Long before the Gold Coast became a hotbed of world class beer, a couple with young kids jacked in their jobs and built a brewery there. Eleven years on, we got back to the beginning and beyond with Peta and Brennan of Burleigh Brewing.
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.
The marketing around a new release from Gold Coast brewery Black Hops has come in for fierce criticism, described as sexist and even "rapey" in nature and, according to one brewer that has contacted The Crafty Pint, represents "a new low for Australian craft beer".
Balter has continued its run of success, named Australia's best brewery in the third Australian Craft Beer Survey. More than 18,000 people took part in the survey run by Sydney retailer Beer Cartel.
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.
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.
Innate Brewers has been quietly building a reputation and amassing silverware from its cosy brewery in Spearwood, WA. Now they've expanded their original kit, we chatted to brewer Joel Nash to find out more.
Close to 100 brewing companies have licensed the IBA's independence seal since its launch in May. We contacted the US Brewers Association, whose campaign inspired it, to find out how they are driving the message in the States.
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.
Mornington Peninsula Brewery is the latest brewery to sell, becoming the newest addition to the Tribe family of businesses launched by the people behind Stockade Brew Co and the contract facility previously known as BrewPack.
Sign up to our newsletters and get the latest craft beer news delivered free to your inbox. Choose from our Friday Roundup of the week, the quick-read, social feed-like Crafty Cuppa – or both!
Two very different beers from two very different breweries took the top trophies at the 2018 Sydney Royal Beer & Cider Show. Pirate Life's Mosaic IPA took yet another piece of silverware, with Lord Nelson scooping Champion Draught Beer.
As Gage Roads secures pouring rights at another major stadium, we ask their head of marketing for his thoughts on what the future holds based upon his two decades in and around craft beer in Australia.
Fancy getting your hands on free festival tickets, cases of mixed beer, free brewery tours, tasting paddles galore and invites to exclusive events? Then you need to check out the latest update for Crafty supporters.
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.
The world's largest beer company has moved into the local retail market with the acquisition of online business BoozeBud. AB InBev's global venture capital arm, ZX Ventures, announced the purchase today.
It's time to round up the dozen most recent new additions to the Crafty Pint directory in case you missed them when they were first posted. Here it's all breweries and bars, hailing from along the East Coast and across to Margaret River too.
With the number of breweries continuing to grow and many putting out more limited releases, it's ever harder to keep track of everything. But, with the help of 60-odd contributors, here's our take on the best new releases of 2018 to date.
A tradition at Brisbane's Beer InCider Experience is for the headline band to brew a beer. For the 2018 festival, this has seen The Smith Street Band create an IPA with the crew set to open a brewpub in Smith Street: Fixation.
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.
Pirate Life took out the Champion Beer trophy for their Mosaic IPA at the 2018 Perth Royal Beer Awards, where local brewers dominated and the Champion Brewery titles went to Lion (Large) and 3 Ravens (Small).
Last month, we returned to the topic of ownership. Then, we sought the views of people predominantly operating in the independent sector. Here, we follow up with the views of those who own or work for formerly independent beer brands that are now part of larger businesses.
If ownership of a product is important to you as a buyer, choosing from a fridge of beers has never been trickier, particularly if you're shopping at one of the country's two major retailers. Here, following recent of acquisitions, we look at who owns some of the country's beer brands.
Since launching two years ago, the Beer Cartel annual craft beer survey has rapidly become a great gauge of the local beer scene. In 2017, more than 17,000 people responded and now you have a chance to take part as the 2018 version launches.
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?
Following Gage Roads' announcement it had bought Matso's, we spoke to head brewer and COO Aaron Heary about the sale, whether he thinks we'll see more acquisitions of this kind and what he thinks the future holds for the local beer industry.
Gage Roads today announced it has bought fellow WA brewing company Matso's. It is the latest major announcement from the WA brewery, which has been enjoying remarkable growth and success since buying back shares from Woolworths in 2016.
After more than two decades spent in globe-trotting corporate careers, you'd think most people would head to the coast for a quiet life. Not so Helen and David Black. As their Forster based brewery approaches it's first birthday, we find out why.
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.
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.
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.
The Independent Brewers Association has followed the example of peers in the US and UK and launched an seal with which brewers and their supporters can declare their support for local, independent beer.
Back in 2015, we looked at brewing company ownership, which was becoming a topic for regular discussion in the industry. Now, following a slew of acquisitions last year and with the launch of an independence seal, we take another deep dive.
It's time for another roundup of the latest dozen new listings added to our directory. Here it's all brewing companies and beer bars, from Brisbane to Belmont, Perth to the Peninsula and more besides.
Friday knockoff beers for small brewers and their supporters will taste a whole lot better this week after the Government announced proposals in next week's Budget that could save them tens of thousands of dollars in excise tax each year.
He went from a first experience of craft beer at the Grain Store in Newcastle to documenting a year of beer online and now, along with wife Cass, Tim Smith is helping build the beer scene in Dubbo.
There's a wealth of knowledge in the Australian beer world today and plenty of people starting their own brewing companies too. We approached the owners of ten brewing companies to find out what they would tell themselves if they were starting again.
Tasmanian brewery Seven Sheds marks ten years this month. Its co-founder Willie Simpson has been a central figure in Australian beer for far longer, so Bert "Storyteller" Spinks caught up with him and a former pupil to reflect on a life in beer.
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 "catastrophic" fire has caused devastating damage at Ellerslie Hop, one of the largest hop growing operations in Australia. The fourth generation family business has lost its major processing equipment, sheds and the majority of its 2018 crop.
As the fifth Brewsvegas draws to a close, Queensland brewers have been given a boost by the state government with the announcement that a Queensland Craft Brewing Strategy will be drawn up to help the industry's expansion.
4 Pines has struck up a deal with the company responsible for bringing many visitors to their Manly brewpub over the years. It means you'll now find 4 Pines bars on four of the ferries operated by Harbour City Ferries.
Brisbane's citywide celebration of good beer and the community that surrounds it is ready to roll. There's more than 70 events at 50 venues over the next ten days, including Pint of Origin showcasing the best of Australia, the US and New Zealand.
Of beer's four main ingredients, it's hops, those pungent, sticky wee green cones, that have done more to drive the growth of craft beer than any other. Pia from girl + beer spent a day during harvest at Karridale in WA getting up close and personal with them.
Fundraising brewing company Brewmanity is set to embark on its most ambitious venture yet in support of FightMND. Beer March aims to raise tens of thousands of dollars throughout March. We caught up with David Neitz and Neale Daniher to find out more.
We've added another dozen brewery, bottleshop and bar listings to the site since our last roundup in December. So, as is our wont, we've gathered the latest together in one place in case you missed them when they first went live.
Brisbane's Newstead Brewing has become the official beer of Queensland Rugby Union as it continues to forge partnerships with local organisations and businesses in the state. It will see Newstead beers poured at Ballymore and beyond.
For our first blind tasting of 2018, we lined up a pretty eclectic selection of beers that form part of the beer world's current fondness for sour styles. And the year got off to a fine start with a winning beer from a brewpub few readers will yet have visited.
With a few offers and event registration deadlines imminent, it's time for our monthly update from The Crafty Cabal, our beer lovers bonus scheme for readers who want to support what we do and get heaps of good stuff in return.
Brisbane is home to one of the most vibrant and fun beer communities you'll come across. Brewsvegas is the week of the year in which that community celebrates everything that's best about beer. And, as of today, the program for the 2018 festival is live.
The results of the second GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers poll are in and Panhead has made it two for two with Supercharger holding top spot. The now retired Death From Above takes a posthumous bow in second, joined by fellow Garage Project beer Pernicious Weed on the podium.