"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 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 as they approach 20 years; the launch of an indie maltsters association in WA; tickets going on sale for the industry components of Grainstock – as well as Mick Wüst’s lovely tale featuring the founders of Brisbane Pub Chess.

We also reveal the latest winner in our Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month campaign; keep the nominations for that coming, as well as for our Have You Done A 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.

“From very early on, we all agreed that we would play to our strengths.”

More than a thousand brewing companies have come and, in many cases, gone since the craft beer era began in Australia, but there’s never been one quite like One Drop.

The Botany-based operation make cracking “normal” beers yet have become a byword for the wild and WTF, the experimental and eccentric. They weren’t the first brewery to make smoothie sours, for example, but they’ve taken such beers – and myriad other styles – to new places others wouldn’t have conceived, let alone dared, creating beers that defy the odds and just work.

James joined them at their brewery earlier in the year for a chat about their storming of the GABS Hottest 100 with We Jammin’, the serendipitous way brewer Nick Calder-Scholes was discovered by founders Meg Barbic and Clay Grant, their approach to brewing, “contained chaos”, being “collectively creative”, and moving craft beer away from “pale, male and stale”.

If you’re wondering why this episode is running so late after the recording, it’s due to technical issues. It was the first recording with a new setup and somehow James was capturing video at such high quality it filled his laptop’s entire hard drive before the chat was over, leaving us with a corrupted file. So lovely was the backdrop for the guests, he was determined to rescue it, but despite many attempts it wasn’t to be. That said, the chat is colourful enough to paint vivid pictures with words.

There’s one of our longer intros this week, as Will and James reflect on the imminent closures of Wayward’s taproom and White Bay Brewery following various mergers and acquisitions. We also discuss the news that Coles and Endeavour Group will be making it clearer which beer brands they own – and issue a shout out to anyone who has been de-ranged by the big two retailers (hit up will@craftypint.com if that's you).

Other stories from the past week include Guy Southern’s wonderful interview with new Feral head brewer Charlotte Freeston and the second part of Benedict Kennedy-Cox’s tour of Tasmania’s north, while the show also features the latest winner in our Have You Done A Rallings? campaign highlighting the country’s good beer citizens.

Start of segments:

• 20:18 – One Drop Part 1
• 42:25 – Have You Done A Rallings?
• 47:31 – One Drop 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 the heart of [the beer industry] is the beer drinker who just loves beer, appreciates quality, and wants to share that experience.”

Ahead of their biggest event of the year, Ramjet Day, we joined Boatrocker founders Matt and Andrea Houghton at their Barrel Room in Braeside.

Given Matt and his brewers have released more beers in different styles than pretty much anyone in Australia since 2009 – not to mention their move into spirits after they absorbed former Perth distillery Hippocampus – there’s plenty of discussion of their approach beyond the iconic Ramjet and its many spin-offs.

We head back well beyond the launch of their first beer, Alpha Queen, to the European travels before they met that opened their eyes to the breadth and beauty of the beer world, how they manage such a diverse portfolio and adapt to the changing market, and the importance of community.

After Andrea dashes off to collect their kids from school, Matt offers his thoughts on many of the issues impacting the industry – from cheap kegs and VAs to Australia’s convoluted tax system – plus some tips for anyone thinking of starting out today.

Prior to the main interview, James joins Will from Kings Canyon to cast an eye over the week’s news, including the latter’s interview with Eclectic Brewing, a guide to beer in Montreal, and the arrival in our brewery directory of inner-west Sydney breweries Bracket and Pickled Monkey.

We also flag the launch of Blobfish 2025 – including a ticket giveaway for our beer club members – and there's the return, mid-show, of Milo Applebottom with another film tie-in for Point Break Brewery Invitational 2025.

Start of segments:

• 8:49 – Matt & Andrea Houghton, Boatrocker
• 40:31 – Point Break Brewery Invitational ft Milo Applebottom
• 43:42 – Matt Houghton, Boatrocker

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