Articles by Crafty Pint
Brew & A: Mornington's Barrel Man
Earlier this month, Mornington Peninsula Brewery released the first beer from its barrel program, the luscious Old Pumping Station. Overseeing the program is young brewer Kristian Martin. Here, we find out more about him.
Australian International Beer Awards Winners 2017
Last night's beer awards in Melbourne put the seal on an incredible first year for Balter as the Gold Coast brewery took out three major trophies. They were among several multiple winners, which included several locals and Dagon from Myanmar.
The Big Issue: Weird Beers
It's that time of year when more new beers hit the market than at any other thanks in part to GABS. A good percentage will be highly experimental or outright odd, with the oddest tending to gain the most media hype. But is all news good news?
Independence Day
Today, Australia's small and independent brewers voted to remove large breweries from national trade body. What was the Craft Beer Industry Association (CBIA) is now to be known as the Independent Brewers Association.
The Secret Brewer: Price Wars Pt II
Yesterday, we presented an article from The Secret Brewer claiming a price war poses serious challenges and issues for the Australian craft beer industry. Here, a brewery owner, a sales rep and a venue owner respond to those claims.
The Secret Brewer: Price Wars
For the past couple of years, there has been much discussion around the prevalence of low priced kegs – and more recently cases – hitting the markets, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. This Secret Brewer two-parter asks if it's good for beer.
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.
Boatrocker's Kindred Spirits
Boatrocker is to merge with award-winning gin and vodka producer Hippocampus Metropolitan Distillery. The West Perth distillery will move in its entirety to the Boatrocker Barrel Room in the coming months.
GBW PoO Crawl: South
At this year's Good Beer Week, Pint of Origin has spread its wings further outwards across Melbourne than ever before. To help you navigate all the awesome beers and brewers on offer, we've created three PoO Crawls complete with maps.
GBW PoO Crawl: North
At this year's Good Beer Week, Pint of Origin has spread its wings further outwards across Melbourne than ever before. To help you navigate all the awesome beers and brewers on offer, we've created three PoO Crawls complete with maps.
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The Crafty Dozen – May 2017
We've added another dozen new brewery, bar and bottleshop listings since our last roundup. Which means it's time for another beery postcard and a reminder for you of the last 12 business to find a home on Crafty.
Crafty Cabal Update – 05.05.17
What with the long weekends, the Crafty relaunch and all manner of other distractions, it's been a while since our last update on all the goodies we've got for our supporters. Which means there's plenty to tell you about...
Aussie Beer Blogs: Little Hop Beers
The title of this article may be a little misleading as the latest person to appear in our featured beer blogs series isn't an Aussie. Hannah Louise Grugel is a Brit who started writing about beer in the UK and has continued since landing in Sydney last year.
A New Dawn
We've given Crafty a refresh. Out with the old and in with the new: a new logo, a new look and some new features, including Crafty Recommends – an enhanced map helping you find more of the goods stuff. We hope you like it!
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.
Breaking China
A growing number of Australian brewers is looking to break into the Chinese market. The craft beer market may be tiny percentage wise, but is still large in numbers. So how can brewers hope to make it there? And what beers are in demand?
Who Brews Hack Beers?
One of the original founders of Kooinda is back in the beer game with three mates. Together, the foursome go by the name Hack Brewing and have so far brought out one beer: the Golden Ale.
Behind Bars: Zach Hill
There's been a fair bit focus on Ballarat recently, with the launch a Beer Trail and announcements of a $100m brewery project and a Brewing Centre of Excellence. Here, one of the city's barmen tells us what's happening on the ground.
Brew & A: Thirsty Crow
Craig Wealands wasted little time putting Wagga's Thirsty Crow on the map, winning an AIBA trophy for his Vanilla Milk Stout within months of opening. With his new, bigger brewpub firing on all cylinders, he fielded questions in our latest Brew & A.
Crafty Cabal Update – 07.04.17
We've been so busy hanging with Cabal members around the country, we haven't announced that much new stuff in the past couple of weeks. But don't worry: we do have new offers and events to announce...
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.
Brewing Without Borders
Breweries will be able to hire brewers from overseas more easily after Hawkers successfully secured a 457 visa for one of their brewers. This is the first time brewing has been recognised as a skill suitable for a Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa.
Aussie Exports: Gerad Giles
Aussie Exports is a series in which we check in on Australians doing cool things in beer overseas. Here, we head to British Columbia where former Esperance inhabitant Gerad Giles is working for BNA Brewing.
The Secret Brewer: Gypsy Brewing Pt II
Yesterday, we launched a new series, The Secret Brewer, in which an unnamed brewer laid out their concerns about gypsy and contract brewing. Today, brewers from here and overseas respond to the points raised in the article.
The Secret Brewer: Gypsy Brewing
The Secret Brewer is a new series in which a local brewer lets off steam about an issue that's troubling them. First up: gypsy brewers. Tomorrow, we'll present responses to the points raised by our mystery brewer in part two.
Starting A Brewery: The Early Days
Thinking of starting out in brewing? Keen to learn more about the realities of chasing that dream? Here, we find out what four Australian brewing company owners have learned in their first year of operation.
The Biggest Week In Beer Is Coming
Good Beer Week has grown into a happening of global stature, encapsulating 270 events, the Australian International Beer Awards and the ever-growing beast that is GABS. The 2017 version promises to be the biggest yet.
Cabal Update – 16.03.17
We're a day early with our fortnightly update, but that's because we've got stuff going on this weekend and news related to Good Beer Week and GABS, which are now on sale. Plus other new news too...
Aussie Beer Blogs: Schoonerversity
With Brewsvegas set to launch this week, for our latest focus on one of the many beer-focused blogs in Australia, we turn to Brisbane. There we find Schoonerversity, created by Mick Wust because, well, because he loves sharing good beer.
Lion Quits Craft Beer Industry Association
Chuck Hahn, one of the figureheads of the Australian craft beer industry since the 1980s has today released a statement announcing Lion's departure from the Craft Beer Industry Association. We sought reaction from independent brewers.
Brew & A: Brendan O'Sullivan of 3 Ravens
As sour beers continue to grow in popularity, one man well set to reap the rewards is Brendan O'Sullivan. The 3 Ravens head brewer has been exploring that realm with success since long before he became a commercial brewer.
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 Collaborators: Spark Breweries & Distilleries
We know plenty about the Aussie brewers, hop growers, venues and festivals helping the local industry grow. But did you know there's a local business designing and installing innovative breweries? Meet Spark.
Get Fresh
It's hop harvest time across Australia. And this year's offers more chances than ever to get up close and personal with the little green flowers, not least thanks to a pair of festivals celebrating the harvest and fresh hops beers.
Two Birds II
Today sees Two Birds Brewing founders Jayne Lewis and Danielle Allen celebrating the completion of their journey from contract brewers to fully self-sufficient brewery owners. They're marking it with a new beer and new look too.
The Crafty Dozen – February 2017
With a handful of other directory listings waiting in the wings, time to round up the most recent dozen to be added to the site. It's the usual mixture of breweries, venues and bottleshops, this time from WA, NSW, TAS and VIC.
Sailing On White Lakes
Former Swan Brewery man Sean Symons has returned to brewing, taking up the reins at the impressive new Whitelakes operation in Perth. Ross Lewis joined him to talk beer, brewing and grand plans for expansion.
Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers of 2016 – The Top 3
The first GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers countdown saw three hoppy beers from three masters of the NZ beer industry fill the podium. We chatted to all three: Mike from Panhead, Luke from Epic and Jos from Garage Project.
Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers of 2016 – The Results
First, the Orange One takes the White House and now the orange one from Panhead takes out the inaugural GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers, ahead of Epic's Hop Zombie and Garage Project's Pernicious Weed.
Brew & A: Greg Mace – The Craft & Co
It's Waitangi Day and the first ever Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beers countdown too. So it feels like as good a time as any to run our Brew & A with Greg Mace, a Kiwi brewer who now plies his trade in Melbourne.
Broo Buys Mildura Brewery
For the second day running, we've received news of a buyout in the Australian beer industry. Broo has announced via the ASX that it has purchased Mildura Brewery. More to follow...
Dixon Buys Hawthorn Brewing Company
The fast-growing Dixon Hospitality Group has added another string to its bow. The business has moved into the craft beer sector after buying Hawthorn Brewing Company and launching new division Salt Brewing.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2016: First-Timers
The 2016 GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll saw nine brewing companies appear for the first time. In the last of our related articles, we speak to the brewers and owners at three of them: Balter, Fixation and Blackman's.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2016: Analysis
With the results out and the resultant debate underway online, it's time for us to have a look at what the Hottest 100 of 2016 says about the local beer landscape.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2016: The Results
The people have spoken and the results of the ninth Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll are in. Stone & Wood Pacific Ale takes top spot again with Pirate Life IIPA and Feral's Hop Hog completing the top three.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2016: Infographic
In what's becoming a time-honoured tradition, we present a breakdown of the results of the Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll in colourful infographic form. Complete, appropriately, with lots of hops.
Aussie Beer Blogs: The Craft Beer King
Readers of The Crafty Pint will be familiar with Matt King as he's responsible for most of our coverage of the SA beer scene. Now he's launched his own site that looks to cover the state in even greater depth.
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.
Mall Brewing
The team behind Perth's Northbridge Brewing Company is set to open a brewpub in a northern suburbs shopping mall. And the move could be a sign of things to come as the nature of shopping centres evolves.
Deadline Looming For Hottest 100 Voting
Time is running out to vote for your favourite Australian craft beers of 2016 in the GABS Hottest 100 poll. Already, a record number of votes have been received. Polling closes at midnight on January 20, 2017.
