The Crafty Pint Podcast

What does it mean to be a sustainable business or to brew in a sustainable manner? Can beer really do good, or are such claims just there to make marketing departments feel better about themselves? And, if so, how can they have a positive impact on the world around them, from their local community to the drinkers who buy their beers?Such questions – and helping people find the right answers to them – have occupied James Perrin throughout his career in beer. It's one that started with Lion in New Zealand, brought him to Stone & Wood in the midst of their rapid growth, and continues to this day in many ways.He's still involved in a Northern Rivers brewery too, albeit a rather smaller one. He left Stone & Wood after the sale to Lion / Kirin, and these days is part of the team running Spangled Drongo, a brewery which makes a donation from every beer sold to help protect the natural habitat around them.He also works with businesses looking to be better global citizens in and outside beer, both in Australia and overseas, and has helped some – most recently Jervis Bay Brewing Co – gain B Corp status.James is a wealth of knowledge on all things sustainability and has developed a model of six ways in which businesses can look to have a positive impact. He joined us on the show to explain his approach, discuss various programs and certifications in this space, and to highlight examples from the beer world that have impressed him.He talks passionately about the importance of authenticity in making connections with consumers, and is a firm believer that indie beer businesses occupy a role within communities through which they can make changes for the better and inspire others to follow suit.The chat with James starts at 16:17Prior to that we welcomed another guest, who joined James for the preamble. With Will making his way back to Australia from Bali, Benedict Kennedy-Cox stepped up to the oche.Benny has been writing for The Crafty Pint for a few years now, often combining beer with another passion of his: travel. He was in Melbourne so dropped into the studio to discuss the week's news, share some of his favourite experiences on the road, including getting abused by a waiter in Köln, and offer insight into the sustainably-minded businesses he's written about for us.There also a heads-up for our forthcoming lager-centric event at The Wheaty.Relevant links:Going Green: Sustainable Brewing: https://craftypint.com/news/1767/going-green-sustainable-brewingSpangled Drongo Brewing: https://craftypint.com/brewery/865/spangled-drongo-brewery Jervis Bay Secure B Corp Status: https://craftypint.com/news/3588/better-every-day-jervis-bay-become-a-b-corp James Perrin's website: https://www.jamesperrin.com.au/ Ryefield Hops' Certifiably Sustainable Growth: https://craftypint.com/news/3376/ryefield-hops-certifiably-sustainable-growth Frogs Hollow's Off-Grid Brewery: https://craftypint.com/news/3590/going-green-frogs-hollows-off-grid-brewery Mitta Mitta Brewing: https://craftypint.com/brewery/398/mitta-mitta-brewing-co Ten Lessons From Ten Years: Wolf of the Willows: https://craftypint.com/news/3614/ten-lessons-from-ten-years-wolf-of-the-willows Planned vs Rogue: https://www.youtube.com/@PlannedvsRogue Upcoming lager event at The Wheaty: https://craftypint.com/event/13508/exploring-the-ever-larger-world-of-lagerSun Tap Decals: https://www.suntapdecals.com.au/ To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

In Episode 015 of The Crafty Pint Podcast we head overseas for the first time. Our destination is a tiny brewery most people won't have heard of, where we're joined by a guest with whom many will be very familiar. The tiny brewery is Shortjaw Brewing, located in Westport: a town on the sparsely populated west coast of New Zealand's South Island. The guest is the man who, along with his partner Emma, decided to take over the site of a 30-year-old, twice-liquidated brewery during the early period of the COVID pandemic and bring it back to life. Luke Robertson is far better known in beer circles – at least outside Westport and surrounds – from his time in Australia. This is mainly due to Ale of a Time, the blog that spawned a podcast of the same name, both of them home to sharp, witty and occasionally caustic observations of, and commentary on, the wide world of beer. That was just one of many roles in the Australian beer world for Luke, who helped deliver major events such as Good Beer Week and BrewCon for the Independent Brewers Association, while writing – mostly on beer – for high profile publications not just in his adopted home but overseas, notably for Good Beer Hunting. Thirty months on from pouring the first Shortjaw beer for guests, he joined us to reflect on his change of direction – or putting his money where his mouth is, as he puts it: how he's approached building a customer base for a regional brewery in one of the most remote parts of the planet, his fondness for creating beers that represent the place in which they're brewed, and some of the highs and lows that come with launching a brewery in the toughest climate for beer in decades. The chat with Luke starts at 11:05. Prior to that, we interrupt Will's holiday in Bali to go behind the scenes of his deep dive article into the experiences of working at beer's sinking ships. Over a period of months, he spoke to former employees at a number of businesses across Australia that have been through administration, ceased operating, or changed hands over the past couple of years, and the picture they paint is far from pretty. We also discuss the reaction to the article since its publication on Monday, with comments received from outside Australia and beyond the beer world too. You'll find links relevant to the episode below: Shortjaw Brewing: https://shortjaw.co.nz/ Ale of a Time: https://aleofatime.com/ From Beer Blogger To Brewery Owner: https://craftypint.com/news/2799/from-beer-blogger-to-brewery-owner Working Inside Beer's Sinking Ships: https://craftypint.com/news/3605/working-inside-beers-sinking-ships Brew & A ft Charlie Claridge: https://craftypint.com/news/3609/brew-and-a-charlie-claridge-esker-beer-co Sun Tap Decals: https://www.suntapdecals.com.au/ To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

The craft beer era has given rise to thousands of stories, but none like that of Moon Dog.Founders Karl van Buuren and brothers Josh and Jake Uljans announced themselves to an unsuspecting beer world in the manner of a custard pie to the face – well before custard pie beers were a thing – and have never stopped evolving and innovating. Neither have they lost focus on keeping two words – "delicious" and "fun" – at the heart of everything they do. After a few years of ever more outrageous releases, they opened their first venue in Abbotsford on the site of their first brewery (and schoolmates Josh and Karl's home for 14 months) before introducing a core range, growing fast, and taking over neighbouring buildings in Abbotsford as they became available.Arguably just as outrageous as their early beers was what came in 2019: Moon Dog World, a vast venue in Preston that saw them convert a warehouse into a tropical paradise complete with waterfall, lagoon and Wall of Warnie.Since then, they've embraced the arrival of hard seltzers in Australia, with Fizzer becoming one of the biggest brands in the country, and explored other avenues within the world of RTDs, while expanding their portfolio of megavenues. Indeed, the last of these was the main reason we sat down with Josh and Karl this week.We joined them at Doglands, a 1200-capacity venue on the concourse of Marvel Stadium that was set to welcome people headed to Travis Scott's show later that night. It arrives hot on the heels of Moon Dog Wild West in the former Franco Cozzo building in Footscray, and just weeks (they hope) before they open in Frankston.Our chat covers Moon Dog's evolution from craft brewer to multi-beverage producer and entertainment provider, the challenges and benefits of running vast venues, the importance of remaining true to yourself and your brand – whatever you end up doing, building and retaining great teams, and having fun along the way.The conversation with them begins at 10:20.Prior to that, we discuss stories from the week just gone, including the heartwarming tale of the changing of the guard at the Sunshine Coast's oldest brewery, where the owners' youngest daughter has taken up the reins, and the launch of a new Beer Cocktails series on The Crafty Pint.You'll find links relevant to the show here:A Curran Affair: Sunshine Coast's Oldest Brewery Passes To The Next Generation: https://craftypint.com/news/3602/a-curran-affair-sunshine-coasts-oldest-brewery-passes-to-the-next-generationBeer Cocktails with Matt at Melville: https://craftypint.com/news/3604/beer-cocktails-with-matt-at-melville-simcoe-smashSpangled Drongo Brewery: https://craftypint.com/brewery/865/spangled-drongo-brewery Bearhug Pallet Wraps: https://craftypint.com/business/1428/bearhug-pallet-wraps Be A Pint Of Origin Venue In 2025: https://craftypint.com/news/3591/be-a-pint-of-origin-host-venue-in-2025The Gin Drinker's Toolkit Launch: https://craftypint.com/event/13493/gin-drinkers-toolkit-book-launch--gin-party--milton-commonOur breaking story on Moon Dog's plans for Docklands: https://craftypint.com/news/3219/marvel-ous-moon-dog-to-open-vast-docklands-brewpub Building Moon Dog's World: https://craftypint.com/news/2198/building-moon-dogs-worldSun Tap Decals: https://www.suntapdecals.com.au/ To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].

There are few brewers anywhere in Australia with a pedigree to match that of Shawn Sherlock. For the past decade, he's been at the helm of FogHorn Brewery in Newcastle; prior to that he was at Murray's Brewing, helping the business grow from its roots in the Pub With No Beer in Taylors Arm (population: 133) to one of the country's envelope-pushing craft beer pioneers selling 1.5m litres per year at the time he moved on. Even before that – when he was lecturing courses in Australian history in his hometown of Newcastle – he was an avid homebrewer; indeed, we can probably thank the Howard administration's swingeing cuts to Arts funding for kickstarting one of the finest brewing careers of the modern era. As we were preparing to launch The Crafty Pint Podcast, Shawn was taking full control of FogHorn from Mighty Craft, the "craft beer accelerator" no longer involved in craft beer, which had bought into the business when his original partner was moving on. It meant we were keen to bring him onto the show to chat about his experiences working within different brewery ownership models – which he does. That he is on the show this week is also in part due to his role in the creation of Brewcastle, an ale trail guide to Newcastle's best beer (and spirits) spots; FogHorn was the first new brewery to open in the city a decade ago and has since been joined by many others. Over the course of the episode, we trace his career from its very start through the creation of many beers that were ahead of their time to his position today as a much-respected figure in the local beer community. He offers thoughts on the sort of business models that can succeed, what matters if you want to survive in brewing, and even gives some insight into creating great stouts, something he knows plenty about – he's got a few trophies as proof. 14:05 Start of the conversation with Shawn. In the intro, we discuss a number of this week's stories and new beer releases; below are all relevant links: Range open Rays in Camp Hill: https://craftypint.com/news/3596/range-open-a-second-suburban-bar-rays-in-camp-hill Slipstream Social House opens on the Sunshine Coast: https://craftypint.com/event/13484/slipstream-social-house-opening-party Doglands to open in Melbourne's Docklands: https://craftypint.com/news/3597/moon-dog-to-open-doglands-next-to-marvel-stadium-in-coming-days Copper & Oak win WA Liquor Retailer of the Year: https://www.facebook.com/copperandoak/posts/pfbid02JDqmLAJn1Zs1CNoj3SqfsZjqE9Zuy6tVz9WjgavvrWkAiWZQkkkLRepq9R4hCeUNl Black Arts to close: https://craftypint.com/news/3598/black-arts-brewers-and-blenders-to-close Brew & A: Ted Carey: https://craftypint.com/news/3594/brew-and-a-ted-carey Aussie Exports: Emma Elmslie: https://craftypint.com/news/3600/aussie-exports-emma-elmslie-shining-peak-nz Green Gully Brett There Be Rock: https://craftypint.com/beer/10999/green-gully-island-beer-teri-grisette-24-and-brett-there-be-rock Newcastle Becomes Brewcastle: https://craftypint.com/news/3599/newcastle-becomes-brewcastle-with-launch-of-new-ale-trail Shawn takes full control of FogHorn: https://craftypint.com/news/3472/foghorn-founder-takes-full-control-of-brewery-as-mighty-craft-exit-craft The creation of the Auld Bulgin' Boysterous Bicep: https://craftypint.com/news/423/never-mind-the-molluscs To register for a WSET course with a 10% discount: https://craftypint.com/wset-beer-qualifications--australia To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].