Upcoming Events

Bonehead are turning their Kensington brewery into a little Bavarian satellite when they celebrate Oktoberfest on October 1. 

It's a day that includes steins, traditional German-style beers and a Bavarian feast thanks to Houston's BBQ who are serving up smoked pork and sauerkraut, smoked chicken and gurkensalat, and smoked sausage in currywurst on potatoes.

You can read all about the event here and save 10 percent on your ticket as a Crafty Cabal member.

Working Title and Bracket Brewing are two of the most talked-about brewing companies on the East Coast right now, and we're bringing them together for an exclusive Meet The Brewers event for Crafty Cabal members on October 26.

We'll be back at the Union in Newtown with Judd Owen in the MC role as the brewers serve up samples of a few of their beers, including their upcoming collab.

Given how many new releases both put out, we're yet to finalise details of the event, but if this sounds like your jam you can register via the button below and we'll shoot you an email as soon as we've got tickets on sale to make sure you don't miss out.

Cheers!

Right then... here's hoping the phrases "third time lucky", "three is the magic number" and "third time's a charm" actually have some basis in reality.

After two aborted attempts to put together an event with Botany neighbours Slow Lane and One Drop, we're hopeful there will be no more lockdowns or mega-COVID waves to prevent us going ahead this time around.

We've locked in October 8, 2022, and have some very exciting plans for the double-header event.

We'll be kicking off late morning at Slow Lane before heading to One Drop around lunchtime. There will be food, beer, enlightenment and excitement at both legs. But aside from that, well, we're keeping it a secret until the day!

Let's just say it's going to be special and the sort of event you'll be telling your mates about for ages afterwards.

Spots are very limited and cost $30pp, which includes beer samples and food at both breweries. And this is a strictly member-only event too – no plus ones.

The folks running Burnley Brewing cut their teeth in the world of brewing in Germany so it's little surprise they go hard when it comes to Oktoberfest.

For 2022, they're releasing no less than eight German-inspired beers, which will be hitting taps and appearing in mixed packs (which beer club members can also try to win).

Ahead of their month-long Oktoberfestivities kicking off at their Richmond brewpub, they've invited us to bring 30 Cabal members along for an exclusive tasting led by head brewer Michael Stanzel.

Attendees will get to sample eight different beers and enjoy some German style snacks too – all for just $15pp.

The event starts at 6pm on September 14 at their brewpub, 648 Bridge Road, Richmond.

The Killer Sprocket team are set to embark on a third collaboration with Tin Man Coffee Roasters.

And they're inviting guests along to join them on the day, with ticket packages including:

• Get up close and personal with the brewing process
• Brunch
• Coffee tasting and Q & A with Ben from Tin Man Coffee Roasters
• Brew & A session with Sean from Killer Sprocket covering everything from making beer to starting your own brewery

Once the beer is ready you also receive:

• Free pint of the finished beer for you and a friend
• Take home pack including 4 cans of Shiny, bag of coffee, beer glass and coffee mug

Tickets for the event on August 6 cost $119 and can be bought here, but they're offering Cabal members a 20 percent discount.

Keen to see how the best of the Sunshine State stands up against the rest of Australia?

Join The Crafty Pint and friends at Milton Common for another of our blind tasting events – but this time with a twist as we pit the brewers of Queensland against the rest of the country.

You can read all about the event here.

Tickets cost just $25pp for Cabal members – a saving of $24.

They gets you:

• a welcome beer on arrival
• 12 x tasting glasses of various IPAs
• nibbles during the tasting
• shared platters (once the scoring is done)

It kicks off at 2pm on September 10 in the Mezzanine at Milton Common.

Keen to see how the best of the Sunshine State stands up against the rest of Australia?

Join The Crafty Pint and friends at Milton Common for another of our blind tasting events – but this time with a twist as we pit the brewers of Queensland against the rest of the country.

You can read all about the event here.

Tickets cost just $25pp for Cabal members – a saving of $24.

They gets you:

• a welcome beer on arrival
• 12 x tasting glasses of various IPAs
• nibbles during the tasting
• shared platters (once the scoring is done)

It kicks off at 2pm on September 10 in the Mezzanine at Milton Common.

Bendigo On The Hop returns on August 27, taking over the regional city for another day of roving and sampling.

The night before it kicks off, we're pitting longstanding festival sponsors Holgate Brewhouse and Bridge Road Brewers against each other in a blind tasting battle in which you decide the winner!

Join The Crafty Pint team and the brewers at Hustler from 6.30pm and warm up for the big day as follows:

• Blind taste several rounds of beers featuring one beer from each brewer
• Pick your favourite in each round
• Tuck into some bitesize treats from the Hustler kitchen
• And enjoy a Q&A about the breweries, their beers, the festival and whatever you want to know, hosted by Crafty Pint founder James Smith

There will be prizes on the night too, and Crafty Cabal members can book tickets for the bargain price of $25pp, saving almost 40 percent from the full ticket price.

Spaces are limited so get in quick!

Bendigo On The Hop returns on August 27, taking over the regional city for another day of roving and sampling.

The night before it kicks off, we're pitting longstanding festival sponsors Holgate Brewhouse and Bridge Road Brewers against each other in a blind tasting battle in which you decide the winner!

Join The Crafty Pint team and the brewers at Hustler from 6.30pm and warm up for the big day as follows:

• Blind taste several rounds of beers featuring one beer from each brewer
• Pick your favourite in each round
• Tuck into some bitesize treats from the Hustler kitchen
• And enjoy a Q&A about the breweries, their beers, the festival and whatever you want to know, hosted by Crafty Pint founder James Smith

There will be prizes on the night too, and Crafty Cabal members can book tickets for the bargain price of $25pp, saving almost 40 percent from the full ticket price.

Spaces are limited so get in quick!

Wolf of the Willows and Lark Distillery are going big on the launch of their fifth collaboration.

There's three events – all of which you can find in The Crafty Pint Events Diary – including a launch party at their taproom.

It's effectively a double release party, thanks to the Barrel Exchange Program that first sees an imperial version of the brewery's Johnny Smoke Porter aged in empty Lark whisky casks before those casks are returned to the distillery where they're filled with single malt whisky and the ensuing spirit is released as The Lark Wolf.

You can read all about the event on August 12 here and also save 15 percent on tickets as a member of The Crafty Cabal.

The Crafty Pint is heading back to The DTC for another blind tasting – but this time with a twist!

Each flight of IPAs will feature two of the best from the West vs two from elsewhere in Australia. And you get to decide who brews the best of them.

You can read all about the event here – and book your spots for the event starting at 6.30pm on August 18.

Tickets cost just $25pp for Cabal members ($49 full price), which includes welcome drink, three flights of IPA samples, shared platters, enlightenment and entertainment.

The Crafty Pint is heading back to The DTC for another blind tasting – but this time with a twist!

Each flight of IPAs will feature two of the best from the West vs two from elsewhere in Australia. And you get to decide who brews the best of them.

You can read all about the event here – and book your spots for the event starting at 6.30pm on August 18.

Tickets cost just $25pp for Cabal members ($49 full price), which includes welcome drink, three flights of IPA samples, shared platters, enlightenment and entertainment.

Westside Ale Works was already one of the most prolific breweries in Australia, regularly filling 20 of the 30 taps at their South Melbourne brewpub with their own beers.

Then they embarked on Ida Pruul – a wild ale and barrel-aged beer joint venture with brewing offsider Ben Sewell – and added even more to their already-colourful lineup.

If you'd like to learn all about the two operations, sample some of their beers, and enjoy some pizza at the same time, you can join them for a Crafty Cabal member event on August 4.

Kicking off at 6.30pm upstairs at their brewpub, Westside founder Casey Wagner and Ben will share some of their favourite beers and give you an insight into their ethos and plans for the future.

Tickets cost just $15pp and will include a launch night taste of The Pint of Origin PoO-totype – a beer we were originally hoping to brew for Pint of Origin (#PoO22) venues before running out of time.

The concept was to create something that represented every PoO region in some way or another, which led to a beer featuring:

• Malt from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK
• Hops from the USA
• Kveik yeast from Europe
• Yuzu juice from Japan

It's being launched on the night before, hopefully, sparking a series of future PoO beers in years to come.

Good Land Brewing Co are celebrating their first birthday with a festival at their brewery on July 23.

There will be eight new beers on tap, including collabs with 2 Crows (Canada), Carwyn Cellars and Sailors Grave, plus live music.

You can read all about it here – and if you're a Crafty Cabal member save on tickets too.

Moffat Beach Brewing Co is the little brewery that can.

Since launching with a tiny brewpub kit in a café overlooking the beach on the Sunshine Coast, the brewing company has grown into one of the best stories in Aussie beer.

In May, they added three more trophies – including Champion Small Australian Brewery – to their outrageous haul from recent years at the AIBAs. Better still, Shaz and Matt are bloody lovely folks too.

If you'd like to taste some of their beers and chat to them about their remarkable rise, how they're expanding their Sunny Coast operation, and how Matt turned blunt feedback from beer judges into some of the highest-rated beers in the country, you can join us at Brewski on June 23 at 6.30pm.

Tickets for Cabal members cost just $10pp – and you can bring a mate for the same price too. That includes beers and nibbles.

See you there!

Moffat Beach Brewing Co is the little brewery that can.

Since launching with a tiny brewpub kit in a café overlooking the beach on the Sunshine Coast, the brewing company has grown into one of the best stories in Aussie beer.

In May, they added three more trophies – including Champion Small Australian Brewery – to their outrageous haul from recent years at the AIBAs. Better still, Shaz and Matt are bloody lovely folks too.

If you'd like to taste some of their beers and chat to them about their remarkable rise, how they're expanding their Sunny Coast operation, and how Matt turned blunt feedback from beer judges into some of the highest-rated beers in the country, you can join us at Brewski on June 23 at 6.30pm.

Tickets for Cabal members cost just $10pp – and you can bring a mate for the same price too. That includes beers and nibbles.

See you there!

Jervis Bay Brewing was brought to life by four mates at the very end of 2019, and despite the challenges that have followed – bushfires and the pandemic among them – they've enjoyed a fine start to life.

It wasn't long before they figured their original brewpub wasn't big enough for all the beer they wanted to make and started planning a bigger brewery across the road from their family-friendly home, one with their ethos of sustainability at its heart.

If you'd like to hear more about their story and taste some of their beers, they're heading to the Union Hotel in Newtown on June 16 for a chat to Crafty Cabalistas in what will be the start of regular member events at the iconic craft beer venue.

Tickets cost just $10pp, for which you'll get to sample a selection of Jervis Bay beers while hearing about their story to date and plans for the future. We'll put some finger food on too.

It kicks off at 6.30pm – places are limited so get in quick!

This is for people wanting to bring a mate to the event. If you're planning to fly solo, head to the event listing marked 1 TICKET!

Jervis Bay Brewing was brought to life by four mates at the very end of 2019, and despite the challenges that have followed – bushfires and the pandemic among them – they've enjoyed a fine start to life.

It wasn't long before they figured their original brewpub wasn't big enough for all the beer they wanted to make and started planning a bigger brewery across the road from their family-friendly home, one with their ethos of sustainability at its heart.

If you'd like to hear more about their story and taste some of their beers, they're heading to the Union Hotel in Newtown on June 16 for a chat to Crafty Cabalistas in what will be the start of regular member events at the iconic craft beer venue.

Tickets cost just $10pp, for which you'll get to sample a selection of Jervis Bay beers while hearing about their story to date and plans for the future. We'll put some finger food on too.

It kicks off at 6.30pm – places are limited so get in quick!

NB If you'd like to bring a mate along, head to the other event listing for 2 TICKETS instead!

All Inn Brewing mark ten years of beers in 2022, and kicked off the year with a bold rebrand and a reworking of their core range.

Now they'd like to tell our beer club members all about it and have invited Cabalistas along on April 27.

Head along from 6.30pm and you'll get to hear the story of their evolution, check out the brewery and, of course, taste a bunch of beers.

We'll put some pizza on too, and all this is yours for a mere $10pp!

All Inn Brewing mark ten years of beers in 2022, and kicked off the year with a bold rebrand and a reworking of their core range.

Now they'd like to tell our beer club members all about it and have invited Cabalistas along on April 27.

Head along from 6.30pm and you'll get to hear the story of their evolution, check out the brewery and, of course, taste a bunch of beers.

We'll put some pizza on too, and all this is yours for a mere $10pp!

Lagers have been enjoying a renaissance in the craft beer world in recent years, with Hop Nation one of the breweries leading the way.

Their Rattenhund pilsner was a trophy-winner at the 2021 Australian International Beer Awards and they've got more lager styles on the way.

And now they're keen to show them off and chat all things lager for Cabal members.

On May 1, from 3pm, we're heading along to join the brewing team to sample a selection of lagers, learn all about the much misunderstood world of lager, try some new release lager, and have some fun along the way. Did we use the word lager enough yet?

Spots are limited, so get in quick if you want to be part of it!

It's been a long time between drinks for the Crafty team members based in Tassie, but Will Ziebell is off to Hobart for a week of brewery and bar visits this February.

While there, we're putting on a keg at Hobart Brewing Co and inviting Cabal members and industry mates to help us drain it.

Head to the Red Shed from 6pm on February 24 and ask for Will.

We're tapping a pre-release keg of NAIPA, fresh from the tank!

It takes something to stand out from the crowd in today's ever-busier craft beer industry, but it's fair to say there's little like 2 Halfs Brewing Distilling.

The tiny Alexandria operation was launched in 2021 by Kirk and Dragana Bozinovski as a showcase for the beers the former had been refining over three decades as a homebrewer before making the leap into commercial brewing.

While they make modern styles – sour IPAs, hazy pales, West Coasts and the like – much of their passion is directed towards creating the sort of beers most craft brewers and drinkers have chosen to ignore: classic lagers of all shades, Belgian ales, English milds.

They do so in their cosy inner Sydney brewery, while giving visitors the cheeriest of welcomes.

And now we're heading there for a Sunday session in their company, where members will get to sample some of their beers, gain insight into the 2 Halfs ethos and how and why Kirk decided to go pro 30 years after starting to brew at home, and enjoy a taste of Dragana's beer-friendly food.

Spots cost $10pp, which gets members a few beers, a tour of the brewery, a Q&A hosted by The Crafty Pint's inimitable, traditional beer-loving Judd Owen, and accompanying food.

There are just 20 tickets available, however, due to the size of the venue, so get in quick!

It kicks off at midday on Sunday, March 6, 2022. And, of course, you're welcome to stick around once the formalities are over.

Way back at the start of summer 2020/21, we launched a competition for venues with Cabal deals in place to win a Crafty Cabal table tennis from Pongo.

Thanks to all the COVID lockdowns, we weren't able to pick a winner until we knew we could hold a launch party.

Finally, last November we picked a winner at random – and it was Wolf of the Willows!

Then Omicron hit, so we put launch plans on ice again, but now – fingers crossed – we'll be at their Mordialloc Taproom on March 5 for the big reveal.

You can read all about the event here – there's a table tennis competition with room for ten teams (so get in quick), prizes for fancy dress, and live music from 5pm too.

Cabalistas will be able to redeem their 2-4-1 beer offer at the bar AND we'll shout a beer for the first ten members through the doors too – look out for that limited edition deal going live on the day.

See you there. Keep an eye out for the Disco Monk from Outer Space!

NB No need to register for it – just rock up on the day!

It's fair to say Cheeky Monkey are enjoying a fine old time.

The brewing company with two breweries and further expansion plans in the Margaret River region have been making a habit of winning major awards on a state, national and international level.

They've been winning over fans aplenty with everything from hazies to high ABV smoothie sours, and they've been doing all this with one of the most carefree – and meme-heavy – approaches to social media.

If you'd like to hear more about their story to date, their plans for the future, and their approach to beer, one of the most colourful characters in the WA beer scene, operations manager Brendan Day, will be at The Dutch Trading Co from 7pm on Wednesday, February 9, for a special member's event.

Guy Southern will be hosting the tasting and Q&A in the back room, also featuring brand designer Jarrod from Zendoke, as you enjoy some of the brewery's core range beers and fruity limited releases. We'll put on some accompanying nibbles too.

Spots are limited and cost just $10pp, so if you want to be entertained and enlightened in equal measure by one of the state's best brewers, get in quick!

It's fair to say Cheeky Monkey are enjoying a fine old time.

The brewing company with two breweries and further expansion plans in the Margaret River region have been making a habit of winning major awards on a state, national and international level.

They've been winning over fans aplenty with everything from hazies to high ABV smoothie sours, and they've been doing all this with one of the most carefree – and meme-heavy – approaches to social media.

If you'd like to hear more about their story to date, their plans for the future, and their approach to beer, one of the most colourful characters in the WA beer scene, operations manager Brendan Day, will be at The Dutch Trading Co from 7pm on Wednesday, February 9, for a special member's event.

Guy Southern will be hosting the tasting and Q&A in the back room, also featuring brand designer Jarrod from Zendoke, as you enjoy some of the brewery's core range beers and fruity limited releases. We'll put on some accompanying nibbles too.

Spots are limited and cost just $10pp, so if you want to be entertained and enlightened in equal measure by one of the state's best brewers, get in quick!

UPDATE: Due to the fast-developing situation regarding Omicron, and the impact it's having on the hospitality industry, we've been asked to postpone this event until there is more certainty. We'll be in touch direct once we've locked in a new date.

It's that time of year again – the end, which means the world is about to be swamped by Best Of lists.

And, while we typically avoid listicles like the plague at The Crafty Pint, we do love putting together articles together at the end of the year that capture the best of the year in each state / territory.

Given the ridiculous breadth of the local beer world today, we're once again inviting Crafty Cabal members to assist us in the mammoth undertaking.

Tell us your best new beers and breweries of 2021 by December 13, which is when we'll pick one Cabalista to receive a merch pack featuring Cabal glassware and stubby holders, plus a mixed case of beer from the Crafty collection.

The four mates behind CoConspirators are finally about to throw open the doors of their brewery home in Brunswick.

It's set to welcome the public for the first time just before Christmas and they're keen to show Cabal members around.

At 3.30pm* on December 22, they're inviting 30 Cabalistas for a tour of the brewpub and a guided tasting of some of their beers.

Given there's just 30 spots and we're sure heaps of you will want to be there, we're going to allow you to register your interest then email everyone on the list at 9am on December 8 (two weeks out) when we put the ticket link live.

Black Arts are part of a small but magical cohort of Aussies playing in the world of wild ales, barrels and blending.

They produce refined and delicious beers at their Williamstown home, often in truly tiny batches.

They also only open their venue a few times each month and can have a mere 15 people in attendance for each session, which makes it particularly exciting they've agreed to dedicate two of those on February 6 to Crafty Cabal members.

You'll be able to join main man Joshua Murnane for a journey through the Black Arts story, barrels and beers, and we'll be putting on some suitably fancy platters for guests too.

Given how few spots there are and how quickly they're likely to be snapped up, we're going to get a list of those keen to come first then shoot an email out at 9am on December 15 to give all of you as good a chance of attending.

The Crafty Pint's founder and his family got lucky and found themselves outside Victoria when lockdowns five and six kicked off.

However, with schools in Melbourne returning on October 18, the extended trip around SA soon has to come to an end – but not before a visit to Adelaide.

We'll be at The Wheaty from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, October 10, shouting a few beers for our industry and Cabal mates.