Radio Brews News

This week on Beer is a Conversation we have the last interview from our recent swing through Sydney' inner-west breweries and feature our conversation with Steve Drissell of Sydney’s Staves Brewery. Hidden away in a back alley in Glebe, Staves is one of Sydney’s more unique brewery venues, featuring English-style pub atmosphere and a live performance space that is well known on the city’s music and comedy circuit.  Staves has continually impressed with its idiosyncratic line-up of beers, which are made on a tiny and somewhat makeshift brewery, showing stylistic influences from all over Europe and America. Matt Kirkegaard and James Atkinson visited the brewery late last year to catch up with Steve, who left his career in the corporate world to follow his dream of opening Staves. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

This is a special edition of Radio Brews News. Today Scottish brewery BrewDog has announced Brisbane will be the home of its new Australian brewery. The Queensland capital beat out rival Newcastle - and even South Australia - for the brewery’s attention. Brews News had the chance to sit down with BrewDog’s Australian Director - their Top Dog as she is known - Zarah Prior, and co-founder Martin Dickie for a quick chat about the brewing company’s plans, why they chose Brisbane and also a little about BrewDog’s place in the beer firmament. With a relatively short time together and so much to discuss, we didn’t go over quite a few topics that we would have liked to discuss about BrewDog generally but we still managed to cover quite a bit of ground. We will hopefully get an opportunity to chat further with Zarah about the brewery, her plans for BrewDog Australia and also find out a little more about Zarah herself as the brewery build progresses. As always you can let us know what you think about BrewDog’s pla

This week on Beer is a Conversation we have our second last interview from our series of interviews in Sydney's inner West. This time our conversation is with Mick Bain of Sydney’s Royal Albert Hotel. A longtime hospitality professional, Mick bought the Albert in 2011 and has since turned it into one of Australia’s top craft beer venues. A passionate advocate for independently brewed beer, Mick has also recently taken a minor stake in West Australian brewery Beer Farm. He’s never short of an opinion, so Pete Mitcham, Matt Kirkegaard and James Atkinson took the chance to get some of his insights on our recent Sydney tour. Enjoy the conversation.

Thanks to Cryer Malt, this week on Radio Brews News the editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. We discuss the biggest story of the week, the results of the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers, including: Yes, it actually is a popularity contest, but it’s not only a popularity contest. No, the votes are not rigged No matter what they say, brewers do care about the results. Ale of a Time’s social media highlights Having spent too much time discussing the Hottest 100 with great seriousness, we then discuss how craft beer culture has become social shorthand for taking things too seriously, as explained in this article from Good Beer Hunting. You can send feedback and suggestions here. You can donate to the podcast here.

Welcome to a special podcast from the Australian Brews News team. Thanks to Bintani,  we ran a live broadcast of the last two hours of the GABS Hottest 100 craft beers of 2017. We broadcast live from Balter, who ended up being named #1 in the poll. We chose Balter early in the voting process, well before the results were known, which turned out well for the show. While we managed to keep the show pretty on track despite a number of planned and unplanned guests dropping by the studio, good order was lost a little towards the end once the winner had been announced. We were very surprised to have Mick Fanning and then Joel Parkinson drop by to join us, Joel having raced in having left a wedding to celebrate with the team at Balter. Despite a few occasional rough edges, the podcast does capture the excitement of the countdown, the surprise as the results were announced and also how important the GABS Hottest 100 has come to be to the Australian beer industry.  Don’t let any brewer try and tell you that they

This week on Beer is a Conversation we continue the series of interviews that we recorded during our swing through Sydney’s inner -west last December and we meet Topher Boehm from Wildflower Brewing and Blending. In an increasingly congested craft beer market it can be hard for a business to be unique, but Topher is doing a great job of standing out from the pack. Wildflower isn’t a brewery, Topher works with his friends down the road at Batch to make the wort he uses before taking it to his Marrickville warehouse where he ferments it with wild yeasts that he has foraged throughout New South Wales, selecting and propagating the ones that he thinks will create signature beers. Aging them in oak, Topher then blends the beers before bottling and releasing them to the public. This is a fascinating chat with a genuinely engaging new brewer. Enjoy the conversation.

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. This week Pete, James and Matt discuss: 49 new breweries in 2017 and how the list was calculated. Are local breweries killing local bars? Watchdog clears Angry Cock cider Lion confirms MOCU closure It's a good beer, Brent is a really good lesson And much, much more. And finally, don't forget we will be counting down the last two hours of the GABS Hottest 100 live on Mixlr. You can either download the Mixlr app to listen on the go or listen and join the chatroom here or here. You can send feedback and suggestions here. You can donate to the podcast here.

This week on Beer is a Conversation we join Matt King and Glenn Wignall of Sydney’s The Grifter Brewing Company in their brewery bar in Enmore, Sydney. Starting out in 2012 as a gypsy brewer, The Grifter has since opened its own brewery and taproom where the guys are turning out some great beers in what is undoubtedly one of the country’s most visually appealing venues. Matt Kirkegaard, Pete Mitcham and James Atkinson visited just before Christmas to find out a bit more about The Grifter’s journey to date, their upcoming plans, and of course their views on recent industry developments. Enjoy the conversation... You can send feedback and suggestions here. In return, we’ll send you a Brews News bottle opener. You can donate to the podcast here.

This week on Beer is a Conversation we join Chris Sidwa and Andrew Fineran in the bar at Batch Brewing Company. It’s been two years since we last chatted with Batch on Radio Brews News. This time we visited the brewery just before Christmas for a glass of their raspberry farmhouse ale Chapeau, and chatted about topics including the evolution of the Marrickville locale, where they first established a beachhead for craft beer in late 2013. Over that time two mates making beer has grown to a business that employs 20. We discuss their growth, their plans and when they plan on selling... Enjoy the conversation. You can send feedback and suggestions here. In return, we’ll send you a Brews News bottle opener. You can donate to the podcast here.

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. This week, our last Radio Brews News for 2017, we also look at the highs and lows, bests and worsts of 2017 and look ahead to 2018. We also look at one big story for the week, James' story about brewers’ corporate tax contributions. Beer is a Conversation will continue over the break with interview from our recent travels through Sydney's inner west. The Radio Brews News team wishes all of our listeners a Merry Christmas and look forward to sharing 2018 with you. You can send feedback and suggestions here. In return, we’ll send you a Brews News bottle opener. You can donate to the podcast here.  

This week we join Haydon Morgan at the Malt Shovel Brewery in Sydney. Haydon recently took over the reins of the home brewery of the James Squire brands from Chris Sheehan. Having attained the highest level of brewing qualification offered by the Institute Of Brewing and Distilling, Master Brewer, Haydon joins Malt Shovel from the Tooheys brewery in Sydney, where he worked in roles including technical brewer, as well as acting head brewer. We talk about his plans for Malt Shovel, upcoming releases and the challenges of brewing and stepping out from the relative anonymity of some of the company's larger breweries to be the face of one of their craft flagships.  This interview was recording at Sydney's Malt Shovel Brewery and we were lucky to be joined by brewery founder Chuck Hahn later in the interview. Thank you to the team for hosting us and some of our Sydney listeners.

This week on Beer is a Conversation, James Atkinson catches up with Will Tatchell, founder of Van Dieman Brewing in Northern Tasmania. Founder and Head Brewer, Will got into brewing as a distraction during University years, whilst studying Agricultural Science, and came to see the brewing industry as an extension of the primary industry he'd grown up in. Upon completing university, he sought further experience in the brewing sector and travelled to the United Kingdom to immerse himself within the history rich brewing sector. Returning to his home he started planning for his brewery in 2007 and launched in 2009. Will's experience and passions have recently merged in Van Dieman's Estate Ale beers, brewed with malt, water, hops and yeast grown on the family farm in Tasmania, which is unique not only in Australia but globally.  Enjoy the conversation.

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. This week Pete, James and Matt get to have a beer together and discuss: Sydney's Inner West brewing scene When Did Rarity Start to Equal Greatness in Beer? Discuss the discussion to Pirate Life sale a wake-up call for drinkers And much, much more. You can send feedback and suggestions here. In return, we'll send you a Brews News bottle opener.

This week on beer is a conversation Pete and Matt catch up with Scott Brandon, co-founder and owner of Bright Brewery in Victoria’s High Country. Scott and his late wife Fiona Reddaway founded the brewery with the desire to create a cellar door experience that provided great beer and celebrated the outdoor lifestyle of the surrounding high country region. They first purchased the land for the brewery in 2003. The the first beers under the Bright label were brewed at Jamieson Brewery near Mansfield from late 2004 and they served them at a temporary bar in Wills Street, Bright, until the brewpub was commissioned on the current Great Alpine Road site in mid 2006. This “brew-pub” model has provided Bright Brewery with healthy business that has a reputation as one of the region’s best destinations, highlighted through a string of tourism and business awards culminating last week when Bright took out Victoria’s highest honour for Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Breweries at the 2017 Victorian Tourism Awards. B

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. This week we discuss: The wash-up from the Pirate Life sale Including Jamie Cook's observations on selling to the big guys Are beer festival a good or a gouge Craft beer is causing a spike in Drinking Driving Or is it? Ad we also catch up with Chris O’Leary from Emerson's who is the Convention Chairman for next year's Institute of Brewing and Distilling conference in Wellington. And much, much more. You can send feedback and suggestions here. You can donate to the podcast here.

This week on Beer is a Conversation we play an interview James Atkinson recorded recently with Ken Stout and Dave Tohtz of Goose Island Brewing. Both Ken and Dave have been with the Goose Island business since before it was acquired by the world’s largest brewer, ABInBev, in 2011. A longtime beer industry professional, Ken joined the Chicago brewer as regional sales director in 2009, eventually becoming its president and general manager in 2015, and more recently, the president of its international division.  The new role gives Ken oversight for the ambitious international rollout of the Goose Island brand by ABI. Dave Tohtz meanwhile notched up his tenth year as a brewer at Goose Island during 2017. Dave and Ken have been in Australia over the last fortnight for Goose Island’s Migration Week campaign and I caught up with them at Two Birds Brewing’s The Nest in Melbourne for an all-encompassing chat about their time at Goose Island, the changes they have witnessed since ABI took over and their impression

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. We announce how to get tickets for our free listener drinks in Sydney thanks to Malt Shovel Brewery. This week we discuss: Gage Roads beers for new stadium Which led to a discussion about this Broo's China deal GABS Hottest 100 turns ten And changes the date to much discussion Garage Project drops Death From Above And apparently things are blowing up elsewhere. And much, much more. You can send feedback and suggestions here. You can donate to the podcast here.

In this is a special 'Breaking News' edition of Radio Brews News we managed to steal a quick 10 minutes with Pirate Life’s Michael Cameron and AB InBev’s Peter Filopovic just after the announcement to talk a little about Pirate Life's sale to AB InBev. We find out Michael’s reasons for the sale and also AB InBev’s plans for the brewery, as well as discuss how Pirate Life will fit into the ABI’s growing list of breweries. Enjoy the conversation.

This week on Beer is a Conversation we meet brewer Matt Jancauskas from Brouhaha Brewery in Maleny Queensland. Matt is a brewer who, on his own admission has had a series of very lucky breaks that took him from working in the electrical industry in Australia to travelling to London and snagging a job at Beavertown Brewery with Logan Plant where in short time he moved from packaging supervisor to became production manager. Matt then returned to Australia to partner to open a brewery which has quickly developed a serious reputation for making great beer and being a top brewpub, such that this year he was named Brewer of the Year at Queensland's inaugural Beeries awards. Matt is an exciting young brewer making some cracking beer and has a great story to tell. Enjoy the conversation.

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the beer news of the week. This week we discuss: Stone & Wood For Cups Sake Our recent Beer is a Conversation guest Dave's Tours gets a gong at the NSW Tourism Awards Craft Beer is a serious business When is beer actually 'draught' Matt gives 5 minute review of the GrowlerWerks uKeg. And much, much more. You can send feedback and suggestions here.