travel
Beer Travel: A Taste Of Mexico City
Dark beer lover Ann Deslandes moved from Australia to Mexico City and has been exploring the growing local craft beer scene. Here, she gives us an insight into the flavours of the day.
Beer Travel: The Breweries Of The Sunshine Coast
Not that long ago, the Sunshine Coast was home to just one brewery. Now, there's more than a dozen of one sort or another dotting the coast and Hinterland and more on the way.
Mission To Mahrs
Stephan Michel from Mahrs Bräu makes some of the best lagers in Germany. So, when he visited Australia recently, Mick Wust chatted with him about lagers and their place in a craft beer market.
Beer Travel: 48 Hours In Rome
While you shouldn't make your hunt for beer too much of a distraction from the city's iconic charms, Rome does have plenty to offer the visitor with a penchant for tasty local beer.
Beer Nuts: Ode To The Road
Oh, to hit the road with the end game being just that: the road. The couple behind Ode To The Road, Erin and Carmel, have been touring Australia more than a year, sampling as many breweries as possible – growlers and dog in tow.
Beer Travel: The Adelaide Hills
Once better known for its wines, the Adelaide Hills have become a treasure trove for beer lovers. Here, Matt King takes a meandering tour through the many breweries, venues and bottleshops that are found throughout.
Unfamiliar Territory
Slowly but surely, the beer scene in the Northern Territory is coming alive. Two more breweries opened in 2018 and more venues are dabbling too. We spoke to some of the Territory's pioneers and newcomers about the scene up Top.
Beer Travel: Another Belgium
Belgian beer culture is deservedly held in the highest regard by beer lovers the world over. Many of its classic breweries are household names, but what of the younger, newer wave? Bert Spinks goes searching for another Belgium.
Our Man In NZ: Liberty Brewing
Liberty Brewing is one of the brightest stars in the New Zealand beer scene and has recently started brewing some of its beers in Melbourne for the Aussie market. Jono Galuszka called in on founder Joe Wood to see what makes him tick.
Our Man In NZ: The Game Changer
There are plenty of far larger and higher profile beer competitions in New Zealand and Australia but, arguably, none as influential. Our Man In NZ travels back in time to trace the evolution of the annual West Coast IPA Challenge.
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Beer Travel: Bali, Hops, Water & Yeast II
In part one of his endeavour to hunt down good beer in Bali, Mick Wust focused on the offerings from Big Beer. In part two, he delves a little deeper, calling in to the country's only craft brewery and meeting some US importers.
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.
Beer Travel: Iceland Revisited
Three years on from his last visit, Bert Spinks finds a craft beer scene in Iceland that has expanded significantly. He meets the first female led brewery, discovers a world of long happy hours and collaborations and finds common ground with home.
The Beer In North Korea
If you're a regular reader of The Crafty Pint, chances are high you've been on your fair share of brewery tours. But one in North Korea? We got in touch with the man leading the first of its kind for tourists to find out more about the DPRK beer scene.
Beer Travel: Cruising The Murray
Sinking a few beers on the banks of the Murray on a visit to the Woolshed Brewery is a pleasure in itself. But what about taking out one of the operation's houseboats, complete with two taps pouring the beers of your choice?
Beer Travel: Thirsty In Hungary
Our resident wanderer (can you be such a thing?), Bert Spinks has been soaking up the good times in Budapest. Join him as he calls in on the pioneers of Hungary's craft beer scene.
Lessons From America
For years, the Australian industry has followed the lead of its American counterpart. So what can we learn from a beer culture that's far more ingrained than ours and has fought many of the battles facing local brewers and beer lovers today?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Beer Travel: Bavaria
Himmel Hünd Brewery co-founder Annabel Meagher won a Pink Boots Society scholarship last year that saw her travel to Germany's south. There, she immersed herself in Bavarian beer culture –
Beer Travel: The South Of The Great Southern State
While better known for its wineries, the region to the south of Adelaide has long been home to a number of small breweries too. With three more set to open venues in and around McLaren Vale in 2018, we figured it was ripe for a beer-themed travel guide...
Cans, Bands and Beer Lands
The combination of good music and craft beer has become a common sight at music festivals across the United States. In Australia, progress is slower, but the ironclad grip of the big boys is slowly loosening and local Australian breweries are sneaking their way in.
Crafty Crawls: Far North Queensland
In late 2013, The Crafty Pint travelled with Mountain Goat to Cairns for the launch of their Summer Ale cans. It's fair to say, those cases were almost the only craft beer to be found in the region. Since then, however, much has changed.
Beer Travel: Nelson-Tasman
While Wellington claims to be New Zealand’s "craft beer capital" and cities like Christchurch and Auckland occasionally stake a claim for the title, the Nelson/Tasman area feels like its home. Our Man In NZ Jono Galuszka recounts his weeklong road trip through the area,
Beer Travel: 48 Hours In Portland
To suggest you could conquer Portland in anything less than literal years is an utter falsehood. If time is limited, the best one can hope for is to tick off beer meccas such as Deschutes or Cascade while hoping to get under the skin of one of the world's best beer cities. Kerry McBride gave it a go.
Beer Travel: Much Ado About Pliny
Russian River Brewing Company - the home of Pliny the Elder - is one of the world's most admired breweries. Kerry McBride caught up with its owners to hear the lengths they go to so in keeping their fans sated and asks: "Will their beers ever make it to Australia?"
Crafty Crawls: The Great Ocean Road
Any trip along the Great Ocean Road always came with the promise of natural beauty and jaw-dropping experiences – unless you were after good beer. Today, with a number of small breweries calling the region home, the situation is much improved.
Beer Nuts: Paul Cooke
Talk about dedication to the cause. Paul and Laura Cooke have taken a year away from teaching to tour Australia, calling in to as many breweries as they can, with Paul writing notes for every beer along the way. A true Beer Nut!
Beer Travel: Yorkshire
In the last of four articles inspired by his global travels, Nic Sandery recounts his time spent in one of the world's lesser discussed traditional brewing regions. In Yorkshire, he soaks up beers old and new, but mainly midnight curries with giant naan breads.
Beer Travel: Bamberg
Nic Sandery is a young brewer set to launch Molly Rose Brewing in the second half of 2017. He embarked on a global beer tour seeking inspiration for his beers and has been documenting his experiences for us. Here, he visits German home of smoke, Bamberg.
Our Man In NZ: ParrotDog Surfs On
From brewing in a toilet to trophy-winning rising stars of the New Zealand brewing industry, it's been quite the ride for the three Matts behind ParrotDog. Jono Galuszka joins them as they settle into their impressive new Lyall Bay home.
Aussie Exports: Zac From Zenith
Our Aussie Exports series makes a first visit to South America. There, in Peru, we find Zac Lanham at the helm of Cervecería Zenith, a microbrewery he founded with wife Milka in Cusco, the historic city in the heart of the Peruvian Andes.
Beer Travel: Greece
Last time we heard from Storyteller Spinks, he was in Turkey. He's since moved on to Greece, where he's ensured plenty of time on his travels has been spent in the company of people working in and writing about the country's nascent craft beer scene.
Our Man In NZ: Beer Camp Heads South
Beervana has lined up a meaty exclusive, luring Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp outside the US for the first time. With more American breweries looking at the Australasian market, Jono Galuszka looks at what it means for the festival and the NZ beer scene.
Breaking China II
In Breaking China, we spoke to Australian brewers looking to secure export to China on the challenges they faced. In part two, we seek a different perspective from Chinese beer writers and an expat in Melbourne working to establish a distribution network for Aussie brewers.
Beer Travel: The Other High Country Beer Trail
The High Country Brewery Trail in North East Victoria is one of the most popular and rewarding trips an Aussie beer tourist can take. The region is also home to some fine craft beer supporting pubs. And here are the best of them.
Beer Travel: Istanbul
Storyteller Spinks is off on another meander through the Northern Hemisphere. In his latest update, he calls in on two of the craft brewers of Istanbul and discovers the issues facing Aussie brewers pale in comparison.
Aussie Exports: From Melbourne To Tallinn
During Good Beer Week in 2016, if you called in to the Canadian Pint of Origin venue, you may well have been served by Rob Dooley. A year later, he's working for a brewery in Estonia after following his girlfriend when she headed home.
Craft Beer Rides North
For all the talk about microbreweries bursting into life across Tasmania, the north has been lacking supportive retailers. That's steadily changing, with new venues opening and old ones enjoying a new lease on life.
Our Man In NZ: Brewpubs
The brewpub model is growing in popularity on both sides of the Tasman. In his latest article for The Crafty Pint, Our Man In NZ, Jono Galuszka, chats to three people heading down that path in Wellington and Palmerston North.
Our Man In NZ: Spontaneity
In his latest article on the New Zealand beer scene, Jono Galuszka talks to two of the men exploring beer's "final frontier". They are two of a growing number of brewers turning their attention to spontaneous fermentation.
The Beers Really From Up Here
There's been plenty of talk about the rise of craft beer in Queensland in recent years. For the most part, it's been centred around the state's South East but, as Will Ziebell finds, it's gaining a toehold in the Far North too.
Beer Travel: 12 Hours In San Diego
When Aussie beer lovers head to the States, they usually give themselves several weeks to explore the beer scene. What if you've only got 12 hours? In San Diego for a conference, Marie Claire Jarratt discovered the answer is: plenty.
Beer Travel: High Country Part II
Earlier this week, we ran the first part of Kerry McBride's jaunt through the Victorian High Country, calling in on the members of the region's Brewery Trail. Today, she completes the trip at three more breweries.
Beer Travel: High Country Part I
The High Country Brewery Trail has expanded to stretch hundreds of kilometres and include seven breweries. Over the course of a three day weekend, Kerry McBride stopped in at each and every one.
Brooklyn Back Down Under
Brooklyn Brewery is well on its way to becoming a global brand. We caught up with CEO Eric Ottaway during his current visit to Australia to chat lager, caution, over-saturation and the move towards hyper-local brewing.
Our Man in NZ: Moa's Changing Fortunes
Our new Kiwi correspondent, Jono Galuszka, today kicks off his monthly feature series by sitting down with one of the most controversial figures in New Zealand beer, Moa's CEO, Geoff Ross.
