News & Feature Stories
Who Brews Coastal Beers?
After more than two decades spent in globe-trotting corporate careers, you'd think most people would head to the coast for a quiet life. Not so Helen and David Black. As their Forster based brewery approaches it's first birthday, we find out why.
Ken Arrowsmith: From Emu Tinnies to AIBA Trophies
One of the biggest stories to emerge from Australia's biggest beer competition was the success for Beerland Brewing, which operates two brewpubs in Perth. Its head brewer is a man with 40 years experience and his face on cans of Emu Bitter.
Our Man In NZ: Craftwork Brewery
Wizards, a tumble dryer, Belgian-inspired ales, porno beer, the tiniest of tasting rooms and a dark lord... Our Man In NZ heads to Craftwork Brewery and falls under the spell of Michael O'Brien and Lee-Ann Scotti.
Winds Of Change At Akasha
The Akasha Brewing Company announced publicly today that it has undergone a change in ownership – with employees among the new owners.
Brewing By Design
There's been no shortage of new breweries opening in and around Brisbane in recent years. But, with its Scandinavian influences and no core range policy, Range Brewing looks set to stand out from the crowd, as Mick Wüst discovers.
Australian International Beer Awards Winners 2018
It was an eclectic collection of winners at the 2018 Australian International Beer Awards, with WA's Beerland taking out Champion Australian Beer and other major trophies for Mountain Goat, Green Beacon, Black Hops, Fixation, Brownstone, Philter and even one of our own.
Behind Bars: Refuge Small Bar
Refuge Small Bar is one of the finest looking beer bars you'll find anywhere in Australia. We caught up with the Subiaco venue's owners to find out where they think the local beer scene is headed as part of our Behind Bars series.
Wild And Wise
Jaega Wise from Wild Card is one of the London brewers appearing in Melbourne as part of Good Beer Week's Good Beer Mates program. We caught up with the brewer-singer-campaigner-presenter-van driver-chemical engineer at her Walthamstow home.
The Big Issue: Sexism
Typically, it's overtly sexist labels or crude marketing that brings the beer world's relationship with women into the spotlight. But, as Marie Claire Jarratt finds, there's a more permanent and insidious form of sexism affecting women every day.
GABS Champs: Where Are They Now?
The winner of the GABS People's Choice tends to attract a fair amount of attention each year. But what becomes of those festival beers once the hype has died down? We chatted to the past five winners to find out more.
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Crafty Crawls: The 86 Tram Pt II
As promised, here's part two of our reworked 86 tram Crafty Crawl. This one starts in Clifton Hill and heads north to Thornbury with many and varied places to check out along the way.
From Canvas to Can
If you head to the Good Beer Week Festival Hub as it launches this weekend, you might stumble across a State Of Origin battle between two artists. You can vote for your favourite piece, which Moo Brew will then put on cans before the festival is over.
Designed Seal Delivered
The Independent Brewers Association has followed the example of peers in the US and UK and launched an seal with which brewers and their supporters can declare their support for local, independent beer.
The Big Issue: Ownership Revisited
Back in 2015, we looked at brewing company ownership, which was becoming a topic for regular discussion in the industry. Now, following a slew of acquisitions last year and with the launch of an independence seal, we take another deep dive.
Around The Blend
There will be many new beers launched at Good Beer Week and GABS next week, but none quite like Woods Of The North: it's a blend of barrel aged beers from five Australian brewers. We chatted to two of the brewers involved about the art of blending.
Crafty Dozen – May 2018
It's time for another roundup of the latest dozen new listings added to our directory. Here it's all brewing companies and beer bars, from Brisbane to Belmont, Perth to the Peninsula and more besides.
Crafty Crawls: The 86 Tram Pt I
We kicked off our Crafty Crawls series of guides to Australia's best beer venues, grouped by their proximity and easily navigable by foot, bike or public transport, with the 86 tram. Two years on, there's so much more to find, it's now a two-parter.
The Good Beer Run
On May 13, one man and his supporters will be taking the "Good" in Good Beer Week to another level. Steven Blaine is hosting the inaugural Good Beer Run to raise money for the fight against Huntington's Disease, inspired by hi mum Lenore.
Big Budget Bonus For Brewers
Friday knockoff beers for small brewers and their supporters will taste a whole lot better this week after the Government announced proposals in next week's Budget that could save them tens of thousands of dollars in excise tax each year.
World Beer Cup Winners 2018
James Squire, Nail and BentSpoke all won medals at the prestigious World Beer Cup in Nashville today (or last night US time). Will Ziebell caught up with Nail's John Stallwood as he knocked back a celebratory VPA.
New Boys Buy Brewboys
Now a decade old, Brewboys is very much a stalwart of the SA craft beer scene. And it's got new owners now, who plan to breathe new life into the business while retaining the beers and recipes upon which its reputation has been built.
Brew & A: Pizey
A decade ago, he was offered the chance to help out at Bootleg Brewery by a couple of mates from his cricket team. Now head brewer and celebrating a decade at the WA legend, Ryan "Pizey" Nilsson-Linne tells all as part of our Brew & A series.
Who Is Adelaide's Suburban Brewer?
He started sharing his homebrew with neighbours in a bid to get to know them better and they were so well received Tony Dichiera decided to test the water commercially. We find out more about Adelaide-based gypsy operation The Suburban Brew.
Aussie Exports: Craig Thorn of BAOS
He's a hip hop artist who runs a Canadian beer podcast, YouTube channel and writes about beer too. But, before that, Craig Thorn was in Melbourne drinking macro lagers and feeling fancy. Now, as part of our Aussie Exports series, he tells us how that all changed.
Beer Nuts: Ben Costin
At Brewsvegas 2018, the inaugural running of the Brewniverse Pageant took place. The aim was to crown a beer king or queen of Brisbane and the winner was Ben Costin. We find out more about him as part of our Beer Nuts series.
Royal Blood's Capital Connection
High flying UK rockers Royal Blood are heading to Australia for Groovin The Moo. And they've created their own beer too. Thanks to a friendship with one of Capital Brewing's owners, they've created Royal Brew, a blood orange IPA.
Howzat! 4 Pines Hits The SCG
New partnerships that would have been unthinkable a few years ago continued to be forged. 4 Pines has followed its deal with Manly Ferries by creating its own bar at the SCG, while Newstead will have its beers served on Queensland's long distance trains.
Behind Bars: Monkey Bar Dubbo
He went from a first experience of craft beer at the Grain Store in Newcastle to documenting a year of beer online and now, along with wife Cass, Tim Smith is helping build the beer scene in Dubbo.
Starting A Brewery: If I Could Turn Back Time
There's a wealth of knowledge in the Australian beer world today and plenty of people starting their own brewing companies too. We approached the owners of ten brewing companies to find out what they would tell themselves if they were starting again.
BrewCon 2018 Program Announced
There's a new name, new location, new categories and new entries for this year's craft brewers conference and craft beer awards. Now called BrewCon and The Indies, they take place in Sydney in June and the program and tickets are out now.
Ten Years Of Seven Sheds, A Lifetime Of Beer
Tasmanian brewery Seven Sheds marks ten years this month. Its co-founder Willie Simpson has been a central figure in Australian beer for far longer, so Bert "Storyteller" Spinks caught up with him and a former pupil to reflect on a life in beer.
Crafty Cabal Update - April 2018
Another month gone, another update from The Crafty Cabal, our beer lovers bonus scheme. We've got a new competition featuring Blizzard Brewing's beers plus new offers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Beer Travel: Yarra Valley
The region might still be best known for wine but today the Yarra Valley offers visits a plethora of food and drink options. It's home to a growing number of breweries and venues where you'll find a few crafties too, so here's our guide to finding grain amid the grapes.
The Collaborators: Clint Weaver
The Collaborators is the series in which we shine a spotlight on people and businesses working in tandem with the craft beer world. Here, we meet a designer whose work adorns beer magazines, cans, decals and even a pub.
Hops From On High
Increasing numbers of brewers and beer lovers with a bit of land are trying their hand at growing hops, among them the duo behind Southern Highland Brewing Co. After a successful second harvest, they've just put out the first harvest ale brewed with locally grown hops.
A Beer Drinker's Guide To The Commonwealth Games
With the Commonwealth Games in full swing and the Gold Coast home to much in the way of great beer, expat Kiwi Steffan Paton serves up his first article for The Crafty Pint.
Going Green: 24 Hour Power
In the second article in an occasional series looking at sustainable practices in brewing, Will Ziebell looks at the growing use of batteries to allow breweries to become less reliant on the grid.
Who Brews At Deepwater?
He's got a strong track record when it comes to bringing good beer to places where there was little to be found. And now former Archive and The Park Werribee man, Isaac Zietek, has joined his father-in-law to bring beer to the people of NSW's Northern Tablelands.
"Catastrophic" Fire Hits Major Australian Hop Grower
A "catastrophic" fire has caused devastating damage at Ellerslie Hop, one of the largest hop growing operations in Australia. The fourth generation family business has lost its major processing equipment, sheds and the majority of its 2018 crop.
Crafty Crawls: The 19 Tram
Two years on from launching our Crafty Crawl series with a tour along Melbourne's iconic 86 tram route, we're hopping about PT again. This time, it's the turn of the city's 19 tram, from Coburg to the CBD and taking in the vibes of Brunswick's Sydney Road.
More Sweet, Sweet Amber
The evolution of Adelaide's Sweet Amber continues. The Brew Café initially spawned a brewing arm with beers brewed under license at Barossa Valley but now operates its own microbrewery and second venue in Regency Park. Matt King dropped in.
Semi-Pro. But Not Half-Arsed
From a meeting at a beer festival to the need to find a name for a Brewsvegas competition via gypsy brewing at various Queensland locations to finally opening their own brewery in Brisbane, the Semi-Pro story is a classic "figure it out as we go" one, as Mick Wust discovers.
Beer Travel: Christchurch
For a city with an extensive brewing history, Christchurch breweries are not as prominent in beer drinkers’ thoughts as those from Wellington and Auckland. But Our Man in New Zealand, Jono Galuszka, found a beer culture comfortable in its own skin.
From Rhineland To Richmond
He was winning awards for his beers before he was legally allowed to buy one before setting off to learn to brew in Germany – and trying to shake things up with his own brewing company. Now back in Australia, at the helm of Melbourne's Burnley Brewing, we catch up with Michael Stanzel.
Aussie Exports: Cristal Peck – Parasite Produktions
If you picked up some cans of Wolf Of The Willow's third Acidulus release, you've experienced a little bit of Berlin's Parasite Produktions. Formed by an American-Australian couple and focused on experimenting with booze, here's the Aussie half, Cristal Peck, to tell us more.
Who Brews Froth Beers?
Exmouth is a place better known for tourism than local beer, but two breweries in the coastal town are changing that. Last year we caught up with Whalebone Brewing and now it's the turn of Ningaloo Coast's other brewery: Froth Craft Beer.
The Educators: Being Better At Beer
As the beer world becomes ever more diverse – not to mention competitive – there's an ever greater need for education throughout the industry. Nick Oscilowski speaks to those involved in providing education plus a brewery that's reaped the rewards of education.
Going Green: Sustainable Brewing
Brewing is, by its nature, an industry that's high on consumption – and we don't just mean in terms of beer drinking. Here, we kick off a new series, Going Green, that looks at sustainable practices within the Australian beer industry.
Podcast People: Beer Sucks
Beer Sucks is a podcast run by three characters from the WA beer community: Tim Hoskins from Black Brewing, Adam Lesk from Cellarbrations Carlisle and Brendan Day from Cheeky Monkey. We find out more about the inspiration behind their off-the-wall show.
QLD Govt Launches Craft Brewing Strategy
As the fifth Brewsvegas draws to a close, Queensland brewers have been given a boost by the state government with the announcement that a Queensland Craft Brewing Strategy will be drawn up to help the industry's expansion.
