Instagram is the social media phenomenon that has really taken off in a big way in the craft beer world. Everyone likes a bit of craft beer porn every now and then, with a delicious image of a lovely beer. We've picked our favourite beer Instagrammers from across Australia and found out what makes them unique.

1. Instagram name: @Bluedoors

Real name: Bryn Price

Location: Sydney

Number of Instagram Followers: 750

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? FujiFilm X-T2 and X100F and various lenses

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Shot for a while for Instagram but only started the beer only account in the last 12 months.

What got you hooked on craft beer? The expanse of flavours and the mix of science and art that comes from craft beer

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? My Instagram is mainly product shots of beers I'm drinking along with the occasional brewer / brewery. Most of the latter ends up in with an Instagram Story or on craftbeer.photos for a longer form approach. 

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Don't chase follower numbers, but instead build a community of like minded people you can share and collarobrate with.

Favourite brewery? There are too many to choose from.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? 3 Ravens Moussey Juicy; Ekim Upside Down; Bridge Rd B2 Bomber Mach 8.0

2. Instagram name: @SipsAndSessions

Real name: Ash Oswald

Location: Geelong

Number of Instagram Followers: 1,800

What do you use for your shots: Camera

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Started in January 2016

What got you hooked on craft beer? It’s BEER!!!... only better!!!

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? I only feature Australian beers... I try to make an impact with photography and casual conversational reviews.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? Being a Graphic Designer, I get to set-up and take all the photos in my studio... yeah, there is nothing “Insta” about my “Grams”!

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Enjoy it for discovering awesome beers... and meeting great folks... and not for Instagram likes.

Favourite brewery? Oooooh... that is a hard question to answer... but right now... Stomping Ground sure has won me over... their Beer Hall is well worth a visit.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year?
Stomping Ground: ‘Gipps St.’ Pale Ale
Sailors Grave: Law of the Tongue - Oyster Stout
Fixation: Obsession - Session IPA

3. Instagram name: @mrboozybanter

Real name: Mark Dowell

Location: Canberra ACT

Number of Instagram Followers:1820

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Phone - Samsung Galaxy S9

How long have you been posting to Instagram? First post was in July 2015. So a shade over 3 years. Wow my beertography was rubbish back then.

What got you hooked on craft beer? A trip to Byron Bay in late 2009 when Stone and Wood Pacific had not long hit the taps at a few of the local pubs was a bit of an awakening for me. Living in a rural NSW town at the time where good beer was unheard of (seriously, I got excited when I managed to talk one of the local publicans into getting some Squires bottles behind the bar) trying S&W Pacific blew my mind and completely changed my perception of what beer could be. There was SO MUCH flavour and aroma. From there, like many, it was a slippery slope into the craft beer world and I was happy to slide down it.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? It started after my wife got sick of me extolling the virtues of all the beers I was drinking to her. She "suggested" I start an Insta/FB page for it so I'd stop bothering her. Fair cop really, I must have been the biggest pain in the arse. Amongst the plethora of beer related Insta accounts I'm not really sure what makes mine stand out. I guess I try to throw a bit of humour (usually directed at myself) in there and generally try to keep the reviews positive. I've been asked a few times why I don't use some sort of scoring/rating system. Personally I think beer is too subjective, so something I might rate or score quite highly, others may not enjoy at all. I'd rather leave it as simple as did I enjoy the beer or not.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? I try to take my photo's outside if I can. There's better light and more opportunity to give some depth to the photo.I generally try to avoid going in heavy with the filters. Tweaking things like contrast and brightness are usually enough to get a good looking result. I'm also not afraid to use my 1 year old son as a prop.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? It's easy to slag off a beer you don't like, try to put some thought into what it was about the beer that you didn't enjoy. Was it unbalanced? Were there off flavours? That sort of thing. Also try to appreciate each beer for what it is, it's not really fair of you to say "that saison was shit" if you aren't a fan of the style and only drink IPA.

Favourite brewery? That's like asking if I have a favourite child (thankfully I only have one) and is bloody difficult to answer, even though I get asked all the time in my bottleshop. My parochial side says BentSpoke, the hop-slut in me says Akasha, but I'm also loving what Philter are doing...dat Caribbean Stout...ermagherd!

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? Philter Caribbean Stout, Sauce Trubble & Squeak, Rover Henty St (nothing comes close for price v quality).

Any other thoughts/comments? I've found this whole Instagram thing really pushes you to put some thought into how you approach and appreciate different styles. Lord knows I'm buying beers now that I probably wouldn't have touched 3 years ago. I look at Insta now as just another part of my craft beer journey, and it's a cool opportunity to share that journey with like-minded peeps.

4. Instagram name: @The_CraftBeerKing

Real name: Matt King

Location: Adelaide

Number of Instagram Followers: 2736

What do you use for your shots? I mostly use my iPhone 6 paired with a few photo editing apps but if I have a bit more time, I use my camera which is a Sony a5000.

How long have you been posting to Instagram? I went back and checked my first post date and it was the 11th December 2014. My first few pictures were fairly boring and to date, my first post has a solid, two likes.

What got you hooked on craft beer? When I was living in London, I did a tour of the Greenwich Meantime brewery. Their pale ale was a bit of a revelation for me, it had a huge floral hop aroma and that is something that I hadn't experienced before. We chewed the grains, was talked through the brewing process, all while we received samples from the tanks. After that tour, I went out of my way to find different beers and drink less, but better.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? My Instagram account contains photos of nothing but beer and beer related activities. I try and keep the text minimal and not get too geeky with the tasting notes on beers. I find the story behind the beer more interesting and tend to post about that rather than the tasting notes.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? I try to make every picture I take a little bit different so that the same photo isn't being repeated over and over. I use different locations around my home but when I am out drinking, it is all about taking a quick pic so as to not look like a weirdo.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? I am definitely no expert. I find that if I take a little bit of extra time to get out the camera and set up a shot, the picture is better received on Instagram. If I put up one great photo on the weekend, it will get more likes and interaction than three or four mediocre photos.

Favourite brewery? I am going to be a fence sitter and say that I don't have one particular favourite brewery, however, I find the best tasting beer is the one that is drunk within the shadow of the brewery. I also have better beer experiences drinking with a group of mates at the actual venue.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? The Wheaty Brewing Corps/Bridge Road/Black and Brew Coffee Collaboration Hopikopi coffee sour IPA was brilliant especially when fresh, as the enigma really shone through. I tasted it again three weeks later and the hop had faded and the earthiness of the coffee really came out; just a super complex beer. I loved this year's Dr Shedlove from Big Shed and Doc's Orders. I am partial to a Monte Carlo biscuit and I thought this beer had some of those flavours in there. Everyone needs a fridge filler and mine has been the Rover Henty Street this year and at $50, you can't go wrong. 

5. Instagram name: @GoodtimesCraftBeer

Real name: Guy Southern

Location: Perth, WA

Number of Instagram Followers: Just under 2000 organic followers.

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details?  An ancient iPhone that has steam coming out of it most days! I’ve subscribed, somewhat by default, to a minimal-maximal dogma (yes, I’ve totally made this up!) in that I’m trying to get the best pictures possible with the most rudimentary equipment!

How long have you been posting to Instagram?  I’ve been more serious about it in the past couple of years. Prior to that I had been beer blogging since 2014 which was really just formalised my personal Social Media posts. Haha.

What got you hooked on craft beer? Dogbolter and bottles of Delirium Tremens at the Sail & Anchor in the early 90’s opened my eyes, then being introduced to Chimay Blue at the now defunct Court Wine Bar later helped me understand there was more out than the cheap beer I was drinking.

Being from WA, the arrival of Little Creatures in the early 2000’s had a massive influence, as did Feral Brewing.

Ultimately, the path was fully set inside an old milk bar in West Leederville that was an Aladdin’s cave of exploration for myself and the just about anyone interested in beer from the early 2000’s. The alumni of employees and punters from the first International Beer Shop that have that made some sort of mark in the beer industry is quite remarkable.

To be honest, all of that is great but no one would hang around, even for beer, if the people weren’t amazing. I’ve made awesome friends locally, nationally and internationally all through water, malt, hops and yeast which speaks volumes about how great beer is.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out?  I wanted to celebrate great beers, including some that don’t have a voice even from their own brewery, but do it in a way that I felt wasn’t being done at that point. Instagram is visual platform so the idea of storytelling through a single picture seems obvious but it took a little while to find my style. As that became more consistent and defined it actually became a more fun, playful and creative outlet. 

I focus on clear visual concepts with defined, complementary colours but sometimes they are just a nice clean beer pic. In sticking with my ‘min-max’ dogma, for the past year I’ve been posting three ‘colour’ pics and then three ‘white’ pics. While I’ve found that this challenges me creatively it also means that the overall grid only lines up every three posts which kind of makes no sense!

Tell us about the type of photos you take?  In simple terms, I take product shots. Haha. Personally, I’m not interested in the ‘lifestyle’ side of Instagram, although I do draw from it occiasionally. I’d rather tell the story of the beer, brewery or person over anything else. Ultimately that’s why I started doing anything beer related, I wanted to share what I thought was amazing not myself – I’m not the focus.

As for the actual photos themselves, aside from a few free phone apps, I’m not using graphic design post-production techniques like some of the amazing Australian and International beerstagrammers. There are some seriously talented people out there!

Any tips for budding Instagrammers?

My tips, whether as a blogger or a brewery, would be:

1) Find your own style: No one is interested in BrewCat or Evil Triplet nor MildFlower or La M úte so why start an Insta account that repeats what’s already been done?

Really think about how you want to present yourself and your beers. Social Media is about relationships and connection so make it easy for people to understand who you are and then get to the coolest beer that you’ve ever tasted!

2) Research: If you are even mildly serious, invest in yourself first.

There are 1000’s of photo blogs and YouTube tutorials that can, as they say, help you crush your Instagram photo game. 

The best tips that I’ve garnered have been from completely different industries – as with anything in life, think and read broadly.

3) Think about the shot: Sometimes don’t go with your immediate thought as that probably been done a thousand times before. Then think about how these fits with your style and plan your post.

4) Be consistent: A cool photo is great but if it’s not cohesive with the rest of your work then you’re unlikely to make any lasting connections. Use Stories for anything else that’s on the fly unless that’s your intended style and post regularly.

5) Lighting: taking a little care with positioning, time of day and the overall set up will have a massive impact on your pictures, even with ancient equipment

Favourite brewery?

With the greatest respect, this is the most unfair question. 

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year?

For me, this is always about context. It’s not always the best beer but the best experience. With that in mind I’ll say:

1) Hamish Coates (Rocky Ridge) handing myself and a friend icy cold, unlabelled Holy S**T It’s A Mid Plum Edition cans to drink while he used a cordeless drill to get us barrel samples of the pre-blended 15% abv Dirty Bitch, immediately after a 2.5-hour drive from Perth.

2) An opulent bottle share with close beer friends that included Cycle stouts, Cloudwater haze, Rare Barrel sours and a Perennial Heart of Gold, a Rye Bourbon barrel aged Wheat Wine. We mostly just talked about our kids. Haha.

3) Nail’s Hopeye Pale Ale while listening to John Stallwood tell a raucous, rammed room at the Crafty Pint x Beer Sucks live podcast event that they were actually drinking Nail Ale with different hops. Cue: uproar and laughter.

4) Bonus answer: Every time I get beer mail from my Queensland trader, Bloke & Beer. 

Beer is all about relationships and, although I’ve never actually met Wern, when I open that box it’s like getting a Christmas present! Bacchus Brut DIPA sticks in my mind from him.

To actually answer the question though, I’ll call out Indian Ocean’s Plumed Serpent Stout. There’s been plenty of amazing WA releases however this was so well executed that I felt like an Indi rep talking about it. Haha.

Any other thoughts/comments?

Although this is about Instagram, the real conversation is always around the glass. If you love beer, get out of the house, get to events and beer launches and meet people. 

As good as beer is, it’s just the start of the conversation.

6. Instagram name: @TheThoughtfulTipple

Real name: Timothy Hill

Location: Milton, Brisbane

Number of Instagram Followers: 5,440 at present

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Just a regular iPhone 6s Plus. Have tried to use a DSLR camera but I felt this took away from the general vibe of what I was trying to document. Just a regular person trying as much good beer as I could in the most natural way possible.

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Since November 2016, so verging on 2 years.

What got you hooked on craft beer? I actually used to hate beer before I had a proper one. I was exclusively a spirits drinker and would turn down free beer when offered. Just by chance a good mate of mine took me to a bar when we were hanging out, Superwhatnot in Brisbane CBD. I hesitantly agreed to try a Six Strings Brewing Red IPA and that was it - hooked! Since then I've fallen in love with all different styles and flavours, travelled far and wide to get a feel for all that is out there and to learn as much as I can about it.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? I like to think that I try and be as lowkey as possible. I wanted to market myself as just a guy who liked beer, wanted to drink good beer, and wanted to share photos of them so others could try them to. I've never been one to be excessive with the content or push for incentives from breweries. Just a regular bloke wanting to share his love of beer.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? I like to just capture the photo of the beer in the exact setting that I've been handed it. Whether that be as soon as it's placed on the bar in front of me, brought out along dinner, or as it's being opened at home. Capturing beer in its' natural habitat, doing what it does best - the David Attenborough of beer perhaps?

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Definitely try and establish a theme or brand from the outset. It can feel a bit overwhelming when you're establishing yourself or just starting off. I played with the idea of starting an Instagram pretty early on in my journey through craft beer, but could never really work out what I wanted it to be or how I wanted to be seen. Once establishing with myself that I wasn't going to revolutionise social media, I was more comfortable in just taking the photos that I wanted. Beyond that, just get into it. Don't be shy, it's just Instagram at the end of the day. Enjoy the fun!

Favourite brewery? Being a Brisbane boy, I have to say that Green Beacon is always my go to. Be it a Sunday afternoon as the sun is setting, or a celebratory occasion, it's just a really good location that is adaptable to whatever mood you're in. Not to mention their product is second to none in the entire state.

The Rogue Pilot Brewery in East Portland was probably the best experience I've had at a brewery. Getting to try Pliny The Elder, 9 Hop IPA, Pumpkin Ale's and everything in between was outstanding. The Fresh Hop IPA made at the brewery was also a special experience, the beer itself and all of the ingredients contained never travel more than 100 yards away from the bar it served from - made completely fresh and in house.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? My trip to GABS in Melbourne this year made narrowing this down to 3 almost impossible.

My top beer of the year though is definitely Feral Brewing's Shooter McGavin's Breakfast IPA - Weet-Bix, Frosted Flakes, Cornflakes, Froot Loops, Nutrigrain and orange juice all in a beer. Absolutely delicious.

This year's Stone and Wood Stone Beer was up there for me as well. So rich and full of chocolaty notes. A real winter favourite for me.

Sticking with the local theme, the Green Beacon Passionfruit and Guava IPA with lactose rounds out my top 3 of the year. So much goodness in that drop.

Any other thoughts/comments? It's really awesome to be considered amongst this group of Instagrammers. The entire craft beer community in Australia is a really thriving and social group. This is definitely exemplified by this community in particular. I've had the pleasure of meeting other Instagrammers and people within the industry through this platform. If you're thinking about doing it, jump right in! And of course, follow @thethoughtfultipple for more updates!

7. Instagram name: @beeroutwest

Real name: Ben Wilson

Location: Melbourne

Number of Instagram Followers: ~3,300

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Usually a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone or a Panasonic Lumix TZ80 camera

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Just over a year

What got you hooked on craft beer? About 10 years ago, a mate in the UK took me to a few 'CAMRA' pubs and small breweries around Yorkshire and I was amazed by the variety of styles and quality of beers that there were, plus I was a little bored of the same old run of the mill stuff the global brewers were churning out. I've been 'craftified' ever since.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? Rather than just posting pictures of beers that I've sampled, Beer Out West was set up to try and get more venues and brewers over to my neck of the woods, the outer western 'burbs of Melbourne.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? Shots of venues I've been to, beers I've tried and some fancy studio-style shots with the incredibly handsome Franco, our pooch, featuring in some.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? A continuing theme that makes your pictures unique to you helps a lot. If people can identify something in a picture as being yours without you telling them then you're onto a winner.

Favourite brewery?Two Birds Brewing, Spotwood, Vic

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? 

Elsie the Milk Stout by Batch, Bright Copper Kettles by Two Birds, The Beancounter Porter by Coconspiritors

Any other thoughts/comments? Is it beer o'clock yet?

8. Instagram name: @beerthread

Real name: Leon Perkin

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Number of Instagram Followers: 5,050

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Nikon D3300 with lower aperture lens (mostly), iPhone if necessary.

How long have you been posting to Instagram? It was around June 2015 when I decided to start the beerthread instagram and move away from posting beer photos on my personal account. The Instagram came as a side project from the Facebook beer group I run also called BEER THREAD.

What got you hooked on craft beer? The deliciousness, versatility of styles, can/bottle aesthetics and ultimately the community and friends made from the journey.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? I've tried recently to maintain more consistency with my photos and add subtle but accurate notes where I can. I think running the Instagram in conjunction with the Facebook group is a point of difference in itself, because people often know who I am and can reach out to me without the awkwardness of a blind alias.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? Most recent shots are straight on in relatively exposed light with a blurred background so the focus stays on the aesthetics of the can/bottle and beer/colour itself. I try to mix up the times I post along with the glassware used so there's some variety in my shots. I'll use proper brewery glassware whenever possible too.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? I've never taken any questionable measures towards this. I think the approach of posting current and exciting beers draws people in. Engaging with other Instagrammers with comments and feedback on their posts is also a good way to get amongst it. I also believe firmly in an honest account - if it looks like you're constantly trying to push the angle of advertising because maybe someone sent you a free beer or two, then people are going to see through it. Just treat your Insta account as an outlet of what you think and stay true to that. 

Favourite brewery? This is such a hard question because styles and approach vary so drastically, but - Internationally: Cantillon / Nationally: Wildflower.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? 

1) Trillium Permutation Series 32: DIPA w/ Galaxy - this was a thick, hazy monster of a beer and about 2 weeks old. It was like thick OJ! 

2) Cycle Brewing Greatest Hits &+ (And Plus) Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with dried ancho, guajillo and pasilla peppers as well as cinnamon and vanilla. - So many adjuncts but everything sat in harmony. 

3) Lost Abbey About F'n time - Barrel Aged Sour with Raspberries - Impeccably balanced American Wild Ale that showcased tartness, fruit and barrel impeccably well.

Any other thoughts/comments? By all means, take photos and tell the world about the beers you're drinking, but remember that enjoying a beer and situation is more important than documenting it. Beer is there to be drunk and the pursuit of bragging about it or treating it like collectors items shouldn't overshadow its purpose.

9. Instagram name: @beer.life.au

Real name: Darren Burrows

Location: Brisbane Australia

Number of Instagram Followers: 15,000

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Mostly use an iPhone and Instagram's own editing tools. We plan to move toward more lifestyle shots where we will also use a camera and lighting equipment.

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Beer Life Australia is now a year old, although we have been posting for close to 3 years on other pages .

What got you hooked on craft beer? Craft beer is about a sense of community. Every brewer, beer and establishment contains a story. You always feel welcome in an industry that supports each other's creations.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? We spend a lot of time engaging with everyone from Brewers to consumers. With so many awesome beer bloggers out there we like to keep to our own style and mix up content. Additionally we often use Instagram story to share a little more about ourselves which is another great way to stay connected.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? Predominantly close ups of the beer where all the information on the label is clear. We also like to share the moment by including a relevant background, after all a picture tells a thousand words. Along with giveaways and features, we plan to increase lifestyle shots and include ourselves a bit more.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Be open minded and give your page time to develop its own objective. Support the like pages and find a way to fit in with them. The same way craft brewery's support each other, there is no harm with bloggers doing the same. You need to be aware of your engagement and eventually focus on its quality. It's good to have lots of followers but if they don't engage, there is no real benefit to having them. And get to know your audience, find out what they like and keep it interesting.

Favourite brewery? Our favourite brewery's are the ones who reach out and interact with you. More recently Brick Lane Brewing Co, Ballistic Beer Co and Young Henry's. They are all at different stages compared to each other but they all bring community's together just the same.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? Black Hops - Code Red, Brick Lane - Red Hoppy Ale and Archer Brewing - IPA

Any other thoughts/comments? Australian craft beer is in a good place at the moment. Although it has potential to explode in numbers, if we don't support our local brewery's, we might see a decline in growth and eventual shut downs. Take some time to see what is available to you locally and get to know the Brewers. Keep supporting the craft beer industry we love and most importantly enjoy the beers.

10. Instagram name: @CraftBeerReviewer

Real name: John Elliott

Location: Presently the Sunshine Coast in QLD, but soon moving to Marrickville in Sydney – the craft beer capital of Australia – where else :-)

Number of Instagram Followers: 4,665 as

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? A mixture. Now it’s a Nikon D7200 (was until recently a Nikon D90), but sometimes an iPhone SE.

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Since 2014

What got you hooked on craft beer? I’ve always drank decent, locally produced, small batch beer at the brewery or in their nearby brewery taps. It started in the UK in the 1980s with an introduction to cask conditioned real ale that led me to become heavily involved in CAMRA, through travelling around Europe in the late 80s/early 90s discovering the beer wonders of Belgium, Germany and Czech, then discovering the beginnings of craft beer on my frequent visits to the USA in the early 90s. My move to Australia in 2006 started a whole new quest. I’ve also visited breweries around the world in over 60 countries including sampling beers at 7 craft breweries in Pyongyang, North Korea in 2013.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? Honest, informative and totally independent reviews of Australian craft beer.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? They range from beer and tap decal photos to brewery equipment photos – all about showing off the breweries and their beers to help people choose a better beer to drink.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Do what makes you happy, be honest, and create your own style.

Favourite brewery?[ That’s like choosing a favourite child! In Australia, it’s a tough call at the moment between Batch Brewing, and Wildflower Brewing and Blending – both in Sydney. Every beer I have had from both has been excellently brewed, and never with any faults. Close to them is White Lies Brewing, and Archer/Croft Brewing in Brisbane, Hop Nation and Stomping Ground in Melbourne, BlackFont in Sydney, Wheaty Brewing Corps in Adelaide, and Bruny Island and Fox Friday in Tasmania.

Over time it has included Highgate Brewery in the UK (now unfortunately long closed) – their Mild was superb, and a huge favourite of the beer writer Michael Jackson, Velkopopovicky and U Fleku in Prague – both their dark lagers are amazing, Cascade in Portland, and the Bruery in California, USA – everything they both do, and of course, Cantillon in Belgium. I also have a huge soft spot for the six big original Munich breweries after many fantastic visits to the city over the years. My secret vice though is Berliner Kindl Weisse (Mit Schuß Himbeere)

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? New ones for this year - Wildflower’s St Thomas Cherry Australian Wild Ale, Mornington Peninsula’s Squid Rising, and Philter Brewing XPA. But for 3 that I always love – Batch Brewing Elsie The Milk Stout, Green Beacon’s Windjammer IPA, and Hop Nation Mango Gose.

Any other thoughts/comments? It’s fantastic to see the ever increasing number of breweries, and how they are expanding their beer styles. They are all also really upping their game in terms of quality and consistency - we’re beginning to match some of the world’s best beers and having fresh, locally produced ingredients is our greatest asset.

11. Instagram name: @craftypint

Real name: James Smith

Location: Alphington

Number of Instagram Followers: 17.6K

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Mainly iPhone 6. Very occasionally my Canon Rebel t3i.

How long have you been posting to Instagram? Way longer than I realised – just found an early photo where Dave Padden had no grey hairs... First photo was posted in October 2012.

What got you hooked on craft beer? I was drinking real ale pretty much straight off the bat in the UK, so long before craft was a thing.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? I don't reckon I'm particularly adept; Guy Southern (goodtimescraftbeer) keeps trying to encourage me to study more how the platform works, something I've been trying to make time for, and I keep telling myself I'm going to be more active, for example when on the road touring venues and breweries or at festivals, but usually get caught up in conversations and totally forget to take any... Which, given the world's obsession with our phones probably isn't the worst crime.

What makes it stand out, I imagine, is that it's attached to The Crafty Pint, which already attracts well over 50,000 visitors to the site every month, and I get sent lots of beers before they are available in stores so there's that showing off aspect. And isn't that what social media is all about?

Tell us about the type of photos you take? Mainly shots of new (and occasionally old or rare) beers I'm sampling, breweries or venues I'm visiting, or beer events. There's the odd family or friends shot and, not often enough, cool or daft things that catch my eye.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Listen to what Guy Southern tells me.

Favourite brewery? Too many parameters by which to judge breweries to pick one.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year? I might pick three completely different ones tomorrow, but let's go with Boatrocker Brewers & Distillers Sternweisse, Bruny Island Beer Co Beautiful Ugly and Hargreaves Hill R.I.S. 2017. Actually, I've just checked Instagram and I tasted Beautiful Ugly on December 30, so let's switch in Mornington Peninsula Brewery's Squid Rising, arguably the most enjoyably local take on a NEIPA yet.

Any other thoughts/comments? It's a constant challenge staying on top of things, particularly with so many other aspects of Crafty to manage and other platforms to maintain. Instagram isn't so intuitively beneficial for an operation like The Crafty Pint where our core "product" so to speak is information rather than something people buy, so learning how to use it as more than just a tool for showing off what's landed on the doorstep is taking up an increasing amount of time. But that's all part and parcel of the fast-moving times, for beer, for journalism and for social media

About the images:

I should really have included the "close up of cans and bottles" type shot here as I've failed to set up a spot in the house for taking fancy shots over the past six years... Anyway:

Insta MCG – I wish I was on the ball and put up more photos that aren't beer related. This one is just one of those lovely moments of serendipity when nature reminds us it has all the best moves; in this case, sending an irate rainbow monster to devour the MCG as the Pies were defeating Port.

Insta UK – The exposure / colour is pretty shocking here (it was pretty gnarly early spring sunshine in the in-laws' back garden in Essex), but it sits nicely in the "showing off" and "on the road" categories.

Insta Indi – Has to be some form of tasting paddle in there, right?

12. Instagram name: @the__tippler - be sure to note that’s with two underscores!

Real name: Marnie Chester

Location: Melbourne, but I like to get around!

Number of Instagram Followers: 4.5k

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Seeing as I am in most of my photos they aren’t actually taken by me! Whoever I’m drinking with at the time will do the photography so the cameras used tend to vary. My favourite though is the iPhone X. Because portrait mode makes me look fab!

How long have you been posting to Instagram? My first post was in May 2016 right in the midst of Good Beer Week. I’d been taking photos previously and uploading them on Untappd. Then my old man (who is clueless about technology but loves a froff) asked me what they were for. After some painstaking explanation of the way the internet works he said to me “why don’t you try and get recognised and then spend the rest of your life getting paid to drink beer?” He essentially told me to start a blog. And so I did. Getting paid to drink beer sounds like a pretty sweet dream so why not give it a shot!

What got you hooked on craft beer? I originally came from a small town in rural Victoria and have always been a big believer in supporting small, local, family owned businesses. Whether it’s food, drinks, or every day items I always try and source something sustainable that gives back to the community. It’s always been my motto to stick it to the big guys!

When I moved to Melbourne I discovered all of these amazing craft beers that came from passionate hard working Australians. After tasting a few I knew that was the kind of thing I wanted to support. The flavours, the skill, the creativity and the community all just held so much appeal to me!

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? The thing that everyone always seems to notice first is that I’m a chick! People always send me messages along the lines of “wow it’s so cool to see a chick drinking beer” and it makes me laugh because why wouldn’t women like beer too?! It’s fricken awesome!

What I’ve tried to do with my page though to give it that point of difference is to actually get out and explore. Rather than photograph the beer I drink sitting on the couch, I love travelling around Victoria and Melbourne and visiting the breweries in person. I get to meet the people behind the brand and drink the stuff fresh, straight from the source. When I travel I like to get a feel for the uniqueness of each place and I try to convey that in my posts. There is a story behind every beer!

Tell us about the type of photos you take? The formula for my photos is pretty much me + a beer + an interesting background. I don’t really consider myself photogenic nor did I start off with the intention to post photos of myself but I noticed that I got way more engagement on my posts when my face was in them. I think people like knowing who is behind the account and they can relate to me a lot more when they can see who I am! At the end of the day I’m posting the photo to showcase something cool and share my enthusiasm about beer with others. I’ll always write a description of the beer and brewery in the caption because that’s what it’s really about!

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? My best tip would be to engage with your followers. I spend hours and hours scrolling through everyone else’s posts and sharing the love. As a result I have a heap of really loyal followers and many of whom I’ve met up with in real life and become friends with! When you engage with other accounts you also learn more about the products, the industry, the hottest trends, etc. This is all going to benefit you so try and put in the effort!

Favourite brewery? Hardest question in the world. In Australia, it would probably be Boatrocker. I have a massive soft spot for these guys because I love sours and I love barrels and every beer they put out is just so sensational and so innovative. They brew their beer with real passion and so much skill. I also love La Sirene for similar reasons and Hop Nation for the fact that they have nailed it with their branding and trending beer styles. Ocean Reach Brewing on Phillip Island is also worth checking out if you haven’t heard of them. They’re a small family run operation doing it solely for the love of it and putting out some truly remarkable beers!

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year?

La Sirene - Bière de Cerise BA Sour Ale

Boatrocker - Wild Apricot Fruit Lambic

Collective Arts - BOYOBOY Breakfast Sour

Yeah I know, I love sours!

Any other thoughts/comments? Whilst I’m I here I may as well throw in a controversial opinion! That is, I’m really disliking how the big corporations are buying up other breweries. I get that if someone offered you millions of dollars you couldn’t refuse etc etc. But as someone who is so passionate about this community, it really worries me. Craft beer is a really competitive market and it’s pretty obvious that the big guys are trying to drown out the little guys. They have so much money behind them and this has the potential to really alter the beer scene as we currently enjoy it and could result in the loss of some really great breweries. We are so blessed with the variety that we have now so let’s try our hardest to support that. I love the idea of the IBA Independence Seal as it allows consumers to buy with confidence and support the hard work of those brewers who are doing it for the love of it. I’ll drink to that! 

13. Instagram name: @frothbeermag

Real name: Froth Magazine aka Emily Day

Location: Melbourne

Number of Instagram Followers: 8000

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Either my phone or my Canon 5D if I have the energy!

How long have you been posting to Instagram? About three years since I started Froth magazine. Our designer Clint Weaver does our Instagram stories because he is a young man and understands the internet.

What got you hooked on craft beer? Oh gosh. Studying in Germany and instead of studying, falling in love with German beers, especially a dreamy cloudy hefeweizen in a sunny beer garden!

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? It's crappy, irregular and straight from the heart. Just like Froth magazine!

Tell us about the type of photos you take? I photograph beers I like, when I meet interesting brewers, and sometimes just pictures of my dog.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Have fun and don't overthink it. 

Favourite brewery? All of them! (Diplomatic answer)

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year?

Hmm I would say the delicious Matriarch NEIPA by Melbourne gypsy brewers CoConspirators, Modus Operandi's limited release Vanilla Mocha Stout and Kaiju's Cthulhu on the Moon which I can't pronounce but tastes amazing and has me hooked on Black IPAs.

About the images:

1. I love this post from GABS of Froth designer Clint Weaver and I wearing our matching Froth t-shirts. Clint has been such a rock during the Froth journey so it was so nice to get a pic with him at one of our favourite places - a beer festival!

2. I've tried to post less pictures of my dog Alfie on Instagram but here is a cute one of him examining a bottle of Scratchy Vinyl from Little Bang Brewing in Adelaide. Little Bang are also one of my favourite indie breweries - I love their creative and silly artwork and great brews.

3. I love this picture of Holgate's White Ale that we took up to the Dandenong Ranges to get a nice botanical background! Also it was nice to do a bit of walking to balance out the beer appreciation.

14. Instagram name: @craftyfollow

Real name: Benedict Evison

Location: Gold Coast

Number of Instagram Followers: 22,000

What do you use for your shots - Camera/Phone details? Samsung Galaxy S8+, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

How long have you been posting to Instagram? A little over 3 years for just my beer page.

What got you hooked on craft beer? I always liked trying new beers, when I was at uni I would go seek out new ones to try. Even if that was just European macro pilsners and lagers I just wanted more than I could find in the local market.

But it really happened in 2010 while living in London.

I had been exploring the world of real ale, but when my brother came to visit and took me to a bar called brewdog in Camden, my taste buds and bank account have never been the same again.

Tell us about your Instagram account – what makes your account stand out? I try my best to limit my posts to beers that I genuinely find interesting. Whether that be by tastes, appearance, strange ingredients, classics, amazing packaging or hype. If a beer pricks my interest in even one of these categories then I am likely to post about it.

I also make some obscure references and bad puns. Combined with the occasional honest uncomplicated reviews.

If that sounds like a bit of you, then you should follow me.

Tell us about the type of photos you take? I try to keep my photos to a decent standard, mostly outdoors, interesting angles, playing with shadows at timed or just sometimes in places you wouldn't expect to see a nice beer.

Any tips for budding Instagrammers? Just enjoy what you're doing.

Favourite brewery? Very tricky question; but I guess over the years I've always gone back to Mikkeller a lot and love their Spontan Series so hell why not lets say them.

What are 3 beers you’ve absolutely loved this year?

Wildflower- Amber (Blend 10)

Founders Brewing co. - KBS

New Belgium - Oscar