Ahead of their 10th birthday and the imminent completion of the DOCA that allowed them to retain the business, we caught up with Bad Shepherd. Dereck and Diti Hales open up about the challenges of recent years and the lessons they've learned since swapping the corporate world for a brewpub.

Building relationships with bars and pubs has long been a key skill in craft beer - but today, is price the only important thing? One rep shares what it’s like working in sales and how many venues use breweries to make their margin, bargain with the biggest players and improve their cash flow.

A decade on from launching, Venom Brewing are set to have a home of their own in Melbourne’s CBD. They’ve taken over a venue steeped in local craft beer history too, securing the lease for the former site of Mrs Parma’s, one of the city’s original crafty pioneers.

Small breweries aren't alone in trying to find the best way to talk about why independence matters when you buy beer. Following many years of friendship, Ryefield, Voyager and Mogwai have come together to produce a short film that highlights the importance of supporting a local supply chain.

Pikes Beer celebrated their tenth anniversary earlier this month, almost 140 years after the current owners' ancestor produced his first beers. So we invited Alister, the sixth-generation Pike at the helm of the brewery, to share some of the lessons they've learned over the past decade.

The ACCC has opposed MicroStar's proposed acquisition of Konvoy, citing concerns that the sale would lessen competition and negatively impact independent breweries. In response, Kegstar outlined their disappointment and the potential impact on the local keg pooling market.

IPA is a broad beer category, and recently, you might have spotted a new style on shelves labelled as a Northern IPA. Behind it is a new limited-release yeast from Lallemand. We chatted to them about building a style and to some of the brewers exploring the balance between crisp and juicy beers.

Lion is set to close Stone & Wood's Brisbane brewpub on November 21. The news follows a series of similar announcements from the brewer in recent years, with Lion saying the “difficult decision” was in response to rising operational costs and ongoing challenges across the hospitality industry.

Tocumwal is a small town on the NSW and Victorian border that’s long been a favourite destination for campers. Today, there’s even more reason to visit thanks to the arrival of Tocumwal Brewing Co.

Barossa's craft beer – and hospitality – offering has received a welcome boost with the launch of the Old Mill Brewery. It brings Rehn Bier, Sally Can Wait andForage Supply Co together under one roof in the heart of Tanunda.

Ballarat Bitter’s story dates back to 1857, when James Coghlan founded a brewery in the regional city. Now, his descendant Stephen Coghlan is set to bring the beer — and its beloved mascot, Bertie — back to life after acquiring the brand from CUB's owner, Asahi.

Lachy Crothers has been brewing for 15 years, including as head brewer at Ballistic, where he launched a range devoted to drinking beers within two months of being brewed. Now he's sharing that passion through FAFF Beer that sees him send tins to customers across Australia within a week of canning.

Brewers are always searching for new ingredients, and Co-Conspirators have managed to secure something fresh from Fermentis. SH-45 is a lager strain that unlocks loads of thiols from hops for a crisp and fragrant combination. Ahead of Matriarch Day, we found out more about what it delivers.

Perth is set to welcome a new brewpub this week, albeit one with a familiar face behind the beers. Ahead of Ripple Brewing's opening, Guy Southern caught up with founder and "passionate hedonist" Joel Nash to find out more.

“Nothing is a quick win for us." This weekend sees Your Mates celebrate ten years since they launched with their flagship pale ale, Larry. As the Sunshine Coast brewers toast to Larry and the first decade, we asked Hep and McGarry to walk down memory lane with Ten Lessons From Ten Years.

"The way beer is perceived in Belgium means it gets the attention it deserves” In a new series, writer and illustrator Rob Horner examines how beer cultures from around the world impact our own. He commences his tour in conversation with some of the Australians brewing and importing Belgian beers.

A year ago, we took a look at life inside Fermentis' sensory lab. Following the launch of the company's "Superior Yeast" project, he returns to learn more about the work of the Fermentis Campus, handling tonnes of yeast bricks, and Percy the piercing tool...

“There’s nothing more exciting than playing with new hops… honestly, it’s one of the best things as a brewer.” New hop varieties are dropping faster than ever before. So, as NZ's Clayton Hops NZ, bring their first two proprietary hops to market, we talk to the Aussie brewers test-driving them.

Sobah Beverages have entered voluntary administration, citing economic challenges as the reason for their decision. The move follows Sobah’s 2024 announcement that they would sell their production brewery to streamline the business.

The brewing community is like that. We all do try to give each other a hand.” In part two of his mini-series on the beer scene in Central Queensland, Mick Wüst talks to brewers about the challenges, solutions, creativity and camaraderie that help make the region's brewing community what it is.

In the five years since Bec Read took over @curiouscraft, she's faced COVID, floods and a cost-of-living crisis. But the Lismore local has also educated countless drinkers about the impressive range of beer she stocks, while bringing Northern Rivers homebrewers together to learn from one another.

Chatter around Queensland's craft beer scene is usually focused on the state's south east. But, as Mick Wüst discovers across a two-part beer travel feature, there's quite the community brewing in Central Queensland too.

Sydney Brewery have announced they’ll take over White Bay Brewery’s site, turning it into Sydney Brewery Rozelle from October 1. The move follows the Social Drinks Group’s July announcement that White Bay would depart the location to concentrate production at Hawkers Beer in Melbourne.

Fans of Seeker Brewing will be excited to know that their brand new brewhouse will help them brew more beers and finesse their exciting limited releases. Better yet, after being faced with power constraints, the thermal oil system lets the Wollongong brewers make the most of their solar panels.

A really great read once again on the whisky industry in Australia.

A month from now, Australia's brewing and distilling industries will come together at a new industry event in the Riverina, Grainstock. Ahead of the event, Luke McCarthy examines the challenges facing the country's whisky producers – challenges that often mirror those hitting craft beer.

Bracket are turning five and it's fair to say a lot's happened in that time: sustained lockdowns, a rent hike, a move to Marrickville and heaps of delicious beers. As they prepare for a four-day birthday, co-founder Mike reflects on the half-decade of Bracket to date via five beers.

Bowden Brewing like to go large when it comes to birthdays but for their fourth, the Adelaide brewers are going very big. This Saturday, their unveiling their massive Plant 3 expansion and slinging their first slices of Lucky's Pizza.

If you're a beer lover looking for a good time in Canberra, there's little to rival an evening at To all my friends. As such, we figured TAMF's main beer (and whisky) guy Paul Docherty would be a prime candidate for our Behind Bars series taking the temperature of beer scenes around the country.

Over the next couple of months, there's no shortage of Oztoberfests to pick from. But since 1975, the Brisbane German Club has been running their authentic Oktoberfest, and this year, they've made Vulture Street even more like Munich by securing beers from all six of the city's major breweries.

Brewing tends to look pretty industrial but Devilbend Farm Beer makes great strides to connect beer with its agricultural roots. We called into their farm and taproom to chat about growing grains, hops, brewing sustainably and making lagers so we could welcome them onto Crafty.

Goulburn Brewery's history stretches way back to 1836, and later this week, the heritage-listed brewery’s doors swing back open. Behind the beers is industry legend Neal Cameron, who first became fascinated by the site decades ago and has had his heart captured by its revival and restoration.

You may have been enjoying beer for a long time but how do the pros assess what's in their glass? Here, Briony Liebich from Flavour Logic shows us how to serve, swirl and sniff your way to better beer appreciation.

The Campus Brewing story started when homebrewing mates took on a "Brew Your Own" business. Since then, there's been expansion, trophy wins, the takeover of the former Hopped Up site and heaps of good times. So, as fans of good times ourselves, we're delighted to welcome them onto Crafty.

“I’m hoping to bring a couple of groups together – people who love the local brewery scene, and people who are just wanting to have a social event.” Ahead of their next gathering, we caught up with the Brisbane Pub Chess to find out more about the social event mixing breweries and bishops.

The inaugural Grainstock is taking shape fast, with tickets now on sale for the industry-focused elements of the three-day gathering in the Riverina. Fields features bus tours of farms and facilities, Ferment is a full-day symposium and trade show at Whitton Malt House.

One of Victoria's pioneering breweries has gone on the market, with Vanessa and Scott Wilson-Browne deciding to sell Red Duck. We caught up with Vanessa to chat about some of the highlights from their impressive 20 years running a brewery and to hear what's next for the family.

Two weeks ago, we kicked off a three-part series on the breweries and beer venues found in Tasmania's north with a Crafty Crawl of Launceston. Now, in part two, Benny heads via Deloraine to Beaconsfield before wending his way around the stunning East Coast.

Endeavour Group and Coles are adding more details to their private label products to make it clearer which beers are their own. The change follows a review that explored market failure in the wine industry, which identified several other recommendations that could benefit small breweries.

White Bay Brewery will say goodbye to their Sydney home in September. The news follows White Bay merging with Hawkers earlier this year to form the Social Drinks Group. White Bay's beers will primarily be brewed by Hawkers in Melbourne as they look for a new, smaller home for White Bay in Sydney.

Ahead of the WA icon's imminent relaunch, we sat down with Feral's new head brewer Charlotte Freeston. As well as getting the lowdown on what's in store – including the return of Tusk – they discuss the “renegade energy” Charlotte's eager to tap and “trying things without being afraid to fail.”

Pickled Monkey Brewing is one of Marrickville's newest breweries, but Pickled Monkey beers first appeared in 2018, and its founder has been part of Sydney's craft beer scene for far longer. With their brewery now firing on all cylinders, we welcome them onto Crafty.

Earlier this month, Eclectic Brewing won the top trophy at the Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards. The name might not be known beyond their backyard but behind the beers is a brewer whose spent decades refining recipes.

“These large multinationals aren’t really interested in a diverse portfolio of beer. They would love it to be only two products but their hand is forced by independents.” As they celebrate two decades of beers, we joined Bridge Road Brewers founders in Beechworth for a trip through the years.

Steve Jeffares surprised many when he revealed plans to turn the former home of Deeds Brewing into a venue. That new venture, Happy Camper, will hopefully open in November, and before it does, we'll be regularly catching up with Steve to hear what it's like opening something in 2025.

The Adelaide suburb of Prospect welcomed its first new "true local" in more than a century earlier this year. We caught up with one of the well-known faces behind the very modern Prospect Hotel & Cellars to find out more for our Beer Slingers series.

How do you know when the time is right for your core range to get a new look?* We spoke with the graphic designers who work behind the scenes to bring consistency to beer lineups, discard old clothes and keep labels fresh. *According to everyone, it's about every five years or so...

Award-winning beer, great food, laid-back vibes, a welcome for visitors of all ages, community events and festivals, and Port Willunga Beach less than five minutes away... There's plenty to enjoy at Kick Back, all captured by Briony from Flavour Logic as we welcome the Aldinga brewers onto Crafty.

A day after Mountain Culture announced they'd sold Fox Friday's Perth outpost to an "independent brewery from WA" we can confirm the brewery in question is Rocky Ridge. They hope to open what will be their fourth hospitality venue in early August.

Last month, Merino Brewery picked up two major trophies at the Australian International Beer Awards. We spoke to the brewer behind the champion beers about his career - which started at Illawarra Brewing Co a decade ago - and how he tries to improve what he brews, each and every day.