James Smith was born in the famous brewing town of Burton upon Trent in England. It was three decades and a move to Australia later before he became fully immersed in beer, however. A journalist by trade, he began exploring and writing about the country's burgeoning micro-brewing culture soon after arriving in Melbourne in 2008. Since christened `Crafty' in reference to his website, The Crafty Pint, he writes about beer for Epicure, the Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Time Out, and is a founder and festival director of the annual Good Beer Week festival in Victoria. The Great Australian Beer Guide is the follow-up to his first book 150 Great Australian Beers.