before, but never anything like this. In what's likely to be an Aussie first, Rocky Ridge have created a 24-hour boil beer to see how far they can push a local farmer's pale malt.
Alright, Alright, Alriiight! How Mr Banks Lost The Mr
Mr Banks recently rebranded, dropping the "Mr" from their name, but the story behind the name change is a wild ride involving brewery co-founder Chris Farmer's love for puns and one of America's most famous actors.
How Good Is Pint Of Origin?!?
There's precious little good news around at the minute, so let's try this: Pint of Origin is going ahead in Melbourne this May. With Good Beer Week cancelled for 2022, we've rallied with the #poo22 venues and are going bigger than ever!
Stomping Ground Enjoy More Awards Success In Queensland
Stomping Ground enjoyed another fine beer awards today, claiming Grand Champion Beer in Queensland. There were big wins for Ballistic, Black Hops, Felons and Moffat Beach, with the last of these claiming another swag of trophies.
Batch Buy Bucket Boys
Batch Brewing Co have acquired Bucket Boys. They will transition the latter's Darling Square venue into a Batch outpost in Sydney's CBD, with Bucket Boys Marrickville and its related online store retaining the existing name.
An Alliance Forms In The South West
South West WA has long been home to one of Australia's most vibrant craft brewing scenes. And now many of the region's brewers have come together to form an Alliance with the aim of achieving even more as a collective.
Behind Bars: Miles Hull
It's more than two decades since Miles Hull was brought in as GM of a new brewery in Freo called Little Creatures. With his latest hospo venture, Ruinbar, now open in Perth, we sat down for a chat about the evolving beer scene.
Floods Hit The Breweries Of SEQ And Beyond
The floods in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales have caused all kinds of devastation. Here are some of the beer businesses that have been affected.
Dr Benny's Crafty Fixes: Homebrand Beers
With major retailers stocking more of their own crafty-looking brands, how does a passionate indie beer lover encourage their mates to support local brewers rather than stocking up on homebrand offerings?
Breheny Bros Bring Aussie Brewing History Back To Life
The "most influential family in Australian brewing history" is making beer again – from 100-year-old recipes. We got in touch with the team at Breheny Bros to find out about their plans.
Brew & A: Rhys Lopez
At the end of 2021, our WA team chose Otherside as the state's standout brewery of the year. We figured that was a great excuse to invite head brewer Rhys Lopez to take us on a tour through his life in beer and beyond.
Who Brews at Auckland House?
What's green on one side, blue on the other, and shiny and pastel in the middle? Auckland House, that's what. Meet brewer Cam McMillan and hear the story of Gladstone's first microbrewery in this instalment of Who Brews...?
