Radio Brews News

This week in Beer is a Conversation James Atkinson chats with Blair Hayden, founder of the infamous Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel in Sydney. Blair Hayden: Blair Hayden purchased the Lord Nelson Hotel in 1986, some 140 years after it was established by William Wells in one of Sydney’s most iconic areas, The Rocks. This business venture became the inception of Australia’s craft and independent brewing movement, as Blair set out to create his own take on English style beers with a strong, Australian influence. Following on from Blair’s 30th Anniversary with the premises, The Lord Nelson Hotel is now officially the oldest hotel in Sydney to be operating under its original licence - dating back over 175 years. Initially, locals were in dismay over Blair’s decision to serve their own brews opposed to the local CUB beers, but patrons gradually came to love the new identity and unique flavours coming from the newly converted brewery hotel. Blair's ongoing vision sees that Lord Nelson beers use all-English malts and h

The Brews News team discuss the beer news of the week ending 25 August 2017.  

This week in Beer is a Conversation James Atkinson chats with Dainton Family Brewing Founder and Head Brewer, Dan Dainton, who recently took out the Champion Craft Beer Award at this year’s Craft Beer Awards. Dan Dainton Dan started his brewing career at the James Squire Brewhouse at the Portland Hotel in 2011. Already experimenting with bold and quirky flavours, Dan’s brewing skills churned out a Black Rye IPA (which was pretty out-there at the time) along with other over the top IPAs - much to the dismay of Chuck Hahn. Realising he wanted to flex his talent and palate beyond that realm of James Squire, Dan transitioned to Holgate Brewhouse to further develop his brewing and in the fresh air of Woodend. After this stint up in the mountains, Dan convinced his father, Kev, to embark on his beer journey with him. Together they co-founded Dainton Family Brewing with Dan gypsy brewing around Victoria from 2013 until mid 2016 until they established their own permanent facilities in Carrum Downs. Medals are no

This week in Beer is a Conversation, we hear an interview Matt recorded with New Zealand Hops CEO Doug Donelan earlier in the year during the New Zealand hop harvest. James and Pete also share a conversation they had with founder of White Lakes Brewing Sean Symons last week at the Australian Brewers Conference. Doug Donelan Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, Doug was Head Brewer of Australia’s Malt Shovel Brewery and James Squire Brewhouses.  Doug has over 30 years’ experience in the brewing, beverage and hospitality industries and is an internationally recognised beer judge. Doug joined New Zealand Hops, the grower-owned co-operative in 2006 and has played a pivotal role in the co-ordination and successful repositioning of the New Zealand hops brand internationally and the continuing development of their unique hop variety offering. He has published numerous papers and articles for brewing journals, technical papers and presentations on beer, brewing and hops and also continues to write a

On Radio Brews News, Pete Mitcham, James Atkinson and Matt Kirkegaard discuss the news for the week. News: Craft Brewers Conference 2017, including Craft beers all look the same and Independent Brewers set ambitious target Lions discontinues Knappstein The Brewers Association Mid Year Results How Stella Is Changing The Way We Enjoy Beer Get in touch Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we’ll play on our next show.  

This week in Beer is a Conversation we caught up with Gage Roads’ Chief Operations Officer and Brew Chief, Aaron Heary. In this chat we discuss Aaron’s path from brewer to COO and the recent major strategy overhaul of Gage Roads Brewing Co. Aaron Heary: Aaron Heary initially started his career in winemaking prior to working as a brewer with Little Creatures. After its sale, Aaron travelled extensively, further educating himself on the world of beer to kindle his knowledge and love of the craft. Aaron spent a year working with Steamworks Brewing Co. in Vancouver before serendipitously meeting up with the other founders of Gage Roads whilst abroad. Aaron later returned back to Western Australia to assist in establishing the brewery, initially taking the position of Head Brewer before taking on the roles of Brew Chief, COO and Vice President. Gage Roads’ Little Dove New World Pale Ale was awarded Australian Champion Beer at the AIBA last year, in addition to overwhelming reception of their other brews both t

This week is a special edition of Radio Brews News as Pete Mitcham and James Atkinson report from Independent Brewers Association Conference in Adelaide. Firstly they catch up with conference speaker with Ina Versti about craft and independece, then they catch up with Craft Beer Awards judges  Jayne Lewis, Richard Watkins and Aaron Heary to get some feedback on this year’s competition.  Ina Verstl Dr Ina Verstl is a journalist, researcher and co-author of Beer Monopoly. After completing her doctorate, Ina worked as a press officer with the Munich Fair Trade Corporation before turning to freelance journalism. Ina is currently a special feature writer for Brauwelt International and lectures internationally at events and meet-ups in the brewing industry. Jayne Lewis Jayne is the co-founder of Two Birds Brewing and started her career at the Little Creatures Brewery in Perth where she learnt to brew. Off the back of creating her iconic brewery, Jayne has also been an active member and judge of the Craft Beer I

This week in Beer is a Conversation we caught up with co-founder and Brand Director of Balter Brewing, Stirling Howland. In this chat we discuss the branding and marketing of Balter’s iconic packaging, and learn more about the brewery’s foundations that helped it to quickly grow into a successful icon. Stirling Howland started working with the Billabong surf brand when he was 14 years old. It was through Billabong that Stirling met and befriended local surfing legends and the other founders of Balter Brewing, Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Bede Durbidge and Josh Kerr. Stirling worked with Billabong for nearly two decades, progressing up through the ranks of retail and management before being asked to step into branding, marketing and online development roles. After being a massive influence in the business development and online presence of the international surf brand, Howland was naturally Fanning’s go to guy for the job when he wanted to start a brewery. Stirling is completely self taught in the areas of

On Radio Brews News podcast, the Brews News editorial team discuss the news for the week. This week: ACCC decision not to take action on tap contracts Australian Craft Brewers Conference 2017 HPA hop breeding Get in touch Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show.

This week in Beer is a Conversation we share a chat that Brews News editor James Atkinson had with Neil Witte of Craft Quality Solutions while he was in Washington DC at Brewers Association Conference back in April. Neil Witte is the founder of Craft Quality Solutions LLC, which is the very first of its kind to provide field quality services to craft brewers, distributors and retailers. Neil holds one of just thirteen Master Cicerone certifications currently awarded across the world, and has 16 years of experience running the field quality program at Boulevard Brewing Co/Duvel USA. Craft Quality Solutions provides breweries with a top-to-bottom report of what their beer looks like in their top accounts in any given market, along with a whole host of actionable solutions for whatever issues may be uncovered. Neil also provides in-depth training to breweries and distributors on any matter of quality-related topics, including draught system design and maintenance, draught line cleaning, sensory evaluation and

On Radio Brews News the Brews News editorial team discuss the news for the week. This week we discuss: Nine month Best Before dates “ridiculous” says Beer Professor Brick Lane unveils beers, all-star cast Lion denies XXXX brewery closing Indie brewers fight back in bitter row over beer brands' craft credentials BrewDog sets out ‘world domination’ plans We also introduce a new segment called Snark where we discuss different topics that have come up during the week. This we we discuss the growing use of the word booze to refer to craft beer. Matt cites this article from The Sun as a reason why it diminishes the brand value in beer. James weighs in with this excellent article from Max Allen. Get in touch Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Radio Brews News is presented by Cryer Malt - Supplying premium malt for 25 years.

This week in Beer is a Conversation Matt chats with the founder of Camden Town Brewery, Jasper Cuppaidge. Jasper is originally from Brisbane and found himself stranded in London during a round-the-world trip twenty-odd years ago. After taking up work in a pub in London and subsequently home brewing out of its basement, Jasper eventually acquired the venue before using it as leverage to assist with his dream brewery, Camden Town. Camden Town Brewery was bought by AB-InBev last year for a phenomenal £85m, with Jasper staying on and continuing to run the Camden Town Brewery, which this month launched its new production facility. Jasper caught up with Matt on his recent visit to the UK and discussed all things Camden Town, reflecting on how the brewery is able to maintain its integrity around the philosophical and political definitions of independence and ‘craft’. Interview recorded in London, 21 June 2017.

This week in Radio Brews News, Matt and Pete discuss all the beer news for the week ending 8 July. We discuss: Independence Day – the launch by the Independent Brewers Association of their Independent Brewing Industry National Economic Evaluation. Matt and James Atkinson also caught up with IBA Executive Officer, Chris McNamara. We discuss this quote from 4 Pines’ Jaron Mitchell: “I think it’s one of the stupidest things I’ve seen. There’s no industry on the planet that has benefited from artificial relief from a government. Essentially, it creates a vacuum for inefficient people who are wasting resources to get a $350,000 rebate. If you can’t run a brewing business based on fundamental economics, you shouldn’t be running a brewing business.” The Great Northern Hotel / Holgate kerfuffle. Should bottleshops limit the sale of single beers, and force drinkers to buy four packs? Drinkers get fresh with US brewers: American craft brewers have copped another hiding for their perceived lack of commitment to

This week in Beer is a Conversation we chat with the founder of Lost and Grounded Brewers in Bristol (UK) Alex Troncoso, who previously worked with Little Creatures and Camden Town Breweries.  Alex Troncoso Alex was previously Head Brewer at the Little Creatures Brewery in Freemantle WA and spent over eight years with the company before being offered the Brewing and Development Director role with Camden Town Brewery in London. Shortly before the sale of Camden Town was finalised with AB-InBev last year, Alex did some travelling and soul searching in the UK with his wife, Annie, and found themselves falling in love with Bristol. After struggling to feel quite at home in London, they relocated to Bristol and ventured into the the relatively untapped craft brewing industry, establishing Lost and Grounded Brewers in early 2015. Matt caught up with Alex on his recent visit to the UK and discussed all things Lost and Grounded, recalling his brewing journey through these hugely successful companies and what it

Pete Mitcham and James Atkinson welcome Matt Kirkegaard back from his trip and they discuss the UK beer scene plus the news of the week. In the news we discuss: The Brewers Association Independent Brewery logo An academic weighs in on the proposed tap contracts class action Craft beer buyouts The feedback to our chats with Adrian Walker in which he claimed that Firestone Walker would only be refrigerated in Dan Murphy's stores versus the reality that they aren't.  

This week in Beer is a Conversation we chat with 3 Ravens’ Head Brewer, Brendan O’Sullivan, with a bonus interview with Michael Corrigan of the New Belgium Brewing Company. In Radio Brews News, Pete Mitcham and Australian Brews News Editor James Atkinson catch up on the news of the week. Brendan O’Sullivan: Brendan first became interested home brewing to help him learn more about the beer making process while working in beer related roles around his university studies. Abandoning his engineering degree, Brendan worked through many aspects of the beer and hospitality industries before becoming a professional brewer in Perth six years ago. After relocating to Victoria, Brendan notably worked at Boneyard Brewing before taking a brewing role with 3 Ravens three years ago. Recently moving into the Head Brewer position in the past year, Brendan developed a range of sours including the Wild Ravens series of barrel-aged beers and the Mash “Wizz Fizz” Berliner Weisse series. Brendan caught up with Pete and James t

In Radio Brews News, Pete Mitcham and Australian Brews News Editor James Atkinson catch up on the news of the week.

This week in Beer is a Conversation we chat with Owen Johnston, Sales and Marketing Manager at Hop Products Australia and ex- Head Brewer of Moo Brew, about the 2017 Australian hop harvest.  Owen Johnston: Owen has been the of Sales and Marketing at HPA for the past four years, previously working as the Head Brewer for Moo Brew (Tasmania). Owen also spent some time as the Director of the the Craft Beer Industry Association (CBIA) prior to starting his role at HPA, now setting himself even further behind-the-scenes in the realms hop breeding, production and harvesting. Owen catches up with Pete and James to talk about the results of HPA’s 2017 Crop Report and what is means for Australian hops and the Aussie craft beer industry.

This week in Beer is a Conversation we chat with Owen Johnston, Sales and Marketing Manager at Hop Products Australia and ex- Head Brewer of Moo Brew, about the 2017 Australian hop harvest.  Owen Johnston: Owen has been the of Sales and Marketing at HPA for the past four years, previously working as the Head Brewer for Moo Brew (Tasmania). Owen also spent some time as the Director of the the Craft Beer Industry Association (CBIA) prior to starting his role at HPA, now setting himself even further behind-the-scenes in the realms hop breeding, production and harvesting. Owen catches up with Pete and James to talk about the results of HPA’s 2017 Crop Report and what is means for Australian hops and the Aussie craft beer industry.

This week is our first edition of splitting the podcast into two audio files for interviews and news. Part A yields our regular Radio Brews News news conversation between Matt Kirkegaard, Pete Mitcham and Australian Brews News Editor James Atkinson. Part B, entitled Beer Is A Conversation, showcases our chats with Andrew Ong of 2 Brothers Brewing Co, and Brendan Varis of Feral Brewing Co.   Andrew Ong: Andrew founded the 2 Brothers Brewery in Morrabin (VIC) with his brother Dave after they were able to acquire parts from a defunct brewery in Times Square in New York City. Marking the 10th Anniversary of 2 Brothers, Andrew discusses with us some of the finer details on how they established their brewery and keep their business going through the peaks and troughs of the craft beer industry. Brendan Varis: Brendan is the owner of Feral Brewing Company and was also the Head Judge of the Australian International Beer Awards this year. We talk to Brendan about how the AIBAs work and what the various award leve