Still Swinging

Well… we didn't exactly stick to a blogging schedule.

It's been three years since we sat down to write our first post. At the time, Wooden Axe was still very much finding its feet. We had a few beers out in the world, plenty of ideas and absolutely no clue what the next few years would have in store.

Turns out, quite a bit.

Back then, if you'd told us that we'd be pouring beers at festivals, seeing Wooden Axe on taps and shelves in venues across multiple states and planning our summer festival calendar, we probably would have politely nodded and then laughed about it.

One of the biggest milestones was stepping into the festival world. In March 2025, we packed up our gear and headed off to our first festival in Newcastle. Then, because apparently we enjoy making life difficult for ourselves, we backed it up and did it all again the following weekend in Canberra.

Since then, we've poured beers at six festivals, met countless legends, had hundreds of conversations about beer and been reminded time and time again why we started this whole thing in the first place. There are more festivals lined up for 2026 and we're looking forward to getting back amongst it. One thing we've quickly learnt is that people who love independent beer are usually there for more than just a drink. They care about supporting small businesses, they're curious about what's in the glass (or can) and they're always keen for a conversation.

Another huge change has been teaming up with Inspired Drinks. In the beginning, Wooden Axe operated in the gaps between our full-time jobs – lesson plans, pub shifts and whatever spare hours we could find. Sales routes usually involved loading the car after work and hoping we'd remembered everything! Thankfully, these days we have the wonderful support of the team at Inspired Drinks. They champion independent brands and have helped get Wooden Axe kegs and cans into a bunch of fantastic venues and bottle shops across ACT, NSW, QLD and VIC.

Beer-wise, we've kept ourselves busy. Since August 2023, we've released 14 different beers. For one we revisited the beer that started it all (Beyond Reasonable Stout), three were brewed exclusively for various Advent Packs and the remaining 10 were one-off limited releases – here for a good time, not a long time. And in true Wooden Axe fashion, the average ABV clocks in at 6.96%, which won't surprise anyone who's followed us for a while. We've never been afraid of a beer that starts with a six (or higher).

None of that happens in a vacuum, though. Every beer we've brewed, every festival we've poured at and every new venue we've landed in has happened because people have backed a small, independent brewery and been willing to give us a crack.

Despite all of that, not much has changed. We're still two beer nerds who get far too excited seeing someone try one of our beers for the first time. We're still chasing the same goal we had when we started – to brew great beer, have a bit of fun and build something we're proud to put our name on.

Turns out, that's still reason enough to keep swinging.

Stay Crafty,

Will & Nath