Articles by James Smith
Episode 027: Welcome Back For 2025
After a most welcome break over the festive period, The Crafty Pint Podcast is back for 2025. For the first show, we reflect on the news of the year to date and look forward to a busy few months of travel and events.
Year In Beer 2024: ACT & NT
The final episode of The Crafty Pint's Year In Beer 2024 series is a double-header with a triple dose of guests. After completing the full set of states, it's the turn of ACT and the Northern Territory.
Year In Beer 2024: Queensland
For our penultimate Year In Beer 2024 episode we head to Queensland. We kick off with Crafty writer Mick Wüst before joining Josh Donohoe of Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours then Hiker Brewing founders Phil Sharp and Daniel Venema.
Year In Beer 2024: New South Wales
We head to New South Wales for our final podcast episode before Christmas to reflect on the year in beer with Meesh Dale-Cully from Wildflower, Nick McDonald from Bucketty's and Crafty writer Jason Treuen.
Beer By Design: The Digital Can Printing Revolution
Ever wondered how those eye-catching cans filling bottleshop fridges come to life? In Beer Dy Design, we'll examine the people and processes involved every step of the way, starting at the end on the cutting edge of can printing.
Year In Beer 2024: Tasmania
Our Year In Beer 2024 series heads across the Bass Strait to find out what's been happening in Tasmania in the company of Matt from Science Made Beerable and multi-brewery venue operator Scott Seymour.
Year In Beer 2024: Victoria
The fourth instalment of our Year In Beer 2024 series finds us on home turf as we turn our attention to Victoria. Joining Will and James are Cherry Murphy and Good Land Brewing's Jimmy Krekelberg.
Year In Beer 2024: Western Australia
Time to head west for the second instalment of our Year In Beer 2024 series. Our Western Australia show features Crafty writers Guy Southern and Jono Outred plus Phat Brew Club and indie retailers Copper & Oak.
Year In Beer 2024: South Australia
We kick off our state by state by territory reviews of 2024 in South Australia, where we sat down with longstanding Crafty contributor Matt King, brewer-turned-malt man Steve Brockman, and sensory guru Briony Liebich.
Episode 019: Fighting For Indie Beer
As an immensely challenging year for indie brewers draws to a close, we invited key figures from the Independent Brewers Association to look back at the highs and lows of the past 12 months and ahead at their plans for 2025.
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Episode 018: Life's A Beach: Building A Brewery In Bali
We set sail for Bali in this episode to catch up with Sam Füss, one of the beer world's true characters, who moved there from Sydney to help launch Beaches Brewing Co after more than two decades in brewing and hospo in Australia.
Seasonal Win WA Beer of the Year With Black Oat Cream IPA Mudi
You rarely see breweries release black oat cream IPAs, but maybe that will change after Mudi from The Seasonal Brewing Co claimed the WA Beer of the Year title as the awards celebrated WA's beer scene for a fifth year.
Episode 017: 25 Years Of Holgate
Few small businesses make it to a quarter-century, let alone in the world of brewing, yet that's the milestone marked by Paul and Tash Holgate in 2024. We joined them at their Woodend pub to hear their remarkable story.
Episode 016: Making A Positive Impact With Beer
What does it mean to be a sustainable business or to brew in a sustainable manner? How can beer businesses have a positive impact on the world around them? We sat down with sustainability expert James Perrin.
Ten Lessons From Ten Years: Wolf of the Willows
As the Wolf of the Willows team prepares to celebrate turning ten, we chatted to founders Scott and Renae about their first decade and invited them to share their Ten Lessons From Ten Years.
Rocks Brewing Owners "Devastated" As Sydney Business Enters Administration
One of the longest-established brewing companies in Sydney has entered voluntary administration this week. The family running Rocks Brewing, based in Alexandria, say they're "devastated" as they aim to reset the business.
Episode 015: From Beer Writing To The Brewhouse – Building A Local Brewpub In NZ
In Episode 015 we head overseas for the first time to join a man who swapped a career writing and commentating on beer in Australia for rebuilding a twice-liquidated brewery in his hometown on the South Island of New Zealand.
Episode 014: Moon Dog's Marvellous Medicine
This week saw Moon Dog open their third megavenue, Doglands, on the Marvel Stadium concourse. We joined founders Karl van Buuren and Josh Uljans there to trace the evolution of their unique story.
The Brewers Of The South West Launch Local Beer Trails
The Margaret River region has long been one of the best destinations for beer lovers and now ten of the region's brewers have launched Beer Trails to make visitors' experiences even better.
Episode 013: From Teaching History To Brewing It
If you were to draw up a list of Australian brewing greats of the past 20 years, Shawn Sherlock would be in the very upper echelons. The former Murray's brewer now in full control of FogHorn Brewery joined us on the podcast.
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Newcastle Becomes Brewcastle With Launch Of New Ale Trail
A decade ago, there wasn't a single brewery in Newcastle, despite its reputation as a beer city. Now, with heaps of breweries and craft beer venues calling it home, they've launched the Brewcastle brew trail.
Be A Pint of Origin Host Venue In 2025
Yes, May 2025 is still seven months away, but Pint of Origin waits for nobody. So, if you'd like your venue to be part of the one-of-a-kind festival when it returns to Melbourne for a thirteenth time, now's the time to let us know!
Episode 012: Social Media, Branding, Diversity & Non Beer
Episode 012 of our podcast covers so many topics in the company of Amanda "Bakes" Baker, part of the team at Lost Palms on the Gold Coast, it could have been a mini-series. Enjoy!
Episode 011: Brewing Traditional Beers In The High Country
Traditional beer styles have been enjoying a revival so, in the midst of the busiest Oktoberfest season we can recall, we invited a man who's been brewing them since launching his brewery in 2016 onto the podcast for a chat.
Episode 009: Talking Terpenes with Sam Bethune & Scott McKinnon
Terpenes are hot property in the brewing world right now, providing brewers with another tool as they set about creating new beers. But what are they, where do they come from, and why the excitement around them?
Australia's Biggest Urban Brewery Trail Gets Even Bigger
Sydney's Inner West has long been home to the country's most dense collection of indie breweries. As of today, it also has its own Ale Trail, with the 18 breweries across six suburbs working together to promote their local community.
More Trophy Success For Esker Beer Co In Sydney
Esker Beer Co, the beer brand that evolved from the Australian Brewery, enjoyed more awards success in Sydney overnight, claiming Champion Beer or Cider for their Citrus Gose.
A Taste Of Old Blighty
Long-unfancied British beer styles have been enjoying a revival in 2024. So what's behind the rise of bitters, browns and ambers? And will it last? We chatted to a couple of brewers hoping it will.
Episode 008: Derek Lacey of Bluestone Yeast
While spending time as a stay-at-home dad, medical researcher Derek Lacey had a "Eureka!" moment that inspired him to launch Bluestone Yeast. As he puts finishing touches to his new yeast production facility, we invited him for a chat.
Episode 007: Steve Finney & Will Irving of FOUND.
FOUND. is little more than a year old, yet the story of the people driving the brewing company stretches back far longer, and is interwoven with the very fabric of craft beer in Western Australia.
Episode 006: Hamish Coates From Rocky Ridge
In mid-September, Rocky Ridge will open their Brunswick brewery, giving the Jindong brewers a substantial East Coast home. We sat down with co-founder Hamish Coates at the former Thunder Road site the day before he signed the deal.
Ten Lessons From Ten Years: Bendigo On The Hop
Ahead of the tenth Bendigo On The Hop, we got in touch with event founder Trev Birks for the first festival-themed entry into our Ten Lessons From Ten Years series.
Episode 005: Matt & Ant From Brewski
Another podcast episode featuring breaking news, as Ant and Matt signed the lease on a new My Beer Dealer bar & bottleshop on the day we were recording the intro for their chat about all things beer, Brisbane and Brewski.
Episode 004: Tom Delmont
Few people in Australia have put as much craft beer into as many venues as Tom Delmont. Mountain Goat's first sales rep and the co-founder of Fixation joined us in the studio for the fourth episode of The Crafty Pint Podcast.
Episode 003: Callum Reeves of KAIJU! & The IBA
Fresh from the star of episode 002 picking up three trophies at the Indies, we sat down with new IBA chair, KAIJU! co-founder Callum Reeves to reflect on the awards, the challenges facing indie brewers and much, much more.
Uraidla Win Champion Beer At The 2024 Indies With A RIPA Of A Beer
Uraidla Brewery, a small operation at the foot of the Adelaide Hills, have won Champion Australian Independent Beer at the 2024 Indies, with Champion Brewery titles going to Stomping Ground, Seven Mile, Boundary Island and Tiny Fish.
Episode 002: Lindsay Astarita of Stomping Ground
Ahead of the 2024 Indies awards, we sat down with Lindsay Astarita, sensory and quality guru at Stomping Ground, for a chat about her role, what it's like to be a beer judge, and a life spent travelling the world via craft beer.
Episode 001: Chris & Gab Moore of Sailors Grave Brewing
The Crafty Pint Podcast is officially up and running. And we've got two great guests to kick things off: Chris and Gab Moore, the creative geniuses behind the unique Sailors Grave Brewing.
Vote For Holgate's 25 Years of Beers People's Choice
To mark a quarter century of brewing, the team at Holgate Brewhouse set out to brew 25 beers for 25 years. And they're inviting the public to choose one of the beers – with a sweet prize on offer for one winning voter.
We're Launching The Crafty Pint Podcast
Fourteen years after we set out on a mission to cover the Australian craft beer scene, The Crafty Pint is launching a podcast. You can view a trailer now, with the first full weekly episode published in late July.
Valhalla Brewing Enter VA Citing Major Drop In Hospitality
Valhalla Brewing have become the latest indie operation to enter voluntary administration, citing a significant drop in patronage at their venues. Owner Scott Hunt says they hope to remain in control of the Geelong-based business.
2024 Mid-Year Report – Shift Happens
The first six months of 2024 have been brutal for beer, putting even the turbulence of 2023 in the shade. Here, we take stock, examining where the industry finds itself and where it's heading.
The Secret Brewer: Voluntary Administration Part II
The people running some of the breweries to have been through voluntary administration over the past 12 months, as well as the CEO of the IBA, respond to concerns raised by The Secret Brewer.
Margaret River-Based Black Brewing Has Gone Into Administration
Black Brewing Co has entered administration. The Margaret River-based operation, which won Champion WA Brewery at the 2023 Indies, has appointed Avior Consulting and is to close its restaurant on June 15.
FogHorn Founder Takes Full Control Of Brewery As Mighty Craft Exit Craft
Shawn Sherlock, who built a reputation as one of Australia's finest brewers while at Murray's, has taken full control of FogHorn Brewery almost a decade on from launching the business, with Mighty Craft exiting craft beer.
Range To Close Their Abbotsford Taproom
Range Brewing have today announced they're closing their Melbourne venue. The Abbotsford taproom opened in 2020, and will serve customers for the last time on June 15 as they focus on their Brisbane operations.
Can Beer Help Regenerate The Planet?
Regenerative farming and the grain grown by such methods have been gaining more attention in recent years. Now, the Good Grain initiative aims to raise awareness and support for both much further, with beer as the vehicle.
Time For Some PoOsitivity
Pint of Origin 2024 is set to enter its final weekend after enjoying a sparkling opening so, to get attendees into the mood for more, we've rounded some of the best clips from when the festival hit the major networks.
Black Hops Brewing Bought By New Owners
Black Hops have been bought by a consortium representing a number of existing shareholders and "other supporters of craft beer and independent breweries". The business had been in administration since late March.
FOUND. Taking Over Former Golden West Site In Subiaco
The closure of one brewery in Subiaco has paved the way for another to open, with FOUND. set to transform the former home of Golden West into a hub for their ambitious vision for WA.
