Flavour Logic

03/06/2026

It's World Cider Day!

The celebration was initiated by the Association of Apple Wine and Fruit Juice Houses in Hesse, Germany. Today it celebrates cider in all its forms from around the world.

Cider is often under-represented and under-appreciated in the drinks industry. It is made like wine using apple or pear juice and shares similar sensory properties. I've sipped method traditional ciders that can sit confidently next to a quality Champagne and still contemporary ciders that rival a crisp cool climate Riesling.

The majority of ciders consumed in Australia are treated more like beer being packaged in cans, displayed next to beer fridges and are consumed by the schooner/pint.

Nest time you have a cider in hand and want to enjoy it more, use this Tasting & Evaluating Cider guide. It's designed to help you bring structure to your tasting experience and encourage you to try a range of cider styles. A great starting point to help find the words that are commonly used in the cider industry.

This free tasting resource was developed in collaboration with Rob Hall, a fellow judge at the Australian Cider Awards and passionate cider educator. I recommend following him

What do you love about cider?

01/06/2026

Winter just got a whole lot more interesting.

Who else has noticed the influx of dark beer releases?

Dark lagers, Irish stouts, coffee porters, imperial stouts, pastry stouts, barrel-aged stouts...

Cold weather, complex flavours, and a variety of seasonal styles. I know plenty of people who choose dark beers all year round. They are in heaven right now!

What beers have you had appreciation for lately?

13/05/2026

Are you a lager lover?

Adelaide beer lovers can enjoy the authentic Czech lager experience from a skilled Czech tap master who has worked with big names like Budvar. I attended a similar masterclass last year at Tasting Australia. George will take you through the traditional styles and pouring techniques in an interactive beer masterclass. You'll get to taste locally made Czech-style pilsner 'Velvet' brewed in collaboration with The Suburban Brew and taste snacks that pair well with beer. You won't be able to resist the hearty meal options either.

There are 3 different session time for this Friday 15 May at the Czechoslovak Club SA. Head to the Tasting Australia website for tickets.

07/05/2026

Really proud to see the latest scholarship winners announced through the Pink Boots Society Pathway to Judging program.

Over the past 5 years, I’ve had the privilege of helping with sensory training sessions in South Australia. It's been wonderful supporting 4 amazing women from our local beer community to earn a seat at the judging table at Australia’s biggest beer competitions including Melbourne Royal and The Indies. I've loved seeing them improve their sensory skills and build connections as I follow their careers - Alison Leske, Carla Naismith, Eden Pink and Nicolette Gillman.

Grateful to Pink Boots for creating pathways like this and helping bring more diversity and representation to the industry.

.royal

07/05/2026

Congratulations to these scholarship winners!

It's rewarding to help run sensory training sessions for those in SA. I'm proud of the fact that over the last 5 years the Pink Boots Society Australia Pathway to Judging program has run, I've nominated 4 women in the SA beer community who became judges at the biggest competition in Australia.

I love seeing more diversity at judging tables 😍

Big news from the PBSA Pathway to Judging Program 🍻

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate Vanessa Rocis, Alison Leske and Kate Burke, who are at the Australian International Beer Awards as Associate Judges and Steward.

This is exactly what the Pathway to Judging Program is all about - creating opportunities, building confidence, and supporting more women and non-binary people to step into judging at the highest level of the industry.

We can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make on the judging floor. Good luck, we’re cheering you on all the way!

06/05/2026

The Perth Royal Beer Awards results are in. Congratulations to every brewery that entered.

To the gold medal winners and trophy recipients, it's an outstanding achievement. Standing out in a field of over 480 beers is something to be proud of.

Here's some insight into how a champion trophy round works in beer competitions in Australia.

When everything has been judged, the organisers review final scores and pull together the best beers from each major style class i.e. the most outstanding lager, pale ale, stout. These are all gold medal winners from previous rounds. It could be the second or third time these beers are assessed, which is always independent and blind-coded.

Judges rank them for overall impression of quality and assign a rank number. Those rank scores are tallied using the Borda Count method to find the strongest consensus result across the panel.

Conflict of interest is taken seriously throughout. Judges cannot participate in a trophy round if their brewery has a beer in contention. The results are kept confidential until awards night.

A fair and transparent process. It's a privilege to be part of as a judge.

30/04/2026

Beer and cider producers - want to get expert feedback on your products?

Entries are closing soon for the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards. Judging takes place 17-18 June.

Australian and New Zealand beers and ciders are eligible for this competition. It's an affordable way to benchmark products and be in the running for medals awarded to quality drinks.

Head to @ for more information. Be quick, entries close on 4 May.

23/12/2025

Feeling festive around here 🎄✨️

Getting into the Christmas spirit with a spread of sweet treats. Homemade honey biscuits are a must in our family!

If you're looking for some Aussie Christmas beer pairing ideas, check out my article The Crafty Pint

https://www.craftypint.com/news/3952/beer-food-the-aussie-christmas-pairing-guide

21/12/2025

Listen in (or watch) a wrap up of the year all about the beer scene in South Australia.
It's always nice taking a moment to reflect on what's been achieved and what we can look forward to next year.
Cheers to The Crafty Pint team for the invite to contribute!