With some of the most exciting new breweries in Australia calling New South Wales home and the small bar scene giving impetus to Sydney’s nascent craft beer scene, it would seem the sleeping giant is starting to awake. And adding credence to that is Craft Press, a “craft beer newspaper” that has just been distributed across Sydney.
The brainchild of TimeOut Sydney and sponsored by Little Creatures, it’s a one-off edition timed to coincide with this year’s Sydney Craft Beer week and which combines information for newcomers to craft beer, interviews with brewers, a selection of tasty drops, a map of some of the best beer-supporting venues and the Beer Week program in full.
“We wanted to do something that really showcased the Australian craft industry, while also remaining accessible for all our readers,"says TimeOut writer Myffy Rigby. "It was a lot of fun to put together, and hopefully it’ll be just as much fun to read.
“The Craft Press was a no-brainer – Sydney’s got a real thirst for craft. And I think the fact that more and more bars and pubs are committing to featuring craft beers on tap really helps. The easier it is for punters to order it, the quicker it’s going to grow as an industry.”
For Ash Cranston, of Little Creatures, the decision to back the paper was the latest step in a long term relationship with TimeOut. It was also an opportunity to help push craft beer and spread the word about their new IPA.
“[TimeOut] has seen the craft beer scene moving in New South Wales and wanted to get really involved,” he says. “They are a good local barometer of what’s going on. [We thought this] was a great way to get a bit more craft knowledge out there in a way that was approachable – giving people some tools as they wander through their craft journey.”
The paper is distributed with the current edition of TimeOut Sydney.
Meanwhile, Myffy is getting fully involved in this year’s Sydney Craft Beer Week. Like last year, she has created a beer for this weekend’s Beer Mimics Food event, this time with former Crafty Pint collaborator Murray’s.
She describes her beer as “something very interesting, and I think potentially a little challenging, but mostly (fingers crossed) delicious.”
Originally to be called the “John Candy Shandy” but since rebranded as “Let’s Get Ready To Crumble”, it is modelled on the idea of a fruit crumble: highly spiced, full bodied and with a generous ABV. It “must not be drunk before handling planes, trains or automobiles” she says.
As she prepares to embark on the weeklong bonanza, we asked her for her top crafty picks in Sydney.
“I’d have to say the boys at Young Henrys,” she says. “I think they make a really delicious range of beers and understand the fine line between flavourful and challenging versus refreshing and sessionable.
“My favourite craft beer hangouts would most definitely be the Local Taphouse, the Union Hotel and Mojo for the fun factor, the interesting beers and the refreshment.”
If you’re in Sydney and not planned your week yet, you can check out the program online here or look out for the print program at participating venues.
Little Creatures Geelong update
Ash tells us that the first brews of Bright Ale and Pale Ale have now been completed at Creatures' new brewery in Victoria. They hope to have the hospitality side up and running in December too.
The site has open fermenters like White Rabbit in Healesville so will soon start brewing Dark Ale too in order to free up capacity at White Rabbit for more fun stuff.
