“I really get a buzz out of looking at flavours and the way things interact with each other.”

If you’re a consumer of beer, rather than someone working in the industry, there’s a fair chance you won’t have heard of this week’s trailblazing guest. After all, Tina Panoutsos doesn’t own a brewery, brew beer, pour beer, sell beer, or run a festival. However, over more than 35 years in beer, she’s become one of the key figures in the Australian industry and an inspiration to many.

We caught up with Tina at Melbourne Showgrounds ahead of this year’s Australian International Beer Awards judging, where she’s once again taking a lead role – as she has at countless beer competitions both here and across the planet – to look back over an extraordinary career.

Since joining CUB in 1989 – “a short little Greek girl”, as she puts it, with a chemistry degree and post-grad in teaching – Tina has transformed the world of sensory analysis, smashed through glass ceilings, and helped make the beer world an increasingly diverse space.

Over the course of our chat, we dive deep into the worlds of sensory and beer judging, discuss cellar palates, super tasters and standout beers, learn how small breweries can set up their own sensory programs on a tiny budget, and explore ways in which beer can reach new audiences.

There was plenty to discuss in the intro too: the results of the 2026 Perth Royal Food Awards – Beer; what One Drop’s OG brewer Nick is doing in Singapore; new owners with a new vision for one of Australia’s first craft breweries; a funding boost for Victoria’s indie brewers; ten years of one of the country’s most colourful craft beer pubs; and our second Pints of Origin preview.

• 0:00 – The Week On Crafty
• 12:18 – CoConspirators & 10 Toes on their #PoO26 collab
• 17:06 – Tina Panoutsos Part 1
• 42:19 – Tina Panoutsos Part 2

To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.