Radio Brews News

This week we have our panel discussion recording this week at Good Beer Week looking at the issue of tap contracts. As part of the Cryer Malt Brewers Lounge at the Beer Deluxe Trade Hub in Melbourne, Radio Brews News hosted a number of discussion panels looking at hot topics in the brewing industry. This panel looked at the issue of supply agreements between brewers and venues and whether they are mutually beneficial arrangements or denying commnsumers choice. Our expert panel included: Mark Goulmy, General Manager of Coopers Premium Beverages Michael Conrad, Newstead Brewing Mazen Hajar, Hawkers Brewery Derek Cowes, Beer Buyer, Beer Deluxe Fed Square. It was a great chat looking with some very forthright views expressed. Thanks to all of the panellists, and to Beer Deluxe and Cryer Malt for hosting the event, as well as to Good Beer Week. 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 and Pete Mitc

This week we catch up with Jeremy Halse, Head Brewer at Lion's White Rabbit Brewery in Geelong. We talk about Jeremy's long history in brewing, the approach of White Rabbit Brewery and discuss the new Red Ale. We discuss whether there are some styles that just don't fit with the idea of 'entry level' and whether you can make a Flanders Red Ale approachable. You can read the media release about the White Rabbit Red Ale here. In the pre-ramble, Pete and Matt discuss the World Beer Cup and just how US-centric it is, including discussing the percentages. You can click the image to download the full analysis of entries and results.

This week we catch up with Scott Vincent, Beverage Innovation Manager at CUB, and also fills  the role of Head Brewer at Matilda Bay. We chat about Matilda Bay's move to Cascade, why you can't find Red Back anywhere and the brand's future, Scott hints at some new products in the spirits, and McCracken's Ale, amongst many other topics. In the pre-ramble, we Matt & Pete discuss Good Beer Week, hype and belly buttons, White Rabbit Red Ale ahead of our chat with brewer Jeremy Halse next week. Matt also mentions the site We Want Plates that is worth checking out to see some text book definitions of food fads jumping the shark. Don't forget you can join Prof and Matt live in Melbourne as we discuss some of the big issues in beer, such as tap contracts and draught beer quality, during the Brews News Q&A at the Cryer Malt Trade Hub on 18th May. You can find more details and book here. Don't forget to send us your feedback, or leave a voice mail by calling (07) 3040 1508, that we'll play on our next show. Radio Brews

This week we catch up with Siobhan Kerin, Program Manager at Good Beer Week. Siobhan has had along journey in beer, starting as a colleague of Pete Mitcham's at a restaurant called Keg almost 20 years ago. We talk about her journey through beer, then changes in the market over the last 20 years and, of course, plenty about this year's Good Beer Week and the plans for the future. Don't forget that the Good Beer Week program is now available and tickets are on sale. Australian Brews News are proud media partners of the event and present the Beer Geek stream of the program. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh.

This we we catch up with James Smith, better known to craft beer drinkers as the Crafty Pint. We learn about his plans for world domination, or at least the ever expanding reach of his awesome Australian craft beer resource and his lack of interest in selling out to News Corp. Don't forget that the Good Beer Week program is now available and tickets are on sale. Australian Brews News are proud media partners of the event and present the Beer Geek stream of the program. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week are joined by lawyer-turned brewer, Andrew Childs, of New Zealand's Behemoth Brewing - soon to be released as Chur Brewing in Australia for trade mark reasons. Andrew talks about his background and entry into brewing, his beers and also gives us an update on his progress since being burned in a serious brewing accident last year. During the intro we discuss the demise of Cascade's First Harvest and reference this article on its origins. We also discuss these two articles about CUB's release of the 'heritage' beer, McCrackens Amber Ale. Don't forget that the Good Beer Week program is now available and tickets are on sale. Australian Brews News are proud media partners of the event and present the Beer Geek stream of the program. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week we play a chat Matt had with Sandy Ross from Hopco at the recent Institute of Brewing and Distilling Conferece in Sydney. Sandy grew up in and around Tasmania's hop fields but left the industry until 1999 when he joined his father John at Hopco. He is now Managing Director. We chat about the evolution of the hip business in the country and whether hops are here to stay. Don't forget that the Good Beer Week program is now available and tickets are on sale. Australian Brews News are proud media partners of the event and present the Beer Geek stream of the program. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week Pete and Matt have a beer - actually have a beer this time - with beer writer Pete Brown. Pete was in Australia researching Australian hops for his upcoming book What Are You Drinking? and in a very wide-ranging and free-flowing conversation we chat about three current books from Pete, where he think beer is beer headed, pub culture and even cider gets a look in. Pete is one of the world's great beer communicators and this is a cracking chat. Don't forget that the Good Beer Week program is now available and tickets are on sale. Australian Brews News are proud media partners of the event and present the Beer Geek stream of the program. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week we have a very special episode recorded featuring Professor Charlie Bamforth recorded live in Sydney. As always with Charlie, it's a free-ranging, frank and informative conversation about the beauty of beer and the art and science of making it. We were honoured to have the chance to once again speak with Charlie, and have a beer with him. This episode was made possible thanks to the support of Beer Deluxe Kings Wharf which hosted the event, and 4 Pines Brewery for ensuring that all guests were well refreshed. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week we catch up with the brewing team behind Watts River Brewing, Ben Hamilton and Aaron Malmborg. Aaron and Ben are currently cuckoo brewing but have plans to build a brewery in Healesville, after their former employer, White Rabbit Brewery, moved to Geelong. We learn about their homebrewing origins, what they learned in the various breweries in which they have worked and what inspires their brewing. Radio Brews News is hosted by Matt Kirkegaard and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week we catch up with Ben Kraus, who with his partner Maria, owns Bridge Road Brewers. Ben recently unveiled his own authenticity campaign featuring symbols celebrating his beer as being "brewed in-house", "Independently family owned" and "authentic". We chat with Ben about the concerns driving this move and what it means for the craft industry. Don't forget,  tickets are on sale for our Podcast in the Pub with Charlie Bamforth in Sydney on Sunday 13th March. If you like the podcast, join us for a beer and a great chat with one of our all-time favourite guests. Details and links below. Tickets are selling strongly. Don't misss out.  Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

 This week is all about chatting with people who are getting good beer to the people in a variety of ways. First we speak with Andrew Sydes (Catchment Brewing Company) and Declan Law (Hoo Ha Bar), two members of the volunteer team of beer lovers behind Brewsvegas. Brewsvegas is Brisbane's bar-led beer festival that will take over the city's taps between March 11-20. Andrew and Declan talk about the spirit of Brewsvegas and some of the 87 events to look forward to in the third iteration of the event. You can download the Brewsvegas program here. [caption id="attachment_26394" align="alignright" width="175"] We then chat with Emily Day, the dynamo behind the free beer magazine Froth. Emily tells the story behind Froth, being a woman in the beer industry and how sometimes the publisher of a beer magazine just wants a glass of soda water. Don't forget,  tickets are on sale for our Podcast in the Pub with Charlie Bamforth in Sydney on Sunday 13th March. If you like the podcast, join us for a beer and a great chat

This week we catch up with Dereck Hales of Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. Dereck is just one of the members of the Local Taphouse's Alestars who has gone Pro as a brewer with his partner Diti. We have a great chat with Dereck about his brewery, plans and the future of beer in Australia. You can visit the brew bar: Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. 386 Reserve Road, Cheltenham, Victoria, 3192 Hours: Wednesday/Thursday  Midday - 11pm Friday/Saturday Midday - Midnight Sunday Midday - 8pm We talked about and recommended: Good Beer Week Gala Showcase Craft Brewers Stream at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Asia Pacific Conference - Sydney, March 14/15. Finally, tickets are on sale for our Podcast in the Pub with Charlie Bamforth in Sydney on Sunday 13th March. If you like the podcast, join us for a beer and a great chat with one of our all-time favourite guests. More information. Don't forget to 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 ho

This week we catch up with homebrewer and author Peter Symons and discuss historical Australian beers. Peter has self-published a book, Bronzed Brews: Home Brewing Old Australian Beers. The book came about as a result of research Peter did for Jamil Zainasheff on the Brewing with Style show, which spawned a four year research project into Australian brewing generally. It's is a fascinating and well-researched look into Australia's unique brewing history. You can purchase the book via Lulu. ] Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh.        

This week we catch up with Chris Sheehan, head brewer for Lion's Malt Shovel Brewery. We teed up the interview in the wake of the furore over the placing of a number of the James Squire beers in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers, including 150 Lashes at number 5. Here's your chance to hear what Chris has to say about the beers and his approach to brewing and see if it influences your view. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.    

This week's episode is a reply of our live countdown of the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2015, recorded on Australia Day 2016. The recording quality isn't great as we picked up some refrigeration compressor noise as we recorded at Brisbane's Green Beacon Brewery, but the conversation was excellent. Matt is joined by Australian Brews News editor James Atkinson and we cross to Pete Mitcham at The Local Taphouse, St Kilda. During the long show we speak with Michael Cameron from Pirate Life, Corey Crooks from The Grain Store, Jaron Mitchell from 4 Pines, Brendan Varis from Feral Brewing and Ross Jurisich from Stone & Wood. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.

Welcome back to Radio Brews News for 2016. We kick off the year with one of our favourite guests, Professor Charlie Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis. Charlie is one of the foremost experts on brewing science, and a passionate advocate for beer. All beer. Our chats are always wonderful. In this chat we discuss what 'craft' and 'traditional' means when applied to beer and if they really mean anything in the finished product. We can't recommend Charlie's book, Beer Is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing highly enough. In a separate but related interview we chat with Nigel Metz from Esperance's new Lucky Bay Brewery which has amongst its offerings a beer made with 85% unmalted barley. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe

This week we catch up with Tom Delmont, the face of Fixation Brewing Co, Stone & Wood's specialty IPA brand. Tom has long been a fixture on the Melbourne beer scene, leaving a career as an etymologist to become Mountain Goat's first Road Goat. he is a passionate advocate for more hops and IPAs. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.  

This week Matt and Pete head to Melbourne's Temple Brewing to catch up with happenings there. We sit down with new owner Nick Pang, head brewer Glenn Harrison, and national sales manager Mark Waghorne and chat about all things Temple, including how Nick came to own the brewery, how Mark came to Temple from Mountain Goat and how Glenn came to brew a cracking pilsner, amongst other things. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.

This week we catch up with Steve Jeffares of Local Taphouse, GABS and the annual Hottest 100 craft beer poll. Voting opens for the much debated, always interesting Hottest 100 craft beer countdown on December 14 and we wanted to chat with Steve about what's in store this year, both for the polling and for the countdown. Steve also surprises us with the announcement, since made public, that GABS is going to Auckland in 2016. We also take a call from Owen Johnston from Hop Products Australia to clear up some confusion from Episode 70 inw hci our guest suggested that Galaxy Hops were a genetically modified hop strain. OJ assures us that they're not. Don't forget to 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 and Pete Mitcham and is produced by Lachie Mackintosh. Download the audio or subscribe below.