Radio Brews News

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

This week we chat with Firestone Walker’s Export Director, Adrian Walker. The Firestone Walker brewery is nestled the central valley of California and was established 21 years ago by Adrian’s brother, David Walker, and his business partner Adam Firestone. Adrian Walker Adrian initially moved to California from the UK to sell beer from the newly established Firestone Walker brewing company. Although this role wasn’t an entirely successful fit for Adrian, he later rejoined the company as head of international export and travels independently across the globe to develop, maintain and grow distribution and export relationships for the Firestone Walker company.

This week we reflect on our time at Good Beer Week and share our panel discussion from the Cryer Malt Trade Hub, where we discussed the future of craft beer with some industry heavyweights. Our panel includes Sierra Nevada founder, Ken Grossman, Craft Beer Industry Association chair Peta Fielding, Epic Beer founder Luke Nicholas and The Crafty Pint, James Smith. Special thanks to Phoenix Beers for making Ken Grossman available for the panel and providing Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for the audience, as well as CUB for providing Goose Island Midway IPA. This episode was taped in front of a live studio audience.  

This week we caught up with Fuller’s Head Brewer and Director, John Keeling. John reflects on his time at Fuller’s and how he’s helped shaped the historical brewery to maintain its stark reputation and keep their beers relevant in the modern era of craft and specialty brewing. John also talks about his special release beers and upcoming projects with Sierra Nevada.  John Keeling: John has been working with Fuller’s in Chiswick, England for 36 years, taking over the brewing director role in 1999. He was initially thrust into brewing when his mother made him get a job when he left school, and much to his luck, she pushed him into working at the local brewery. Primarily known for its ales and traditional English styled beers, Fuller’s has brought to the the table a whole range of special and seasonal releases, as well as some very high calibre collaborations with international breweries, much of which has been under John’s direction. John is set to retire next year after a 38 year legacy at the historic bre

This week we caught up with Holgate Brewhouse’s CEO and founder, Paul Holgate. Paul and his wife, Natasha, have recently been asked by the University of Melbourne to assist with a course on the ins and outs of craft beer. Paul also discusses the history of Holgate, giving insight into all the hard work needed  for organic growth and what got their brewery to expansion point. Paul Holgate: Since 1999, the Paul and Natasha Holgate inspired family brewing company has been producing authentic craft beer from the village of Woodend, 75km north of Melbourne in the rural Macedon Ranges. Paul has a degree in chemistry and has had a keen interest in been since his university days, stating that a visit to the United States in 1997 was inspiration for him to build a brewery and brewpub in his home region.

This week we caught up with Burleigh Brewing Co.’s CEO, co-founder and Director, Peta Fielding. Burleigh Brewing Co. celebrated its 10th birthday last year and has recently undergone yet another expansion to meet with growing demand for their brews! Pete Fielding: Peta started her career as a corporate lawyer before moving to Hawaii to study a MBA. While in Hawaii, Peta met professional brewer and future husband, Brennan. Peta and Brennan later returned to Queensland to start their own brewery, seeing a need in the market for quality, local craft beer. In addition to all of her roles at Burleigh Brewing Co., Peta is also the Chair and Regional Craft Brewing Representative of the Craft Beer Industry Association and has recently been appointed as a Board Member for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.  

In Episode 121 Brews News editor James Atkinson caught up with Ray Daniels founder of the Cicerone Program. In the discussion afterwards Matt and Pete had a very brief chat about the program that received some feedback questioning whether we thought Cicerone training was a good thing. In this bonus edition we catch up with James, kind of clarify the comments and discuss James' experience in the Cicerone program and his recent visit to the US.

This week we caught up with the Brewers Association’s Chief Economist, Bart Watson, to discuss the state of the craft beer industry in the United States and what we can expect from the economy looking forward. Is there a beer market “bubble”...? Bart shares with us some interesting statistics! Bart Watson: Bart is in charge of the Brewers Association’s statistical resources, including production surveys, economic analysis, and market research. In addition to providing industry data for members, his responsibilities include interacting with the media on economic and statistical issues. Bart has a PhD in Political Science, and was a professor in the subject prior to working with the BA. Bart has a deep love for good beer and is an expert in beer industry statistics, the economics of craft beer and, of course, the craft beer market.

his week Australian Brews News Editor James Atkinson reports from the Craft Brewers Conference in the United States. James caught up with beer heavyweights Randy Mosher and Ray Daniels.  Both Mosher and Daniels reflect on the state of beer and the industry, and weigh in on what we might expect in the near future from the craft beer industry. Randy Mosher Randy Mosher: A master of brewing science, Randy Mosher applies his restless curiosity and creative energy toward the art of brewing. As a veteran and award-winning brewer, Randy knows the rules of brewing and when to break them. He is the author of such works as The Brewers Companion, Tasting Beer and Beer For All Seasons, and is a frequent lecturer on beer across the world. Ray Daniels: Ray Daniels Ray Daniels is the founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program—the standard for beer sommeliers—and a member of the Senior Faculty of the Siebel Institute of Technology, America’s oldest brewing school. Ray has worked on more than tw

This week we speak with brewer Simon Pesch from Hong Kong Craft Beer Co. We speak with Simon because we received a media release about a new beer that Cathay Pacific has launched, "a scientifically crafted beer to be enjoyed at 35,000ft". We wanted to investigate the science behind the beer, but it was also a great chance to find out a little more about the craft beer scene in Hong Kong. Before relocating to Hong Kong, Simon was brewmaster for Pyramid Breweries in Berkeley, California, where he developed recipes and oversaw production on a 125-barrel brewhouse. Simon has been brewing beer for over 25 years.

This week we catch up with Michael 'MC' Cameron, founder of Pirate Life Brewing. Pirate Life has just celebrated its second birthday and continues to kick goals on the national beer market. We chat to Michael about the brewery's approach, why packaged beer is 80 per cent of their sales, why they are focusing on the regions, outgrowing their first brewery and their plans to expand and plenty more about the state of the market. Michael Cameron & Pirate Life: Hospitality and beer veteran Michael Cameron took on the role of CEO at Pirate Life Brewery after it was established by his son, Jack Cameron, and his friend Red (Jared) Proudfoot. The pair met in Aberdeenshire while they were working as brewers for BrewDog before deciding to return to back to Australia to start their own brewery. Michael soon took the reins of the business operations to raise finances and gain traction for Pirate Life’s now infamous brews.

This week we caught up with the founder of Cryermalt, David Cryer, as he celebrates 25 years of malt trading. As our first time chatting with David on Radio Brews News, he shares with us his history and experiences, and reflects on his 25 years with Cryer Malt while giving us an exciting look forward with things to come. David Cryer formed Cryermalt in the very early days of the craft beer scene in New Zealand, when microbreweries such as Emerson’s and Harringtons were just starting out. Recognising the limited selection of malts available in NZ at the time, David endeavoured to supply new breweries with a range of high quality specialty malts. Cryermalt has supported the burgeoning brewing sector ever since, with warehouses throughout New Zealand and Australia to supply our demand for quality and special brews.

In Episode 117 we talk with Select Botanicals Group CEO and fourth generation hop farmer and breeder, Jason Perrault. Based in the Yakima Valley in Washington, USA, Jason is paying a visit the lands down under for the annual hop harvest.

In our soft return for 2017, Radio Brews News plays an interview with Chuck Hahn recorded earlier this year, before today's announcement that Lion will be withdrawing from the Craft Beer Industry Association. Though it was recorded before the announcement, Chuck speak about his feelings about the move to oust the large brewers from the Association as well as a range of other topics, including the then independent Matilda Bay's attempts to buy Hahn Brewing in the late 1980s.

This week we have a beer with ad man Michael Bannenberg. Banners, as he is better known, joined the then George Patterson advertising agency in 1980 and worked on many of the classic beer advertisements of the last three decades. He is also an active member of the Victorian Beer Label Collectors Society, collector of brewery artwork and imagery and amateur brewery historian with a wealth of knowledge about the history of Australian breweries. Banners is also co-author of the excellent book, The Brewery, a tribute to Melbourne's Carlton Brewery between 1858 to 1907, and author of Grab a Coldie, a celebration of the beer culture of the 1980s. This episode was recorded in the beer garden at The Palace Hotel in Melbourne. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show.

This week we catch up with one of the founders of Stone & Wood, Jamie Cook. In a very wide-ranging conversation, we hear about Stone & Wood's year of growth, how they are managing the brewery's growth both from a production and organisational culture perspective, their successes during 2016, decision to appeal the court loss against Thunder Road. We also have a fascinating chat about the state of the market including some keen insights into where the beer market is, where it is heading and the opportunities this provides to small brewers. Among the insights offered are Jamie's views that while conscious consumers provide great opportunities for small independent brewers, there are four challenges in the market, being clutter, price compression, quality and big dollar and we discuss these at length, including the critical question of value equation in a tight market. A fascinating discussion.

This week we catch up with beer writer, blogger and podcaster Luke Robertson. Luke, 2015 Australian Beer Writer of the Year, recently posted his predictions for the Australian beer industry in 2017.  Luke unpacks these prognistications, while we also discuss lagers, beards, hipsters and Billy Joel. You can, and should, follow Luke's writing here and hear him here.

This week we catch up with Burleigh Brewing CEO, Peta Fielding, though in her role as chair of the Craft Beer Industry Association. The Craft Beer Industry Association (CBIA) has started collecting data for the 2016 Craft Beer Industry Survey and we talk with Peta about the importance of the survey, the way the data will be used and discuss the reasons a a relatively poor response rate in previous surveys and the problems that causes the entire industry.  

This week we chat with Ben Nichols, one of the co-founders of leading Brisbane beer bar The Scratch. Prior to opening The Scratch, none of the founders had significant hospitality experience and yet have created a succcesssful and popular beer bar. We discuss with Ben his approach to the bar, the many mistakes he says he has made along the way and what he has learned. We also hear of his plans for a new bar, Netherworld, opening in January 2017 and how he will adapt it based on what he learned at The Scratch.

This week we catch up witn two guests, Ben Kraus from Bridge Road Brewers and also Chris Thomas from Club Brewing Co. Ben is well known to beer lovers and Radio Brews News listeners, but this week we chat with him about his new Mayday Hills range of 100 per cent Brettanomyces-fermented beers produced using his new foeder. We also speak with Chris Thomas about Club Brewing Co about the new business that sees Gypsy Brewing, Beer of the Month clubs and collaboration brewing combine. The company has recently brewed its first beer with Mitch Steel, Stone Brewing's former brewmaster at Stone Brewing.