The Crafty Pint Podcast

"We're always looking for improvement; I don't think you can ever learn enough."

On a road trip through New South Wales at the start of 2026, we’d hoped to stop at Jervis Bay Brewing Co to record a podcast. Sadly, the planets refused to align, but we were able to land our man at Grainstock instead, where brewery co-founder and head brewer Oisín Sweeney joined us in the pop-up Lallemand-sponsored studio.

It proved a nice narrative touch, as we discovered during the chat that Oisín’s connection with Voyager and the Riverina goes beyond...

On this episode of The Crafty Pint Podcast, Will’s joined as co-host by Luke McCarthy, editor of our fledgling sibling publication, The Full Measure. 

It’s a fitting week for Luke to join too, given we ran a story on Steve Brooks’ decision to retire and sell Captain Bligh’s, which makes whisky and other spirits alongside beer in Hobart.

Will and Luke also thoroughly enjoyed Neil Richardson’s story about Newcastle’s legendary local, Jaci Lappin, who took over the Carrington Bowling Club in 2008 when it was $300,000 in debt and turned the space into a commun...

“If you don’t want to fail, then don’t do anything.”

We've swapped the somewhat risky task of recording our weekly news show from the stage at an awards night for the safe surrounds of our regular podcast studio this week – albeit still playing with the format a little.

In the first half of this week's show, Will and James look back on their experiences at Grainstock in the Riverina, as well as what may come from the event. They also discuss the articles to have hit the site since their return – articles full of insight...

We’re back at Grainstock for another special edition of The Crafty Pint Podcast, featuring a lineup of guests offering a cross-section of the topics covered at the Voyager Craft Malt-curated industry gathering.

First up in the Lallemand-sponsored podcast studio at the Whitton Malt House is event founder Stu Whytcross, providing an update on all things Voyager, including their altered trajectory, international interest, maturing projects, and their excitement for a new malted rice product.

There’s more international flavour next, as Katelyn Grajewski, AKA That Malt Girl from the USA, drops in to share some insi...

"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.

"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 ea...

“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...

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 w...

“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...

"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...

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.

"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 refre...

“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...

“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...

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 abou...

"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...

“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 contex...

"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.
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"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...

“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 hom...

“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...

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 Vo...

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.

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 ta...

“I don't see any ceiling for non-alc beer.”

It’s fair to say there were plenty of skeptics when non-alcoholic beer first started to appear in earnest in the local beer scene. Yet, in the half-decade-plus since we ran a blind tasting featuring early entrants to the market, the sector has grown and grown.

While some brands have come and gone, there’s a growing number of established brands and many other breweries for whom their non-alc range forms a significant part of their sales. What’s more, Bridge Road Brewers and, more recently, Heaps Normal hav...

“Year one for us is proof of concept.”

In January, we unveiled plans for a new form of beer awards being conceived by industry titans Justin Fox and Jayne Lewis. Five months on and submissions are now open for The Beer Championships, so we invited them to join us on the show to find out more.

We delve into the genesis for this new approach to assessing and celebrating greatness in beer, their reasons for heading down this path after years spent judging across the world, and their desire to achieve significant commercial benefits for fina...

“The human component sometimes goes beyond the beer component of working in this industry.”

Tito Orellana arrived in Australia from Chile with his interest in beer already piqued. Upon arriving in Melbourne in the midst of craft beer’s explosion – with signs blaring: “GOOD BEER WEEK” plastered on walls across the city – his interest soon became a full-blown passion.

In the decade-plus since those early days, he’s moved from basic hospo roles through some of the country’s best beer bars and breweries to become an Advanced Cicerone and judge at major beer competitions on both sides of t...

“Be kind to people and treat your beer well.”

It’s been an emotional few days for Nemesia Dale-Cully – or Meesh as she’s known to most. For almost half a decade, she’s been running the venue at Wildflower in Marrickville, where they bade farewell to their last customers on May 31.

We took the opportunity to chat to Meesh ahead of the closing weekend, not just to reflect on her time at Wildflower but also to find out what she believes goes into creating a great hospitality experience – both for staff and customers.

Her insights...

"People use it to learn English, and I think that's spectacular."

Em Sauter is an American drinks communicator, international beer judge, podcast host and writer who specialises in visual education. To Australian beer fans and those working in beer, she's best known as as the person behind Pints and Panels, an award-winning website focused on "Visual Drinks Education" which launched in 2010.

Em returned to Australia earlier this month to judge at the Australian International Beer Awards – and to enjoy the country's XPAs, Cherry Ripes and coffee culture.

We caught up with her at Ca...

“It's so great to see that people care, that there is still interest in the movement.”

Fresh off the back of the Australian International Beer Awards and both the federal and Victorian state budgets, we invited the CEO and chair of the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) to join us on the show.

There was plenty to reflect on and project from in the respective budgets, as well as the ongoing conversations around excise that have been capturing headlines and the public’s attention alike, not least off the back of Independent Senator David Pocock’s campaign...

“This was our goal, and we achieved it today, which was phenomenal.”

A bit of a change for this week’s episode, not just because it’s going up a day later than usual. We recorded it straight after the Australian International Beer Awards 2026 had wrapped up – in the canteen next to the main hall.

James had just finished co-hosting the awards with Kirrily Waldhorn, while Will was armed with his third Best Media trophy as they cast an eye over the winners – which you can read about here. 

We also sat down with Tyler Li...

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’ Sensory Manager Jeff Dailey and HPA’s Australia & New Zealand Sales Manager Michael Capaldo about Sensory Plus™ – a proactive quality assurance process they apply during hop harvesting and processing for more consistent performance in beer.

“I really get a buzz out of looking at flavours and the way things interact with each other.”

If you’re a consumer of beer, rather than someone working in the industry, there’s a fair chance you won’t have heard of this week’s trailblazing guest. After all, Tina Panoutsos doesn’t own a brewery, brew beer, pour beer, sell beer, or run a festival. However, over more than 35 years in beer, she’s become one of the key figures in the Australian industry and an inspiration to many.

We caught up with Tina at Melbourn...

"We never stopped experimenting. That's in our DNA.”

Stone Brewing are one of the biggest names in American craft beer: a bold, brash brand with a fondness for IPA that helped drive the rise of the industry in the US and played a key role in the growth of the San Diego scene.

So we jumped at the chance to sit down with Jeremy Moynier when he was in Beechworth recently to deliver the keynote speech at The High Country Hop. He’s now more than two decades into his time at Stone, where he’s focu...

“I do still wake up at night and think of beer recipes and beer names and what I could do with certain hops.”

Time for the last of the interviews recorded while we were in New Zealand for hop harvest in March. And, while Kelly Ryan works for Freestyle Hops, the reason we were keen to chat with him wasn’t so much to pick his brains about his current role as to enjoy time in the company of one of the beer world’s most gracious and charismatic figures.

Prior to swapping the mash tun for...

“You’ve got to be open to opportunities.”

Earlier this year, Cheeky Monkey announced they were opening a venue in the heart of Perth’s CBD. It will give the Margaret River-based brewery four homes in WA – and they’re not done yet, according to their director of operations, Brendan Day.

He’s our guest on this week’s podcast, beaming in from their main production facility in Vasse for a chat about the expansion of their hospitality footprint, how hospo has been in their DNA from day one, and how they’ve adapted their business strategy...

“What excites me is all the small players who are setting up in a brewpub and running their own race.”

Just like the industry it covers, the beer media world has taken a fair few hits in recent years. Publications – online and in print – have folded across the planet, yet there remains a core of true believers keeping the flame, and the stories, alive.

In New Zealand, nobody’s flame burns brighter than that of Michael Donaldson. These days, he’s the owner and publisher of The Pursuit Of Hoppiness, the country’s leading publication on all things...

“I’m a big believer that times waits for no one.”

If you’ve come to know Dangerous Ales through their beers, it’s most likely via their banging, Knappstein Reserve-esque Crispy Boi lager or one of the many hazy IPAs that have impressed the country’s beer judges too. But while the beers are indeed impressive, they’re only part of the picture for this family-run brewery on the NSW South Coast.

At its core is Damien Martin, AKA Dangerous Damo, who has amassed one of the most colourful CVs you’ll find in beer. The keen s...

“The Kiwi hop industry has really focused on what flavours people are chasing in their beers.”

Demand for New Zealand’s hops has been soaring in recent years, with old varieties revitalised, new ones hitting a sweet spot in the current market, and innovative products coming thick and fast.

While in the Nelson region for the 2026 harvest, The Crafty Pint team visited a number of farms and processing facilities, recording interviews as we went. The aim was to capture a snapshot not just of this crucial time of year for growers, but also various facets of the...

“We want to be inclusive, and be a place where people can feel comfortable and proud to be themselves.”

We had Stomping Ground penciled in for a chat later in the year when the Melbourne-based brewery turns ten. But when they announced they were launching a crowdfunding campaign – one with an ambitious maximum target of $4 million – we decided to bring the episode forward.

It gave us a chance to discuss their decision to go down this route, as well as their views on the often-vexed topic of crowdfunding itself, their expansion plans should the campaign go well...