Radio Brews News

This week we chat with Steve 'Hendo' Henderson, the brewer and personality behind 2016 Australian Champion Gypsy Brewer, BrewCult. We discuss BrewCult's soon-to-open bar, the importance of a consumer face for a brand, gypsy brewing and making vinegar.

This week we get our yeast on with Dr Jim Withee, Founder, CEO and Chief Scientist for GigaYeast. GigaYeast was founded in 2011 to isolate, culture and supply yeast to professional and home brewers. We chat with Jim about all things yeast, including what we can expect in terms of innovation in the yeast sector.

This week we catch up with beer tourism dynamo Dave Phillips, best known as founder of Dave's Brewery Tours.   We chat about getting into the beer industry and the future of beer tourism.

This week we catch up with Jon Seltin, head brewer at Melbourne's Hawkers Beer. We chat about all things Hawkers, including their recent win at the World Beer Challenge and what international awards mean here.

This week we catch up with Dr Simon Whittock, hop breeder at Hop Products Australia. Simon presented his research into the chemistry of hops and beer flavor at the recent Craft Beer Industry Association and we speak to Simon to learn a title more about his research into hops and HPA's continuing quest to understand hops and the flower they impart into beer. During the chat we refer to his research presentation at the reent Craft Brewers Conference. You can download that here.

This week we chat with Mark Hubbard from Blizzard Brewing to find out about establishing and running Australia's highest brewery. In the preramble Prof tells of his trial of the Hawthorn New World Pilsener, we discuss the International Beer Challenge results that were released the night before we recorded, we discuss crowdfunding, organic beer, and Queensland's new craft beer permits that may or may not assist craft brewers.

This week we chat with Stuart Whytcross from Voyager Craft Malt. It is a cracking chat about the birth of Voyager craft malt, the barley industry, the Barellan Beer Project and plenty more besides. In the pre-ramble we chat about the Broo stock market listing that would see it valued at more than $100 million dollars, Gage Roads' plans to buy back the farm from Woolworths, and also CUB's latest heritage brand play, with the re-release of Bulimba Gold Top.

This special edition of Radio Brews News features a discussion panel that took place back in May during Good Beer Week called Brewers and Growers. It features an expert panel of guests, including Rupanyup farmer and Grain Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann, Owen Johnston from Hop Products Australia and a great panel of brewers including Grant Wearin from Modus Operandi, Andrew Ong from 2 Brothers, Sean Simons from White Lakes Brewery and Brad Rogers from Stone & Wood. The panel looked at the issues facing both growers supplying the craft beer sector, and the ingredient needs of craft brewers. The panel was chaired by Katherine McLean from the Craft Beer Industry Association. It's a open discussion with plenty of forthright opinions from the panel and especially from the floor. Australian Brews News was honoured to get to present the discussion, and it is a great listen.

This week, and by popular demand, we catch up with John Preston from Melbourne's iconic homebrew store, Grain & Grape. John began brewing with his friend Laurie Cahir in 1987. They soon migrated to all-grain brewing and soon had plans of opening a brewery. Commonsense prevailed and they pooled funds to open Southern Home Brewing in Edithvale in August 1990, only the second Australian Home Brewing business specialising in all grain. Grain & Grape has supplied and nurtured an assortment of current professional brewers and John's history and  perspective is fascinating. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscr

This week we catch up with Modus Operandi Brewing's co-founder and CBIA Board member, Grand Wearin, to talk about some of the data he presented to the recent CBIA Craft Brewers Conference. Grant talks about what the survey says about the size of the Australian craft beer industry, how thenumbers were generated and also the importance of the survey to the industry. In the pre-ramble we discuss Pete's current health kick, Ari Mervis' departure from SAB Miller / CUB, the preference many venues appear to be showing for Lion's portfolio over CUB's and also Beer Cartel's recent survey results. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Downloa

This week we catch up with Matt Hogan from Hope Brewhouse in the Hunter Valley. Matt surprised the entire brewing community, and himself, when his brewery was named Champion Small Brewery at the recent Australian Craft Beer Awards. Then Pete catches up with Brendan Parnell and Scott Overdorf from Hobart Brewing Company. Hobart Brewing Company opened earlier this year and is adding to the Tasmania capital's vibrat beer culture. During the pre-ramble we mention Dr Brett Stubbs' new book Bygone Breweries of New South Wales: The Hunter River District published by Tankard books and available here.

This week we catch up with beer writer, brewer and now beer Forefather, Willie Simpson. Beer Forefather Willie Simpson[/caption] If you read about beer in the era before blogs, Willie was most likely the person whose words you read. Willie has been writing about beer since the late 80s and more recently been brewing it at his brewery, Seven Sheds, in Railton Tasmania. Willie joins us to talk about his recent collaboration with Stone & Wood for their Forefather series of beers, joining Phil Sexton in those ranks. Willie also gives us his thoughts on the current beer scene andall that went before. Willie's collaboration beer, inspired by Geoff Scharer's Burragorang Bock, is described as having a rich malt flavour that hints of chocolate and dark fruits, lagered for six weeks to make sure the finish is super smooth. In the pre-ramble, we discuss the Australian Craft Brewers Conference and the Craft Beer Awards, as well as Thunder Road's win in the Federal Court. In the post-ramble, Matt takes a potshot at Dan M

This week we catch up with Ben Waymouth, head brewer at Napoleone Brewers in the Yarra Valley. We discuss Ben's approach to brewing, his experience malting his own grains and the zen approach needed for eight-hour bottling runs. In the pre-ramble we discuss the growing log jam of beer and brewery names predominantly in the US, and reference a couple of stories out of the US... As Hop Puns Run Dry, Craft Beer Trademark Litigation Heats Up Inside the food fight over catchy craft beer names Time to Grow Up: Beer Branding’s Cleverness Deficiency We discuss draught beer on tap in planes but recorded before Men's Journal's takedown of the idea with more information. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio Brews News is hosted b

This week we catch up with Beth Brash from the Wellington Culinary Culinary Trust to find out all about Beervana 2016. We also chat with Peter Willis from Hawthorn Brewing, which has just signed an export deal to send beer to China. Finally, in our first Ten Minutes With, one of our Patrons gets to ask his own questions of Stone & Wood's Brad Rogers. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below. Special thanks to.... Executive Producers Craft Beer Industry Association Steven Cottee Beerco Mathew O'Keefe Producers Dan Summers Kris Domagala

This week we catch up with Tina Panoutsos, Sensory & Consumer Preference Manager at Carlton & United Breweries. In a fascinating chat we learn about the science of taste and how we can become better tasters and Tina discusses the art of judging beer and developing your palate. In the pre-ramble, Matt talks about the new homebrew equipment from Coopers, the Brewart system, and is pretty impressed. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Special thanks to.... Executive ProducersCraft Beer Industry AssociationGet HoppedBeerco ProducersDan Summers Kris Domagala

This week we catch up with Australian International Beer Awards Head Judge and Head Brewer at Little Creature Geelong, Warren Pawsey. We discuss the process for judging at the AIBA, the nature of beer styles and the pressures driving their evolution, what an AIBA medal means and how some beers without the cachet that others enjoy in the market can do better in the awards. We also discuss Warren's journey as a brewer, the expansion going on at Little Creatures Geelong and also ask why they have dumbed down Little Creatures Pale Ale. In the pre-ramble we discuss the following: Pete's article Is beer quality enough to ensure a healthy industry? Which referencess this excellent piece on Beer Simple. We discuss the use of the word "boutique" as it applies to beer from small breweries. And also the new Soda Stream beer maker. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, deve

This we meet Sam Reid, one of the founders of Willie Smith's Cider from Tasmania. Sam talks about the importance of local business to regional areas, cider making and what makes quality cider and Morris dancing. More reading about cider and concentrates. In the show's pre-ramble week Pete makes a huge reveal that leaves Matt speechless but gets the corks popping and Matt takes over the editing duties in Lachie's absence. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further and maybe even make a buck or two, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below. Executive Producer Paul Pacey Producers Dan Summers Kris Domagala [adrotate banner="12"]  

[caption id="attachment_27777" align="alignright" width="300"] Justin Joiner and Ashur Hall (Courtesy The Crafty Pint)[/caption] This week we run two interviews. Firstly we catch up with Justin Joyner and Ashur Hall from the soon-to-open Stomping Ground Brewing Co. Stomping Ground is a new project from the team behind The Local Taphouse and GABS, and we hear from Justin and Ashur the brewery's philiospohy and approach to its beers. Then we chat with Andrew Hunter the man behind Streamline Beverages, and inventor of the OP TIK beverage dispensing tower. We speak with Andrew about the thinking behing these beer fonts that showcase the colour of the beer being poured. [caption id="attachment_27779" align="alignright" width="300"] The OP TIK dispensing system[/caption] Producer Lachie also has some fun in the edits. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further a

This we we play the last of our Good Beer Week Q&A sessions, this time with Feral Brewing's Brendan Varis. We lured Brendan along to talk about science in the brewhouse but used the opportunity to also gauge his thoughts on the state of the craft beer industry in 2016, the history of Feral, current brewery takeovers and we also ask Brendan who has come calling uppon Feral and how much they were offering. This episode was recorded live at the Cryer Malt Trade Lounge, at the Good Beer Week Festival Hub, Beer Deluxe Federation Square. We thank Hawkers Beer and Pirate Life which provided beer for the audience. Send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Also, if you like the show and you want to help us to help keep it going, develop it further and maybe even make a buck or two, you can become a site patron. Head on over to our Patreon page and sponsor the show to the tune of $5 or $10 per month. Radio  Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pe

This week we share the second discussion panel from the Q&A panels that Radio Brews News hosted during Good Beer Week. This panel looked at the thorny issue of draught beer quality...what is it, how is it managed, whose responsibility it is and how venue practice affect  it. We were very lucky to have an amazing panel of experts available to discuss the topic, consisting of: Ed Bodey, Draught Beer Specialist at Stone & Wood Brad Murray, General Manager Micro-Matic Australia Darren Arrowsmith, National Manager, Brewery Fresh Team, CUB Tony Feehan, Draught Beer Operations Manager, Lancer Beverages Corey Crooks, Publican, The Grain Store Newcastle This episode was recorded live at the Cryer Malt Trade Lounge, at the Good Beer Week Festival Hub, Beer Deluxe Federation Square. We thank Hawkers Beer and Pirate Life which provided beer for the audience. 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 hosted by Matt Kirkegaard a