The lineup for this year’s Good Beer Week in Melbourne is taking shape, with the 2012 festival set to be considerably bigger and – we hope – even better than last year’s triumphant debut. Event submissions closed on Australia Day, with around 80 registered across Melbourne and Victoria by breweries, beer bars, bottleshops, fine dining restaurants, cocktail bars, tour operators and more. They encompass everything from sorbets and chocolate to artwork and spit roasts, with a host of interstate and international breweries in attendance, plus the odd celebrity chef and, according to the festival’s events manager Kate Paterson, “even something to keep Star Wars fans happy”.

The Good Beer Week team is now compiling these proposed events into a program to run from May 12 to 19. The full program will be launched in print and online mid-March, giving punters two months to pick their favourite events and get prepared.

More info:

http://craftypint.com/news/post/looking-good/

By James Atkinson

Lion has blamed the general decline of Australia's beer market for a write-down of $213.2 million in its Australian liquor business.

The company yesterday revised the value of goodwill and brands on its balance sheet to reflect difficult trading conditions experienced during the 2011 financial year.

"Persistent poor global economic conditions have seen a sustained period of low consumer confidence and increased saving activity in Australia," the company said.

More info:

http://www.theshout.com.au/2012/02/01/article/Lion-slashes-213-million-off-liquor-business/TCZGTBTEYO.html

Well, we’ve started the year well with two podcasts in two weeks and it’s a great one…if we do say so ourselves.

This week we interrupt Pete’s holiday to get his thoughts on the Ballarat Beer Festival, before quickly speaking with Brent Wright, National Beer Systems Manager for XXXX and find out a little about their new beer.

Regular listeners might be a little surprised that we are doing a segment on XXXX Summer Cloudy Ginger Beer but, in addition to being a conversation, beer is a broad church. The discussion looks at the new beer, how it’s made and some of the techniques brewers use to make beers targeted at the largest part of the beer market.

Finally, we catch up with Andrew ‘AG’ Gow, brewer at Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula Brewery. We have a wide ranging discussion about his career, his experiences at a variety of craft breweries and his current role at the recently established Mornington Peninsula Brewery.

We finish the show with what must surely be one of the greatest renditions of Beer Barrrel Polka ever, by Grady Martin and his Slewfoot Five. It simply has everything. You can buy it here, we recommend you do.

LISTEN HERE

http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2012/01/radio-brews-news-gets-almost-regular/

Media Release

triple j unearthed winners Spilt Seconds will be headlining this year’s inaugural South West Craft Beer Festival at 3 Oceans Palandri Winery.

After winning the much-coveted triple j Unearthed competition, which landed them a spot at the Big Day Out, Split Seconds went on to grace the stages at Southbound, St Jeromes Laneway Festival, One Movement for Music, the Northbridge Festival and the Wave Rock Weekender.

After a whirlwind ride from there the guys were nominated for almost every WAMi award under the sun and took out Favourite Newcomer, Most Promising New Act, Best Indie Pop Act and Best Male Vocalist (Sean Pollard).

Not the type to slow down, the guys went back to the studio and have just recently released a new single, All You Gotta Do.

The amazing music doesn’t stop there, with an amazing array of local talent to hit the South West Craft Beer Festival stage and entertain you all weekend long.

Saturday you’ll be able to see the likes of Kris Buckle, Paige Trantham, Ill Starred Captain, Dallas Royal, Juwana, New Soundland and local favourite Cowtown.

Sunday will see headliners Spilt Seconds take the stage along with Kate Tillman, Qynn, Tank 7even, Polly Medlen and Minute 36 who will keep you dancing into the late afternoon.

The South West Craft Beer Festival will be held on the weekend of February 25 and 26^th and is a showcase of the best beers and food from the South West region.

Tickets are available now through moshtix.com.au

For all media enquiries please contact:

Chloe Krushka

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

0439 762 524

or visit www.swbeerfest.com.au

In a hop-heavy world, brewers are finding inspiration in centuries-old farmhouse styles, writes James Smith.

WITH some beers, it's all about the hops. In others, brewers are keen to showcase the malt characters. In the case of saisons - an increasingly popular farmhouse style with origins stretching back centuries to Belgium - the yeast is the key.

Perhaps that's why Costa Nikias, the founder of one of Australia's newest brewing companies, went to such trouble to get hold of a strain with which he was happy.

Advertising on www.microbrewing.com.au 2012

Advertising for the 6 month period February 1^st 2012 to July 31st 2012 is now open.

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BREWERS DIRECTORY (SUPPLIERS ONLY) – 18 months advertising – to July 31^st 2013. Eg http://www.microbrewing.com.au/index.php/brewdirectory.html

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Other information:

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Above prices do not include art work if needed.

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http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-28/business/30673017_1_microbes-waste-water-waste-water

By Amy Looker

Queensland’s XXXX has made its entry into the ginger beer market with the release of XXXX Summer Cloudy Ginger Beer.

The limited edition ginger beer is the first ginger variant to be released by the Queensland brewer and comes at a time when beer drinkers are keen to expand their repertoire following the massive success of cider in the Australia market.

XXXX regional director, Geoff Cockerill, said the beer will only be available in Queensland and northern New South Wales at this stage, adding that the release is great news for drinkers in those areas.

More info:

http://www.theshout.com.au/2012/01/27/article/XXXX-jumps-on-ginger-bandwagon/QNSFBMOBUC.html

Advertising for the 6 month period February 1^st 2012 to July 31st 2012 is now open.

Loyal Customers: Present advertisers will receive a no price rise to renew their advertising position.

Main Sponsor:

• Top advert on all pages.
• Top advert on all email outs.
• 6 Months - $3000+GST.

Home page sponsor top (6 months):

• Appears on all home pages which has rotating flash ad. (see image below)
• Max of 10 ad spots here.
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BREWERS DIRECTORY (SUPPLIERS ONLY) – 18 months advertising – to July 31^st 2013. Eg http://www.microbrewing.com.au/index.php/brewdirectory.html

• Listing of suppliers sorted out by category plus other supplies.
• Links to your own page eg www.microbrewing.com.au/index.php/brewersfile/brewdirectory/86-hops/13-ellerslie-hop.html has link to your website.
• The brewers directory will be promoted on email outs to make it a useful product for all brewers.
• Price = Only $250 +GST ($AUS)

Other information:

The primary mission of MB is to supply things that breweries in the Microbrewing industry need. IT expert and Nail assistant brewer Steve Wearing will start dedicating weekly tasks to improve the site. Eg Keg ID page to be listed in February.

Over 20,000 page views a month with many days receiving over 500 users. Not only is the amount of regular users rising but MB is very high on search engines.

Above prices do not include art work if needed.

Strongly recommend all suppliers advertise on the directory as this is a service that is needed in the industry. The directory will be promoted heavily over the next 6 months including free advertising.

Contact

John Stallwood                 0413 87 2337 (WST)

– This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://www.bandt.com.au/news/beer-ads-win-round-four-of-radio-awards

http://www.sirenawards.com.au/

Well, as we look back on yesterday’s Australia Day festivities we can say, “what a day beer fans!”

The Local Taphouse’s Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers was announced in a rolling and excitement building process yesterday. With the first 90 beers names in batches of ten, the top ten were rolled out one at a time to the tune of Triple J’s Hottest 100 Songs.

The winners are listed below, and the Twitter discussion showed that opinions were as varied as the breweries and the beer styles on the list. But, to use a massively overused but still very apt cliché, beer was the winner on the day.

More info:

http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2012/01/craft-beer-is-so-hot-right-now/

By James Atkinson

Glass packaging manufacturer Owens-Illinois (O-I) has attributed the downsizing of its Melbourne plant operations to a decline in Australian beer and wine consumption.

O-I, which recently developed the packaging for Carlton United Brewers' new Victoria Pale Lager, last week announced it will cut the number of furnaces at its Melbourne Plant from three to two and reduce the workforce by around 70 positions.

O-I Australia general manager Brian Slingsby said the decision followed ongoing deterioration in market conditions in Australia and weak consumer sentiment.

"This has led to declining food and beverage sales across the country, particularly in the beer and wine segments," he said.

Slingsby told TheShout per capita consumption of beer in Australia is at its lowest rate in around 60 years.

More info:

http://www.theshout.com.au/2012/01/23/article/Drinks-downturn-hits-bottle-manufacturer-O-I/AWCNRTBXYM.html

Put down your summer ciders, there's a new taste in town.

Lions Nathan has become the first of Australia's big brewers to jump on the emerging popularity of alcoholic ginger beer by announcing the release of their own label next month.

XXXX Summer Cloudy ginger beer is set to hit the shelves in February in a move experts believe is a sign that alcoholic ginger beer could experience a similar 

Australian Brews News writer Matt Kirkegaard said the product differed from traditional alcoholic ginger beers because it was a ginger-infused version of the popular Summer Bright Lager.

In the not so recent past there has been articles about the decline of and dearth of craft beer in Brisbane. For a time that was true. After the Platform bar gave up on the Craft Beer community there was little left for beer lovers in Brisbane. Recently this has all changed and the craft beer venues scene in Brisbane is now one of the best in the country.

Not only are there some great new venues, there is also a great variety of venues. There is something for every beer lover and something that should appeal to all people and help get more people into good beer.

More info:

http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2012/01/brisbanes-grand-tour-of-beer/

Ballarat has staked its claim as a hot ticket on the summer festival circuit following the resounding success of its inaugural Beer Festival.

The Saturday afternoon event held at Ballarat’s City Oval was supported by a glorious sunny and warm day, perfect for enjoying the many locally produced beers on offer alongside top quality live music. The ideal conditions brought along a larger crowd than anticipated. More than 3000 tickets were pre-sold, but the size of the walk-up queue was an extra delight for the festival’s organisers. With a capacity of 5000, up to 6000 patrons were rotated through the festival. However, a few hundred people seeking to buy tickets on arrival had to be turned away when the event was declared to be sold out at 2:00pm.

So much was the size of the crowd unexpected that many of the brewers ran very low or completely out of beer early in the afternoon.

More info:

http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2012/01/9280/

Advertising for the 6 month period February 1^st 2012 to July 31st 2012 is now open.

Loyal Customers: Present advertisers will receive a no price rise to renew their advertising position.

Main Sponsor:

• Top advert on all pages.
• Top advert on all email outs.
• 6 Months - $3000+GST.

Home page sponsor top (6 months):

• Appears on all home pages which has rotating flash ad. (see image below)
• Max of 10 ad spots here.
• Guaranteed to also be advertised in at least 1 email out.
• Has link to your website.
• Size = 345 wide x 150 high
• Price $500+GST

Home page sponsor right side (6 months):

• Appears on all home page which has rotating flash ad.(see image below)
• Max 10 ad spots here.
• Guaranteed to also be advertised in at least 1 email out.
• Has link to your website.
• Size = 195 wide x 400 high
• Price $450 +GST

Other page side sponsor (6 months):

• Appears on all pages except home page. Down the right side.
• Max 20 spots here.
• Has link to website.
• Size = 195 wide x 400 high
• Price $250+GST

BREWERS DIRECTORY (SUPPLIERS ONLY) – 18 months advertising – to July 31^st 2013. Eg http://www.microbrewing.com.au/index.php/brewdirectory.html

• Listing of suppliers sorted out by category plus other supplies.
• Links to your own page eg www.microbrewing.com.au/index.php/brewersfile/brewdirectory/86-hops/13-ellerslie-hop.html has link to your website.
• The brewers directory will be promoted on email outs to make it a useful product for all brewers.
• Price = Only $250 +GST ($AUS)

Other information:

The primary mission of MB is to supply things that breweries in the Microbrewing industry need. IT expert and Nail assistant brewer Steve Wearing will start dedicating weekly tasks to improve the site. Eg Keg ID page to be listed in February.

Over 20,000 page views a month with many days receiving over 500 users. Not only is the amount of regular users rising but MB is very high on search engines.

Above prices do not include art work if needed.

Strongly recommend all suppliers advertise on the directory as this is a service that is needed in the industry. The directory will be promoted heavily over the next 6 months including free advertising.

Contact

John Stallwood                 0413 87 2337 (WST)

– This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it