"Our goal was always to showcase every beer at every brewery as if it was our own."

Joslyn Erickson works in a unique but essential part of the beer industry. She runs Hop On Brewery Tours [https://hoponbrewerytours.com.au/] alongside partner Matt Farrelly, which the pair launched nearly a decade ago in Queensland. Back then, Brisbane had only six craft breweries and the Gold Coast was home to just a handful of breweries and venues where you could find anything other than mainstream beer.

It means Joslyn has enjoyed a front row seat to take in craft beer’s growth in South East Queensland, observing how the culture and attitudes have changed, whether for better or worse. At the same time, she's performed a crucial role stewarding [https://craftypint.com/news/2993/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-beer-steward] at some of the country's major beer awards.

Will Ziebell and Craig Williams caught up with Joslyn to talk about the importance of embracing beer tourism, ways she believes breweries can find new customers, and her passion for beer education, which has seen her launch The Lauter Tun [https://www.instagram.com/thelautertun.pod/] on Instagram.

Ahead of the chat, James and Will discuss a new series [https://craftypint.com/news/3770/the-mash-tun-and-the-melting-pot-belgian-australian-beer] from Rob Horner on the impact of global beer cultures on Australian brewers, Mick Wüst's second deep dive into life at Fermentis [https://craftypint.com/news/3888/big-yeast-big-changes], the lessons learned by Your Mates [https://craftypint.com/news/3891/ten-lessons-from-ten-years-your-mates-brewing] over their first decade, a joyous collab event featuring Deaf artist Gonketa [https://craftypint.com/news/3696/crafty-signs-auslan-beers-magnificent-mission], and the benefits of joining our Crafty Cabal beer club [https://craftycabal.com/].

If you enjoy the show, please consider liking, subscribing, rating or reviewing!

Start of segments:

 * 13:30 – Joslyn Erickson Part 1
 * 41:13 – Grainstock 2025 [https://www.grainstock.com.au/] Preview
 * 45:48 – Joslyn Erickson Part 2

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

At Craft Beer's Coalface

“A lot of my ethos about what I’d like brewing to be is that DIY punk vibe, which is really collaborative.”

A year on from Feral’s return to independence [https://craftypint.com/news/3455/nail-and-beerfarm-buy-feral-and-their-brewery-from-coke], the brewery unveiled a new look, a tightened core range, and a new head brewer, with ex-Beavertown and Beerfarm brewer Charlotte Freeston [https://craftypint.com/news/3827/the-rewilding-of-feral] entrusted with shaping the next chapter in the iconic brand’s story.

Ahead of Froth Town 2025, we joined her at Feral’s brewery (with AIBA Best Media 2025 winner Guy Southern along as co-host) to find out more about the new direction and plans for the future, from barrels and a new venue to the return of Tusk.

As anyone who has met Charlotte would know, beer and brewing formed just part of the conversation. We find out about her pre-Beavertown career, which took in fine art, making bespoke paint and music videos, set-building, and travelling the UK in her grandad’s old BMW gaining brewing experience, as well as her views on the wider beer community here and in the UK, the Pink Boots Society, and learning not to apologise for being unapologetic.

It’s a delightful chat, which follows a look back at the week on Crafty – Sobah entering VA [https://craftypint.com/news/3883/sobah-beverages-enter-voluntary-administration], more on the beer scene in Central Queensland [https://craftypint.com/news/3876/besser-blocks-and-brewpubs-central-queenslands-burgeoning-beer-scene-part-ii], a peak inside brewer trials [https://craftypint.com/news/3884/new-hop-portunities-inside-the-brewer-trials-for-nz-s-newest-varieties] for new hops, and the second part of Creating A Venue [https://craftypint.com/news/3882/creating-a-venue-ii-from-consultants-and-council-to-cement-and-chatgpt] – and includes the latest winner in our Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month [https://craftypint.com/bluestone] campaign. Enjoy!

And if you do, please consider liking, subscribing, rating and reviewing!

Start of segments:

 * 17:21 – Charlotte Freeston Part 1
 * 33:21 – Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
 * 38:00 – Charlotte Freeston Part 2

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

Bold, Unapologetic, Wild & Weird

"To see [our barley] from start to finish, and to also see the result in our beers, is something that's pretty beautiful."

Michael Stanzel first came to the attention of Australian beer drinkers when he and wife, Chloe Hoiberg, joined Burnley Brewing upon their return to Australia from Germany. While in Europe, he’d trained as a brewer, with those influences shining through many of the releases from the now-closed Richmond brewery.

Today, you’ll find him at Devilbend Farm Beer Co [https://craftypint.com/brewery/891/devilbend-farm-beer-co], on the Mornington Peninsula, still producing a range of both classically-minded and contemporary craft beers but with a real point of difference. As the name suggests, the brewery is based on a farm [https://craftypint.com/news/3123/beer-grows-here-the-devilbend-farm], where they grow hops and barley for use in many of Michael’s beers.

Will Ziebell joined him at the farm for a chat about their sustainable approach to brewing, Michael’s love for lager, and how and why he learnt to brew in Germany.

Before the main interview, Will and James discuss Sydney Brewery’s second brewery acquisition this year [https://craftypint.com/news/3873/sydney-brewery-acquires-white-bay-brewerys-rozelle-site], the results from the Royal Sydney Beer and Cider Awards [https://craftypint.com/news/3878/sunday-road-claim-top-prize-at-sydney-royal-beer-and-cider-awards] and what’s going on in the beer scenes in both Central Queensland [https://craftypint.com/news/3875/besser-blocks-and-brewpubs-central-queenslands-burgeoning-beer-scene-part-i] and the Northern Rivers [https://craftypint.com/news/3879/behind-bars-curious-craft]. Mid-show we also reveal the latest winner in our Have You Done A Rallings? [https://craftypint.com/rallings] celebration of the country's good beer citizens.

If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, rate and review. Cheers!

Start of segments:

 * 14:30 –  Devilbend Part 1
 * 42:21 –  Have You Done A Rallings?
 * 47:06  – Devilbend Part 2

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

Farming With The Devil

“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

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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