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The Crafty Pint Podcast

The Crafty Pint

The Crafty Pint is the home of craft beer in Australia.

The online magazine and resource has been crafting beer's best stories since 2010 and, in July 2024, launched The Crafty Pint Podcast.

Hosted by the editorial team behind Australia's leading craft beer media publication, the show features curated discussion of industry news, as well as an ever-changing lineup of guests sharing perspectives from all corners of the craft beer world.

Subscribe now and delve into the fascinating stories shaping beer.

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24 episodes
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Avg 56 min
English

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S2026 · E1510
Thursday · 25 min· Video
The Crafty Pint Podcast: The Beer Championships 2026 | Blackman's | Black Hops | Geelong Expansions
"It should feel fun, it should feel celebratory, we should all feel a part of it." Welcome to a special edition of our Weekly News show, recorded onstage at The Beer Championships after the final trophies were handed out. We were joined by competition co-founder Jayne Lewis and Renn Blackman, part of a ten-strong contingent from the Torquay-based brewery who collected two trophies on the night. You can read all about the winners and the night itself in the article we published from Brunswick Town Hall as soon as the event was wrapped up. Jayne reflects on the successes – and lessons learned – that she and fellow Beer Championship organisers Justin Fox and Cass Cochrane have taken from year one, as well as sharing their hopes and ambitions for 2027 and beyond. As well as chatting about their latest awards triumph, we ask Renn what's helped Blackman's navigate the past 12 years so successfully, particularly following Black Hops' return from a second spell of VA under new owners last week. With both Moon Dog and now Stomping Ground moving into Blackman's home region – the Melbourne operations are opening venues in Geelong – we find out what that might mean for his brewery and the city's beer scene, while also looking ahead to Sydney Beer Week, where once again the recently-refurbed Union Hotel in Newtown will be a key venue. Given the location and setup for this week's show – not only were people enjoying the post-awards drinks but we were "flash-mobbed" at one point – the sound is a little less perfect than we'd like. But we do like to test ourselves... Start of segments: 1:03 – Jayne Lewis Hops In The Hills Festival 16:32 – Stompo Street Fest 17:21 – Renn Blackman To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E20261008
October 7 · 29 min· Video
Mazen Hajjar | Independence | Beer Travel | Birthdays
"When I first moved to Australia, I felt Australian beer was so far behind... I think we're at least on par with the US right now." When we switched The Crafty Pint Podcast to a dedicated weekly news show (plus fortnightly extended interviews), we promised we might invite on the occasional guest. Doing that has taken precisely one week – and what a special guest we have for you. Mazen Hajjar will be known to many in the beer industry as the face and voice of Hawkers Beer. Following the Melbourne brewery's merger with White Bay early last year to form the Social Drinks Group, Mazen moved to Dubai for love, and to be closer to his family, and stepped back from day-to-day operations. In March, however, he returned to the role of CEO, since when he's been overseeing the business from Dubai. On one of his regular trips to Melbourne, we enticed him to join James Smith and Will Ziebell in The Crafty Pint studio to chat about life in Dubai, Hawkers, White Bay, independence, and his – and many others' – perennial bugbears: excise tax and tap contracts. The trio also talk about beer travel, inspired by Briony Liebich's Crafty Crawl around McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu and Jono Outred's update of Wild Hop Brewing's page on The Crafty Pint. Victoria is also amidst a rush of milestone birthdays, with Tallboy & Moose and Watts River celebrating ten years on the same weekend and Stomping Ground throwing a major street party (for which you could win tickets) to mark their decade next month. We'll be back with another special edition of the weekly show next week. We're recording it as soon as the winners have been announced at The Beer Championships awards night, for which ticket sales close this Friday. For now, if you've any feedback on the new format, or anything else you'd like to share with us, get in touch! Start of segments: 0:26 – Ryefield Hops 2027 Harvest Pre-Sale 1:22 – Mazen, Social Drinks Group, Fighting For Independence & Helles 17:14 – Stompo Street Fest 18:04 – Beer Travel, Milestone Birthdays & Rezza To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E118
October 5 · 1 hr 11 min· Video
Be Brave: The Art of Beer & Food Pairing
“The freedom in beer pairing is much, much bigger than with wine.” Rob and Bronwyn Kabboord have been responsible for some of the most enjoyable – and often spectacular – beer and food pairings I’ve experienced. And I’m pretty sure there will be plenty of others out there who can say the same. During their time running Merricote in Westgarth, they combined Rob’s incredible dishes and a legendary cheese trolley with Bron’s award-winning wine list and an adventurous, expansive approach to beer rarely found in restaurants, whether here or overseas. With Rob opening Rühe, a 24-seat bistro in Kyneton, with sommelier Daniel Saligari in August, and Bron now eight years into her time alongside Annie Smithers at Trentham's iconic du Fermier, we invited them into the studio for a warm and wide-ranging chat. The conversation spans the breadth of drinks and food pairing, beer’s position in the hospitality and fine dining worlds, their careers and beer epiphanies, pioneering beer dinners, beetroot hotdogs in the gardens of New York’s legendary Stone Barns, vintage Orvals at the world’s best beer restaurant in Belgium, chocolate cigars and Cantillon. For anyone keen learn more about pairing drinks and food, there’s also plenty to be gleaned when we surprise them with a couple of beers and let their creative juices flow. If you missed the previous episode, we’ve tweaked the format of our podcasts. From now on, Thursdays will be Weekly News shows, still featuring the occasional guest, and every other Tuesday we’ll publish long-form interviews, panel discussions and other more timeless shows.
S2026 · E261001
September 30 · 28 min· Video
New Beginnings, Italian Adventures & Trans-Pacific Collabs
It’s all change at The Crafty Pint Podcast. Well, if not all change, then certainly a fair bit of it in terms of format, scheduling and frequency. From this week’s episode onwards, you can look forward to 50 percent more shows as we instigate an evolution that’s been on the cards for some time: splitting the opening “Week On Crafty” segments into one show, and the giving the long-form interviews and panel discussions their own space. Thursdays will now be a Weekly News show focusing on the ups, downs, ins and outs of the beer world, while every other Tuesday – starting on October 6 – we’ll run extended features. Will and James explain the rationale in the opening half of this week’s show, but it’s a format we’ve trialled with sibling podcast, The Full Measure, and found makes a lot of sense. As for the “news” part of this week’s show – after we’ve heard about Will’s honeymoon in Italy, of course – we reflect on King River’s rebirth and upcoming plans, Young Henrys’ move into Mountain Goat’s former Newtown brewpub, the launch of a new brewery in the Northern Beaches, some trans-Pacific collabs, and a follow-up of sorts to last week’s election pledge in Victoria. Make sure to look out for / mark your diaries so you don’t miss Tuesday’s chat with the delightful Rob and Bron Kabboord, and we'll be back with the next Weekly News – possibly with a guest host – on Thursday. Start of segments: 0:24 – Ryefield Hops‘ 2027 Presale 1:21 – Weekly News Part 1 12:13 – The Full Measure 12:48 – Weekly News Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E117
September 23 · 1 hr 12 min· Video
When We Play, We Learn ft Whisky & Alement
“Sometimes the most unsuspecting whisky can turn out to be the best boilermaker you’ve ever had.” We take another trip inside the world of hospitality this week with the couple behind award-winning whisky (and beer and boilermakers) bar, Whisky & Alement. Brooke Hayman and Julian White are hospo lifers (albeit with a past dalliance in circus acrobatics for good measure), who have been at the forefront of introducing Australians to whisky and boilermakers since they fell in love with them while running Chez Regine, the Melbourne CBD bar Brooke launched a decade-and-a-half ago after spotting an ad in the newspaper (remember them?) which they later transformed into what it is today. We cover their travels, the highlights from thirteen years of Whisky & Alement (and how it was named by a regular of theirs), Pint of Origin, an inspirational day with Bill Lark, the evolving bar scene, the curse of excise and more – including surprising them with a boilermaker challenge. Prior to the main interview, Liz O’Brien is back as guest host as we cast an eye over the past week in beer. It’s included a $3m election pledge from Victorian Labor, the launch of a new campaign celebrating independence from Bridge Road Brewers, the Sydney Royal awards, our latest Crafty Crawl, and a hint about a story that did end up dropping in time: a new era on the way for King River Brewing. If you enjoy the show, please like and subscribe, rate and review, tell your mates, and help us build our audience so we can get more people excited – and educated – about great beer and hospitality. Start of segments: 0:19 – The Week On Crafty 17:53 – Ryefield Hops 2027 Harvest Pre-sale 18:46 – Brooke & Jules Part 1 46:49 – The Full Measure Podcast 47:24 – Brooke & Jules Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E116
September 16 · 1 hr· Video
From West Coast To Inner West ft Future Brewing
"We're just trying to make really bright, clean, aromatic beer every time." Future Brewing have been at the centre of some wholesome beer world camaraderie in recent weeks, with the Inner West Ale Trail – and others – rallying behind them with a Love Thy Neighbour fundraiser and beer to assist the brewery as they battle ongoing challenges to their existence. It made co-founder Brady Hannett’s visit to Melbourne very timely, as we invited him to join us in the studio ahead of the St Peters brewery’s third birthday. As well as discussing the heartwarming support they’ve received and the benefits they’ve found from being part of the country’s most prominent beer trail, we spread our wings wider too. The chat takes in Brady’s early epiphanies inspired by Feral’s beers in WA, his defining decision to learn brewing in California, his kindred spirits at Kicks and Bracket, the importance of events, and the brewing ethos that has put Future at the forefront of the rise of West Coast pilsners and Cali IPAs in Australia. There are two special guests on this week’s show, as James is joined by Liz O'Brien for a review of The Week On Crafty. Liz joined the team in early 2025 and has played a crucial role in the developing our community engagement, whether through Pint of Origin, The Crafty Cabal beer club, or the way you experience The Crafty Pint and our sibling publication, The Full Measure, on socials. We look back at our deep dive into nitro stouts, features on a brewer who’s returned to the family winery in Queensland and a young gun in the West, the latest new listings on the site – Long Point Brewing and Bottle Keg Can – and the latest events and offers for Cabal members. Start of segments: 0:33 – The Week On Crafty 20:29 – Introduction to The Full Measure Podcast 21:01 – Brady Hannett Part 1 36:22 – Register for CIBD 2027 37:25 – Grainstock 2026 38:16 – Brady Hannett Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint or The Full Measure, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E4
September 16 · 20 min· Video
THE NEW HOP ORDER: Hop Breeding Company: The House That Citra® Built
In this exclusive series - The New Hop Order, presented by HPA - The Crafty Pint Podcast explores what’s happening on the cutting edge of hop innovation from breeding and processing to brewing. In this episode, we’re talking with Haas Director of Hop Breeding Michael Ferguson and Haas Sensory Manager Jeff Dailey about sustainable replacements for classic hops that are highly susceptible to climate change.
S2026 · E115
September 9 · 59 min· Video
Connections, Community & The Guest Experience – Mr West / Bar Spontana
"That's what it's about at the end of the day: connections, community and people.” What is the essence of good hospitality? What is its purpose, and how do you give people what they want in 2026? As they set out to reimagine Mr West in Footscray – complete with transforming the downstairs bottleshop into a new drink-in space called The Cave – we invited Josh Hodges and Jack Roebuck on to the show to find out what they’ve learned across their careers in beer, bars and beyond. We delve into the reasons behind their decision to refresh Mr West, their belief that the guest experience is all, the soaring success they’re enjoying at Bar Spontana in Brunswick, and their respective backstories: Josh taking inspiration from parents who played a key role in giving craft beer a foothold in Melbourne; Jack’s journey from First Choice Liquor to Left Handed Giant in Bristol then back to Melbourne. For The Week On Crafty, James is once again joined by Luke McCarthy, editor of our just-launched sibling publication The Full Measure. We discuss Moon Dog’s plans to take their Wild West concept to Geelong, the sad news that much-loved High Country brewery King River has gone into liquidation, Woopi Brewing’s fifth anniversary, and the launch of Detective Nic Amaro – a collab brew between Molly Rose, Proud Mary Coffee and our Crafty Cabal beer club members. Start of segments: 0:15 – The Week On Crafty 13:29 – Grainstock 2026 14:17 – Jack & Josh Part 1 34:15 – Get a free Packpal sample 35:19 – Jack & Josh Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E114
September 2 · 1 hr 2 min· Video
Ten Years Of CoConspirators
“It’s still fun. That’s the best part.” CoConspirators are in the midst of a year of tenth anniversary celebrations – and approaching five years at their Brunswick brewpub – so we figured it was a fine time to invite the two couples behind the brewery on the show. It gave us the chance to do things a bit differently too: interviewing the couples separately – while aiming to keep the questions as distinct as possible. James chatted to Jacqui and Tim, Will to Maggie and Deon, and between them they painted a rich picture of their story to date. We go back to early beers as homebrewers and their Merri Mashers days, cover their transition from brewers without a home to owners of an ever-evolving brewpub, delve into their favourite beers and events, the challenges they’ve faced along the way, and their plans for the next decade of CoConspirators. With Will in Italy on his honeymoon, Luke McCarthy from our new sister publication, The Full Measure, stepped into co-hosting roles for The Week On Crafty, which covered James’ entry into the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Legends hall of fame, Village Days moving into Wildflower’s old home, Mildura’s new brewery Sunneva, our listing for Last St Brewery and some upcoming events and special offers for our Crafty Cabal beer club members. If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, rate or review – and if you’re into spirits, make sure you take a look at The Full Measure, which comes with its own podcast. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 15:03 – Get a free Packpal sample 16:08 – Price Screen & Digital 17:09 – Tim Martin & Jacqui Sacco (plus Bingo) 39:33 – Bintani Brewery Boosters – Simplifying The Brew Day 43:21 – Deon & Maggie Smit To find out more about partnering with The Crafty Pint or The Full Measure, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E113
August 26 · 1 hr 5 min· Video
Here, There & Every Pair ft Lindsy Greig
“I hope everybody snacks. If you don't snack, fix that. Lindsy Greig’s career in craft beer saw her depart New Orleans for New Zealand before jumping across The Ditch to brew in Australia. After arriving on these shores, Lindsy brewed for Stomping Ground then worked in brewery management software with Beer30. These days, she is HPA’s sales rep for New Zealand. It’s a role that sees Lindsy travel frequently to New Zealand to help brewers become better acquainted with hops from Australia's largest grower. As well as discussing her career in beer – right back to its earliest days – and her take on the world of beer marketing, the Certified Cicerone shares her love for beer and snack pairing, something she does online, as part of her job, at beer festivals and, as of now, on The Crafty Pint Podcast. Before the main interview, Will and James chat about the launch of The Crafty Pint’s sibling publication, The Full Measure, which has set out to cover the Australian spirits world in the manner we’ve now been covering beer for 16 years. They also discuss Will’s article on two new sales businesses in Australia, in which he picked their brains on the current state of sales and the golden rules that never change, as well as a couple of listings fresh on the site: Saltline Brewing in Dunsborough and the gluten-free The Freehouse from TWØBAYS in Collingwood. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 8:59 – Grainstock 2026 9:47 – CIBD Asia Pacific Convention 2027 10:50 – Lindsy Part 1 31:30 – Get a free Packpal sample 32:35 – Lindsy Part 2 To find out more about partnering with The Crafty Pint or The Full Measure, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E1
August 25 · 37 min· Video
Introducing The Full Measure
Excuse us while we interrupt our usual programming for an important announcement... As the eagle-eyed and hawk-eared among you will have ascertained from hints dropped in recent weeks, we've been working on a major new project. And that project is now live. Sixteen years on from launching The Crafty Pint, we've created The Full Measure: a publication dedicated to the world of Australian spirits. It comes with its own podcast too – a blend of weekly shows covering the latest spirits news and fortnightly feature interviews – but first up is a chance to find out all about this new chapter in Australian spirits. Regular Crafty Pint hosts, James Smith and Will Ziebell, joined The Full Measure editor Luke McCarthy in the studio for a chat about the local spirits industry and our plans to do justice to the amazing people, places and products that have made it one of the most exciting on the planet. To find out more, check out The Full Measure here. It’s worth taking a look at Luke’s article-meets-manifesto, The Case for Australian Spirits too.
S2026 · E112
August 19 · 1 hr 12 min· Video
From Video Games To Beer To Hot Sauce & Beyond
"We shifted the needle so hard in so many ways.” If you can point me in the direction of anyone in Australia who ticks more of the stereotypical “craft beer guy” boxes than Ryan Davidson, I’m all ears. He went from a nerd making video games to a nerd making beer in the garage of fellow video-gaming-beer-nerd-mate Fil Kemp, and now that he’s no longer part of the brewery they founded, Little Bang Brewing, he’s making hot sauces– well, “condiments for a post-condiment world” – with a psychedelic aesthetic. That he sports a hearty, if greying, beard goes without saying. The Little Bang story pretty much encapsulates the modern craft beer era too. After starting out making beers they loved but couldn’t find elsewhere – typically with daft names and labels featuring equal parts social commentary and silly humour – the founders (with their wives both working in the business) expanded once, then again, sold to a larger business(a pub group rather than another brewing company), and now watch their baby’s evolution from the outside. With the passage of time allowing fresh perspective, it gives us the chance to go deep into what it was like being inside a brewery as craft beer exploded – the highs and the lows – as well as the emotions and mental toll that comes with going from brewery owner to employee to beer-buying punter. As anyone who knows Ryan will expect, it’s a chat laced with humour and flights of fantasy, but also one full of hard-earned and heartfelt insight too. With our producer making his way back from the States this week, the intro was recorded early so doesn’t address the ATO’s latest announcements on exciseor the impending closureof cult Melbourne beer bar Benchwarmer. But Will and James do discuss Bright’s taphouse expansions, a feature on the beauty of barrel-aged beers, the forthcoming tenth anniversary of unique brewing co-op Hopsters, and the imminent unveiling of The Beer Championships finalists. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 12:02 – Get a free Packpal sample 13:06 – Crafted Festival Brewer EOI 13:54 – Ryan Davidson Part 1 48:42 – Bintani Brewery Booster: Designing Lagers 52:17 – Ryan Davidson Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
August 12 · 48 min· Video
Connecting With Consumers On Cape Naturaliste – Eagle Bay Brewing
“People just want connection.” We head to WA’s South West in this week’s episode to catch up with Margarita Wallace, who’s been working on brand and marketing for Eagle Bay Brewing since the brewery’s earliest days. Very much part of the Eagle Bay family – not least now she’s married to one of the siblings on whose family farm in Cape Naturaliste the brewery is located – we chat about creating memorable experiences, collaboration, community, and staying true to who you are as a business. Prior to the main interview, we add more context to the ACCC’s decision to reject Kegstar’s proposed acquisition of Konvoy after taking a dive into their 50-page ruling, and chat about the colourful first five years of beers at Good Land Brewing in Traralgon, as well as the potentially existential threat facing Future Brewing in Sydney’s Inner West. If you enjoy this or any of the other episodes we've recorded, please like and subscribe, comment, rate and review, as it will help us reach more beer lovers. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 11:15 – Bendigo On The Hop 12:07 – Crafted Festival 12:55 – Margi Part 1 30:02 – Get a free Packpal sample 30:51 – Margi Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
August 5 · 1 hr· Video
Deciphering The Science Of Beer
"Science communication is a very lovely place with lots of lovely people." This week, The Crafty Pint Podcast heads to Tasmania to catch up with Science Made Beerable. The not-for-profit was launched by Kelsey Picard and Matt Fielding in 2020 as a National Science Week event. In the years since, they've continued to explore the science of beer by inviting different breweries to engage in an annual, always sold-out ExBEERimental Science event. Matt has also joined us a few times to reflect on what's going on in Tasmania as part of our end-of-year roundup series. For this episode, Will was joined by Matt and fellow Science Made Beerable board member Reid Barry to preview this year's event and learn all about their love of science communication. It turned out to be quite a Tasmanian-heavy beer week too: ahead of the main interview, Will and James chatted about the state government's funding for Beer Tasmania. We also covered Warrandyte Brewing's taproom go-ahead, Black Match's slow but steady move towards releasing their first beers and opening a taproom, Felons' commandeering of the Manly Fast Ferry, and King Tide Brewing taking up residence in The Crafty Pint directory. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 13:31 – Free Samples From Packpal 14:37 – Science Made Beerable Part 1 35:10 – Bintani Brewery Boosters 39:02 – Science Made Beerable Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E109
July 29 · 1 hr 6 min· Video
The Life And Death Of Pocketbeagles
"All these things, from branding to product, come back to your identity." After a few weeks spent exploring the annals of The Crafty Pint Podcast, we return to our regular programming this week, as Clint Weaver joins us the studio. Clint has spent close to a decade running Pocketbeagles, a graphic design business that focuses on making craft beer (and other beverages) look better. If you've looked at or enjoyed beers from the likes of CoConspirators, Brewmanity, Bright Brewery or One Drop, you'll be familiar with his work. Ever up for a laugh, Clint hosted a "Fun-eral" for Pocketbeagles at CoConspirators last weekend to mark the redesign and evolution of his business. Ahead of the gathering, Will Ziebell caught up with the designer to chat about the decision, as well as Clint's love of craft beer and his early work on Froth Magazine. Beyond his own history with the booze world, we examine how graphic design has changed over the last decade in beer, recent trends, and Clint's advice for brewers when it comes to branding and thinking about who they are. Ahead of the chat, Will and James talk through the past week or so in the beer world, including the sad news that Sobremesa are calling it a day and Black Hops' second voluntary administration in two years. We also cover Blackflag's expansion into Bundaberg, the Australian International Spirits Awards, TWØBAYS' trophy success in New Zealand, and Dunsborough's new – kinda – brewery. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 18:30 – A Deal From Price Screen & Digital 19:31 – Clint Weaver Part 1 44:47 – Free Samples From Packpal 45:53 – Clint Weaver Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E108
July 22 · 1 hr 14 min· Video
Another Round: Life's A Beach – Building A Brewery In Bali
“I'm still passionate about what I do, I still love what I do, and I still think I'm one of the luckiest people in the world.” In the last Another Round episode of The Crafty Pint Podcast, in which we’re rerunning some of our favourite shows from the past two years while various team members are overseas, we figured why not head overseas here too. What’s more, given it’s winter in Australia and plenty of people are seeking out sunnier climes, why not make our destination Bali? To be precise, we're off to the home of Sam Füss – the award-winning brewer who swapped Australia for the Indonesia island province in 2022. Her main reason for making the change was to set up Beaches Brewing Bali; we joined her in late 2024 with the brewery up and running. Sam takes us inside the experience of getting Beaches off the ground, training locals with no prior experience, and educating people who've never encountered craft beer before, while reflecting on one of the most colourful careers of any brewer in the modern era. With our podcast producer departing Melbourne to visit family in the States on Tuesday, we recorded our review of the week in beer earlier than usual, which means there’s no discussion of the sad news that Sobremesa have decided to call it a day, nor of Black Hops entering voluntary administration for a second time, 28 months after first going through the process. What James and Will do cover is the success of the inaugural Australian NZIPA Challenge last weekend, judging at the first Beer Championships, Reckless Brewing’s ambitious plans for IPA Day, a new offering for brewers from Mogwai Labs, ticket sales opening for Blobfish 2026, our updated listing for Bendigo’s Cambrian Hotel, and this week’s celebration of dark beers on the Inner West Ale Trail. We're back running fresh interviews from next week, and hope you've enjoyed these trips down Memory Lane. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 13:26 – Brewery Boosters ft Bintani 17:17 – Sam Füss Part 1 40:49 – Maximising Taproom Revenue ft GoTab 46:55 – Sam Füss Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E107
July 15 · 1 hr 12 min· Video
Another Round: The Art Of Being Evil
“I can kind of do whatever I want and two or three weeks later send the beer out and see what happens.” In the third of our Another Round episodes, in which we dip into the 100-plus past shows of The Crafty Pint Podcast throughout July while various team members are overseas, we return to our chat with Rhys Lopez, founder of one-man-band Evil Mega Corp. He takes us into the thinking behind his unique operation, one that allows him to explore any avenue that piques his interest, and move more nimbly than pretty much any brewing operation on the planet. We also delve into the pre-EMC – and pre-beer – career of one of the most loquacious and thought-provoking characters in the industry. This week’s intro sees James rejoin Will as he prepares to fly back from the UK, with the former recapping his brushes with the beer and whisky worlds in England and Scotland. It’s been something of a back-loaded week in terms of articles on Crafty, with news of Six String’s return from administration landing as we were chatting, and articles on Malt Donkey’s “Fine Ales” and Shapeshifter’s exciting plans for Adelaide Central Market potentially not landing on the site until after this episode enters the ether. We also look ahead to this weekend’s NZIPA Challenge at Rocky Ridge and upcoming events we’re involved with at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville and CoConspirators in Brunswick. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 18:17 – Special Deal from Price Screen & Digital (use code PINT) 19:18 – Rhys Lopez Part 1 43:59 – Industry Insights with American Canning Machines 45:06 – Rhys Lopez Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E106
July 8 · 1 hr 15 min· Video
Another Round: Voyager's Vision
With some in The Crafty Pint Podcast team spending much of winter travelling, we’re tapping into a few past episodes for July. For round two of Another Round, we head back to the Riverina to revisit our chat with Brad Woolner and Stu Whytcross from Voyager Craft Malt. The best mates and business partners have helped pioneer small-scale malting in Australia, including through the launch of Grainstock, Stu’s passion project. The industry event returns in October, so we felt it was a fitting time to highlight where the idea came from as well as Voyager’s wider story, which we recorded at the Whitton Malt House last year. Before that conversation, Craig and Will caught up to chat about the week’s news. They discussed Jono Outred’s story on CBCo’s paddock to plate to pint approach in Margaret River, Will’s piece on the delightful Otter’s Promise, and Mick Wüst’s latest book, Whisky & Cocktails. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 12:25 – Industry Insights with American Canning Machines 13:31 – Voyager Part 1 45:14 – A Special Deal From Price Screen & Digital 46:13 – Voyager Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
S2026 · E3
July 7 · 18 min· Video
THE NEW HOP ORDER: Prysma:tm:: Impactful flavour, lasting freshness
In this exclusive series - The New Hop Order, presented by HPA - The Crafty Pint Podcast explores what’s happening on the cutting edge of hop innovation from breeding and processing to brewing. In this episode, we’re talking with BarthHaas Customer Solutions Expert Christina Schönberger and Jopen’s Head Brewer Daniel Schappert about using Prysma™ to craft hop flavour that lasts a shelf lifetime.
S2026 · E105
July 1 · 1 hr 21 min· Video
Another Round: Everything Indie, All The Time
Something a little different from The Crafty Pint Podcast this week – and for the rest of July too. As flagged in recent episodes, we’re taking a short break from running new full-length interviews. All three key players in the production of the show are on back-to-back overseas trips and a major new project is coming to fruition soon. The beer news keeps coming, however, so we’re still recording fresh reviews of the week in beer. And, given we’ve got so many great chats to dip into from the past couple of years, we’re taking the opportunity to go another round with some of our favourites. First up is Jade Flavell from The Wheaty in Adelaide. Few will need any introduction to Jade, given the pioneering role she has played in defining high-end, craft beer-focused hospitality at the Thebarton pub, then more latterly turning it into an award-winning, ever-innovative brewpub. Jade is as passionate about supporting independent arts and live music as she is about indie beer – and whisky for that matter – and has plenty of insight to offer on those topics and many more. Before we revisit the chat recorded at The Wheaty, James joins Will from Oban on the West Coast of Scotland, where he’s combining visits to small breweries and historic distilleries with a family adventure. They look back over seven days in which Will has spoken to two people working sober in beer and hospitality, and we preview the opening of an ambitious new brewery in WA as well as the latest evolution of Prancing Pony in the Adelaide Hill. Beer travel of two kinds – a new Crafty Crawl in South Sydney and a champion brewer’s exploits in South Korea – also hit the site, while hop fiends can also look forward to the inaugural Aussie version of the NZIPA Challenge coming to Melbourne later this month. Start of segments: 0:00 – The Week On Crafty 13:57 – Industry Insights with American Canning Machines 15:06 – Jade Part 1 41:34 – The NZIPA Challenge 42:18 – Jade Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

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