News & Feature Stories
Sydney Brewery Claims Top Prize At Queensland Awards
Sydney Brewery claimed yet another major trophy for one of their lagers at the 2021 Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Beer Awards, taking our Grand Champion Beer for their Pilsner.
Brew & A: Ben from Ida Pruul
Westside Ale Works in South Melbourne always have a wide variety of beers pouring from their 30 taps. These days, they tend to include wild ales created on-site by Ben Sewell under the Ida Pruul banner.
Beer Swag Day Is Back!
Beer Swag Day was a day of celebration that ran as part of the Keeping Local Alive campaign in the early weeks of the national lockdown. And now it's back – on the anniversary of the lockdown so we can mark that dark day with a smile.
Brunswick's Booze-Free Bar
Alcohol-free alternatives to beer, wine and spirits have come a long way in recent times and soon Melburnians will have a dedicated space to try those offerings in. We got in touch with the Brunswick Aces team to find out more.
Doors To Dunnies Part I: Let Me In
What makes a great boozer great? In a unique new series, award-winning beer writer and podcaster Luke Robertson sets out to find the answer, breaking down the experience of going out in Australia in the company of experts.
Tell 'Em Benny Sent Ya
How does joining an award-winning comedy writer attempting to channel Anthony Bourdain on a tour of breweries (and beaches, big things, and kebab shops) sound? We caught up with the man behind new web series Benny Sent Ya.
Who Brews Shapeshifter Beers?
Shapeshifter launched in 2019 and have been finding fans across South Australia for their limited release hazy beers. We caught up with the brewing company's founders to ask them Who Brews Shapeshifter beers?
The Big Issue: The Future Of Beer Fests II
Six months ago, we asked what beer festivals might look like in the new COVID-altered landscape. As events start to make their comeback, we revisited the topic to see what else has been learned and what might lie ahead.
Come With Us!
Reaching our audience via social media platforms has been getting ever harder, so we've been working on new, quick read e-bulletins. With Facebook now blocking Aussie news sites, we're asking you to sign up ahead of next month's launch.
How's The Serenity Of Speed?
Readers will know Corinna Steeb and Frank Samson through the beers of Prancing Pony, but it's only one of their passions. They met through a shared love of motorbikes and next month Corinna will attempt to break her own land speed record.
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Who Brews Green Gully Beers?
The discovery of a beer he'd helped his dad bottle way back in 1976 sparked Luke Smith's love for brewing. These days, he's the man behind Phillip Island's Green Gully Brewing, producing beers from a farm shed around another job.
Boekamp Bier Relaunches As The Albert Brewery
Boekamp Bier's sudden closure in December last year was sad news for Tassie craft drinkers and lager lovers. Now co-founder Mark French has relaunched with a new look and name but with the same dedication to lager.
Dollar Bill's Ballarat Dream Quashed
Dollar Bill's dream of opening a cellar door in Ballarat won't be turning into reality after the local council rejected their planning application. But the brewery's founders are already working on plans for what's next.
Brew & A: Chase Saraiva – Wildflower
COVID-19 hit during American brewer Chase Saraiva's two-month working holiday in Australia. He's turned the situation into a good one, however, now installed as head brewer at Wildflower working with fellow expat Topher Boehm.
Putting The Micro In Microbrewing
Use of the term has dropped away somewhat in recent years, but there's really one way one to describe Edward Kerr's research into barley protein at the University of Queensland: microbrewing.
Getting Blind With Crafty: Hazy Pales
They're hazy. They're pale. They're all the rage. But who's doing them well? For our first blind tasting of 2021, we got our hands on a stack of Aussie examples, amassed some expert palates, and put them to the test.
Getting Blind With Crafty: How We Judge – 2021 Update
We've been conducting blind tastings at The Crafty Pint since late 2012, both in-house and as pubic events across the country. As we get underway in 2021, we've tweaked the way we source and judge the beers.
A Hazy Shade Of Pale
Hazy pale ales look set to be one of the styles of 2021 as more and more breweries add them to their core offerings and drinkers embrace their juicy, fluffy, fruity sessionability. But just what are they?
TikTok On The Beer Clock
TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform on the planet, but is there any craft beer content on there? And, if so, should Aussie beer lovers and breweries be using it? Will Ziebell heads down the rabbit hole...
Everybody! Beerstreet's Back, Alright!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a trio of opera singers with more than 20 years of experience came together to create a beer review show? Of course not. But, if you had, you're in luck...
A Book About Beer Geeks. For Beer Geeks. By A Beer Geek
SA beer writer Matt King has just released his first book. The Chronicles of Nelson Smart: Beer Connoisseur/Geek is a novel based loosely on Matt's experiences in the Aussie craft beer world over the past decade and is out now.
Who Brews At Snapper Point?
Why do you brew? "I love drinking beer." We got in touch with the man behind tiny SA brewing company Snapper Point to find out why he decided to make the move from homebrewing to pro brewing.
Who Brews The Hard Road Way?
Hard Road Brewing might have been a new name when they opened just before COVID-19 forced their brewpub doors to close. But the Bayswater team is far from new to beer, bringing together two existing Victorian operations.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2020: The Stories
From the beer in top spot via two Queenslanders bursting into the top ten with new entries and a hazy from the Margaret River region, we chat to some of the people at breweries making waves in the 2020 poll.
Hottest 100 Of 2020: The Countdown
The 2020 GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll has a new number one. More votes were case than ever before with Canberra's BentSpoke moving up to top spot after three years in third spot.
Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2020: The Table
The votes have been cast and counted and there's a new winner in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll. Canberra's BentSpoke have taken top spot for their flagship Crankshaft IPA.
H100 Aussie Craft Beers Of 2020: Analysis
Nearly 40,000 people cast close to 200,000 votes. There was change at the top and a mix of consolidation and surprises below. Here's what we made of it all.
Crafty Crawls: The Venues Of South West WA
The South West of WA has long been a hotspot for local breweries. These days, you won't struggle to find quality bars and bottleshops supporting the brewers of the region and further afield.
Is The Growler Honeymoon Over?
The popularity of growlers reached new heights when pubs shut and the government relaxed rules around repackaging booze. Those regulations return next month and people in the beer industry aren't overly happy..
2020: The Year In Beer – ACT
It wasn't just fires and COVID-19 that hit the ACT in 2020; they had a destructive hailstorm to deal with too. Yet, while there were losses, there were great beers, comebacks and new openings too.
No Save Point For Moon Dog
Moon Dog have joined forces with a dozen other breweries worldwide as part of hip hop duo Run The Jewels' No Save Point collab. We chatted to the Melbourne brewery about how the project came into being.
Who Brews Moana Beers?
Two decades after first trying homebrewing, Mark Roberts decided to take the plunge and release beers commercially. Today, he's focused on his MPA, dedicated to the coastal lifestyle of his hometown of Moana.
Crafty Crawls: Ballarat
Ballarat is a city with a fine heritage when it comes to beer and brewing. It's one that continues today, where pioneering experimentalists rub shoulders with blenders, brewpubs and classic boozers.
Native Flavours. Great Intentions
Spinifex Brewing Co is an Aboriginal- and veteran-owned brewing company aiming to showcase native flavours to the world, all while supporting military mental health services.
Park Beers For The Road
COVID's impact has made us appreciate many of the wonderful things that surround us, including Australia's spectacular natural environment. Supporting that beauty with the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife are For The Road.
Who Blends Sobremesa Beers?
At the end of 2020, Casey Grieve and Hannah McErlane released the first farmhouse style release as Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery. We caught up with the couple to talk about their vision for the new brewing company.
Help Us Get Blind: Hazy Pales
Having managed to squeeze in a post-lockdown(s) blind tasting just before 2020 drew to a close, we're kicking off the new year with a look at hazy pales. And we'd love your help compiling a long list of those available in Australia.
Two Birds Bought By Fermentum
Two Birds have been acquired by Fermentum, the parent company of Stone & Wood and Fixation, among others. It comes ten years after founders Jayne Lewis decided to form Australia's first female-owned brewing company.
Who Brews In Karratha?
It's one of the most remote breweries in Australia, but after surviving year one in good shape, the team at North West Brewing in Karratha are expanding and looking forward to sending beer outside the Pilbara.
Ryefield Hops: Securing A Future
At the start of last year, the small-scale Ryefield Hops' entire harvest was destroyed by drought and the subsequent bushfires. We caught up with co-founder Jade McManus to talk about the year that was and their plans for the future.
Who Brews Straddie Beers?
Anyone who's visited North Stradbroke Island – or Straddie – will know it's a gem of a place. These days, it also has a brewing company producing beers inspired by its natural beauty. We got in touch to find out more.
2020: The Year In Beer – NT
The Northern Territory may have lost much of its tourism trade in 2020, but support from the local community and a willingness to adapt ensured brewers were able to end the year on the up.
Summer On The South Coast
A year ago, instead of preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve, many in Australia were fighting for their lives, including those on the NSW South Coast. We caught up with some of the region's beer people as they look forward to a brighter summer.
2020: The Year In Beer – Victoria
It might have been a year to forget in many ways, yet there was still plenty to admire and celebrate in Victoria's beer scene in 2020. Join us as we try to make sense of the madness.
2020: The Year In Beer – SA
Despite the bushfires and the pandemic, SA's craft beer industry continued to grow in 2020. With the support of dozens of industry experts, here's Matt King with his look at the year in beer in South Australia.
2020: The Year In Beer – WA
Supporting local while broadening horizons, new openings, cracking beers, and #bigdumbdelicioussoughtaftercheckedinthings, here's Guy Southern with a look back at the year in beer in WA in 2020.
2020: The Year In Beer - Queensland
Take a break from complaining about 2020 to celebrate with the annoyingly optimistic Mick Wust as he looks over a year of beer in Queensland.
Jervis Bay: Fighting Fit One Year On
Jervis Bay Brewing Co opened as bushfires swept the region, closed to the public due to COVID-19 months later, yet are looking forward with optimism after celebrating their first anniversary in the lead up to Christmas.
2020: The Year In Beer – NSW
Great beers, standout moments and horrific, unnecessary analogies... Judd Owen casts an eye over the year in beer in New South Wales.
2020: The Year In Beer – Tasmania
Following our look at the standout trends in the Australian beer scene, we head to Tasmania to kick off our state by state by territory roundup of the year in beer that was 2020.
