US
Best New Queensland Beers of 2016
As we near the end of the year, we head to Queensland for another look back at the best new beers released in 2016. The result is a list containing debut beers, fruit, barrels and much more besides.
Best New NSW Beers Of 2016
We reach the midway point in our Best New Beers review with a look back at the year in NSW. It features almost entirely younger operations from the state, plus a few beers that may have snuck out in 2015 but hit the big time in 2016.
Show Us Your Stats
The Craft Beer Industry Association is hoping that this year's annual survey of Australian craft brewers will be the biggest yet, providing data to help them improve and grow the industry. The survey closes on December 16.
The Crafty Dozen – November 2016 Mk II
As suspected, we've had such a flurry of new brewery, venue and bottleshop listings to add to the site in the past few weeks that we've got a second dozen to round up before November is out. Here they are...
Crafty Crawls: Freo Beer-Ho!
The Fremantle BeerFest returns in a few days at the start of the 2016 WA Beer Week. So what better time to run a Crafty Crawl on the place where the modern Australian craft beer world was spawned. Graham Frizzell took a tour of his old stomping ground.
Aussie Exports: Tracy Gan
Our Aussie Exports series has so far featured Australians who have gone overseas and are working in beer. This month, we change tack slightly to bring you Tracy Gan, a Hong Kong native by way of Queensland who now spends her days importing Aussie beers to her craft beer store. Literal Aussie Exports, if you will.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Saison Revisited
It's a style that's much loved at Crafty Towers and a favourite of many brewers, as well as one that's broad and complex. So, 40 months on from last time, we assembled another blind tasting panel to assess a lineup of saisons.
Cabal Update – 07.10.16
In this update from The Crafty Pint's beer lovers bonus scheme, we prepare to ramp things up in WA, announce winners, launch new prizes and unveil the latest new offers to go live around the country.
Bridge Road's Robust Result
Bridge Road's Ben Kraus is one of the Australian beer world's most innovative brewery owners. Yet it's one of his oldest brews that has brought triumph at this year's Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show.
Brew & A: La Sirène Ben
Costa Nikias is the face of La Sirène, Melbourne's "urban farmhouse" brewery. But, through 2016, a brewer previously at Beavertown has become central to all things La Sirene. He's Ben Turley and is the focus of this Brew & A.
Get more Crafty!
Sign up to our newsletters and get the latest craft beer news delivered free to your inbox. Choose from our Friday Roundup of the week, the quick-read, social feed-like Crafty Cuppa – or both!
Aussie Exports: Brendan Without Borders
We head across The Ditch for our latest Aussie Exports feature. This time we chat to a familiar face from the Melbourne beer scene now working for Beer Without Borders in Auckland, Brendan Amos.
Aussie Exports: Jimmy Krekelberg
From homebrewing in Victoria to hammering at the doors of breweries in Scotland then ending up at one of the world's best in The Netherlands, life on the road's turned out pretty darn well for Jimmy Krekelberg.
The Story Of: Bridge Road Brewers Chevalier Saison
It's Australia's longest brewed saison, a style that's becoming increasingly popular, and continues to charm drinkers and judges alike. Will Ziebell brings us the story behind Bridge Road's Chevalier Saison.
What Drinkers Want
The biggest ever survey of Australian craft beer drinkers has been carried out by Sydney bottleshop Beer Cartel. The results of what they plan to turn into an annual survey are out today.
Aussie Beer Blogs: New South Ales
It's time to showcase another Aussie beer blog. New South Ales is one of the best-looking we've seen, run by a writer / photographer couple who focus on the people and stories making the NSW beer scene what it is.
Beer Nuts: ‘Manda Lê
Beer Nuts is our occasional series that showcases the most colourful characters in Australia's craft beer community. And few are more colourful than ‘Manda Lê, a chameleon-haired longstanding fixture in the Melbourne scene.
CANimalia
It's not just standard tinnies that are on the rise in the local craft beer world. Slowly but surely, more venues and breweries are investing in CANimals, the repurposed food packing technology pioneered by Oskar Blues in the US.
Events Wrap – 05.08.16
From IPA Day to birthdays, moving festivals to Oktoberfest celebrations, degustations paired with beer through to dark beer and sea shanties, August really does have it all – including the launch of the very first Crafty Cabale.
The Great Australian Beer Guide Is Out
The Crafty Pint's founder has written his second beer book. The Great Australian Beer Guide is out across the country from today. It's a colourful snapshot of the local beer scene told through 150 beers and breweries.
Cabal Update – 29/07/2016
We've got another party, another competition and our first "get in quick" exclusive event for you in the latest update from The Crafty Cabal, the beer lover bonus scheme for supporters of The Crafty Pint.
The Crafty Dozen – July 2016
It's only a few weeks since our last roundup of new listings on the site but, as the Crafty team expands with the industry, we're adding them faster than ever. So here's 12 more breweries, bars and bottleshops for you.
Aussie Exports: Newfoundland Nardia
From brewing braggot in Beechworth to starting her own brewery in Newfoundland, it's clear that Nardia McGrath's enjoying life to the full. With Pig & Pepper Brewing set to open, we caught up with her for our Aussie Exports series.
Crafty Cabal Update – 15/07/16
It's been a busy fortnight since our last Cabal update, including the brewing of the very first Crafty Cabale with the legends at The Wheaty in Adelaide. We've got plenty of winners to announce as well as some forthcoming goodies.
A Meeting of Malts
From humble origins to another means by which we can take our palates on an adventure in booze, the boilermaker has come a long way. Will Ziebell speaks to some whisky and beer pairing gurus to find out why the two work so well together.
Beer Travel: North Carolina
For most Aussies visiting the US the West Coast takes priority. But, as part of his mission to explore global beer cultures, Molly Rose founder Nic Sandery chose to spend time in North Carolina. In his second article for us, here's what he discovered there.
Aussie Exports: The Lone Pine
For our latest missive from an Aussie overseas, we return to the UK. There, former 4 Pines man Adrian Lugg has landed a role at Sambrook's Brewery in London. He offered Kerry McBride his insights into brewery life on both sides of the planet.
Crafty Crawls: Surry Hills
After launching with a trio of Melbourne jaunts, we're taking our Crafty Crawls on the road. First is a gentle saunter up and down the hills and pretty streets of Surry Hills and surrounds, as enjoyed by Judd Owen of Brewed, Crude & Bitter fame.
The Big Issue: Water Sustainability
Water makes up more than 90 percent of the beer you drink. It is also in increasingly scarce supply in Australia. For our latest Big Issue article, Graham Frizzell speaks to three people looking to reduce their breweries' water consumption here and in California.
Surfing The South West's Breweries
Julian Lelah and his surfing buddies used to love nothing more than touring Margaret River's breweries after a morning catching waves. Now he's turned the tours they used to do for fun into a business, launching the region's only beer only tour company.
Aussie Exports: Oh Danada!
Aussie Exports is supposed to be a series of features on Australians doing fun things in craft beer overseas. Yet, this once, we're doing something a little different as we feature honorary Aussie Dan Johnston, now back in his native Canada at Collective Arts.
Breaking New Ground
The irrepressible trailblazers behind The Local Taphouses and GABS are adding another string to their bow. Later this year, they open Stomping Ground Brewery in Collingwood. Before then, you can have a sneak peek during Good Beer Week.
World Beer Cup Winners
Two of Australia's bigger breweries flew the flag for the country's beer industry at the prestigious World Beer Cup. James Squire and Stone & Wood took gold and silver in the same category and took time out to share their thoughts with us.
Turning Wine Into Beer
The rise of craft beer continues to win over converts. After years on the road taking guests to wineries around his home state of South Australia, Matt Berresford was bitten by the beer bug, as Matt King discovered when they hit the road.
Aussie Exports: From Wollongong to Toronto
From home brewing in Wollongong to barrel aged sours in Toronto, David Everitt is living out quite the dream. In the second of our Aussie Export articles, he tells us how it came to pass and offers insights into the Canadian beer scene.
Aussie Exports: Lost and Grounded
Time to launch a new feature series! Aussie Exports tells the tales of Aussies doing great, fun and interesting things in beer overseas. First up, former Little Creatures head brewer turned Bristol based Lost & Grounded founder Alex Troncoso.
Gold Class Service
The Cicerone program that trains people to become certified beer experts has come to Australia. Ross Lewis spoke to founder Ray Daniels as well as many of those who have just gained Australian Certified Cicerone status
The Rivers Run At Last
After an "amazing, exciting, frustrating, depressing, uplifting, expensive and sometimes ridiculous" journey, a WA couple finally opened Three Rivers Brewing Company an hour south of Perth. Guy Southern paid the family-run brewery a visit.
Beer History: The Kingdom of Hops
We've written plenty about the latest goings on in the Australian hop industry. But what of the past? In his first article for The Crafty Pint, beer loving historian Will Ziebell delves into the earliest days of hop growing in Tasmania's Derwent Valley.
A Farmer's Tail
Beard and Brau started out in an Adelaide warehouse. But its owners, Chris and Tanya, always dreamed of a more rural life. Today, they have it, running an award-winning environmentally-focused farmhouse brewery in South East Queensland.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2015: The Results
The votes are counted, the results are in, and we have a new (returning) number one: Stone & Wood Pacific Ale. Feral moves to number two while the big story is Pirate Life, with the new brewery taking two of the top four spots in its first year.
Best New Beers of 2015: New South Wales
Time for our penultimate look back on the year in beer. This time our attention turns to New South Wales, where a panel led by Nick O cast their minds back over 12 months and came up with the new releases that impressed them the most.
Vote For The Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers
It's time to vote for your favourite beers of 2015 as the Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll returns. The poll launched by The Local Taphouse eight years ago has become a national event, with results announced once again on Australia Day.
Beer Travel: Bushwalking with Beer
Having returned from the outer reaches of Northern Europe to his home state of Tasmania, wandering storyteller Bert Spinks has been out bushwalking. Here, he ponders the whys and wherefores of doing it with beer.
A Pallet For Your Palates
In a rare turnaround in traditions, Australia is exporting something crafted and beer-related to America. It's not beer, however, but new thinking drinker's beer mag Pallet, a joint venture between two Aussie journos and Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head.
Sweet And Sour
A sour beer has been named Australia's best craft beer of 2015, while there was more champion glory for Two Birds and Modus Operandi, as well as Freo's Monk at last night's Craft Beer Awards in Sydney.
Music To Your Beers
Hear the band, drink the beer! The Crafty Pint explores the not-so-unlikely world of collaborations between musician and brewer. And discovers a surprising number of beer nuts that fall into both camps.
Who Brews Stompbox?
Fledgling brewery kick|snare created quite the buzz around Launceston when its IPA Stomp Box hit taps. The first of the musically inspired to come from its own brewing kit are launched this weekend.
Brew & A: Will from Feral Brewing
WA's Feral Brewing has been a genuine trailblazer for the Australian beer industry. Key to their success in recent years has been brewer Will Irving, owner Brendan Varis' trusted lieutenant in the breweries.
Surfer's On Tap
The craft beer revolution that has swept Brisbane is working its charms along the Gold Coast too. Now even Surfer's Paradise has a 32-tap venue pouring mainly craft beer to call its own.
Tall Story
A noble goal, unfettered ignorance, vitriol, unpleasantness, dismay and, ultimately, rebirth and redemption. The remarkable story of Tasmania's Two Metre Tall.
