The Crafty Pint Podcast: The Beer Championships 2026 | Blackman's | Black Hops | Geelong Expansions Video

"It should feel fun, it should feel celebratory, we should all feel a part of it."

Welcome to a special edition of our Weekly News show, recorded onstage at The Beer Championships after the final trophies were handed out. We were joined by competition co-founder Jayne Lewis and Renn Blackman, part of a ten-strong contingent from the Torquay-based brewery who collected two trophies on the night.

You can read all about the winners and the night itself in the article [https://craftypint.com/news/4252/the-beer-championships-2026-winners] we published from Brunswick Town Hall as soon as the event was wrapped up.

Jayne reflects on the successes – and lessons learned – that she and fellow Beer Championship organisers Justin Fox and Cass Cochrane have taken from year one, as well as sharing their hopes and ambitions for 2027 and beyond.

As well as chatting about their latest awards triumph, we ask Renn what's helped Blackman's navigate the past 12 years so successfully, particularly following Black Hops' return [https://craftypint.com/news/4243/black-hops-bought-by-tribe] from a second spell of VA under new owners last week. With both Moon Dog [https://craftypint.com/news/4202/moon-dog-to-bring-the-wild-west-to-geelong] and now Stomping Ground [https://craftypint.com/news/4256/stomping-ground-confirm-go-ahead-for-geelong-venue] moving into Blackman's home region – the Melbourne operations are opening venues in Geelong – we find out what that might mean for his brewery and the city's beer scene, while also looking ahead to Sydney Beer Week [https://craftypint.com/event/14242/sydney-beer-week-2026], where once again the recently-refurbed Union Hotel in Newtown [https://craftypint.com/bar/union-hotel-newtown] will be a key venue.

Given the location and setup for this week's show – not only were people enjoying the post-awards drinks but we were "flash-mobbed" at one point – the sound is a little less perfect than we'd like. But we do like to test ourselves...

Start of segments:

* 1:03 – Jayne Lewis * Hops In The Hills Festival * 16:32 – Stompo Street Fest * 17:21 – Renn Blackman

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact [email protected].