Radio Brews News

In today's episode of Good Brews Week (formerly known as Radio Brews News) Pete and Matt discuss the biggest stories of the week including: 4 Pines launch a Pacific Ale, Hargreaves Hill rebrand and we talk GBW, GABS and our discussion panel Logistics in a craft beer world.

This week on Beer is a Conversation, Matt catches up with Jim O’Connor, one of the founders of Queensland-based Fortitude Brewing Company. It’s been quite a journey for Fortitude in the five years since they launched their Mount Tamborine-based brewery. Five years is a long time in the craft brewing world, and this is a a frank discussion about all he has learned in that time. One of the relatively early arrivals in an industry that has seen a recent flood of new breweries, Fortitude is about to launch a major brand refresh and Jim shares how their experience has feed into the new look and range. We discuss marketing and branding and how Fortitude has had to deal with being mistaken for a Fortitude Valley brewery; popular beer styles and how Jim feels they came to lose their way in a branding sense as they pursued individually successful beers; and also how the brewing industry is very different to other businesses Jim has run. It’s a fascinating and insightful chat about beer and the business of making it

In this episode of Radio Brews News, Pete and Matt are joined by Independent Brewers Association Chair, and founder of Endeavour Brewing - Ben Kooyman. It’s been a big couple of weeks for the IBA, which has announced the program and presenters for BrewCon, its newly renamed conference; a rebrand of the craft beer awards to The Indies which is also now open to international independent breweries; and also a partnership to deliver the IBASafe brewery safety program. We also catch up on the news of the week including: The never stale debate about beer freshness including our Good Beer Week panel looking at logistics in a craft beer world AB InBev-owned 4 Pines launches a bar at the Sydney Cricket Ground while simultaneously crowd-funding the next phase of Vostok Space Beer Rumours of yet more small brewery buy-outs prompting one brewery to issue a denial Our good friends at Beer Cartel have come on as sponsors of our letter for the week. The best letter each week will be sent an Australian Craft

This week, in addition to Brews News Week and Beer is a Conversation, we have something a little different. We get lots of requests from businesses to appear as a guest on Beer is a Conversation, it is a great way to get information out to people working in or highly engaged with the beer industry. Ultimately we refuse most requests because we want the show content to be interesting for our listeners and self promotion rarely is. Every now and then though we get a request that doesn’t really fit into one of our regular podcasts, and is promotional, but the topic is still something that we think will be of great interest to a section of our listeners. This is one of those topics. Because it’s not a topic we would normally run, it is sponsored content, but we think it’s also something that many of our listeners - particularly those who make and sell beer - will be greatly interested in. Brad Moran is a former AFL footballer who is now an entrepreneur. He has started a number of online businesses, most rece

In this episode of Beer is a Conversation, Pete Mitcham heads out to Hargreaves Hill Brewery to catch up with founder and somtimes classical pianist, Simon Walkenhorst. Simon shares the story of Hargreaves Hill Brewery from its humble rural origins, to the loss of the brewery in the Black Saturday fires through to the present where they have just gone through a brand refresh. Simon has witnessed the dynamic changes the industry has undergone over the last decade and has some keen insights into what it takes to maintain your brewery's identity as a multitude of new players join the scene. It's a great chat about how to stay relevant in an ever-changing market. Enjoy the conversation.

This week on Radio Brews News Pete and Matt work through the stories of the week such as: Another trademark stoush looks headed to court, Vostok Space Beer, Corona launches midstrength, the fastest growing craft breweries in the US, and is craft beer actually just Pasito?

This week on Radio Brews News, Matt and James are joined by fan favourite Steve ‘Hendo’ Henderson. We announce the winner of the Goose Island gift pack and get your opinions on the news of the week, including: packaged on dates, Two Birds Brewing’s Trail Blazer Australian Lager and proposed changes to the beer excise.

This week on Beer is a Conversation, Matt Kirkegaard catches up with Richard Watkins, co-founder and head brewer at Canberra’s BentSpoke Brewing. Richard can fairly be described as a craft beer pioneer, having brewed at the the famed Wig & Pen brewery for 17 years before founding BentSpoke in 2013. Regular listeners will recall we had originally planned to speak with Richard during our live Hottest 100 Countdown in January, but when we were scheduled to chat Crankshaft, their flagship beer, had not yet appeared in the count and he didn’t want to miss the potential announcement. Today, with the passage of a couple of months, we talk about the Hottest 100 and what having three top 30 beers means to a brewery such as his. We discuss beer freshness, his struggles with the word craft, the importance of the meaning of the word independence and much more. It’s a wide ranging conversation and Richard is well known for his deliberative approach and also his willingness to speak his mind, all of which make for a fas

This week on Radio Brews News, James reports back from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling conference in Wellington. The team also discuss the real reason behind Tap King's demise and take a look at the expansion and rebranding of BrewPack.

This week on Beer is a Conversation, Matt Kirkegaard speaks to Ian Watson from Slipstream about why he choses to use brewed on and best before dates. Ian invites Matt to taste the difference between a fresh brew and a beer that is several months old. 

Pete and Matt announce a Goose Island giveaway and discuss Queensland's craft beer strategy, BewCon 2018 and whether bland beer is here to stay.

This week on Beer is a Conversation, Matt is joined by Chris Kelly from East Coast Canning. Chris established Australia’s first mobile canning business, and now operates three mobile lines and services across Australia’s East Coast.

This week on Radio Brews News Pete, Matt and James are live from Byron Bay after a trip to Stone & Wood. They discuss Stone & Wood’s trademark appeal, another brewer who has trademarked the colour of beer and the Queensland Government’s plan for craft beer. 

This week on Radio Brews News Pete and Matt are joined by marketing guru Zoe Ottaway. They discuss Brewdog’s recent marketing fail with their “Pink IPA”, the declines faced by Sierra Nevada and what it means for 'classic' craft and why Malt Brewing had to rebrand as Revel. Read more about Ian Davis and donate here.

This week on Beer is a Conversation, we have a long chat with Greg Koch, co-founder of San Diego’s Stone Brewing. Brews News first chatted with Greg back in 2010 when he was actively campaigning against the grey importing of Stone beers into Australia. At that time many drinkers took the view, “what’s the harm? Sure the beer isn’t always great - but it will still be good and at least I get to taste the great beers of the craft brewing world.” But Greg slapped that argument down with the incredibly passionate defence he made for drinking his beers fresh and the way he intended, Much of today’s discussion refers back to that conversation and so we would really recommend that even if you have listened before, you go back and revisit that chat. Of course, since that conversation Stone is now imported to Australia. When we last spoke, Greg identified Australia’s  internal transport and logistics structure as being a major barrier to getting his beer into our hands fresh. He also mentioned the price, saying tha

This week on Radio Brews News guest host Steve ‘Hendo’ Henderson from Rockstar Brewer shares his views on date coding and why Greg Koch from Stone Brewing backtracked on his earlier decision not to sell Stone in Australia. 

Pete Mitcham and Matt Kirkegaard are joined by guest host Pia Poynton from Girl + Beer to discuss the news of the week, including whether governments are sending mixed messages about alcohol. 

This week on Beer is a Conversation, James Atkinson and Pete Mitcham are joined by Steve Carpenter, Chief Operations Officer at Yakima Chief-Hopunion, a global hop supplier headquartered in Yakima USA.  His family has been growing hops in the Yakima Valley since 1869, so it’s fair to say the business of hop growing is in his blood. He talked about current trends in the hop sector and the challenges facing growers in a rapidly evolving craft beer market. Enjoy the conversation. 

This week on Radio Brews News we welcome Pete Mitcham back and get his thoughts on the BewDog announcement as well as discuss the other news of the week including the Pirate Life grant and sporting sponsorships. 

This week on Radio Brews News the editorial team are joined by Cassie O’Neill, Australia’s first female certified Cicerone and Stomping Ground brewery’s sales representative, to discuss the beer news of the week.