News & Feature Stories

Who Brews Canobolas Beers?

Canobolas Brewing launched their first beers in 2023, brewed at their taproom in Orange. We chatted to Jeff Vaughn about his journey from homebrewing in Oregon via winemaking to becoming a head brewer in the Central West.

Grain And Grape To Close In May

After more than three decades of supplying the local industry with homebrewing equipment, John Preston is set to retire. It means Grain and Grape will close its doors in May but before it does, we spent some time reflecting with the local beer hero behind it.

Deeds Enter Voluntary Administration

Deeds Brewing have become the latest brewery to enter voluntary administration, with the Melbourne brewery appointing Deloitte Financial Advisory as administrators this week but with the founders remaining at the helm.

Summer Of The Seventeenth Hop

After a lengthy career in beer writing – publishing books as well as a regular column in the Sydney Morning Herald – Willie Simpson swapped pen for mash paddle. Here, he returns to his former profession to look back at his time growing hops.

Who Brews As The Malt Man?

It was while travelling around Australia that Eric and Kirsty Blue decided to turn their Bodalla café into a small brewery. Benedict Kennedy-Cox dropped in for a drink and a chat at one of the country's smallest operations.

More Consolidation As Willie the Boatman Is Acquired By UK-based Powder Monkey

More consolidation in the local beer world, with news today that Sydney brewery Willie the Boatman has been acquired by UK-based Powder Monkey, which last year merged with fellow NSW operation South Highlands Brewing.

Brew & A: Madi Bruce

For the third year running, the women of Bright Brewery created Fred's Beer: a collab named in honour of the brewery's late co-founder. We chatted to the brewer behind the 2024 beer about why it matters.

All Aboard For Pint of Origin 2024

We're only a week into March but it's always good to have something to look forward to – so here's the 21-strong lineup for Pint of Origin. The festival returns to May for a 12th time from May 10 to 19.

Marking Ten Years Of The Best Beer Media

The Beer Media trophy at the Australian International Beer Awards will be presented for a tenth time in May. Here, the current holder of the title looks back and forward with the winners from the past decade.

Hawkers Emerge From Administration With Same Team In Charge

Hawkers have emerged from a period of voluntary administration with the same management structure in place after their proposal for a financial restructuring of the business was accepted unanimously by creditors.

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Who Brews At Hodfellow's?

Hodfellow's is one of the country's newest breweries, but the founders take their inspiration from some of the world's oldest beer cultures. Mick Wüst got in touch to find out more.

Ryefield Hops' Certifiably Sustainable Growth

Ahead of this year's hop harvest, we paid a visit to Ryefield Hops, the family-run hop farm in the south of New South Wales, to see firsthand how they're putting sustainable practices at the heart of everything they do.

Moffat Beach Top The Royal Queensland Beer Awards Once Again

Moffat Beach have once again left an awards ceremony with arms full of trophies, including by securing the Grand Champion Beer at the Royal Queensland Beer Awards. It continues a remarkable run for the brewers, while Stomping Ground, Slipstream and Hiker were among the other major trophy winners.

WA Brewery Golden West Brings In Administrators

Another local brewery has entered administration, with the founders of Golden West in the Perth suburb of Subiaco running out of money. There is hope, however, that the venue will reopen as a brewery under new owners.

Who Brews Beereratne Beers?

From chemical engineer via Ale Star and avid #PoO Crawler to brewing student, brewer and now owner of his own beer brand, Ben Weereratne has enjoyed quite the path into brewing.

Snappy 'n' Hoppy: The Rise of West Coast Pilsner & Cali IPA

Leaner, crisper styles of hoppy beer are growing in popularity. We spoke to some of those exploring West Coast pilsners and California IPAs to find out where they've come from and where they're going.

Sunshine Coast Beer Given A Platform At The Station

What do you get when you cross a concert venue, a skate park and a street food market? The Station, a family-friendly entertainment precinct on the Sunshine Coast with locally-made beer and spirits on the menu.

Diversifying The Pathways Into Brewing

With applications for this year's Young Henrys Brewing Scholarship for female, female-identifying and non-binary people closing soon, we chatted to two brewers about their experiences since ditching corporate jobs.

Bracket Brewing Forced To Find A New Home

Sydney's much-loved and small-scale Bracket Brewing have been forced to search for a new home after facing a significant rental increase. We chatted with cofounder Mike Meletopoulo about their difficult search for a new home.

Talking Local Beer Day With Aussie Beer Voyage

The host of Aussie Beer Voyage, Adam Schell, invited The Crafty Pint onto the show for a chat about Local Beer Day ahead of the event on February 24.


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NT Brewers Unite For Pints For A Purpose

The local beer world's community spirit will come to the fore this Saturday as the NT's brewers unite for a fundraiser in support of a local brewery owner diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

WA's Beer History To Star In New State Library Exhibition

A new exhibition exploring nearly 200 years of brewing history in WA opens this weekend. Crafty writer Guy Southern, who conducted ten interviews covering the modern era, took us behind the scenes of Liquid Gold.

Turning Towards Terpenes

Hops are loaded with terpenes: aromatic compounds that drive much of what appeals to beer drinkers. As brewers look to use them to enhance aromas in their beers, we chatted to some of those exploring this new territory.

Chilling Their Way To More Sustainable Brewing

Frigid.Cloud only launched last year but their innovative software has been embraced by breweries across Australia and they've made inroads in America too. We chatted to them to find out about their sustainable brewing solution.

Big Shed Brewing Appoint Voluntary Administrators

Big Shed Brewing have appointed voluntary administrators, becoming the second Australian brewing company to do so this week, following Hawkers' announcement​ on Monday.

Where To From Here For Local Beer?

With Hawkers – one of the most successful Australian breweries of the past decade – entering administration, we look at the impact of the current climate on the wider industry, and ask what change is needed to turn things around.

Hawkers Become The Latest Brewery To Enter Voluntary Administration

Hawkers have today become the latest brewery to enter voluntary administration. Their decision continues the steady stream of administrations and closures in the local beer industry over the past 18 months.

Celebrate Your Favourite Local And Win!

As Local Beer Day approaches, we're celebrating some of the people who make the Aussie beer community what it is. And now it's your turn: nominate your favourite local and you could win prizes – for yourself and your local!

For The Love Of Japanese Rice Lagers – Part II

In part two​ of his look at Japanese rice lager, Mick Wüst chats to some of the brewers playing around with the style and considers just where such beers sit within the contemporary Australian beer landscape.

For The Love Of Japanese Rice Lagers – Part I

“For us, it’s the pinnacle of beer. We’re just trying to do it justice.” Japanese-style rice lagers are showing up all over Australia these days. But what exactly are they? Mick Wüst explores the local appeal.

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Melbourne's Multitude Of Missing Kegs

Over several months, kegs have been continually disappearing in Melbourne, with breweries, venues and Konvoy expressing concern about the scale of what's occurring. We spoke to some of those impacted about how it's harming the local beer industry.

Celebrate Local Beer On Local Beer Day

The lineup for the inaugural Local Beer Day is live, with events taking place across Australia on February 24. Beer lovers can now search for their nearest event – and there's still time for breweries and beer venues to sign up.

Crafty Crawls: Outer North Brisbane

Brisbane's outer north, much like the city has a whole, has found itself teeming with places in which to enjoy craft beer. Here, Matt Aitken serves as our guide to the craftiest spots to call into in the north and around Moreton Bay.

The Beer Slingers: Travellers Brewhouse

The building may be 150 years old, but Traveller's Brewhouse is all about new flavours, with street food from around the world and 14 taps of local and independent beer. We talked with Cameron James for this instalment in our Beer Slingers series.

One Drop: Five Years In Five Beers

Few breweries have made their mark quite like One Drop, brewers of some of the most extraordinary beers ever seen in Australia. Here, we invite them to look back on their first Five Years In Five Beers.

Jett Righetti Slays Beer

At just 23, Jett Righetti has finished a brewing course at TAFE, is an assistant brewer at Happy Valley, and has his eyes set on winning awards and opening a brewery. Read on to find out how Jett Righetti Slays Beer.

GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2023: Analysis

We've taken a deep dive into the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers to see what trends and insights the 2023 countdown reveals in our annual analysis feature.

Mountain Culture Status Quo Wins GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2023

The votes have been counted, and of the 1,877 beers to receive votes from the 400-plus breweries that entered the GABS Hottest 100 of 2023, Mountain Culture Status Quo has landed in top spot for a second year running.

Crafty Crawls: Hobart – The Breweries

Tasmania and its capital are wonderlands when it comes to delicious things and that's certainly true for beer. Here, Jono Outred serves as our guide to the breweries of Hobart where you can enjoy a bounty of locally-brewed beers.

The Year Of Living Precariously

A year ago today, news that Ballistic Beer Co had entered voluntary administration sent shockwaves through the local beer world. Here, we take a look back at the carnage that has followed in the 12 months since.

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Wayward Brewing & Local Drinks Collective Emerge From Administration

Wayward Brewing and Local Drinks Collective have exited a period of voluntary administration with the existing owners still in charge. We spoke to company director Peter Philip after the DOCA was approved today.

Bitter Phew: Ten Lessons From Ten Years

From lockout laws to lockdowns, running a Sydney bar has presented plenty of challenges over the past decade, yet Bitter Phew continues to stand tall. As the institution turns ten, we chatted to co-founder Aaron Edwards.

Local Beer Legends

The local beer world wouldn't be the wonderful and diverse place it is without the people responsible for bringing beer to life and into your hands. So, as Local Beer Day approaches, we're shining a light on some of them.

Bondi Brewing Launch New Home Brewing For Good With Famous Locals

Bondi Brewing have had a presence in their home suburb since 2018, and have now launched a brewery inside an Asian restaurant. To mark its arrival, they've asked well-known locals to brew with them to raise money for charity.

Crafty Crawls: WA's South West Part II

In the second instalment of our Crafty Crawl guide to the beery treats dotting the Margaret River region of Western Australia, we head south, visiting sprawling breweries and diverse venues along the way.

Spangled Drongo Match Good Brews With Great Deeds

Spangled Drongo is a new Northern Rivers brewery with a story that's worth telling before you even think about the beer. We chatted with some of the team about doing good, brewing good, tuk-tuks and kitesurfing.

Building A Beer Cellar – On Any Budget

Did you receive the gift of fancy beer for Christmas? Or are you keen to start amassing a beer cellar filled with barley wines and Belgians? Then join us to find out how to start hoarding liquid gold – whatever your budget.

WA's Indie Brewers Aim To Keep The Bird Flying

WA's indie brewers are rallying behind the William Street Bird, an iconic live music venue in Northbridge with an uncertain future, whose Keep The Bird Flying festival kicks off this weekend.

Beer Basics: Lautering, Boiling & Whirlpool

Sparging, vorlauf, iso-α-acids, centrifugal forces and trub... Join us as we take up our Beer Basics guide to making beer once more in the company of Marie-Claire Jarratt, with hops finally making an appearance too.

Brew & A: Matt Ives

Beers brewed by Matt Ives won silverware at the Australian International Beer Awards and pipped Corona and Balter in our Mexican lager blind tasting. We chatted to him about a beer career that began pulling pints in Wagga.