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From The Country To The City
It's challenging gaining a foothold in Melbourne for any brewer or small producer these days, and it's tougher still if you're based in the regions. New venture FROM the Collective hopes to change that by bringing the country to Carlton.
Crafty Does Movember
The Crafty Pint crew will be turning into Mo Bros and Mo Sistas and getting behind Movember. The Bros will be sculpting 'taches, the Sistas setting themselves other challenges throughout the month.
The Collaborators: White Labs
Chris White is a hero among brewers worldwide. His White Labs operation has been supplying a growing number of yeasts to brewers (and winemakers) for decades. We caught up with him when he was speaking at BrewCon.
Brisbane's Lithuanian Baker Boys
Kveik might be hogging the headlines for many but one Brisbane brewing team has taken inspiration from another Northern European beer style – one that involves baking the mash first: Lithuanian keptinis.
Indie Beer's Family Ties
Breweries are just diversifying their offering when it comes to beers and venues. There's a number of independent operations with multiple brands under their umbrella, both bought and birthed.
A Sour Taste In Their Mouths
Sour beers have really taken off in Australia in the past couple of years, but what are they? Ahead of Blobfish, a festival dedicated to sour, wild and funky beers, we chatted to four Australian and Kiwi breweries who love them.
Our Man In NZ: The Yeast Starters
They've been mates since they were 12 and have brewed together for years. Now Simon Cooke and Ryan Carville are looking to change the NZ brewing industry via Froth Technologies.
Modus Operandi: Five Years In Five Beers
Modus Operandi have reached their five year mark, and are showing no signs of slowing down. Mick Wust talks with owners Grant and Jaz Wearin about the five beers that have shaped Modus into the brewery it is today.
Billson's Brews From The Archives
The new owners of a brewery with a history stretching back a century-and-a-half are bringing old beers back to life. Already Billson's have released an ale and a stout with origins in the late 19th century with more to follow.
Aussie Export: Dave Rooney
After a midlife crisis led Dave Rooney to Buenos Aires, he soon found himself falling for the city's craft beer venues and local breweries. Now he runs tours for those who want to discover Argentina's good beer scene.
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Crafting A Healthy Conversation
Craft Beer Coopery is a beer club with a difference – it aims to tackle mental health issues by helping start conversations among mates. And now The Crafty Pint is joining forces to help them start even more.
Australian International Beer Awards Winners 2019
Familiar faces were among the big winners at the 2019 Australian International Beer Awards, with Balter, Green Beacon and 4 Pines adding to their swollen trophy cabinets and Blackman's claiming a big one too.
The Big Issue: On A Wing & So Rare
The air-freighting of beers from some of the world's most hyped breweries to be showcased at Australian bars is on the rise. We spoke to a handful of people driving the movement to find out why.
Crafty Crawls: Melbourne CBD – South
The beer offering in Melbourne's CBD has come a long way since we ran our first Crafty Crawl guide. So it's time to rework it into a two-parter. Here, we kick off in the city's southern half.
Bridge Road Splits From Australia
Bridge Road Brewers have issued a Declaration Of Independence, forming a micronation on the grounds of their brewery under the name Brewland.
The (Pint of) Origin Story
When Good Beer Week 2019 kicks off, it will feature Pint of Origin for the eighth time. Before we forget too much about our little slice of the festival, we thought we'd reminisce with participants old and new.
Meet The Hop Doctor
Dr Tom Shellhammer is a world-leading expert in hop chemistry helping brewers understand how better to use hops. We caught up with him in Tasmania as he gives a series of talks in Australia.
Help Us Get Blind: Pint Of Origin Championship II
Time for the second and final vote to help us decide which 16 IPAs will go head-to-head in the first Pint of Origin Blind Tasting Championship at Good Beer Week 2019.
A Day In The Life Of: A Festival Volunteer
Volunteers are often the unsung heroes of the beer festivals that bring joy to beer lovers across the country. But why do they do it? And what makes a good one? We chat to one of the best to find out.
The Collaborators: FermenTasmania
FermenTasmania is a not-for-profit organisation looking to boost all Tasmanian industries working with fermentation in one way or another. We got in touch with one of the founders to find out more.
Blizzard's Birthday Sale
Blizzard Brewery's third birthday celebrations will likely bring mixed feelings for owner Mark Hubbard. Following serious health issues, he's decided to put the venue in the Victorian High Country up for sale.
Help Us Get Blind: Pint of Origin Championship
At Good Beer Week 2019, we're combining two of our favourite things: Pint of Origin and blind tastings. We'll pit an IPA from each of the 16 regions against each other and you get to choose them.
Nail's Pale Ale Trail
WA icon Nail are to put the beer upon which the brand was built on hiatus as they launch a series of trial releases that will allow the public to vote on a new addition to the core range.
Future Shock
Australia's family of barrel-ageing and blending breweries gained a new member in autumn 2019 with the opening of Future Mountain in Reservoir. We called in ahead of launch date to chat to founders Ian and Shane.
Who Brews South Fremantle Beers?
It started out as a bunch of mates brewing together at weekends, turned into a mission to get beer on tap in their favourite bars and eventually become South Fremantle Brewing. As they launch their first can, we find out more...
Otherside Get Social
The rapid ascent of WA's Otherside – or, more accurately, the wider Triple 1 Three operation – takes another big leap forward this week with the opening of Freo.Social. We caught up with three of the key players.
Women In Drinks
International Women's Day 2019 will see a new festival celebrating women working in beer, wine and spirits launch in Sydney. We spoke to two women leading the way in the local beer world to find out more about their experiences and changing times.
The Milkman Of Human Kindness
For the past century, you were only ever likely to find lactose – AKA milk sugar – in the occasional sweet stout. These days, it's cropping up everywhere. Brewer and beer scholar Chris Brady examines why.
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.
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.
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.
Toe The Line
The Independent Brewers Association has today released an exhaustive set of labeling guidelines for brewers. The aim is to ensure they are compliant and aware of anything that could potentially get them into hot water or hold them back.
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.
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.
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.
Golden Glory For Aussie Brewers In Japan
It's been another successful excursion to the International Beer Cup in Japan for Australian brewers. Both Mountain Goat and Edge picked up gold, silver and bronzes with Brisbane's White Lies completing the picture with a bronze.
Sydney Brewery Returns To Sydney
Five years after it brewed its last beer in the city, the Sydney Brewery has returned to its roots with the opening of a new brewery in Surry Hills.
Going Green: Grants
In an article on the business of beer, an expert raised the issue of government grants and how few breweries were taking advantage. Here, a specialist on cutting the cost of business explains just how easy it could be for brewers to cash in.
The Vinification Of Beer
Barrel-ageing, mixed fermentation and the mimicking of wine in presenting certain beers isn't new. Yet the blurring of lines between beer and wine continues apace. We speak to brewers and somms operating on the frontier.
The Collaborators: Big Malt Thinking Small
The rise of craft beer continues to have an affect on the industries surrounding it, with large scale malt producers Joe White and Barrett Burston both introducing new lines designed with small breweries in mind.
Hawkers Takes Out Another Trophy In London
The International Beer Challenge in London has long proved a happy hunting ground for Australian brewers. And, in 2018, it's Hawkers with its hands on silverware again, adding the Brewer of the Year for Oceania to past wins.
Beer Travel: Bali, Hops, Water & Yeast I
"Is there any good beer in Bali?" Our intrepid writer Mick Wust followed the well-trodden path to one of the most popular holiday destinations for Australians and set out to discover whether those with crafty palates can find satisfaction.
The Gypsy Lifestyle
As Barrow Boys winds down and West City Brewing makes a comeback under new ownership, we speak to three other brewers about the challenges facing gypsy/cuckoo/contract brewers in today's evolving beer world.
The Big Issue: Copyright Or Wrong?
Borrowing from pop culture is one way in which many breweries have fun with their beers and branding. But is there a danger of overstepping the mark? And what are the consequences for anyone that does?
Crafty Crawls: Brisbane's West End
Brisbane's West End (and the adjoining parts of the city) is awash with great beer venues these days. Heck, there are even breweries that call the 'burb home. So we made the area a focus of a Crafty Crawl – and have since updated it with even more goodness.
The Collaborators: Feeling Animated
With more beers fighting for tap and fridge space than ever before, the challenge of capturing beer drinkers' attention has never been greater. Label manufacturer Graphix is hoping a moving new development will appeal to brewers looking to stand out.
Aussie Exports: Natalie Wollenberg
From Darwin via Perth to a small "island" in Ontario, it's been a long road from first homebrews to commercial brewing. But, says Aussie Export Natalie Wollenberg, since their opened 555 Brewing Co, it's been full on.
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.
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.
