When choosing guests for The Crafty Pint Podcast, we favour people we know have good stories to tell (which, in fairness, doesn't discount many people working in beer) and a particular area of knowledge, expertise or insight to share with listeners and viewers.  

In the case of Amanda Baker – Bakes to most – they were high on our priority list but leapt to the top when Will spotted something odd going on with the Instagram account Lost Palms, the Gold Coast brewery at which they work. Everything the brewery had posted in seven years disappeared overnight to be replaced by a series of stark, mysterious posts.  

Attention captured, Will suggested we get Bakes on straight away, which technically meant they were coming on for a discussion around social media, marketing and branding. But, as anyone who knows Bakes knows, we were never going to pin them down to something as straightforward as that.  

So, settle in for a chat that, yes, looks at the new approach Lost Palms are taking and what sparked the change, but also examines branding more widely – not least as they're involved in the launch of new energy drink SAYG.  

A year on from Bakes' appearance in one of our most widely read and discussed articles of 2023, Chronically Crafty, which explored working in beer with a chronic medical condition, we reflect on the impact that had and how to keep those discussions going.  

Meanwhile, Bakes' recent trip to North America, where they stayed with meme legend, Wort Wrangler, brewed collabs with Seek Beer Co and Dominion City, forced themselves onto the Jester King workforce, and met up with Ren Navarro, the founder of Beer Diversity (now B.Diversity), sparks a conversation about community and diversity in beer.  

Essentially, it's a few episodes rolled into one, with a preamble in which we discuss the phenomenal number of Oktoberfests in Australia this year, New South Wales' first off-grid brewery, Mick Wüst's deep dive into life in a sensory lab, and opening registrations for Pint of Origin 2025.  

Links relevant to or referenced in the show:  

Going Green: Frogs Hollow's Off-Grid Brewery: https://craftypint.com/news/3590/going-green-frogs-hollows-off-grid-brewery  

A Yeast For The Senses: Life In A Sensory Lab: https://craftypint.com/news/3573/a-yeast-for-the-senses-life-inside-a-sensory-lab  

Be Part Of Pint Of Origin 2025: https://craftypint.com/news/3591/be-a-pint-of-origin-host-venue-in-2025  

Save 10% On Registrations For WSET's Beer Courses: https://tinyurl.com/j4eyfrty  

Lost Palms' Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostpalmsbrewingco/  

SAYG: https://www.sayg.com.au/  

Chronically Crafty: https://craftypint.com/news/3252/chronically-crafty-managing-health-in-the-beer-industry  

Wort Wrangler: https://www.instagram.com/wortwrangler/  

Ren Navarro: https://bdiversitygroup.com/about-ren  

To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.