There’s a special edition of The Crafty Pint Podcast this week as we come to you from the Australian International Beer Awards.

The country’s biggest annual beer competition, which is now into its fourth decade, took place at the Melbourne Showgrounds on May 15, where hundreds gathered to see which beers and brewers would be heading home laden with trophies.

As soon as the last trophy had been handed out, with Champion Australian Beer going to the unheralded Wedgetail Brewing from WA, Will and James grabbed a couple of the trophy winners for a quick chat as they celebrated, then headed next door to reflect on this year's results.

There was much to discuss, with a colourful blend of the familiar and fresh-faced, repeat winners and newcomers, and a great night overall for local brewers, with Aussies claiming the vast majority of the beer and cider trophies on offer.

We were joined by a special guest too: Guy Southern has been covering the WA beer scene for The Crafty Pint for many a moon now while also building a career across the state’s drinks industry. He won Best Media for 2025, flying in from Perth to collect his trophy, which was handed to him by last year’s winner, Will. 

After the break, we also take a peek behind the scenes at this year’s judging. We joined Kirrily Waldhorn, a long-time host and judge at the awards who now oversees competitions for Melbourne Royal, and Emily Usher, a brewer at Mountain Goat, as the 2,000-plus entries were being put to the test.

And, while in celebratory mood, we want to remind people to get nominations in for their Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month and the "Have You Done A Rallings?" campaign showcasing good beer citizens.

Start of segments:

• From start – Guy Southern
• 14:20 – Mick Neil and Stef Constantoulas – Philter
• 17:37 – Grace Fowler – Reckless Brewing
• 21:17 – Kirrily Waldhorn – Melbourne Royal
• 30:23 – Emily Usher – Mountain Goat

Relevant links:

• AIBA 2025 Results
• Philter Brewing
• Reckless Brewing
• Nominate a Brewery of the Month
• Nominate a good beer citizen
• Klippakan

To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].