The Crafty Pint Podcast

• Finding Balance In The Beer World

  Jayne Lewis needs little, if any, introduction to anyone that reads or listens to The Crafty Pint. Following stints at many of the country’s brewing trailblazers, she blazed a trail of her own, creating Two Birds Brewing with mate Dani Allen, together going on to conquer the country’s beer awards while inspiring many other women to follow in their footsteps. Two years on from leaving Two Birds, she’s been carving out a new path, one focused very much on the human side of the food and drinks industry. Today, she operates Full Colour Life, working with small business owners as well as individuals on everything from business strategy to setting and achieving personal goals. The wealth of knowledge she brings to the role comes not just from her time as a brewer and business owner, but also from personal experience: succumbing to burnout and a sense of losing agency, before embarking on a mission to rebuild herself and help others do the same. Given the well-documented issues around burnout, stress and churn in the industry, Jayne is playing – once again – a vitally important role, which she discusses in this episode, along with her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated industry, the remarkable success of the Australian chapter of Pink Boots Society, the importance of allyship, and bobbing like a cork in the ocean – even in the middle of a Melbourne winter. Last week’s tech gremlins overcome, the show opens with Will and James discussing the ACCC’s decision to oppose MicroStar’s proposed acquisition of Konvoy, ten years (or is it 140?) of Pikes Beer Co in the Clare Valley, the growing number of breweries using silos, and a new video launched by NSW indie suppliers Mogwai Labs, Ryefield Hops and Voyager Craft Malt. Mid-show we also reveal the latest Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review – and tell your mates! Start of segments: 13:55 – Jayne Lewis – Part 1 35:57 – Bluestone Yeast Brewery Of The Month 39:34 – Jayne Lewis – Part 2 To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

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• Going With The Grain

  “It's a big picture approach. I love it because our kids are going to have a future.”The phrase “more than the sum of its parts” shouldn’t really apply when the parts in question are as significant in their own manner as Wildflower Beer, Organically Greenwood and Voyager Craft Malt. Yet there can be no denying that these pioneering operations are stronger together – their impact magnified by their ongoing collaboration.Since first discovering each other, the trio – respectively a brewer favouring native, wild and organic ingredients, a farmer exploring innovative regeneration techniques, and a maltster of world-beating ingenuity – have encouraged each other to push their ideas further, to chase their wildest dreams, and to inspire others along the way.We sat down with two of them – Wildflower’s Topher Boehm and Organically Greenwood’s Chris Greenwood – at an event conceived by the third, the Stu Whytcross-curated Grainstock. They told us about their first encounters, the friendship forged between their families, the exploration and experimentation they’ve enjoyed together, and their hopes for the future of grain, regen farming, sustainable brewing practices and the planet itself.They’re fascinating and eloquent guests who take us from brewing with saltbush in Belgium to old man Ivan and his crop-enhancing “voodoo juice” with plenty of insight and laughter along the way.Due to some unexpected and insurmountable gremlins in the system, which we only discovered three hours before this episode was due to be published, there's no full intro this week. Will and James had discussed the week's news – two more venue closures in the local beer world, a fledgling brewpub changing tastes on the Murray, and the new “Northern IPA” style – but instead you just get a brief word from James before the main course.We’re always keen for feedback on the show, which you can provide here (just don't mention this week's intro), as well as nominations for good beer citizens in our Have You Done A Rallings? campaign and wonderful breweries you'd like to see named Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month. As ever, if you enjoy this episode, please like, subscribe, rate and review.Start of segments: 3:05 – Topher & Chris Part 1 33:17 – Topher & Chris Part 2To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

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• Grainstock 2025

  "We're all massive grain users – bakers, brewers, distillers – so it's so good to get to connect with them."Grainstock was a first-of-its-kind industry gathering and beer festival celebrating grain, agriculture, brewing, distilling and baking under the one banner.Held at Voyager Craft Malt’s home at the Whitton Malt House over three days, it brought diverse yet linked industries together for farm tours, networking, and a symposium exploring the opportunities, challenges and future for farmers and businesses that rely on grain.During the conference, Will and Craig sat down with three guests to chat about their respective backgrounds, what brought them to Whitton, and their experience at the conference. First up, we have Caolan Vaughan, head brewer at Stone & Wood, who has been overseeing the introduction of regen and organic ingredients at the brewery. He’s followed by Phil Stevens, who used to lead brewing at The Welder's Dog and is now focused on native grains, before we’re joined by distiller and CIBD board member Lisa Macrae.Ahead of those interviews, James and Will discuss Lachy Crothers’ new fresh AF beer project, the return of Ballarat Bitter to its founding family's hands, and Rehn Bier’s move into the Old Mill Brewery with some Barossa mates. We also unveil the latest Have You Done A Rallings? winner.Start of segments: 17:42 – Caolan Vaughan 27:59 – Phil Stevens 39:19 – Have You Done A Rallings? 43:07 – Lisa MacraeTo find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

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• Brewing In Paradise

  “The ethos was trying to provide that cultural shift and be a catalyst for that.”What’s it like brewing beer in paradise? Or, more precisely, in Exmouth: gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area that’s home to awe-inspiring, barely-populated beaches and an abundance of glorious wildlife that can make it feel like you’re living in a David Attenborough documentary.We sat down with Pete Firth and Justin Fuery, respectively co-founders of Froth Craft Brewery and Whalebone Brewing, to discover the answer to that question (unbearably hot in summer, for one) and more.They opened their breweries in the same year, 2017, in what was then a far sleepier town than it is today, and have helped change the culture to the degree that Exmouth – despite a permanent population of just 3,000 – hosts more live music than any WA city or town north of Perth.As well as delving into their backstories, the ethos driving each brewery, and the different paths they’ve taken – Froth now operate multiple venues; Whalebone sell cans across the state and have launched Ningaloo Distillery – we explore the challenges facing such businesses in far-flung regional locations, how they built, maintain and continue to expand their audience, the huge boost COVID brought to the region, and the rise of beer tourism.Ahead of the main chat, Will and James look forward to this week’s Grainstock in the Riverina and discuss a trio of new articles: the sixth instalment of our Beer By Design series; the impending launch of Ripple Brewing; and the first beer in Australia brewed with a new yeast strain. Mid-show, you'll hear from Mogwai Labs and Kicks Brewing on brewing festbiers too.We’re always keen for feedback on the show, which you can provide here, as well as nominations for the Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month and Have You Done A Rallings? celebration of the country’s good beer citizens.Start of segments: 11:20 – Pete & Justin Part 1 28:07 – Mogwai & Kicks Brewing 34:47 – Pete & Justin Part 2To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

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• At Craft Beer's Coalface

  "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 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 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 on Instagram.Ahead of the chat, James and Will discuss a new series from Rob Horner on the impact of global beer cultures on Australian brewers, Mick Wüst's second deep dive into life at Fermentis, the lessons learned by Your Mates over their first decade, a joyous collab event featuring Deaf artist Gonketa, and the benefits of joining our Crafty Cabal beer club.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 Preview 45:48 – Joslyn Erickson Part 2To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

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