“I try to do as few things on purpose as possible.”

More than a thousand brewing companies have launched in Australia since the turn of the millennium, but there’s been nothing quite like Evil Mega Corp [https://craftypint.com/news/3657/evil-mega-corps-no-scale-ambition].

The one-man “worker’s-owned Utopia” is the brainchild of Rhys Lopez, formerly head brewer at Otherside Brewing, and it’s fair to say that in the world of Aussie brewers there’s nothing quite like Rhys either.

It’s probably not worth trying to summarise the operation or the man behind it in these notes; as he admits in the chat: “Sometimes I take a joke too far.”

Instead, settle in for a conversation – with AIBA 2025 Beer Media winner Guy Southern along as co-host – that goes well beyond the origins of Evil Mega Corp, the wild beers he brews for his Squares, and the subscription model he operates to take in AI, the heroes at Médecins Sans Frontières, travel, and turning his dog into a Pope-like figure, a Roman war elephant and a Mariachi musician.

NB If you’re watching or listening in time, we’re hosting an event with Rhys at Freo.Social [https://craftycabal.com/member-events] on September 20.

Ahead of the main chat, James joins Will from Warroora Station in WA to discuss the week’s stories, which include a rare foray into the world of whisky [https://craftypint.com/news/3871/australian-whiskys-growing-pains-and-the-long-road-to-maturity] thanks to Oz Whisky Review’s Luke McCarthy, insight into Seeker Brewing’s sustainable new brewery [https://craftypint.com/news/3872/going-green-seekers-sustainable-thermal-oil], and a festive take on crowdfunding [https://craftypint.com/news/3870/crowdfunding-with-a-difference-a-festival-called-george] from Tassie brewery Manchild.

Start of segments: 

 * 13:13 – Grainstock 2025 Preview
 *  19:06 – Rhys Lopez Part 1
 *  45:45 – 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.

The Art Of Being Evil

“We’re lucky to work in an industry that’s a lot about fun.”

This week’s guests need little, if any, introduction. Not only is BentSpoke [https://craftypint.com/brewery/256/bentspoke-brewing-co] – the brewery launched in a Braddon brewpub in 2014 and now a national brand – one of the country’s best-loved operations, but its founders have connections with Canberra’s beer scene stretching back three decades.

Richard Watkins and Tracy Margrain met while working in the kitchen at the Wig & Pen, a tiny Canberra brewpub that became a hotbed for experimentation and innovation. Once he’d swapped the stovetop for the mash tun, Richard started hunting down new ingredients and styles, while playing with barrels and funk long before the craft beer was even called “craft”, picking up major awards and influencing many that passed through its doors.

Since launching BentSpoke together, alongside the Meddings family who run Bintani, the couple have continued to innovate, helped bring IPA to a wider audience – their unexpected best-seller Crankshaft has topped the GABS Hottest 100 poll twice [https://craftypint.com/news/2835/bentspoke-top-the-gabs-h100-again], and kept winning major awards, all the while adding their voice to discussions around the direction of the local beer industry.

As well as reflecting on an incredible three decades in beer, their affinity for the homebrewing world, the state of play for beer today, and future plans for the brewery, arguably the key takeaway from our chat is their ongoing, deep-rooted affection for beer and the community that surrounds it.

Prior to the main interview, Will and James discuss some exciting breaking news from Sydney, where a trio of brewing companies under the banner Misfits have taken over Wayward’s Camperdown taproom [https://craftypint.com/news/3865/trio-of-brewing-misfits-take-over-waywards-inner-west-taproom] and are opening today.

Also in Sydney, we invited Bracket Brewing to reflect on their first five years via five key beers [https://craftypint.com/news/3866/bracket-brewing-five-years-in-five-beers], while there was further positive news as the men’s mental health-supporting Convo Crates have been given new life via Nick’s Jerky [https://craftypint.com/news/3862/convo-crates-continue-mental-health-crusade-with-new-owners-nick-s-jerky], and Urban Alley announced plans [https://craftypint.com/news/3867/urban-alley-set-to-open-major-new-chadstone-venue] to open a far bigger venue at Chadstone Shopping Centre.

We also highlight a trio of upcoming events [https://craftycabal.com/member-events] for our beer club members in Freo, Brisbane and Melbourne, and, of course, issue a reminder to get in your nominations for the Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month [https://craftypint.com/bluestone] and Have You Done A Rallings? [https://craftypint.com/rallings] campaigns.

Start of segments:

 * 13:04 – BentSpoke Part 1
 * 36:07 – Breaking Down Beer Styles with Mogwai Labs
 * 42:47 – BentSpoke Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Thirty Years Of Pioneering Beers

“Tumut is a bit of a hidden gem still and one of the things we're trying to do is help put it on the map via the brewery.”

Late in 2024, two former employees took ownership [https://craftypint.com/news/3642/former-staff-return-tumut-river-brewing-to-its-roots] of Tumut River Brewing Co [https://craftypint.com/brewery/476/tumut-river-brewing-co], a brewpub-based operation at the gateway to the Snowy Mountains that had gone into liquidation.

Michael Cichocki and Mary Richmond said their intention was to return the brewery to its community and tourism-focused roots – so we paid them a visit midway through 2025 to find out how their mission was going.

We hear about the changes they’ve made – and are making – to bring in customers old and new, local and passing through, as well as their serendipitous rebrand, a renewed focus on celebrating the region and its history through their new beers and labels, a shared desire to bring more bands to the brewery floor, and much more besides.

Before we get to the people behind one of the good news stories of the past 12 months, Will is joined by James from Karijini National Park, where he’d rocked up after attending another fantastic Froth Town and pre-festival warmup event at Phat Brew Club.

As well as reflecting on the festival’s tenth running, we head to Tasmania as Hobart Brewing Co take over the country’s oldest licensed venue [https://craftypint.com/news/3858/history-ahoy-hobart-brewing-co-take-over-the-hope-and-anchor], stopping in Bicheno for a Who Brews…? [https://craftypint.com/news/3860/who-brews-at-bicheno-beer-co] before chatting to Leo Salancon [https://craftypint.com/news/3859/brew-and-a-leo-salancon], the French winemaker, distiller and brewer now heading up operations at Westside Ale Works in Melbourne.

Mid-show, we reveal the latest winners in our Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month campaign; don’t forget to get your nominations in here [https://craftypint.com/bluestone].

Start of segments:

 * 10:20 – Tumut River Brewing Co Part 1
 * 30:35 – Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
 * 35:33 – Tumut River Brewing Co Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Keeping The Beers Flowing At Tumut River

“You can be more sustainable and make more money at the same time.”

Capital Brewing [https://craftypint.com/brewery/375/capital-brewing-co] are well established alongside BentSpoke as part of the ACT beer scene’s big two. Despite retaining a tight sales focus on just the Canberra region and New South Wales, they’ve grown to a current capacity of two million litres per year while operating one of the largest hospitality venues – 1,000 people inside and out – of any brewery in Australia.

They’ve gained public recognition by landing multiple beers in numerous GABS Hottest 100 polls – “Our goal was always to have the best album rather than the best smash hit.” – and produce a consistent, approachable core range on the one hand while indulging the brew team’s flights of fancy – imperial stout using apple juice instead of water, anyone? – via their pilot brewery and taproom.

Central to their story, however, is their focus on operating as upstanding global citizens. Influenced by co-founder Laurence Kain and Tom Hertel’s joint love of the outdoors – surfing, long-distance running – they operate one of the leanest, greenest machines in beer and not just because they believe it’s the right thing to do; as they explain in our chat, operating more sustainably can be good for your bottom line too.

We joined Laurence and the head brewer they enticed from San Diego, Wade Hurley, to discuss all that and more, including Captain Podium, supporting local music, and strong signs that the market is taking a turn for the better.

We kick off the show with James joining Will from Purnululu to discuss the latest in MicroStar / Kegstar’s proposed acquisition [https://craftypint.com/news/3853/kegstar-release-market-update-following-the-acccs-statement-of-issues] of Konvoy, the Brisbane German Club’s joy [https://craftypint.com/news/3852/brisbane-german-clubs-oktoberfest-to-be-even-more-authentically-munich] ahead of their 2025 Oktoberfest, our step Behind Bars with Canberra beer bar To All My Friends [https://craftypint.com/news/3851/behind-bars-to-all-my-friends], Bowden Brewing’s expansion in Adelaide, plus our upcoming Froth Town Crafty Crawl [https://craftypint.com/crawls] and event with Evil Mega Corp [https://craftycabal.com/member-events] in Freo in September. We also announce a very worthy winner in our Have You Done A Rallings? [https://craftypint.com/rallings] celebration of the country’s good beer citizens.

Start of segments:

 * 17:50 – Capital Brewing Part 1
 * 46:26 – Have You Done A Rallings?
 * 49:18 – Capital Brewing Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.



Capital Gains

“I like to say we’re the only pub in the world that’s a pub, police station and morgue in the same room.”

One of the key figures in Sydney’s craft beer boom was Brad Flowers. He didn’t brew beer or run a venue, but through his distribution business he put beers from dozens of Australia’s indie brewers onto taps and into fridges, while also running some seriously ambitious events.

Brad, it’s fair to say, also enjoyed the fruits of his labour as much as anyone in and around the industry, with tales of his escapades – often in cahoots with his beer “family” – becoming the stuff of legend.

So, had you asked those who knew him to predict where he’d be in 2025, we doubt anyone would have said: “Running a historic pub in the middle of nowhere.” Yet, thanks to the most wonderful turn of events [https://craftypint.com/news/2761/the-overland-corner-hotel-flowers-anew] during the early months of the COVID pandemic, that’s what transpired.

James joined Brad and wife Nicole at the Overland Corner Hotel [https://www.overlandcornerhotel.com.au/] in SA’s Riverland region to hear how they ended up swapping city life for bucolic pleasures. It’s a swap they’ve managed with aplomb, turning a rundown, haunted old hotel into an award-winning destination popular with everyone from grey nomads camping on the adjacent Murray to ravers attracted by the huge events they put on in the quarry from which the stone that built the pub was hewn.

They offer great insight into building a regional hospo success story with craft beer at its heart while hinting at even greater plans for the future.

Prior to the main interview, James joins Will from Windjana Gorge for a look back at the week on Crafty, covering Kylie Lethbridge’s decision [https://craftypint.com/news/3844/kylie-lethbridge-to-depart-the-iba] to step down as CEO of the Independent Brewers Association, the rebirth of the oldest brewery [https://craftypint.com/news/3846/goulburn-brewery-fires-wayback-up] building on the mainland, the launch of an Aussie mezcal brand [https://craftypint.com/news/3848/from-beer-to-beudi], the arrival on The Crafty Pint of Devilbend Farm Beer [https://craftypint.com/brewery/891/devilbend-farm-beer-co], and Will’s co-hosting of an upcoming event [https://craftypint.com/event/13790/last-beer-before-paradise] featuring Bendigo Brewing and Seven Sheds.

Start of segments:

 * 17:06 – Grainstock 2025 [https://www.grainstock.com.au/] Teaser 2
 * 21:22 – Brad & Nicole Part 1
 * 51:54 – Beer30 [https://craftypint.com/business/1322/the-5th-ingredient-beer30] on Purchasing
 * 60:00 – Brad & Nicole Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

How To Revive A Historic Country Hotel

“We don’t produce bulk commodity malt; we’re here to create malts that craft brewers and distillers can leverage off.”

Here at The Crafty Pint we’ve made little secret of our admiration for the work of Stu Whytcross and Brad Woolner, the founders of Voyager Craft Malt [https://voyagercraftmalt.com.au/]. If we were betting sorts, we’d wager their impact [https://craftypint.com/news/3014/revolution-in-the-riverina] – not just on beer and distilling, but farming and their home region in the Riverina – will be as great as any business to have operated within the wider beer world this century.

Ahead of their inaugural Grainstock – a three-day event celebrating grain’s role in brewing, distilling and baking for both industry and consumers – we joined them at the Whitton Malt House. It’s the mighty impressive venue, accommodation, golf range, fishing lake and more created by Southern Cotton that sits alongside Voyager’s equally impressive production facility.

As well as discussing their vision for Grainstock [https://www.grainstock.com.au/], they tell us how they’ve been competitive mates since primary school, how they first considered opening a brewery before heading down the malting route, how early support from Batch Brewing Co and Wildflower founder Topher Boehm helped them get going, how they’re working with forward-thinking farmers to promote practices that are better for the land while reigniting interest in ancient and forgotten grains, and much more besides, including their world champion malt [https://craftypint.com/news/3731/golden-australian-grains-more-global-success-for-voyager] and desire to help more local malting operations flourish.

From the Riverina to the Northern Kimberley, where James joined Will from a giant termite mound to cast an eye over part three [https://craftypint.com/news/3837/beer-travel-northern-tasmania] of our guide to beer in Tasmania’s north, Briony Liebich’s guide to tasting beer like a pro [https://craftypint.com/news/3841/beer-basics-how-to-taste-beer-like-a-pro], the latest addition to our venue directory – the Bright Brewery-owned PA’s in Carlton [https://craftypint.com/bar/321/prince-alfred-carlton-the-bright-rooftop], the launch of the sixth GABS Can Design Awards [https://craftypint.com/news/3840/show-off-your-cans-in-the-2025-gabs-can-design-awards], and the latest giveaways and events for members of our Crafty Cabal beer club [https://craftycabal.com/].

If you enjoy the show, please like and subscribe, rate and review, and maybe even tell your mates!

Start of segments:

 * 13:15 – Voyager Part 1
 * 44:57 – Breaking Down Beer Styles with Mogwai Labs
 * 51:15 – 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.

Voyager's Vision

"We've got big plans and big ideas, and want to have some fun with it along the way.”

Canberra’s beer scene has been dominated – in a nice way – by two breweries for the best part of a decade now, but since Cypher Brewing [https://craftypint.com/brewery/793/cypher-brewing] released their first beers in April 2023 the Gungahlin crew have been angling to join BentSpoke and Capital and turn the Big Two into a Big Three.

We joined co-owner Jeff Wilson-Shipley and head brewer Matt Thiele at their brewpub as part of our podcast road trip odyssey in June. The former is one of a group of soccer-playing mates from diverse backgrounds behind the brewery, the latter a brewer who joined Capital a month after they launched and moved across town for the chance to take more creative control of a brewhouse.

We talked about their ethos and brand, the building of what they refer to as “The Cypher World” – one that seems to involve plans to open a brewpub on Mars, their efforts to celebrate and engage their multicultural local community, balancing hardcore fans’ (and their own) desire for big beers with more approachable offerings for the wider market, and their work advocating for indie brewers with the pollies down the road.

It’s a pretty snappy intro this week, covering the week’s news – the founders of pioneering Red Duck Brewery putting the business on the market [https://craftypint.com/news/3832/red-duck-founders-put-brewery-and-distillery-on-the-market] as they approach 20 years; the launch of an indie maltsters association [https://craftypint.com/news/3836/small-maltsters-form-independent-malt-association-western-australia] in WA; tickets going on sale for the industry components of Grainstock [https://www.grainstock.com.au/]– as well as Mick Wüst’s lovely tale [https://craftypint.com/news/3835/meet-new-check-mates-with-brisbane-pub-chess] featuring the founders of Brisbane Pub Chess.

We also reveal the latest winner in our Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month [https://craftypint.com/bluestone] campaign; keep the nominations for that coming, as well as for our Have You Done A Rallings? [https://craftypint.com/rallings] celebration of good beer citizens.

Start of segments:

 * 7:54 – Grainstock 2025 Preview
 * 11:37 – Cypher Brewing Part 1
 * 32:25 – Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
 * 37:41 – Cypher Brewing Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Community, Culture, Creativity – Inside The Cypher World

“From very early on, we all agreed that we would play to our strengths.”

More than a thousand brewing companies have come and, in many cases, gone since the craft beer era began in Australia, but there’s never been one quite like One Drop [https://craftypint.com/brewery/482/one-drop-brewing-co].

The Botany-based operation make cracking “normal” beers yet have become a byword for the wild and WTF, the experimental and eccentric. They weren’t the first brewery to make smoothie sours, for example, but they’ve taken such beers – and myriad other styles – to new places others wouldn’t have conceived, let alone dared, creating beers that defy the odds and just work. 

James joined them at their brewery earlier in the year for a chat about their storming of the GABS Hottest 100 with We Jammin’, the serendipitous way brewer Nick Calder-Scholes was discovered by founders Meg Barbic and Clay Grant, their approach to brewing, “contained chaos”, being “collectively creative”, and moving craft beer away from “pale, male and stale”.

If you’re wondering why this episode is running so late after the recording, it’s due to technical issues. It was the first recording with a new setup and somehow James was capturing video at such high quality it filled his laptop’s entire hard drive before the chat was over, leaving us with a corrupted file. So lovely was the backdrop for the guests, he was determined to rescue it, but despite many attempts it wasn’t to be. That said, the chat is colourful enough to paint vivid pictures with words.

There’s one of our longer intros this week, as Will and James reflect on the imminent closures of Wayward’s taproom [https://craftypint.com/news/3829/powder-monkey-lock-in-akasha-acquisition-wayward-taproom-to-shut] and White Bay Brewery [https://craftypint.com/news/3828/white-bay-brewery-to-leave-their-current-sydney-home] following various mergers and acquisitions. We also discuss the news that Coles and Endeavour Group will be making it clearer which beer brands they own [https://craftypint.com/news/3831/more-transparency-coming-to-big-two-retailers-private-label-beer] – and issue a shout out to anyone who has been de-ranged by the big two retailers (hit up will@craftypint.com if that's you).

Other stories from the past week include Guy Southern’s wonderful interview [https://craftypint.com/news/3827/the-rewilding-of-feral] with new Feral head brewer Charlotte Freeston and the second part of Benedict Kennedy-Cox’s tour of Tasmania’s north [https://craftypint.com/news/3830/beer-travel-tasmanias-north-east-and-east-coast], while the show also features the latest winner in our Have You Done A Rallings? [https://craftypint.com/rallings] campaign highlighting the country’s good beer citizens.

Start of segments:

 * 20:18 – One Drop Part 1
 * 42:25 – Have You Done A Rallings?
 * 47:31 – One Drop Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

One Drop. A Million Ideas

“At the heart of [the beer industry] is the beer drinker who just loves beer, appreciates quality, and wants to share that experience.”

Ahead of their biggest event of the year, Ramjet Day, we joined Boatrocker [https://craftypint.com/brewery/215/boatrocker-brewers-and-distillers] founders Matt and Andrea Houghton at their Barrel Room in Braeside.

Given Matt and his brewers have released more beers in different styles than pretty much anyone in Australia since 2009 – not to mention their move into spirits after they absorbed former Perth distillery Hippocampus – there’s plenty of discussion of their approach beyond the iconic Ramjet and its many spin-offs.

We head back well beyond the launch of their first beer, Alpha Queen, to the European travels before they met that opened their eyes to the breadth and beauty of the beer world, how they manage such a diverse portfolio and adapt to the changing market, and the importance of community.

After Andrea dashes off to collect their kids from school, Matt offers his thoughts on many of the issues impacting the industry – from cheap kegs and VAs to Australia’s convoluted tax system – plus some tips for anyone thinking of starting out today.

Prior to the main interview, James joins Will from Kings Canyon to cast an eye over the week’s news, including the latter’s interview with Eclectic Brewing [https://craftypint.com/news/3824/an-eclectic-brewing-life], a guide to beer in Montreal [https://craftypint.com/news/3822/beer-travel-montreal], and the arrival in our brewery directory of inner-west Sydney breweries Bracket [https://craftypint.com/brewery/631/bracket-brewing] and Pickled Monkey [https://craftypint.com/brewery/863/pickled-monkey-brewing].

We also flag the launch of Blobfish 2025 [https://craftypint.com/event/13742/blobfish-2025] – including a ticket giveaway [https://craftycabal.com/member-events] for our beer club members – and there's the return, mid-show, of Milo Applebottom with another film tie-in for Point Break Brewery Invitational 2025 [https://events.humanitix.com/point-break-brewery-invitational-2025?utm_source=the+crafty+pint&utm_medium=mrec&utm_campaign=june+2025+web+banner].

Start of segments:

 * 8:49 – Matt & Andrea Houghton, Boatrocker
 * 40:31 – Point Break Brewery Invitational ft Milo Applebottom
 * 43:42 – Matt Houghton, Boatrocker

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Barrels, Belgians & British Boozers

“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."

Bridge Road Brewers [https://bridgeroadbrewers.com.au/]’ story is one of the great stories of the craft beer era. It’s centred around a family-founded (and now partially employee-owned) business and features everything from a cross-hemisphere love story, global collaborations and inspired innovation to major events and even the creation of an independent micronation [https://craftypint.com/news/2090/bridge-road-splits-from-australia].

As they celebrate two decades of beers, we joined founders Ben and Maria Kraus at their ever-expanding brewery venue in Beechworth for a trip through the years – right back to the days when Maria was a ski instructor singing in a blues band in the Austrian mountains and Ben was washing glasses in a bar while learning how to make wine.

While much of the chat focuses on the evolution of Bridge Road Brewers and the manner in which they’ve pushed the story of independence as well as anyone in Australia, we also discuss their successful move into non-alc beers, beer tourism, their 20th birthday celebrations, and delicious drunken cows.

Before the main interview, Will and James cover the success of relative newcomer Eclectic Brewing [https://craftypint.com/news/3817/eclectic-brewing-top-royal-adelaide-beer-and-cider-awards-for-2025] at last week’s Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards, the launch of our new Creating A Venue series [https://craftypint.com/news/3818/creating-a-venue-happy-camper-sets-off], our Who Brews…? feature [https://craftypint.com/news/3819/who-brews-blackwattle-beers] on fledgling Sydney operation Blackwattle Bar + Brewery, and the IBA’s call for submissions [https://www.cognitoforms.com/IndependentBrewersAssociation/MarketAccessExamples] in support of their work around market access for indie brewers.

Start of segments:

 * 11:01 – Ben & Maria Part 1
 * 37:22 – Bintani Brewery Boosters
 * 41:35 – Ben & Maria Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Staying Independent, Innovative & Relevant For Two Decades

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.

James Smith

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