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Behind The Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers Of 2017
There were plenty of stories within the second GABS Hottest 100 Kiwi Beers countdown, from Panhead holding on to top spot to Garage Project supplying almost one in five beers and Liberty claiming the highest new entry. But we're going to tell three different ones.
Best New Tasmanian Beers Of 2017
For our roundup of the Best New Tasmanian Beers Of 2017, our inimitable wandering contributor Bert Spinks seeks the thoughts of beer folks across the state and ponders whether, in 2018, he should deliver the outcome in sonnet form.
Best New Queensland Beers Of 2017
We head to the Sunshine State to find out what our panelists thought were the best new beers released by Queensland brewers in 2017. There were so many, the ten became 11 – and even then there's some honourably mentions too.
Best New WA Beers of 2017
Big beers. Small beers. Hazy beers. Crazy beers. Which new releases from WA's brewers made our Best New Beers of 2017 list? Here, Guy Southern and Pia Poynton present the rundown selected by beer gurus from across the state.
Crafty Crawls: Redfern
As the 2017 Sydney Beer Week kicks off, we return to the streets of the New South Wales capital for another Crafty Crawl. Here, Judd Owen takes us through Redfern in the manner only he can.
Strait Forward
In the grand scheme of things, Tasmania isn't that far from the mainland. Yet the Bass Strait has proven a challenging hurdle for most of the state's small brewers. Change could be at hand, however, as Will Ziebell discovers.
Pirates Aiming For Port
With the title of Australia's Best Brewery bestowed on them from the biggest ever survey of the country's craft beer drinkers, we chatted to Pirate Life co-founder Red Proudfoot about the recognition and where their ambition will take them next.
Australian Craft Beer Survey Results 2017
Pirate Life and pale ales are Australia's most popular, according to the results of the biggest ever survey of craft beer drinkers. Beer Cartel's survey of 17,000 drinkers also revealed that independence matters and The Crafty Pint remains the most read Australian beer at new source.
Canvas. Comic Strip. Can.
Following on from our look at branding in the beer industry, Ross Lewis chats to a couple of designers working on Australian breweries' cans as well as a brewery owner whose tinnies are among the most spectacular you'll see.
The Australian Craft Beer Survey Returns
Last year, Sydney bottleshop Beer Cartel launched its Australian Craft Beer Survey, collecting feedback from 6,500 people. The 2017 version is live now as they look to capture a more detailed picture of the local beer landscape.
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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?
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.
Crafty Crawls: Manly & The Rocks
In the ten months since we published our first Crafty Crawl, we've somehow never managed to feature any water-based travel. But not more is that the case, as Judd Owen embarks on one taking in Manly, The Rocks and a ferry.
The Artisan
There are few people in Australia who have explored so many facets of the beer world as Brian Fitzgerald. Now winning plaudits for his Belgian style beers as Artisan Brewing, he's a beer judge, Cicerone, yeast importer and more.
Raising The Stakes
The Hobart craft beer scene continues to expand. After a period spent brewing at Belgrove Distillery, T-Bone Brewing has opened the doors of its NoHo brewery to the public. Ruth Dawkins caught up with its owners.
Best New Tasmanian Beers of 2016
It's time for the fifth of our seven roundups of the Best New Beers of 2016. This time, we head south to the state that's enjoyed huge recent expansion in the number of brewing companies, even though half a dozen hog this year's list.
Best New WA Beers of 2016
Part two of our look back at 2016's best new beers heads to the birthplace of modern Aussie craft beer. There our panel finds fascination in collaboration and is impressed by some of the lesser known lights of the local industry.
Beer Nuts: Matt Kirkey
Beer Nuts is our semi-regular feature focusing on people taking their love of beer to extreme levels. People such as Matt Kirkey, who quit his job this year to travel the world doing research for upcoming beer book, Beer Around The World.
The Big Issue: Crowdfunding Pt I
Crowdfunding has become increasingly popular among both new and existing beer businesses. In the first of a two-part series, Will Ziebell speaks to crowdfunding platform Pozible and a brewery that has run a successful campaign.
WA Clubs Together Again
With WA Beer Week imminent, Guy Southern takes a look at some of the highlights from the many beer collaborations spawned at this time each year by an extremely tight beer community. They involve more than brewers, with spirits, coffee, chefs and more getting involved.
Who Brews Brewtal Beers?
Who Brews is usually the home for new breweries and brewing companies. With Brewtal Brewers, we somehow let them slip through the net a while. But Tim from the sort of Scratch side project is here to tell all now.
Big Little Bottleshops
As the Wine Republic team opens a third store and Slowbeer prepares to open a second in Fitzroy, Kerry McBride looks at the little bottleshops thinking big.
Aussie Exports: Jimmy Krekelberg
From homebrewing in Victoria to hammering at the doors of breweries in Scotland then ending up at one of the world's best in The Netherlands, life on the road's turned out pretty darn well for Jimmy Krekelberg.
Arts & Craft
The link between beer and art has never been stronger than it is today. Kerry McBride speaks to three breweries from Australia and overseas in order to explore how a label can be so much more than just a label.
Beer Travel: NZ Tiki Tour IV Wine Country
In the final part of his Tiki Tour around the breweries of New Zealand's central North Island, Nick Oscilowski takes in the wine regions of the east coast before ending up in the middle...
What Drinkers Want
The biggest ever survey of Australian craft beer drinkers has been carried out by Sydney bottleshop Beer Cartel. The results of what they plan to turn into an annual survey are out today.
The Crafty Dozen – July 2016
It's only a few weeks since our last roundup of new listings on the site but, as the Crafty team expands with the industry, we're adding them faster than ever. So here's 12 more breweries, bars and bottleshops for you.
Where Art Meets Science Meets Art
It's often said that brewing is where art meets science. Yet, thanks to the new brewing team in control at Indian Ocean, on Perth's northern fringe, it's becoming a case of art meets science meets art as they get creative with their decals.
Brew & A: Hobart Brewing Company
The return of our not-often-enough-for-our-liking brewer Q&A series heads south to Hobart. There, amid a flurry of new brewery openings, you find Hobart Brewing Company, whose head brewer Scott Overdorf has seen more beer than most.
From Wellington to Wellington
Having swapped New Zealand for Australia during the GFC, a Wellington couple has found themselves striking out in a new direction at the foot of Mount Wellington. We meet the Clarksons as they launch Hobart's newest brewery, Fox Friday.
Aussie Exports: Oh Danada!
Aussie Exports is supposed to be a series of features on Australians doing fun things in craft beer overseas. Yet, this once, we're doing something a little different as we feature honorary Aussie Dan Johnston, now back in his native Canada at Collective Arts.
Two Heads Are Better Than One
It took years for Ty Capaci to convert wife Amanda to the benefits of his home brew. But he did such a good job, they've now opened Double Head Brewing together, adding yet another microbrewery to the Tasmanian beer scene.
Starting a Brewery Part II
Thinking of starting your own brewery? Then part two of our series featuring advice from people already in the beer industry is for you. Following last week's top tips from brewers, here are the thoughts of six experts in other fields.
Starting A Brewery Part I
More people than ever are hoping to open their own brewing company in Australia. But turning a dream into reality isn't easy; in fact, it's bloody hard work. Over two days, we're offering advice from experts, starting with brewers themselves.
A Complete Shambles
The craft beer scene in Hobart continues its dizzying rise. The latest brewpub to open in the Tasmanian capital is also one of the most polished you'll find in Australia. As Ruth Dawkins discovers, it's a case of Shambles by name not nature.
Aussie Beer Blogs: The Beer Healer
When he left his job with Lion, Chris Lukianenko was still keen to have an outlet for his passion for beer. So he launched The Beer Healer blog in the middle of 2015, a blog that has been developing very nicely ever since.
Trials and Fermentations
Former Moo Brew head brewer turned Australian hop guru Owen Johnston has returned to brewing. Hop Trial is his way of trying to educate people about the much-loved ingredient via beer. Ruth Dawkins met him to find out more.
Beer Travel: Hunting Down The Hottest 100
At the denouement of the Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2014 poll, Dan "Crafty Kev" McEvilly set himself the challenge of trying them all. A year on, he tells us about his mission and how the beer world rallied to help his cause.
The Smoky, Hoppy, Spotty Dog
At the end of 2015, another new brewing company launched its first release into Tasmania's increasingly busy beer scene. Spotty Dog Brewers were already known to locals for their smoked BBQ treats; now they've got beer to go with it too.
Best New Beers of 2015: Queensland
We reach the end of our state-by-state (and territory) look back at 2015's best new beers in Queensland. Darren "250 Beers" Magin sat down with fellow beer gurus to pluck ten of the finest new drops to grace the Sunshine State last year.
Best New Beers of 2015: Tasmania
We kick off our end of year best of roundups in Tasmania. A panel of beer gurus gathered at Saint John Craft Beer to chew the fat and come up with their top 10 from all the new releases in the state in 2015.
Canny Moovers
Tasmania's highest profile microbrewery has been celebrating its tenth birthday with a "Month of Moo" celebrations across the state. It enters its 11th year with plans to launch its beers in cans and sights set overseas, as Ruth Dawkins discovered.
The Big Issue: Branding
As the beer landscape in Australia becomes ever more crowded and competition intensifies, it's not enough simply to brew good beer. How a brewery presents itself and its beers is perhaps more crucial then ever before, so we're addressing branding as our second "Big Issue" topic.
Last Rites' First Rites
The microbrewery scene in Tasmania is in the midst of rapid growth. The latest to open its doors is Last Rites in Hobart. Premier Will Hodgman was there for the brewery's official opening. And so was Ruth Hawkins.
The Big Story of a Small Beer
Guy Southern chatted to Colonial Brewing's manager-cum-raconteur Richard Moroney to get the story behind their uniquely packaged Small Ale. He walked away with an insight into the essence of beer and why it pays to remember that it is, after all, just beer.
A Decade Of Duck
Red Duck this week marks a decade of brewing. It's been a decade in which boundaries have been pushed and history plundered for inspiration, with spirits next on the agenda.
An Old Dog's New Tricks
A Tasmanian brewer hit hard by the collapse of an equipment supplier is finally about to brew its first beers. We caught up with The Winston's Kris Miles.
Beer Nuts: The Beer Drinkers
Beertography has become quite the thing. And few, is any, Aussies are doing it as well as The Beer Drinkers, two mates from Hobart and Melbourne – our latest Beer Nuts.
Art Meets Science Meets Art
Inspired by their Hand Crafted events across the country, Cavalier has launched the Art Series: a range of beer labels showcasing local street artists.
Who Brews Captain Bligh's Colonial Ale?
Brewing has returned to Hobart's Tasmanian Brewery Building with the launch of Captain Bligh's, a purveyor of traditional ales and ciders. And jam.
