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The Crafty Pint Podcast

The Crafty Pint
The Crafty Pint Podcast
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  • The Art Of Being Evil
    “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.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 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 thanks to Oz Whisky Review’s Luke McCarthy, insight into Seeker Brewing’s sustainable new brewery, and a festive take on crowdfunding from Tassie brewery Manchild.Start of segments: 13:13 – Grainstock 2025 Preview 19:06 – Rhys Lopez Part 1 45:45 – Rhys Lopez 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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  • Thirty Years Of Pioneering Beers
    “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 – 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, 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 and are opening today.Also in Sydney, we invited Bracket Brewing to reflect on their first five years via five key 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, and Urban Alley announced plans to open a far bigger venue at Chadstone Shopping Centre.We also highlight a trio of upcoming 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 and Have You Done A Rallings? campaigns.Start of segments: 13:04 – BentSpoke Part 1 36:07 – Breaking Down Beer Styles with Mogwai Labs 42:47 – BentSpoke 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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  • Keeping The Beers Flowing At Tumut River
    “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 of 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, stopping in Bicheno for a Who Brews…? before chatting to 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.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 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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  • Capital Gains
    “You can be more sustainable and make more money at the same time.”Capital Brewing 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 of Konvoy, the Brisbane German Club’s joy ahead of their 2025 Oktoberfest, our step Behind Bars with Canberra beer bar To All My Friends, Bowden Brewing’s expansion in Adelaide, plus our upcoming Froth Town Crafty Crawl and event with Evil Mega Corp in Freo in September. We also announce a very worthy winner in our Have You Done A 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 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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  • How To Revive A Historic Country Hotel
    “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 during the early months of the COVID pandemic, that’s what transpired.James joined Brad and wife Nicole at the Overland Corner Hotel 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 to step down as CEO of the Independent Brewers Association, the rebirth of the oldest brewery building on the mainland, the launch of an Aussie mezcal brand, the arrival on The Crafty Pint of Devilbend Farm Beer, and Will’s co-hosting of an upcoming event featuring Bendigo Brewing and Seven Sheds.Start of segments: 17:06 – Grainstock 2025 Teaser 2 21:22 – Brad & Nicole Part 1 51:54 – Beer30 on Purchasing 60:00 – Brad & Nicole 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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About The Crafty Pint Podcast

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.
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