mark + anton balog
owners, brewers and brothers

After another frenetic day during vintage, the winemaking crew at Artemis and Mundrakoona wines would chill out with a selection of hand-made beers brewed by the estate's winemaking brothers, the multi-talented Anton and Mark Balog, who'd been brewing something or other since they were in their teens, leading Anton, the elder, to study the prestigious Oenology course at Charles Sturt University and help start the winery, while Mark took care of the vineyards. Over the years, they perfected their brewing craft and recipes, using fermenting equipment usually left idle for ten months of the year to brew enough beer to last not just through vintage… but beyond!

www.fishrockbrewery.com.au

murray howe
owner + craft beer enthusiast

"Beer's a subjective thing and savouring the taste of a great beer's all about the experience," says Murray Howe, founder and namesake of Murray's Craft Brewing Co. "I'm not sure there's such a thing as the 'best beer', but one that sticks in my memory was the first time I tried Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at a truck-stop on Highway 101 in California. It was a fantastic beer experience. So fantastic in fact that it proved to be my tipping point to creating my own brewery and making my own beers - beers with character, not bland beer."

www.murraysbrewingco.com.au www.pubwithnobeer.com.au

blair hayden
founder + publican

One of Sydney's oldest pubs, the Lord Nelson is a Sydney institution. Originally the Shipwright Arms when it was founded way back in 1831, it's had a long - and wild! - history. "When we took it over, it was very run down with a completely different crowd," reminisces its driven landlord, Blair Hayden. "Local ruffians had taken it over and it was the favoured watering hold of the likes of [notorious Sydney gangsters] Neddy Smith and Chris Flannery. They were very interesting days! While I didn't bar anyone, we had some fishermen who drank here too and were united in their dislike of the rougher regulars, so they controlled the peace for us."

www.lordnelsonbrewery.com

mike + matt donelan
the caustic avenger and the lone brewer

"I've worked in nearly every kind of job, from fishing trawlers and driving taxis to being an unlicensed electrician and Telecom technician at Australia Post," says the polymathic Matt Donelan. But all of these jobs bring something to brewing, according to the man they call "The Lone Brewer." They'd have to - working only with his trusty sidekick, son Mike, Matt pumps out beer for homebrewers, other breweries, Darling Harbour's Pumphouse Tavern, and St Peters' own range of hand-crafted beers, which he also somehow manages to deliver to the local pubs which stock it. Talk about hands on!

ben kraus
owner + brewer

After completing a viticulture and wine degree at the University of Melbourne, Ben Kraus, the Bridge Road powerhouse, set off on a working holiday through Europe. Travelling for over two years, he worked his way through most of Western Europe, including stints at wineries in Germany, Austria and France, as well as working in ski resorts, ale houses, wine stores and Italian delis - and even selling tickets for Edinburgh's Fringe Festival!

www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au