Radio Brews News

This conversation is a very deep dive into the industry and the stories behind it as we chat with Doug Donelan, who recently retired from his role as CEO at New Zealand Hops. After a varied career, that included falling in love with home brew, Doug got his start as an apprentice brewer under Chuck Hahn at the original Hahn Brewery in 1990. He saw the triumphs and the challenges that saw the business eventually go into receivership before being purchased by Tooheys. Deciding to stay on Doug worked in product development roles before being tapped on the shoulder to re-join Chuck as he launched what we now know as the James Squire brand at the Malt Shovel Brewery. He worked there in the early days of Australia’s craft brewery renaissance before spending the last 13 years as head of New Zealand hops. In a similar vein to our chats with Jamie Cook and Phil Sexton, this is a wide ranging chat the looks at the modern evolution of beer and the rise of craft brewing, as well as the development of the New Zealand h