Beer & Brewer Summer 55 2020-2021-Teaser

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THE AWARDS ISSUE

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E R U T L U C

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BEERS & CIDERS

REVIEWED WWW.BEERANDBREWER.COM

PLUS! IPAS: THE RISE & RISE | BEER AS A CAREER | 5 DIY RECIPES

CONTENTS

Summer 2020/21 FEATURES 12 India Pale Ales 20 2020 Beer & Brewer Awards 32 Logistics & distribution 36 HPA’s Eclipse®

48 Jake’s Brew Log 50 Extract brewing 52 Andrew Childs recipe 53 Coopers recipe

38 The Summer of seltzers 54 Making brewing a career

REGULARS 6

Gift ideas

8

Epiphany beers

10 Behind the beer 18 Style shoot 30 A pint with 58 Food matching 62 Tasting Notes 80 Competition 82 Directory

HOMEBREWER 44 Welcome 45 Letters to the Editor 46 Q&A with John Palmer

4 www.beerandbrewer.com

30

8 “We weren’t the first young Aussies to attempt to drink the beers of Belgium as if we were downing the lagers of back home,” – Ben Kraus, Bridge Road

38

EDITOR’S LETTER

In this, the wackiest of years, it shouldn’t surprise that two of the things most significant to the local beer and brewing industry were, ahem, low or no alcohol beers and brewed hard seltzers. I know, my brain exploded at the thought multiple times.

WE ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au

But as they kept landing on my desk from craft breweries, all echoing the same claims they were filling a rapidly emerging lifestyle drinks niche, scepticism shifted to acceptance as the facts stacked up.

PUBLISHED BY Food and Beverage Media 41 Bridge Road GLEBE NSW Australia 2037 Tel: 02 9660 2113 Fax: 02 9660 4419 PUBLISHER Paul Wootton | pwootton@intermedia.com.au EDITOR Gifford Lee | gifford@beerandbrewer.com HOMEBREWER EDITOR Jake Brandish | jake@beerandbrewer.com NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Craig Manning | CManning@intermedia.com.au Tel: 02 8586 6123 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ryan Vizcarra |ryanv@intermedia.com.au PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper | jacqui@intermedia.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: 1800 651 422 | Fax: +61 2 8580 6312 subscribe@beerandbrewer.com | www.shop.beerandbrewer.com Mail: PO Box 55 Glebe NSW 2037 SUBSCRIPTION RATE Australia $79.95 3 years (12 issues) savings $39.41 (33%) $54.99 2 years (8 issues) saving $24.61 (31%) $29.99 1 year (4 issues) saving $9.81 (25%) New Zealand $88.99 3 years (12 issues) saving $30.41 (25%) $60.99 2 years (8 issues) saving $18.61 (23%) $32.99 1 year (4 issues) saving $6.81 (17%) International $132.99 3 years (12 issues) $89.99 2 years (8 issues) $47.99 1 year (4 issues) Rate in AUD and incl. 10% GST for Australia, excluding GST for NZ and International PRINTING Webstar Sydney DISTRIBUTION Network Services (Aus) & NetLink (NZ), D&D Mailing, Dan Murphy’s, imakes, The Beverage Food Group (VIC) ISSN 1834 5115

Not long after a national bottle shop chain claimed both categories were their fastest growing, two things happened in quick succession that made me sit up and take closer notice (the fact they often tasted pretty good helped as well!).

Firstly, I sat at a window seat of a restaurant early one night and in between mouthfuls I watched individuals and groups come and go from the bottle shop across the street. To my surprise, one of the most common products they left with were hard seltzers.

Then, on a Friday afternoon, I had tradies at my property doing electrical work and thinking I might shave a few dollars off the bill I offered them a selection of beers each to enjoy over the coming long weekend. ‘Na mate, don’t drink’. ‘Ok’ I say, ‘what about these zero alcohol craft beers instead then? ‘Sure, love some. Thanks mate’.

Tradies, supposedly one of the last bastions of blokeship, turning down beers on the eve of a long weekend holiday – what was the world coming to? It was fast becoming one where some people either didn’t want the negative after-effects of alcohol or, especially so in a seltzer’s case, didn’t want the associated calories and carbohydrates.

Whilst they aren’t likely to be your average craft drinker’s new fare, they will attract new people to what the craft brewing industry has to offer – and that is handmade, curated brews that easily rival their big name international counterparts. For that reason I see both low and no alcohol beers and crafted, brewed hard seltzers as another integral part of the varied beer and brewing landscape and hence why we’re taking a good look at both of them in different sections of this issue.

It’s also our Awards Issue where we celebrate the industry following its toughest of years and such is the rise and rise of the IPA our tasting section (from page 62), that focusses on the style in all its guises, features the most reviews we’ve ever published in one edition by a long shot.

Happy reading!

Cheers, Gifford Lee Editor, Beer & Brewer Magazine gifford@beerandbrewer.com @beerandbrewer

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SUMMER 2020/21 3

IPAs

Hopping through history THE IPA IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BEER STYLES IN THE WORLD. ITS HISTORY IS LONG AND FULL OF INNOVATION, DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION. IN 2020 THAT TREND HAS CONTINUED WHILE MUCH HAS CHANGED ABOUT THIS POLARISING, HOP-DRIVEN ALE. BY JONO OUTRED

W

e’ve all heard the romantic fable about how the IPA came to be: British ships transporting barrels of ale generously bolstered

with herbaceous hops that are preservative in nature, ensuring the malty beverage endures the lengthy sea voyage. The truth about that origin story is now often bought into question, but either way, IPAs have a long and celebrated history in the beer world, growing into one of the most popular beer styles globally. The last 40 or so years of that history is possibly the most compelling, however, beginning in San Francisco in the early 1970s and continuing today with a range of sub-styles that span from the conservative to the downright outrageous.

12 www.beerandbrewer.com

IPAs

The IPA hasn’t just endured a shift in style in

But, whether it is West Coast IPAs or lactose-laden

that pivotal phase, but its very definition has

Milkshake IPAs, brewing techniques generally dictate

evolved entirely, with that familiar acronym now

those subtle, or drastic, nuances within the range of

encapsulating its own world, driven by variety and

styles frequently being brewed. Brewers now excel at

a steady evolution. In the current climate, brewers

manipulating their beers to achieve specific flavour

are forced to keep up with an ever-changing demand

and aroma profiles that consumers desire. Gone are

for what’s hot, while trying to develop products

the days of adding as many hop pellets as possible to

with a point of difference, battling to stand out in a

the kettle, with many current styles even omitting

saturated market.

bitterness altogether. From water chemistry to biotransforming hops during fermentation, the simple

GOING THROUGH CHANGES

equation of ‘add more hops, get more flavour’ is

In 2020, consumers have been witness to an

entirely debunked in 2020.

onslaught of stylistic variety within the IPA bracket,

Brewers now have more knowledge than ever

a trend that has been steadily growing within the

before, and that knowledge is critical when brewing

past five to 10 years. Some styles have been long

IPAs. Previously overlooked, minute components

lived and much loved – like the NEIPA, West Coast

of the brewing process are now tirelessly fussed

IPA and mid-strength IPA – while other variants

over, with the aim of perfecting popular styles, or

missed their stop on the hype train altogether and

risk bombing in a market where many seek instant

disappeared as quickly as they emerged. Does anyone

gratification through hastily reviewing beers on

remember the Brut IPA? And, although some variants

social media platforms. Of course, these sentiments

aren’t so prevalent anymore, they once dominated

are true of all styles today, but hop-driven beers

the category, and occasionally still pique our interest

seem to be more vulnerable to criticism and

today, like the Black IPA and the White IPA.

potential failure.

Food Pairing With both variety and popularity growing, IPAs have become a strong favourite for those who like to creatively match their food with a suitable beverage.

The idea that wine is the ultimate companion for food has slowly started to shift, with drinkers and diners searching for more curated pairings that range from non-alcoholics to straight spirits and other clever fermented tinctures.

The scope of the IPA style allows for an equally broad spectrum of potential food pairings in the modern dining landscape. Old favourites, like high bitterness paired with spicy Asian cooking, still prove popular and well explored. More progressive and creative thinkers however look to exploit some styles for reasons beyond IBUs. Sweet milkshake IPAs for example, can almost be a dessert on their own, but can work particularly well with acidic, fruit driven dishes, while lower IBU, lower alcohol NEIPAs can be a suitable choice to begin a meal, with the risk of fatiguing the palate from bitterness and astringency eliminated.

SUMMER 2020/21 13

BEER & BREWER AWARDS

BEST NEW BREWERY

Mountain Culture Beer Co Awards are perennially fickle things, with opinions often mixed depending on state lines and the like. But this award was never in doubt as the nominations started trickling in, with Mountain Culture the clear cut vote from almost the entire panel.

Opened by former Oskar Blues and Modus Operandi brewer DJ McCready and his wife Harriet in the NSW town of Katoomba in October 2019, Mountain Culture’s rise in popularity in the proceeding period has been almost as majestic as the Blue Mountains that surround them. Their core range beers as well as their constant stream of limited releases have been the talk of both the town and social media throughout the year, especially so in the second half, as they matched technical ability with drinkability and not to forget

like ‘maybe we want to do it in a place that we

capturing the zeitgeist of beer in 2020 on a

love and that we’re connected to?’,” DJ said.

regular basis.

While most new ventures in the area want

“I remember Harriet and I having the

Not long after Mountain Culture opened their doors in the old Civic Video store on Parke St, the Sydney Summer of 2019/20

conversation and we said ‘look, we could

was marked, like many other parts of the

to set up within or near the magic miles

open up in Alexandria and we’ll probably

country, by some of the worst bush fires

of Sydney’s brewery-laden inner west, DJ

make a lot more money. Or we could do it

on record and the threat in and around

and Harriet took a different approach, and,

up in the Blue Mountains and it’ll be more

the Blue Mountains was a constant one for

while it seemed a risk to begin with, they’ve

of a lifestyle thing. We probably won’t sell

months. It wasn’t long after that threat died

in turn established themselves as a tourist

any beer but at least we’ll really like where

down that another, equally as menacing,

destination in their own right in a place

we live!’.

one arrived.

famous for them.

“We knew we wanted to open a brewery

“It’s been a great decision. It’s so much

“When COVID hit we were like ‘oh, shit’.

work running the brewery but at those

We had just had this terrible run with the

somewhere and we were bouncing back and

times when I find myself done by two or

bush fires and it all seemed like this big

forth and were looking at places in Alexandria

three o’clock of an afternoon I can be out

nail in the coffin, especially for us being a

and in Marrickville. But we were coming up

rock climbing in 15 minutes or I can be on

brewpub. I remember being really bummed

to the Blue Mountains all the time on our

an awesome mountain bike trail. We love it

out and it felt like we just couldn’t catch a

weekends away and we just started to feel

because we really connect with the area.”

break,” DJ said.

22 www.beerandbrewer.com

2020

“At the time we had been invited down to Resinfest in Melbourne with the likes of Mr Banks and Range and it felt like we were just getting ready to take off. People were finding out about us and we were starting to get a bit of traction. The next six months were planned out and we had events we were going to, collaborations

BEST HOME BREW SHOP

Grain and Grape

we were going to work on. But everything got cancelled and that

For the fourth year running Yarraville’s Grain and Grape takes

festival ended up being the last hurrah – well it felt that way at the

out this award. For many of our judges the answer why is simple:

time anyway.”

“they’re the best, that’s why!”.

“WE’VE UPPED OUR TANKS THREE TIMES AND I KEEP THINKING WHEN I GET THE NEW ONES IN THAT WE’RE GOING TO BE SWEET, THAT I’M ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE SOME WIGGLE ROOM AND NOT CONSTANTLY BE LOOKING AT AN EMPTY COOL ROOM. AND IT DOESN’T SEEM TO MATTER. WE’RE ALWAYS SOLD OUT,” DJ MCCREADY

“Our tag line is ‘helping people make better beer’. We just always try to think of what will help brewers, winemakers and other food hobbyists and act on it in a friendly, relaxed and mildly humorous manner. We also can’t help ourselves being genuinely excited about our customers’ projects and helping to bring them to fruition,” owner John Preston said.

“My staff are all passionate brewers and have lots of other home food and drink craft interests such as cheese and bread making, winemaking and distilling. There’s a constant conversation going on about what is happening and what is new and what is worth (and not worth) trying. This includes our customers who we are talking to constantly. It feeds into the information we provide and the products we sell.”

In an odd year, where hobbies old and new were taken to with

Despite the sombre mood, a conversation with a then pregnant Harriet on the long drive back to Sydney would end up sparking the revolution that jettisoned Mountain Culture’s name onto

gusto as people sought to occupy their time in lockdown, home brewing went through a renaissance of sorts.

“I think all home brewing businesses will be thankful that our

the Australian craft beer landscape – especially so on the East

craft has stood up better than most. People have needed a hobby

Coast. Like many a brewery during those heady first few months

for their downtime and we have the perfect combination of quality,

of COVID, the decision was to pivot to an online model with keg

craft and activity.

sales seemingly destined to be non-existent for the foreseeable in their brewpub.

“We just decided on this big about face and said ‘screw it’ and we just threw everything up online and I started making a new beer

“The highlight has been seeing new people coming to the hobby and brewers we haven’t seen for years returning to it.”

grainandgrape.com.au 5/280 Whitehall Street, Yarraville, VIC

every week and we were all about just seeing how we would go.

“Then it was like ‘holy shit, we better order more tanks. No, we better order more tanks again. Shit, we better get a canning line!’

“I think a lot of our popularity has sprung from that time.

Our beer has gotten out there a lot more and a lot quicker than it otherwise would have. Just taking our brewpub as an example, people used to just stumble in here but now we get people coming up here just for us. It’s crazy.”

With brewing capacity at their Katoomba brewpub at maximum and demand not being met, Mountain Culture were, when this magazine went to print, considering opening a new production brewery in the area. It would appear they are far from reaching the the top of their mountain.

“I like brewing beer that people want to drink. It’s never been about me and me as a brewer,” DJ said.

“I have beers that I really love and styles that I really love and I’m going to keep making those. But I’m also not going to just make beers that are just for me. I’m still going to brew beers that people like and they get excited about.

“And if people are enjoying the beer that much, as a brewer that’s a really awesome feeling. And so I’m like ‘hell yeah, let’s get as much quality beer out there as we can!’.”

mountainculture.com.au 23-25 Parke St, Katoomba, NSW

SUMMER 2020/21 23

A PINT WITH…

NO PHILTER Sam Füss, Philter Brewing

AFTER THREE YEARS BREWING SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST CHERISHED CRAFT BEERS VIA CONTRACT, 2020, OF ALL YEARS, WAS THE TIME PHILTER FINALLY GOT A PLACE TO CALL HOME, FITTINGLY IN THEIR BELOVED MARRICKVILLE STOMPING GROUND. THEY DID IT DESPITE ALL THE MADNESS GOING ON OUTSIDE THEIR NEW BREWERY’S WALLS AND THEIR RESULTANT “COVID BABY” IS A BEAUTIFUL THING TO BEHOLD. GIFFORD LEE SAT DOWN WITH A VERY BUSY PHILTER CO-OWNER AND HEAD BREWER SAM FÜSS TO TOAST THEIR REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT (WITH AN XPA OF COURSE).

AS A PARTICULARLY PECULIAR YEAR DRAWS TO A CLOSE, HOW DO YOU LOOK BACK ON IT? That I’m genuinely one of the lucky people, because basically, from a working sense, I didn’t have to go into any form of lockdown at all. We built our brewery – our little COVID baby – during the lockdown period and all of our workers – the sparkies, the builders – they were all classed as essential workers. So we just locked the doors and got down to building a brewery and transformed it into what it is now. We had it all ready to go a while before we opened, but there was really no point in trying to open it and have a big hoo-ha when you can only have 10 people in there. So we waited and we waited, to a point where we could at least have 50 people and then we

30 www.beerandbrewer.com

A PINT WITH…

in the United States because, obviously, they couldn’t come out here to assist – which is what they would normally do. Doing all of that has given me a sense of, well pride, but more the fact that if something breaks down or goes wrong I know I’m going to be able to fix it.

THE FACT YOU ARE FINALLY HANDS ON WITH YOUR PHILTER BEERS MUST BE FANTASTIC? Bringing everything in-house allows me to make those small changes that I want to make. But all credit to the team at Hawkers (where Philter contract brewed). They brewed fantastic beers for us. But it’s really nice to have my babies at my home and I get to play around with them and I get to tweak them in opened the doors. We wanted to share our

particularly the tanks that can tower over you

a way that I wouldn’t do when using someone

big opening with everyone and share the

when you’re sitting in the bar. But at night

else’s facility. It’s the small things really.

experience of our home, our little baby, our,

the whole mood shifts into something very

Being able to manipulate certain areas of the

you know, everything. But there is a real sad

up close and personal and communal. And

brewing process, whether that is different dry

view of the year as well. I’ve seen a lot of

the fact that it’s in our home of Marrickville,

hopping or rousing techniques or whatever.

friends lose jobs. I’ve heard of a lot of industry

we can have our families and friends drop in

Like people drive their cars differently,

folk not being able to cope with the financial

to what we consider to be our lounge room –

each brewer has their different ways of

stress of COVID. So it has been quite heart-

which is very special.

doing things.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM PHILTER IN 2021 AND BEYOND?

yeah, in regards to that, 2020 has been real

AND, FROM A PERSONAL VIEW, WHAT SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT DO YOU FEEL?

shit for a lot of people.

The awesome thing is we, our group, our

Marrickville were 80 or 140 hectolitres at a

family, did most of the design work ourselves.

time. But now we’ve got an awesome little

WHAT’S THE FEELING LIKE TO HAVE PHILTER HQ OPEN FOR BUSINESS?

We did a lot of the build ourselves. Christ,

tank to play around with. So I think what you

I was taking down walls with jackhammers

can expect to see next year, and consistently,

and excavating. (Co founders) Mick (Neil),

are some new expressions as we have some

Yeah, look, it’s awesome. We’ve always had

Stef (Constantoulas) and myself, we were

fun, learn about new ways of doing things

that quirky sort of branding, and it’s really

all very, very hands on during the process.

and developing our skills and knowledge as

nice to now be able to show people the essence

But from a personal view, my greatest

we go along. And because of our public bar,

behind the quirkiness. Now they can come

sense of achievement this year is the

we’re going to be able to see up close what

in and talk to us and see the way we operate.

fact I commissioned the brewery and the

the punter wants and what they react to. You

Our bar, we call it our public bar not a tasting

brewhouse and everything remotely. This

can think you’re making the best beer in the

room, has very much an identity of its own.

is the biggest Premier brewhouse of its

world but if you’re not selling it and people

At night that comes alive and very much

kind in Australia. We’ve got a four vessel,

aren’t in to it, well then, you’re nothing really

speaks to what we are and who we are while

25 hectolitre fully automated system, and I

aren’t you?

the brewery kind of sits in the background.

pretty much commissioned it on my own and

Visit Philter’s home at 92-98 Sydenham Rd

It’s quite a big brewery, quite intimidating,

via a few Zoom messages with the suppliers

in Marrickville

wrenching knowing that you’ve got a lot of awesome people with family-run businesses, and they were just not able to survive. So,

All of our brews prior to us brewing in

SUMMER 2020/21 31

Total Eclipse LAST MONTH HOP PRODUCTS AUSTRALIA (HPA) NAMED THEIR LATEST PROPRIETARY VARIETY ECLIPSE®. FORMERLY KNOWN AS HPA-016 – IT’S A BIG-HITTING, FRUIT-FORWARD FLAVOUR HOP BURSTING WITH SWEET MANDARIN, ZESTY CITRUS PEEL AND FRESH PINE NEEDLES. ITS ARRIVAL ADDS CONSIDERABLE WEIGHT TO THEIR HOP PORTFOLIO THAT ALREADY BOASTS THE LIKES OF GALAXY®, VIC SECRET™, ELLA™ AND ENIGMA®. WE SPOKE WITH THE HPA TEAM ABOUT ECLIPSE® AND WHAT BREWERS AND CONSUMERS CAN EXPECT FROM IT. BY GIFFORD LEE

H

op Products

For HPA’s Manager of Agronomic

Australia (HPA)

Services Simon Whittock, Eclipse®

see their mandate

“ticked all the boxes” as far as he was

in the brewing

concerned five or six years ago. If it

community as one

weren’t for Galaxy® – their hop variety

of presenting choice

in most demand – Eclipse’s® unveiling

and variety for brewers to create the flavour profiles they want. But when

would have come along a lot sooner.

“With Eclipse®, we’ve known we’ve

breeding programs for potential new

had a good thing for a long time and

varieties take years to develop, yet beer

probably would have liked to have seen

styles and consumer preferences can

it in the market earlier. But we had to

spring up out of nowhere, this is far

fulfil the promise on Galaxy®,” he said.

easier said than done. Which makes

Ash Hazell, Colonial Brewing Co’s

Eclipse’s® breeding journey all the more

head brewer, used Eclipse® in their

remarkable. Their latest proprietary

Pioneer IPA all the way back in 2017.

variety began back in 2004 as an idea

He said it was “the best beer” he’s ever

but now goes forth into the world with

brewed and that “the full spectrum

profiles that capture the zeitgeist of

of hop character” they extracted

what many of today’s beer styles are

“was unreal”.

screaming out for. Talk about timing.

Over the proceeding years a veritable

“It’s a bit of a tightrope we walk,”

who’s who in the Australasian brewing

HPA’s Head of Sales & Marketing Owen

community got their hands on limited

Johnston said.

supplies of the extremely versatile

“If we want to try to find something

Eclipse®, often with remarkable

that fits a new trend, or breed to

results in everything from core ranges

a specific flavour agenda, that is a

to limited releases. Each time it has

serious challenge and it takes many,

been almost immediately identifiable

many years.”

in those releases because of the

36 www.beerandbrewer.com

“IT COULDN’T BE IN A HIGHER CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE SPACE RIGHT NOW. IT’S RIGHT ON POINT FOR THE MODERN TREND, WHETHER IT’S HAZY OR STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN IPAs – IT’S GOING TO SIT RIGHT IN THE ZONE,” HPA’S OWEN JOHNSTON

“IT HAS THE CLEANEST CITRUS CHARACTER OF ANY OF THE HOPS WE HAVE ON OFFER,” HPA’S SIMON WHITTOCK mandarin-citrus-forward characteristics

represents that orange citrus better than

it imparts.

anything else.”

“It does what it says on the label

To celebrate the commercialisation

basically, and we’ve seen it in single

of Eclipse®, HPA have partnered with

hop IPA settings, where it’s made a

online craft beer store Beer Cartel and a

stark impression of what it is all about,

bevy of local breweries to create a special

but also in lighter beers like American

mixed pack.

Pales, where its subtleties have been showcased,” Owen said.

“We’ve spent five years cranking up

The Eclipse® mixed pack includes 12 limited edition beers from the likes of Deeds, Hop Nation, Moo Brew, Mountain

Galaxy® production and the whole time

Culture, Mr Banks and Two Birds and

the impetus behind adding another

will demonstrate the new hop variety’s

variety to our portfolio of flavours has

versatility in everything from high

been building.

impact hazy NEIPAs to lighter IPAs.

“Now we’re pulling the trigger

“(This pack) answers all the questions

on the new variety because we value

about what Eclipse® is capable of and it

that original mandate of presenting

has a very broad spectrum of beer styles

choice back to the brewers to create

– from Saisons to NEIPAs,” Owen said.

new flavours.

“And it couldn’t be in a higher

“It’s going to be a real journey of Eclipse® and an insight to how it can

consumer acceptance space right now.

be used in the brewing process – from

It’s right on point for the modern trend,

high doses, low doses, how it interacts

whether it’s hazy or straight up and down

with yeasts, how it interacts with other

IPAs – it’s going to sit right in the zone.”

hops, its performance in the bio-

While sharing some of the characteristics of Galaxy®, Simon said

transformational setting and more.”

Eclipse® is currently only available in

the new variety eclipses it in terms of its

the Australian market, but will start to

citrus attributes.

reach the rest of the world in commercial

“It has the cleanest citrus character

quantities from crop 2021. Stock will

of any of the hops we have on offer,”

be limited for the first few years while

he said.

HPA sustainably scale up production.

“Eclipse® doesn’t carry that same dank character (of Galaxy®). It really

Forward contracts are encouraged to secure supply.

About HPA The leading hop grower in Australia, it’s backed by a team of experts in plant breeding, farm operations, customer service and brewing support. Their farms have been growing hops for more than 150 years, but they’re focused on creating new aromas and flavours that will make a drinker’s favourite beverage even better. They’re also regional representatives of the global BarthHaas group which means they can share their hops with brewers around the world, and bring a great range of international hops and advanced hop products to brewers throughout Oceania.

SUMMER 2020/21 37

BEER AS A CAREER

SO YOU WANT TO BE A BREWER? AS THE AUSTRALASIAN BEER AND BREWING INDUSTRY GROWS YEAR-ON-YEAR, THE VIABILITY OF A REWARDING CAREER WITHIN IT HAS LIKEWISE GROWN. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT BE THINKING OF TAKING THE FIRST STEPS IN YOUR OWN JOURNEY TO BECOME A COMMERCIAL BREWER WE SPOKE WITH PETE ALDRED, THE RECENTLY RETIRED ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FROM THE FEDERATION UNIVERSITY, AND ONE OF HIS FORMER STUDENTS, STONE & WOOD’S HEAD BREWER CAOLAN VAUGHAN, TO SHED SOME INSIGHTS AND ADVICE. BY GIFFORD LEE

W

ith over 30 years’ experience in the industry, and having trained many of the faces and names that now line the pages of this magazine, Pete Aldred is to Australian brewing like keys are to locks. His first official

jump into the beer world was in the late 1980s in Carlton & United’s research and development lab where for five or so years he would investigate how his own biochemistry background in Recombinant DNA Technology could aide in the science of brewing. Following a few years back in his original field of medical research and brewing and training qualifications under his belt, in 1998 Pete took up the job at the University of Ballarat, as the Federation University was known then, to teach varying levels of brewing courses.

54 www.beerandbrewer.com

BEER AS A CAREER

YOU MUST HAVE SEEN THE AUSTRALIAN BREWING EDUCATION LANDSCAPE CHANGE MARKEDLY IN YOUR TIME?

those hands on, analytical skills that

From a teaching point of view it has

you don’t get that repeated practical

changed dramatically. When I started

activity. For someone who was 38, I

the concept of doing online lectures

would advise to do an online course in

over the Internet was non-existent

the likes of biochemistry or chemistry

compared to what we’ve got now. I’m

so they can cut through a lot of the

sure that my early students will tell

jargon that goes on in those fields.

you that the course would have been

But they are so valuable to have in the

pretty boring back in the day when they

brewing industry that you want more

got a huge folder of readings that they

than just what a brewing course will

had to do. But now, because you can

give you. And then I would recommend

actually deliver live lectures over the

doing some form of brewing education.

internet, it is a completely different and

But there are plenty of successful people

far more engaging experience for the

that walk into a brewery and are taught

student. Besides the teaching aspects,

by the brewer about what the brewer

the providers have also grown and

considers to be the important stuff. But

improved in my time hugely. At the

the problems that may arise with that

TAFE level there are excellent options

journey is that when they are actually

out there in most states that provide

in charge of a brewery themselves and

great hands-on training. These are

they don’t have all of those underlying

brilliant for people who want to start

chemistry and engineering skills they

out as assistant brewers and want to get

don’t have the first principles to go

stuck into brewing and not the other

back on to say, ‘right, I’m not getting

side of a brewery’s business. In terms

proper conversion of my starch to

of overseas providers, you can study

sugars, what on earth can be going on

online with the likes of Nottingham

here?’. I always say ‘a lot of us are very

University and The Institute of Brewing

good home brewers, but not many of

and Distilling out of the UK or Chicago’s

us can walk into a production brewery

The Siebel Institute. This is to name but

tomorrow and brew 10,000 litres of

a few and so many offer good online

beer and put it in a can’. It’s just like

qualifications in brewing.

you wouldn’t put a good home cook

are so valuable. The brewing education providers do analysis training, for example, but because it’s in a workshop situation, you really get one go at it and

in charge of a 300 seat restaurant

Pete Aldred

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE LOOKING TO START A CAREER AS A BREWER?

tomorrow. So that training and that

If I was talking to an 18-year-old, the

but they’re also really, really good at

best advice I could give them would

troubleshooting and have that physical

be to do an undergraduate degree

capacity to fix things. Because if you

in something like food science or

look at brewing, there’s chemistry,

food technology, because you get

bio-chemistry and there’s microbiology

engineering, chemistry, biochemistry,

but there’s also the engineering part

microbiology, all of those underlying

of brewing, like fluid flow, pumps and

skills and knowledge required to do

valves, heat transfer, not to mention

the actual brewing. After that, you can

all of the electrical, the plumbing, the

then do a post-graduate qualification

refrigeration, and we haven’t even got

in brewing. Now, it sounds like a long,

into the packaging side of things yet

involved process and everyone looks at

where you almost need to be a fitter and

me and rolls their eyes when I say that

turner as well. You really need to come

because, like most people these days,

into the business with one of those

we all want it now. But the difference

sorts of skills to just give yourself a bit

is, if you do something like that, you get

of a head start.

capacity to troubleshoot is seriously invaluable. The good brewers have a sound theoretical knowledge base

SUMMER 2020/21 55

SESSION BEERS

SESSION BEERS

The

temperance

movement

THE MID-STRENGTH HAS EVOLVED FROM AN OFTEN WATERY, FLAVOURLESS OPTION, THAT SERVED A PURPOSE BUT LITTLE ELSE, INTO A PUNCHY GO-TO DRINK CHOICE FOR MANY. HOW AND WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED? WE SPOKE WITH A NUMBER OF KEY FIGURES INTEGRAL TO THE CATEGORY’S EVOLUTION TO FIND OUT. BY GIFFORD LEE

WIN CRAFT XXXX GLASSWARE XXXXX &XXXXX HAVE XXXX YOUR XXXXX REVIEW(seePUBLISHED page XXXX) (see page 68) INCLUDING

22

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ISSUE 54 5X SPRING XXXXXX 2020 PRICE $9.95 (NZ $11.95)

BEST BEER VENUES WHERE SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING POST COVID-19?

GREAT

INTO THE WILD YEAST WRANGLING WITH WILL TATCHELL

ALL IN GOOD TIME FRUIT BEER

THE BEAUTY OF OUR HOMEBREW BARREL-AGED BEERS SECTION SPRINGS INTO IT

SCOTT!

AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF

BARLEY &BALTER’S HOPSSCOTT HARGRAVE ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE SESSION BEER

WIN CRAFT XXXX GLASSWARE XXXXX &XXXXX HAVE XXXX YOUR XXXXX REVIEW(seePUBLISHED page XXXX) (see page 68) INCLUDING

ISSUE 54 5X SPRING XXXXXX 2020 PRICE $9.95 (NZ $11.95)

BEST BEER SPRING 2020

VENUES WHERE SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING POST COVID-19?

GREAT

INTO THE WILD YEAST WRANGLING

WITH WILL TATCHELL ALL IN GOOD TIME FRUIT BEER THE BEAUTY OF OUR HOMEBREW BARREL-AGED BEERS SECTION SPRINGS INTO IT

SCOTT! BARLEY

AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF

BEERS & CIDERS

REVIEWED 9

23

&BALTER’S HOPSSCOTT HARGRAVE ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE SESSION BEER

ISSN 1834-5115

0 2

“IT’S THE MAGIC OF BREWING, AND THE MAGIC OF GREAT INGREDIENTS, THAT THEY MIMIC OTHER THINGS IN NATURE. AND YOU CAN WORK THAT MAGIC WITH A MID-STRENGTH, JUST AS YOU CAN WITH A FULL-STRENGTH,” SCOTT HARGRAVE.

ISSN 1834-5115

0 2

771834 511024

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REVIEWED

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