News & Feature Stories
Crafty Crawls: South West WA Part II
In part two of our guide to the beer-soaked delights of the South West of WA, we head into the heart of the Margaret River region. There, amid the natural beauty, you find a wealth of small breweries and a passion for supporting local.
Latest News from The Crafty Cabal - February 2020
More than $5,000 in festival tickets, $1,500 worth of beer, one very cool event (with more to be confirmed soon) and more deals taking the total to 150 across Australia... There's new benefits aplenty for Crafty Cabalistas this month.
Golden Recovery
The efforts of the Australian beer community to support those affected by bushfires continue apace, with two fundraising beers released by brewers in Victoria and New South Wales this weekend.
Back To The Future - The Rise Of Small Festivals
There's a new breed of beer festival on the rise, one that combines elements of those from craft beer's earlier days with a more tightly-curated program of beers and brewers.
Who Brews Cooks River Beers?
The duo behind Cooks River were the second winners of Frenchies' Brewers Got Talent competition, which has enabled them to launch their brand. We caught up with Ben and Nathan to find out more.
Hawkers To Build A Brewery Bar
As they prepare to turn five, Hawkers are setting out to build a bar at their Reservoir home. The intention is to use the proposed 170-capacity venue to showcase more experimental releases.
Craft Beer Heroes: Doug Donelan
From fermenting pumpkins at home and homebrewing with his brother via Malt Shovel to heading up New Zealand Hops, Doug Donelan has lived his life in beer. We sat down with him as he starts looking forward to retirement.
Australia's First Airport Brewery Takes Off
The Stomping Ground brewpub at Melbourne Airport – Australia's first airport brewery – is up and running, with the first beer to go through the brewery their version of the Resilience Beer for bushfire relief.
From Oskar Blues To The Blue Mountains
He started brewing at Oskar Blues in Colorado before helping launch Modus Operandi as the Northern Beaches' brewery's first head brewer. Now you'll find DJ McCready and wife Harriet winning over locals in the Blue Mountains.
Founders First Take FogHorn To The Hunter
Founders First's rapid rise to prominence within the Australian beer industry continues this week with the purchase of Potters Brewery and Brasserie in the Hunter Valley, set to become a second home for FogHorn.
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Who Brews Boekamp Biers?
It can be tough to stand out in today's busy beer landscape but the duo behind Boekamp Bier in Hobart are offering something different. They're eschewing contemporary trends to focus on Bavarian lagers and wheat beers.
Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers Of 2019: The Interviews
While Garage Project and Panhead continue to fight it out for top spot, Jono Galuszka looked elsewhere for stories amid the 2019 results. Here, he chats to the folks behind Deep Creek, Duncan's and Maiden Brewing.
Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers Of 2019: Results & Analysis
Garage Project and Panhead continue their hold over the top spots in the GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers, with the latter's Supercharger moving back to top spot as their Wellington peers claim second and third.
Beer Travel: South Gippsland
It might be best known for its pinot noir, dairy industry and stunning coastlines but head to South Gippsland these days and you'll never be too far from a local brewery eager to share their wares.
Dusty Miner: Slayer Of Beers
He learned the art of brewing as a homebrewer alongside the Newcastle Uni students now at the helm of FogHorn and Hunter Beer Co. Since 2015, Stuart Duff has been brewing commercially too as Dusty Miner.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2019: The Countdown
The countdown for the twelfth GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers is done and dusted and Stone & Wood Pacific Ale is back on top. Here's the countdown and a bunch of H100 stats and talking points.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2019: Analysis
With the results of the 2019 Hottest 100 now confirmed, it's time for our annual deep dive to see what your votes tell us about the state of the local beer world.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2019: Infographic
Time to unveil our graphic designer's favourite job of the year: the annual GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Infographic. We've added some new sections this year as we head into outer space.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2019: The Results
The people have spoken and Pacific Ale is back on top of the pile. We chatted to the new team behind the Hottest 100 to see what they made of the 2019 countdown.
Who Brews Cattleyard Beers?
Cattleyard Brewing Co was launched to serve thirsty festival-goers at Grooving the Moo but, with JJ Baker at the helm, has taken on a life of its own. We caught up with JJ to find out more?
Territory Brews
With Purple Mango returning to brewing, the beer scene in the NT continues to grow. We got in touch with the owners of One Mile, Beaver and Alice Springs Brewing Co to see how they're travelling as the new decade starts.
Conspiring On A Home
After a long search, the team at CoConspirators have found a home in Brunswick. We caught up with all four of them to hear about the plans.
Behind Bars: Harts Pub At Ten
Inside a 130-year-old building in The Rocks, Harts Pub is a ten-year-old bar that's won the gratitude of Sydney beer drinkers and Australian independent breweries alike as one of the city's earliest adopters of craft beer.
Mornington Peninsula’s New Old Brewery
Less than eighteen months after selling the business to Tribe Breweries, Mornington Peninsula Brewery founder Matt Bebe is back where he started – and with a new brewery and distillery on the way too.
Open For Business
Many businesses in tourist regions have been impacted badly by the current fire season. Mat from CanBEERra has compiled a list of breweries and supporting retailers in the wider Canberra region open and eager for visitors.
Unfinished Mead Business
Having moved from beer writing to brewing, Willie Simpson is planning another change of tack as he turns 70: a return to mead. And kayaking. And sourdough baking. And astronomy. And...
Help From Afar
From Buenos Aires to Bethnal Green, people in all parts of the global beer community are doing their part in support of bushfire relief. Will Ziebell spoke to two people leading fundraising and awareness far from the fires.
Beer For Bushfire Relief Update
The response to the Beer For Bushfire Relief call out has been little short of remarkable with events launched in all parts of the country. Before the big day on Saturday, a quick update on where we're at.
Australian Resilience
The Resilience Beer project aiming to unite brewers and beer drinkers the world over in support of Australian bushfire relief is up and running. The recipe has been finalised and a website launched. Time to raise millions.
Who Brews Alchemy Beers?
Alchemy Brewing opened at the end of 2019, adding another option to Brunswick East's already impressive list of craft beer destinations. We caught up with the pair behind the brewery for our Who Brews...? series.
Resilience Brew For Bushfire Relief
As part of the local and international beer community's ongoing support for bushfire relief efforts, brewers in Australia and overseas are invited to join in a fundraising brew. Interested brewers can register now.
Beer For Bushfire Relief
The local beer industry has been rallying in support of those impacted by the unfolding bushfire crisis. On January 18, there will be fundraisers and special events taking place across the country.
Who Brews FICK Beers?
A couple who first launched a nanobrewery in Luxembourg have just opened FICK in the Brisbane suburb of Northgate. We called in to sample their European-influenced offering as they fired up their brew kit.
The Beers Of The 2010s
You've had 25 articles looking back to at the past decade in Aussie beer, so what harm is one more? Here, our writers look at some of the beers that have helped shape the beer landscape.
Through The Looking Glass III
After a hiatus in 2018 (for reasons I can't recall) we're back with our New Year's Day look ahead at what the future might hold for the local beer world: what to look out for and where we might be headed.
Best New Queensland Beers Of 2019
The beer industry in Queensland keeps growing and changing, and even the drinkers are changing. But the more things change, the more they stay the same: great beer came out of the Sunshine State again in 2019.
Best New ACT Beers Of 2019
It's been an up and down year for ACT's beer scene with the capital's big two continuing to kick goals and new brewing companies launching yet with Wig & Pen and Pact calling it a day. Here, we look at the best new beers of 2019.
Best New Tasmanian Beers Of 2019
The past decade has seen the number of brewing companies in Tasmania rise from just seven to nearly forty. Here, we take a look back at the past twelve months via the prism of the best new releases from the state's brewers.
Crafty's Advent Calendar
If you'd like to check out our look back at the 2010s in Advent Calendar form, here's all 25 entries gathered in one interactive PDF. Open it in Acrobat to see who's behind each door and click each one to be taken to that day's entry.
Best New SA Beers Of 2019
There are close to 70 brewing companies in SA now, and around 250 new beers were released in 2019. Matt King pulled together the thoughts of experts from across the state to compile our Best New SA Beers Of 2019 feature.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Phil Sexton
He kicked the contemporary craft beer scene in WA in the early 80s and recently announced his return to Matilda Bay on a mission to reclaim its lost iconic status. We close out of end-of-decade series with Phil Sexton.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Wheaty Jade
From within the four walls of a corner pub in Thebarton, Jade Flavell, her colleagues and staff have not just blazed a trail for beer and beer venues in Australia but inspired and influenced thousands too.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Will Feral
He was a crap sales rep but turned out to be a bloody good brewer and these days leads the weay for Feral following the WA brewery's sale to CCA. He's also a goose's best friend; on day 23 of our Advent Calendar it's Will Irving.
Best New Victorian Beers Of 2019
Whether you're hot for hazies or have a passion for the puckering, there was much to enjoy from Victorian brewers in 2019. Such beers dominate our list, joined by a couple of lagers and a rich stout.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Steve & Guy
They met across a St Kilda bar in the early years of the century and have gone on to help shape the local beer industry through venues, festivals, a brewing company and more. Behind door 22 are Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Kris Miles
From a bottleshop in Brisbane to hop-infused spirits in Melbourne then MONA and finally a pub and brewery, Kris Miles has taken on many roles in the local beer world. Here he is on day 21 of our end-of-decade Advent Calendar series.
Best New NSW Beers Of 2019
Fruit sours, hazybois, coffee beer, barrel-aged blends and breakfast in a glass... You'd never accuse this roundup of the best new beers from NSW brewers in 2019 of being boring.
Beers From Near & Far
It started in 2014 in the UK, when Jason Cameron saw there was no good Aussie beer on offer. He set about remedying the situation, then bringing beers the other way, and now has opened Near & Far to showcase them all in Fitzroy.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Mulga
The Northern Territory has a few local beers to call its own these days, but one man who's been working to bring flavour to NT drinkers for almost two decades is Matt Mulga, who now runs three crafty bars in Alice and Darwin.
Crafty's Advent Calendar: Sam Füss
If you've been involved in the local beer industry over the past decade or two, you'll have a story or three to tell involving Sam Füss. The multiple trophy-winning brewer from Philter joins us for day 19 of out Advent Calendar.
