"I think we got tagged early on as a hype brewery. We're not afraid to say that we were."

In the words of Willie Nelson, we’re on the road again for this episode – or at least we were – as our chat with James McCall and Carla Naismith of Shapeshifter Brewing is the last of the shows we recorded in Adelaide at the tail end of 2024.

James founded the brewery with Kevin Mulcahy after the pair met on a brewing course run by SA legend Stephen Nelsen. They launched their first beers before opening a brewery and quickly made a name for themselves on the back of some banging oat cream IPAs.

These days they brew and welcome punters to their brewpub home in Findon – part of a brewery circuit in Adelaide’s west – and continue to experiment with new styles, techniques, and ingredients, with a particular fondness for hops.

As well as delving into their stories and the evolution of Shapeshifter, we discuss some of the issues still impacting many in the beer and hospitality negatively, as well as steps that can be taken to make it a more inclusive and welcoming industry.

Prior to the main interview, Will and James discuss the week’s news, including Sydney Brewery’s acquisition of Rocks Brewing from liquidators, the inspiring tale of the mates behind Auslan Beers, and the continuing mainstream media coverage of the unfair excise tax system and its impact on brewers, venues, retailers and drinkers alike.

Funnily enough, it was podcast regular Craig Williams – back here with Hendo for some more Rockstar Brewer Academy advice – who landed on the TV news and Sunrise off the back of a viral video he shot about beer’s “fifth ingredient” with his Blackflag Brewing hat on.

Don’t forget to get your nominations in for the Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month and, if you’re in Sydney on February 26, James is hosting an Ale Trail Blind Tasting Face-Off at Hopsters. Just ten tickets left when this show was uploaded – ticket link below.

Start of segments:

• 10:12 – James & Carla Part 1
• 32:13 – Rockstar Brewer Academy
• 38:21 – James & Carla Part 2

Relevant links:

• Shapeshifter Brewing
• Brew & A: Carla Naismith
• Sydney Brewery Take Over Rocks
• Auslan Beers
• Beer Tax on TV
• Ale Trail Blind Tasting
• Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
• The High Country Hop
• Rockstar Brewer Academy
• FOBOH

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

Terms like “legend”, “iconic” and “trailblazer” get bandied around a lot, probably rather more than they should. Yet we doubt there would be anyone in the Australian beer industry who would quibble if we applied any – or all – of them to Jade Flavell and The Wheaty, the Thebarton pub she’s been running for more than two decades.

We sat down with Jade to reflect on her time in hospitality, and her passion for good beer (and whisky), “thinking drinking”, and celebrating independence.

That we joined her in the band room at the rear of the pub was highly appropriate too: the discussion of independence covered more than beer and hospo and took in the huge challenges facing independent music venues in the face of their own version of the multinational brewing and booze retail behemoths.

The conversation stretches back to Jade’s early days in Adelaide pubs, alongside the two mates with whom she’d take over Wheatsheaf Hotel – Trotty and Liz, and examines how drinking culture has come a fair way in the decades since yet still has distance left to run.   Jade takes us through the transition from rundown, rotting pub to groundbreaking beer venue then award-winning brewpub, and to becoming The Wheaty’s “benevolent dictator” following Trotty’s passing and Liz’s decision to leave the business.

And she tells us about her intention, as guardian of the pub, to find a way to ensure it remains a home for great drinks and live music when the time comes to pass the baton.

Prior to the chat with Jade, and rather contrary to those discussions of independence, we kick off the show talking about the recent departure from Balter of Scotty Hargrave, head brewer and a founding member, five years after the sale to CUB, as well as the new brewery for students at Bendigo TAFE.

This week also sees us announce the first winners in our “Have You Done A Rallings?” campaign to highlight good beer citizens across Australia, and launch another campaign celebrating the country’s brewers. Brewery of the Month is presented by Bluestone Yeast, and you can find out more – and nominate your favourite breweries – via the link below.

Start of segments:

• 8:58 – Jade Flavell Part 1
• 35:29 – Have You Done A Rallings?
• 40:21 – Jade Flavell Part 2

Relevant links:

• The Wheaty
• Crafty's Advent Calendar – Wheaty Jade
• Keeping Live Music Alive
• Scotty Leaves Balter
• Bendigo's New Brewery
• Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
• Have You Done A Rallings?

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

“This country has been crippled in the way politicians handle affairs … Well, someone needs to step up at some point and have the courage to recognise that we are now at a breaking point.”

Anyone paying attention to craft beer in Australia over the past decade will be aware of two things. One, that Hawkers have consistently put out some of the best beers of any brewery in the country over that period. And, two, that founder and outgoing CEO Mazen Hajjar is one of the sharpest and most outspoken commentators on the industry.

Both were among the reasons we invited him to be a guest on the podcast: Hawkers turn ten this month while the beer and hospitality worlds are experiencing existential threats from multiple directions. Since we extended that invite late last year, he’s found himself in the eye of the news too after merging his brewery with White Bay in Sydney to form Social Drinks Group.  

The move provided more ammunition for what was always going to be a fascinating, wide-ranging, and occasionally fiery chat – one in which we addressed the issue of excise tax and a lack of support from the Federal Government just days before it blew up again on the back of the latest bi-annual tax hike and accompanying comments and directives from the Treasurer and ACCC respectively.  

The latter part of the interview is where Mazen really builds up a head of steam, taking on not just excise tax but other hot topics, including the abandonment of indie brewers by the homebrand-hawking retail duopoly, tap contracts, the inequities of the country’s various container deposit schemes, and the lack of support for local producers from the government.  

He also expresses hope, however, even as he acknowledges that much of the industry is at breaking point, while reflecting on his decade at the helm of Hawkers, lessons he brought with him from his home country of Lebanon, and educating drinkers through experimentation.

He also takes us inside the merger with White Bay – how it came aboutand is their attempt to carve out a future in a much-changed landscape – while sharing his experience of going through voluntary administration, as well as his future plans.

Prior to joining Mazen, there’s a longer-than-usual intro as Will and James discuss the fallout from the most recent rise in excise tax, its coverage in the media, and how the calls for change seem to be coming from more quarters and getting ever louder in this election year.

Hendo is back with more tips on brewing efficiently, and we look ahead to the reopening of Tiny Mountain in Townsville after the brewery was bought from Lion by a Queensland-based hospo group.

Start of segments:

• 22:27 – Mazen Hajjar Part 1 
• 50:00 – Rockstar Brewer Academy 
• 55:34 – Mazen Hajjar Part 2

Relevant links:

• Hawkers & White Bay Merge 
• The Exploding Cost Of Brewing Beer 
• IBA response to the Treasurer's comments on excise tax
• IBA's Save Indie Beer Campaign 
• Tiny Mountain To Reopen 
• The Crafty Pint's Brewery & Venue Directory 
• Rockstar Brewer Academy

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

It's time to hit the road again after hosting the GABS Hottest 100 Countdown livestream as Will and James call into Noodledoof in Victoria's west.

Founders Sam Rudolph and Alex Carr launched the brewpub and distillery with their partners in late 2019 – just before you-know-what hit – in Koroit, a small town a short drive inland from the western end of the Great Ocean Road.

In the years since, they've gone on to create a genuinely distinctive operation in a region that was pretty much barren land for local craft beer before they came along.

With Sam still making his way back from a beer festival in Melbourne on the day of our visit, we sat down with Alex to hear how the former homebrewing housemates from Adelaide ended up reuniting as brewers and distillers.

We find out how they turned a former mechanics in the town's main street into a community hub, where the unique name comes from, and why they've been determined to create a brand like little else in Australia – certainly among breweries found so far from any major cities.

Alex tells us about their mission to work with and celebrate local producers, foraging for native ingredients in the rich ecosystem of nearby Tower Hill whose Gunditjmara name, Koroitj, gives their adopted home its name, and creating unique spirits such as a wonderful potato vodka that pays homage to the Irish community that settled in the area in the mid-19th century.

The show features great insights and inspiration for those looking to build a community around a regional brewery, and the rewards that can come from sticking to your beliefs.

We also hear from Anne Gigney, founder and co-director of The Distillers Institute, ahead of March's IBD Convention in Hobart.

Prior to the chat with Alex, we reflect briefly on this year's Hottest 100 results, the eye-catching merger between Hawkers and White Bay, and our feature on globe-trotting Aussie brewer Nick Galton-Fenzi.

Start of segments:

• 10:54 – Alex Carr (part one)
• 30:16 – Ann Gigney 
• 38:11 – Alex Carr (part two)

Relevant links:

• Noodledoof
• GABS H100 of 2024 Livestream 
• GABS H100 of 2024: Analysis
• Hawkers & White Bay Merge 
• Aussie Exports: Nick Galton-Fenzi 
• Have You Done A Rallings? 
• The High Country Hop 
• IBD 2025

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

For the best expert analysis served with a dash of opinion and plenty of banter, be sure to tune in to The Crafty Pint’s GABS Hottest 100 Video Podcast on countdown day! 

Kicking off from 2.45pm AEDT on January 25, the Crafty team will guide you through the pointy end of the countdown, with deep dive trends and insights, interviews with brewers and beer lovers, wild chat, hot takes, listener comments, and more than a little random beer trivia.  

Yep, it’s the world’s oldest tradition… ranking beers and trying to make it sound like this is a serious thing we should be doing with our time. You can subscribe to The Crafty Pint Podcast on YouTube for the full video experience, and catch up with an audio replay later on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

We return to normal programming – temporarily at least ahead of our GABS Hottest 100 Countdown livestream – for Episode 028 of The Crafty Pint Podcast, featuring one of the interviews we recorded on the road in South Australia in late 2024.

That said, it's arguably a little harsh to refer to Loophole Brewing as normal. Sure, it's a brewery that makes beer, but there's more to distinguish Loophole from your run-of-the-mill breweries than most. The entire operation is off grid. It's based on the grounds of a winery (but is no token beer brand designed to offer a modicum of choice at the cellar door). They grow barley they've used in their beers. They've won trophies for beer-wine hybrids and beer featuring local saltwater, and fermented the winery's grapes with nothing but Brettanomyces.

In short, there was plenty to talk about when we pulled up at Cape Jaffa Wines – the first to plant vines on this stretch of the Limestone Coast – half an hour north of Robe.

We were there to catch up with Tom O'Reilly, head brewer and also the man who designed and built the brewery for the Hooper family, the pioneers who saw the potential for producing wine in the region back in the 1990s.

As well as discussing the brewery and winery's innovative and sustainable approach and regular cross-pollination of ideas and ingredients, we chat about Sunlight Liquor – Tom's mead brand, making a positive impact on the wider beer industry, the importance of educating drinkers, and how a mishap on his first night shift at Stone & Wood led to the creation of a Molly Rose favourite.

Prior to the chat with Tom, we look at some of the positive news stories of the past week, including the imminent arrival of a Bridge Road bar at Melbourne Airport – hot on the heels of a Stone & Wood bar opening at Sydney Airport, the acquisition of Port Mac brewery Moorebeer by its long-term head brewer, and the arrival of Subculture Brewing in Brunswick.

We've enjoyed a great start to our campaign shining a light on good beer citizens, "Have you done a Rallings?", while applications are now open for this year's Young Henrys IWD Brewing Scholarship supporting women and non-binary individuals aiming to get into the industry too. This week's episode also features a new segment featuring Steve "Hendo" Henderson of Rockstar Brewer with tips on brewing better beer.

Start of segments:

• 12:43 – Tom O’Reilly (part one)
• 29:43 – Rockstar Brewer
• 35:28 – Tom O’Reilly (part two)

Relevant links:

• Loophole Brewing
• Cape Jaffa Wines
• Bridge Road Brewers Land At Melbourne Airport
• Brewer Buys Brewery
• Who Brews Subculture Beers?
• Young Henrys IWD Scholarship
• Have You Done A Rallings?
• GABS H100 Countdown Livestream
• Rockstar Brewing Academy
• The High Country Hop
• IBD 2025

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

The Crafty Pint Podcast is back for 2025 after a most enjoyable break; we hope all our listeners and viewers had a great festive period too.

Our first show of the year is a little different to most. We still reflect on the stories we’ve covered since the start of 2025, including the news that KAIJU! have become the latest brewing company to enter voluntary administration almost a year to the day after Wayward Brewing did the same, heralding Aussie craft beer’s toughest 12 months.

However, there’s no main guest this time around. Instead, we look ahead to some of the notable upcoming events we’re involved in, as well as announcing a new campaign through which we hope to shine a light on the good deeds taking place throughout the beer and hospo industries.

In terms of events, The Catfish’s QI: Beer Edition on January 18 features both podcast producer Matt Hofmann as MC and Crafty founder James Smith as a panelist. Then, a week later, we’re hosting the live countdown of the GABS Hottest 100 via YouTube, while we also look ahead to the 2025 IBD Asia Pacific Convention in Hobart in conversation with convention chair Brendan Flanagan.

The aforementioned new campaign has been created in partnership with the team at Rallings. You can find out what it means to have “done a Rallings” from the person who came up with the concept in the second half of the show. Or you can get straight on with nominating anyone you know who’s done a good deed – big or small – in the wider beer world via the link below.

We’ll feature the best stories from those nominations in future shows – and there’s prizes up for grabs for both the nominee and the person or business that nominates them.

Start of segments:

• 7:46 – Discussion of recent news
• 19:01 – Brendan Flanagan – IBD
• 23:44 – Preview of GABS Hottest 100 Live Countdown & "Have you done a Rallings?"

Relevant links:

• KAIJU! Enter VA
• Dash & Smash – Inside The World Of The Aussie Beer Milers
• Ten Lessons From Ten Years – Cupitt's Estate
• Catfish QI: Beer Edition (Jan 18)
• GABS H100 Live Countdown
• Nominate A Good Beer Citizen
• IBD Asia Pacific Convention 2025
• Sign Up For The Next Brewing Course At Bendigo TAFE 

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

The final episode of The Crafty Pint's Year In Beer 2024 series is a double-header with a triple dose of guests. After completing the full set of states, it's the turn of ACT and the Northern Territory.

There have been notable anniversaries, not least in the capital with both BentSpoke Brewing and Page Bottler marking ten years in 2024, plus expansions, acquisitions, new openings, and the roller-coaster tale of Tumut River Brewing Co – one that's ended on a high with former staff now the new owners.

Joining us to cast an eye over the past 12 months are Mat Farrington, Tim Rasheed and Kyle Pearson.

Mat is the founder of CanBEERra, which he launched nine years ago to capture the goings-on in the beer world across the wider Canberra region. As well as offering insight into some of the newer operations, he's been mighty impressed with Cypher Brewing and their weekly tinnie releases of the past 12 months, plus the manner in which both To All My Friends and Herbert's at Evatt have shown how to operate as top-notch craft beer venues.

Tim opened Page Bottler a decade ago and now crams more great beer per square metre into his store than you'll likely find anywhere in Australia. He brings two decades in booze retail to the table as he offers his thoughts on where the local / indie beer world sits and how breweries backing their own identity rather than overreaching is the way to go.

And Kyle is the driving force behind Alice Springs Brewing Co and, as of a few weeks ago, the new owner of Beer Garden Brewing in Port Lincoln. He reflects on 2024, in which the brewery enjoyed the triumphant launch of their Territorian sub-brand and have put down deeper roots locally, as well as the reasons behind buying a second brewery 16 hours' drive from Alice. He also casts an eye over 12 months in which all of the NT's brewers have enjoyed successes, including One Mile's huge Territory Bar-BQ Festival in October, despite a drop in tourism.

Start of guest segments:

3:50 – Mat Farrington

17:30 – Tim Rasheed

28:18 – Kyle Pearson

The Crafty Pint's 2024 Year In Beer series is proudly presented by Mogwai Labs, leaders in liquid yeast solutions. For the perfect pitch every time, visit mogwailabs.com.au.

Relevant links:

The Crafty Pint's Year In Beer 2024: The National Picture: https://craftypint.com/news/3646/year-in-beer-2024-the-national-picture

CanBEERra: http://www.canbeerra.com/

Page Bottler: https://craftypint.com/bottleshop/1106/page-bottler

Alice Springs Brewing Co: https://craftypint.com/brewery/544/alice-springs-brewing-co

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

We head to Queensland for the penultimate podcast of our Year In Beer 2024 series. 

As with much of the local beer industry, it's been a challenging time for many in the state. A number of craft beer venues have closed or changed hands, the most high profile of which was Brewski, whose owners Ant and Matt joined us for an earlier show before rocking up with their new My Beer Dealer in Fortitude Valley. 

Talking of high profile, the voluntary administration and, ultimately, sale of Black Hops Brewing to a new ownership team was among the most talked-about of all the littered the past 12 months in Australia. But, even here, the changes that brought led to an unexpected opportunity for two of the guests on this episode: Phil Sharp and Daniel Venema of Hiker Brewing. 

They took ownership of Black Hops Brisbane and converted it to their second home, a move they hadn't expected to make for a couple of years yet. However, such a decision feels very in keeping with the brewery's fine start to life. 

The founders discuss the lean and mean, community-centric ethos that's brought them to this point, the opportunities for smaller, locals-focused breweries to step in as the new pokie-free pub, their fondness for Working Title's beers, and how they were the real winners of the GABS Hottest 100 of 2023. 

We kick off, however, with Brisbane-based Crafty Pint writer Mick Wüst for his take on the past 12 months: the trends he's witnessed, the beers he's enjoyed, and what he's been up to, which has included publishing a second book and completing a third (both on spirits, following his first on beer). 

From there, we head to the Sunshine Coast where Craig Williams sits down at the home of Josh Donohoe, founder of Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours. A renewed focus on beer tourism is something we wrote about in the national trends article that launched this series and it's cropped up in other episodes, but few are as well versed as Josh. Not only has he been running tours in the region since the days when they had just a handful of breweries, but he's played a central role in the Craft Beer Capital tourism marketing campaign, even travelling with the region's brewers to sing the Sunshine Coast's praises in New Zealand. 

Start of guest segments: 

• 2:40 – Mick Wüst 
• 14:16 – Josh Donohoe 
• 26:33 – Phil Sharp & Daniel Venema

The Crafty Pint's 2024 Year In Beer series is proudly presented by Mogwai Labs, leaders in liquid yeast solutions. For the perfect pitch every time, visit mogwailabs.com.au.  

Relevant links: 

• The Crafty Pint’s Year In Beer 2024  
• Sunshine Coast Craft Beer Tours 
• Mick's Gin Drinker's Toolkit  
• Hiker Brewing

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

Our final podcast episode before Christmas touches down in New South Wales for a look back at the Year In Beer there in the company of a trio of guests. 

First up we have Nemesia Dale-Cully – better known as Meesh to most. She's enjoyed a number of roles in the local beer world, first in Adelaide before moving from running Shapeshifter's venue to take over the hospitality side of things at Wildflower, and is also involved in Pink Boots Society Australia.

Joining her for a chat with Will and James is another of our Sydney-based writers. We brought Benny onto the show as guest host a few weeks ago, and now it's a chance to meet Jason Treuen. As well as writing for The Crafty Pint, he's part of the team that brought the Inner West Ale Trail to life and a keen homebrewer.  

From there, we head north to chat to Nick McDonald, co-founder of Bucketty's Brewing, one of the many breweries that call the Northern Beaches home and as bluntly honest a guest as we've had on the show to date. 

Across the two conversations, we cover everything from the challenges of running small breweries in 2024 and renewed interest in beer tourism to the importance of community and the theatre of pouring beer. We also discuss trends, the standout breweries, beers and events of the past 12 months, and Jason's banana hefeweizen IPA...

At the start of the show, given it's in our standard Thursday slot, we also go over the news of the previous week, with a focus on the IBA's announcement that there will be no BrewCon or Indies awards in 2025 as well as WA's one-man Evil Mega Corp.

Start of guest segments:

• 10:42 – Jason Treuen & Nemesia Dale-Cully
• 39:42 – Nick McDonald  

The Crafty Pint’s 2024 Year In Beer series is proudly presented by Mogwai Labs, leaders in liquid yeast solutions. For the perfect pitch every time, visit mogwailabs.com.au.

Relevant links:

• The Crafty Pint’s Year In Beer 2024
• Wildflower & Mountain Culture launch Village
• Inner West Ale Trail Launches 
• Bucketty's Brewing 
• No BrewCon or Indies in 2025 
• Evil Mega Corp's No-Scale Ambition 

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