Far from the new year bringing new hope, the beer and hospo industries face arguably their toughest period of the pandemic – and without government support. We spoke to business owners across the country as Omicron runs rampant.
Today, after making it through a world record number of days in lockdown, Melbourne is open again. James Smith and Will Ziebell spoke to brewery and venue owners and returning customers to assess the vibe.
Many businesses across Sydney and New South Wales opened to customers for the first time in more than three months yesterday. Two members of The Crafty Pint team were among those heading back to the bar.
Venues in much of New South Wales are reopening today, with Victoria set to follow in the coming weeks. Will Ziebell chatted to business owners about their hopes, fears, vaccine passports and excitement at welcoming back guests.
Much of Australia has faced lockdowns through 2021, making it difficult for breweries and venues to sell kegs. In response, one beer lover has launched the social media campaign #emptythekegs to help keep tap beer moving.
With the winter 2021 lockdowns spreading and looking likely to stick around in some places for a while, we've rebooted the resources section of the Keeping Local Alive campaign to help people wanting to support their locked down locals.
Following on from our look at the impact of COVID-19 on the brewing industry, we switch our focus to hospo, retail and beer lovers – one year on from the day the country was closed for business.
It was a year nobody could foresee and nobody wanted, yet the worst fears of March 2020 haven't been realised. Over two features, we take on in-depth look at the local beer industry 12 months on from the nationwide lockdown.
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.
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.