Articles by Mick Wust

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tim's Bucket List Beer Trip For MND

“Life’s too short to drink crap beer.” When Tim Eggert was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, he decided to get out and enjoy the time he has left by visiting breweries and raising awareness of MND.

The Best Of Beer 2023: Queensland

We continue our trek up Australia's east coast for the third instalment of our Best Of Beer 2023 series, moving on from Victoria and New South Wales to cast an eye over the beer scene in Queensland.

Netherworld Team To Launch Lost Souls "Theme Park" Karaoke

A new karaoke bar unlike any other is opening next to Brisbane's Netherworld. It features local beer, intricate art design, and "theme park level karaoke". You'll be singing to save your soul.

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Who Brews Wild Barrel Beers?

Small batches, single barrels, slow processes, sustainable businesses. Mick Wüst took a look at Wild Barrel, based in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, for our long-running Who Brews...? series.

Brewski: Ten Lessons From Ten Years

"Matt, don’t buy any more barleywines!" just about sums up a decade of Brewski. But for more on watching your intake, sleeping with your business partner and starting fondue fires, here's their Ten Lessons from Ten Years.

Behind Bars: Saccharomyces

It's like a German beer hall. Or a Belgian beer café. But it's mostly full of Aussie beer. But sometimes it's full of German or Belgian or American beer. It's Saccharomyces Beer Café, and there's not much like it.

Currumbin Valley Brewing's Taproom Finally Opens

​After seven years of brewing and a false start last year, Currumbin Valley Brewing have finally opened their taproom. We chatted to co-owner Smokey about their rustic, upcycled new space literally just around the corner from Balter.

Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Venues & Bottleshops

To wrap up our guide to the best of beer on the Sunshine Coast, we ducked into the bars, restaurants and bottleshops dedicated to showcasing good beer. Spoiler: it was at a lot of places.

Brew & A: Jared Palu

With a majestic mane, cheeky smile, and a trophy that says he's a good brewer, Jared Palu has been around good beer in Brisbane longer than most. We chatted to him about brewing, running bars, a beer festival, and just plain old running.

Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Breweries Part II

The Sunny Coast has far too many breweries to contain them all in just one article. Here, we continue our three-part guide to the Sunshine Coast, this time looking at the breweries in the upper half of the region.

Podcast People: Aussie Beer Voyage

Like beer? Like TV? Like exploring new breweries and hearing from people in the industry from the comfort of your home? Then take an Aussie Beer Voyage, the YouTube show guiding you through the Aussie beer scene.

Crafty Sprawl: Sunshine Coast Breweries Part I

When you hear "Sunshine Coast", you think "beaches". But the Sunny Coast is a sprawling region that includes hinterland towns, cities and farms... and plenty of good beer. Our three-part guide to the region starts in the south.

Crafty Crawls: Fortitude Valley

The beast that is Fortitude Valley is ever evolving, so we've updated our Crafty Crawl through this dodgy and frequently delightful part of Brisbane in order to guide you to the best craft beer breweries and bars.


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Behind Bars: Mongrel

If you're into skeletons, sour cocktails and sausage daddies – or, at least, if they don't scare you off – then Mongrel's brand of weirdness is for you. We chatted with the pint-pouring pooches at the Milton bar for our Behind Bars series.

Who Brews Hiker Beers?

A celebration of the great outdoors, beers ranging from Scottish light ale to highly-rated hazy IPA, and a big airy venue with a place for everyone. Meet Hiker Brewing Concern in this instalment of our Who Brews...? series.

The Boxer and the Brewer

A veteran brewer with an overflowing trophy cabinet is now at the helm of Boxer Brewing, started by a winery on Mount Tamborine. Take a deep dive into what can happen when a champion brewer and winemakers rub shoulders.

Working Title To Open Brewpub in Newstead

After operating without a brewery of their own for two years, Working Title have found a home. They're set to move into Newstead Brewing’s soon-to-be vacated brewpub in Doggett Street, Newstead, on April 1. No joke.

Better Together With A Better Vision

A conversation with Emily Tankey about brewing venture Better Together grew into a conversation about brewing at Brouwerij De Molen, the importance of female ownership, and the need for distinction in contract brewing.

The Collaborators: Candy Warhol's Colouring Cans

If a colouring book featuring 148 beer cans from breweries across Greater Sydney appeals to you, then you're in luck – ex-graphic designer Connor Dempsey has made one to scratch his own creative itch and support good mental health.

The Best Of Beer 2022: Queensland

The remarkable rise of Queensland's craft beer scene continued apace in 2022, even in the face of floods and the challenges faced by the industry across Australia. Here's our take on the tumultuous 12 months that was.

Going Green: The Common Good Company

What if every single thread of your beer merch was made from recycled cotton and recycled drink bottles? We caught up with The Common Good Company for a chat about their high quality apparel with a low impact on the planet.

Who Brews Little Giant beers?

An Aussie wine label making European-inspired beers in funky little bottles isn't something you see every day. So here's the story behind Little Giant beers in this Who Brews…? with a difference.

Archer Touch Down In Newmarket

What better place for an aviation-themed brewery to set up home than inside a World War Two era hangar? After a turbulent few years, Archer Brewing are landing in Newmarket with a new brewery to call home.

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The Story Of: Moff's Summer Ale

How does a session IPA designed for easy beach drinking beat out both session beers and bigger IPAs for beer awards? None of us, including the brewer, seem to quite know the answer. But read about the beer that does it in The Story Of Moff's Summer Ale.

Blackflag Open Their Coolum Compound

Blackflag Brewing's production brewery and taproom in Coolum Beach is a big step up from their Mooloolaba alleyway venue, with space and demand to expand almost immediately. We got in touch as it opens to the public.

The Brewer Who Can See Flavour

When Ian Watson tastes beer, he sees colour. He has synaesthesia, and this condition shapes the way he tastes beer – and the way he brews it. We caught up with one of the country's most experienced brewers to find out more.

Shut Up And Drink Your Dessert: Pastry Beers Part 2

Pastry beers are everywhere now, like it or not. In part two of our deep dive, we explore their appeal: who's drinking them, the brewers' intentions and why they're still "real beer" – as well as the cost to your wallet and waistline.

Shut Up And Drink Your Dessert: Pastry Beers Part 1

Sweet, thick beers that taste like dessert used to be few and far between, but now it feels like they're everywhere. In the first of this two-part deep dive, we look at what pastry beers are, where they came from, and how they're made.

Dean Can Draw – Bringing Crushed Cans To Life

To some, a crushed tinnie is a piece of rubbish ready to be recycled. To artist Dean Spinks, it's inspiration for a 30-hour photorealistic drawing.

The Mateship Tour: Shouting Beer In The Remotest Spots

There are worse ways to make new mates than to spend three months touring around Queensland giving away free beer... so Hep from Your Mates Brewing decided to do just that. Welcome to the Mateship Tour.

Who Brews at Principle Brewing?

How do you focus on both quality of your beer and the local community? How do you both fit in with other breweries and stand out from the crowd? You follow your principles. Meet the team at Principle Brewing in another Who Brews...?

Who Brews As The Boys?

From embarking on a project to stay sane during COVID to dreams of brewing with Shaq, we get the lowdown on The Boys and Scott Wyatt and Tim French's brewing journey in this instalment of Who Brews...?

Stomping Ground Enjoy More Awards Success In Queensland

Stomping Ground enjoyed another fine beer awards today, claiming Grand Champion Beer in Queensland. There were big wins for Ballistic, Black Hops, Felons and Moffat Beach, with the last of these claiming another swag of trophies.

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Floods Hit The Breweries Of SEQ And Beyond

The floods in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales have caused all kinds of devastation. Here are some of the beer businesses that have been affected.

Breheny Bros Bring Aussie Brewing History Back To Life

The "most influential family in Australian brewing history" is making beer again – from 100-year-old recipes. We got in touch with the team at Breheny Bros to find out about their plans.

Who Brews at Auckland House?

What's green on one side, blue on the other, and shiny and pastel in the middle? Auckland House, that's what. Meet brewer Cam McMillan and hear the story of Gladstone's first microbrewery in this instalment of Who Brews...?

Reckless To Set Up Home In Bathurst

After a couple of years building a brand via the contract brewing route in Sydney’s Inner West, Reckless Brewing have found a home – in a heritage-listed flour mill in Bathurst that formerly housed Two Heads Brewing.

Who Brews Parched Beers?

Carl Hallion's dream of owning a small bar blew up into the reality of a two-storey brewpub in Brisbane's West End. Here, we find out all about the beers and the brewpub from Carl himself in this instalment of Who Brews...?

Best New Queensland Beers Of 2021

Borders have opened and shut, lockdowns have come and gone, but the beer scene in Queensland continues to go from strength to strength. Here we look back over 2021 to shine a light on the brightest beer moments of the year.

The Odd Culture of Newtown

Sour beer, natural wines, a fine dining menu, European opening hours and a prime spot on Newtown's King Street. The new Odd Culture venue may be difficult to categorise, but it's not difficult to enjoy.

Ballarat Notches 50 Years Of Teaching Brewers

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first postgraduate brewing course offered in Ballarat - and there's no sign of the course slowing down. We chatted to a few of the key figures from the past half century about its past, present and future.

The Collaborators: Grain Totes, Totes Great

Matt Lawrence wants to see repurposed malt bags replace single use bags across the beer industry. We got in touch to find out how he’s making it happen one tote bag at a time.

Who Brews For Kicks?

What does it look like when good beer marries good design? Get to know the husband and wife team behind Kicks Brewing in this instalment of our Who Brews...? series.