Rumours that Northern Beaches-based 4 Pines were going to be bought by one of Australia's major brewing companies swirled, and were denied, for years before CUB – then owned by AB InBev – added the award-winning operation to its craft portfolio in the second half of 2017. 4 Pines have since gone on to open multiple new venues, including joint ventures and bars at sporting stadia, across the eastern seaboard.

If Pirate Life's rise from first can to multi-million dollar sale was spectacular, you could argue that Balter's was even more so. The Gold Coast brewery with a quartet of famous surfers among its founders combined trophy-winning beers and a brand with broad appeal to huge success. Their rapid rise brought CUB to their door just as the last decade was drawing to a close. CUB's subsequent acquisition by Asahi makes Balter part of an impressive portfolio of once-indie brands owned by the Japanese giant.

When Green Beacon launched in 2013, their Teneriffe brewpub was the first new brewery of its kind to open in Brisbane in years. They were one of the first craft breweries to embrace cans and made a habit of winning major trophies before being acquired by Asahi at the time the Japanese giant was finalising its acquisition of CUB.

Although the sale of Mountain Goat to Asahi wasn't as significant in terms of volume or price as that of Little World Beverages to Lion years earlier, it arguably sent a bigger shockwave through the local industry. It proved to be the precursor for the high profile acquisitions of much-loved craft breweries in the following years.

Pirate Life's rise after the launch of their first beers in March 2015 was little short of phenomenal, leading CUB – then owned by AB InBev – to snap up the Adelaide-based operation less than three year later. They have since opened a mighty impressive brewery and venue in Port Adelaide plus smaller brewpubs in Perth and their adopted home city's SkyCity casino building.

The trailblazing brewery that kickstarted the contemporary craft beer world has enjoyed an unlikely rebirth. After fading into insignificance within the CUB family, in 2019 came the surprise news that original founder and head brewer Phil Sexton had reached an agreement to bring Matilda Bay back to life. He and his team are doing so from the Yarra Valley, with the former Giant Steps winery venue turned into a brewpub focused on reclaiming the brand's unique heritage.

Originally a beer – Fat Yak – released under the Matilda Bay banner, it grew into a range of Yak beers which ultimately became their own brand within CUB.

Asahi's first crafty purchase in the Australian market back in 2013. As the Asahi Premium Beverages CEO Greg Ellery told The Crafty Pint of Japanese company's ambition in Australia at the time: "There's a lot in the pipeline." He wasn't wrong.

The James Squire beers and brand, named after the man said to have been Australia's first brewer, were created by Chuck Hahn in partnership with Lion Nathan after the latter acquired Hahn Brewing and its home in Camperdown in 1993. The brewery was later renamed the Malt Shovel Brewery, while you can now find numerous James Squire-branded venues and brewpubs across the country.

The Malt Shovel Brewery in Camperdown has long been responsible for producing many of the craftier offerings from Lion since it was acquired, along with Hahn Brewing, in 1993. In 2019, it spawned a new brand too: Malt Shovel Brewers. It's the banner under which the brewing team get to create their own beers, and has been brewing an annual collaboration brew with Canberra's BentSpoke too.

One of Australia's true trailblazers in the world of beer, Little Creatures was launched around the turn of the Millennium by a team that included some of the founders of Matilda Bay and, on the back of Little Creatures Pale (originally called Live), went onto become a major national brand. From day one, Lion Nathan was a part-owner of parent company Little World Beverages and, in 2012, acquired the entirety of the business, including White Rabbit. Little Creatures these days operates two breweries – in Freo and Geelong – and has dabbled with brewpubs overseas too.

The quirkier little sibling to Little Creatures, White Rabbit started out in Healesville, with a brewery tucked behind the Giant Steps winery that's now home to Matilda Bay. Following Lion's acquisition of parent company Little World Beverages, White Rabbit moved into a factory next door to Little Creatures in Geelong where the brewers set about building a significant barrel program. They continue to make some of the most fascinating beers of any of the major brewing company-owned brands, albeit without garnering nearly as much attention as others.

For most people, their experience of Kosciuszko beers will be on tap at Lion-contracted venues or in bottles (and more recently cans) found widely across Australia. But the brewery's story started at the Banjo Paterson Inn in Jindabyne, where Chuck Hahn oversaw installation of a 1600-litre brewery in 2009.

Stone & Wood was launched by three mates, who previously worked together at CUB, in partnership with a Northern Rivers publican. The brewery and went on to become the largest independent brewing company in Australia other than Coopers. Their Pacific Ale helped change the face of the local beer scene, while the founders' decision to create multi-brand umbrella company Fermentum – the entity bought by Lion – is one example of the "indie families" of drinks brands today found in Australia.

A partnership between Stone & Wood and former Mountain Goat rep Tom Delmont, Fixation was launched as an IPA-only brand at a time when IPAs were starting to find a wider audience. The brand has gone on to collect multiple major trophies and awards (and release the occasional non-IPA too), as well as opening a home in Collingwood called The Incubator.

Launching as Australia's first female-owned brewing company is quite a story in itself, yet that's only part of what founders Jayne Lewis and Danielle Allen have achieved with Two Birds. They've amassed plenty of major silverware over the years and transitioned from a contract brand to owners of the impressive Nest – their brewery and venue – in Melbourne's west, helping fire the craft beer scene in that part of the city. At the start of 2021, they were bought by the Fermentum Group, which was sold to Lion / Kirin later in the year.

One of the longest-established of Lion's brewpub-based operations, the Eumundi Brewery was built on the site of the historic Imperial Hotel in Eumundi in the Sunshine Coast. Today, it is one of more than 20 breweries in the region.

Bevy Brewing is located within The Camfield, a vast pub close to Perth's Optus Stadium. Under the guidance of Andy Scade – a familiar face from his many years at Little Creatures in Freo as well as working within the wider WA beer scene – the beers tend to focus on more traditional styles, while they also host regular events at which Bevy collaborates with the state's independent brewers.

Another of Lion's brewpub-based beer brands, Tiny Mountain is located in Townsville. The brewery's Pacific Ale has been upscaled and made available in pack more widely across Australia.

Before Stone & Wood launched in Byron Bay, there was already a Byron Bay Brewery, one which nabbed a couple of AIBA trophies when former Stone & Wood and now Balter head brewer Scotty Hargraves was at the helm. It was bought by Lion in 2016, since when its hospitality venue has closed with COVID cited as the reason. The clear-bottled Byron Bay Brewery Premium Lager remains available from major retailers.

One of the first of the newer craft brands to appear from Pinnacle Drinks in recent years, the Zytho name has been attached to a broad range of beers, from IPA and pales to stouts. It was on track in 2021 to become the biggest seller of all of the Endeavour Group's homebrand beers, usurping the longstanding John Boston.

First released in February 2022, this pale ale brewed for EDG by Brick Lane – seemingly a rebadged version of the brewer's One Love Pale Ale – is one of six drinks under the Loud & Proud banner. Sales of the drinks help raise funds for Pride Foundation Australia.

While Coles have contracted brewers to create homebrand beers for them for many years, the Tinnies brand is the one where they appear to be training greatest focus. Some of the beers brewed for them by Brick Lane have won major trophies both here and overseas and, at time of writing, a large Tinnies banner sits atop the craft beer page on the Liquorland online store. In spring 2021, Coles also presented a beer created with Moon Dog as a Tinnies collaboration.

One of the true trailblazers of Australian beer, Feral have been responsible for changing the palates of many Australian drinkers while also pushing the envelope for Aussie beer. Their Hop Hog introduced many to punchy American hops for the first time, while they were among the earliest locals to play around with barrels, sour beers, barleywines and more. In 2017, the brewing company was acquired by Coca-Cola Amatil before transitioning to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, who closed the original Swan Valley brewpub in October 2021 before announcing they were to exit the Australian beer market altogether a month later.

The Yenda brand was created as part of a partnership between Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) and Casella Wines. Since its launch, the brand has secured some major sponsorships, such as that of the Wallabies before being replaced by Stone & Wood's Green Coast Lager, and introduced the ferris wheel to GABS festivals.