Radio Brews News focuses on the issues facing the Australian brewing business and discusses them with the people shaping the industry. Every Tuesday, hear an interview with a leader in the brewing industry and every Thursday, hear the Brews News team discuss the news of the week.
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This week we have an interesting chat with Bucket Boy Johanthan Hepner. This conversation arose from an article on the beer blog SydneyBeer titled Buyer Beware: The Real Cost of Buying Beer From Overseas. In it, Johanathan raised the apparently growing trend of consumers looking to directly purchase beers from overseas and the impact that it was having on businesses such as Bucket Boys. The Bucket Boys Johnathan Hepner and his business partner Clint Elvin are mainstays of the Sydney beer scene. ...
Two become four today as Matt and Pete are joined Zoe Ottaway from Totem Marketing and Megan Sahli, Writer at Australian Brews News, live from Burnley Brewing . The team take an in depth look at why New Belgium Brewing has opened its Colorado brewing facility to an upstart lager brand. Other top stories include: Gage Roads partners with Western Force Lion acquires stake in Four Pillars Radio Brews News is proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt has been brin...
We finish our sweep through Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and visit Your Mates Brewery to meet one of the mates, Christian McGarry. In an increasingly common story, Christian and his mate Matt Hepburn quit their jobs five years ago with the dream to open a brewery. In the intervening years through a mix of contract and gypsy brewing, running their own taproom and a lot of clever self marketing that included an appearance on TV show Shark Tank, they have managed to build a brand big enough to attra...
Zoe Ottaway from Totem Marketing joins Matt and Pete as a special guest, with perfect timing as discussions take place around women in beer advertising. This weeks stories include: Townsville Brewery and Bintani launch The Big Wet Beer In Cider festival Lion banishes blokes and banter in Hahn Ultra Crisp beer campaign The growing prominence of mid-strengths, fruit sours and even low bitterness juicy IPAs Pirate Life brews beer for MCG members Tooheys Extra Dry commercial Want to learn more about...
We continue our sweep through Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and visit the recently opened Glasshouse Brewery . It was a four year ordeal for Simon Michelangeli but late last year he opened his brewery and Italian-inspired eatery in the shadow of the region’s famous Glasshouse Mountains and we find out from Simon what he learned through the fraught process, and why he chose his regional location. We also meet his brewer, Brendan Chan, who left his long-term role at Brisbane Brewing to head for the ...
Matt and Pete are in Queensland for the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Beer Awards . They also discuss the weeks top stories in a big week for beer news. CUB bans plastic six-pack rings IBA secures support pledge in NSW election Bud Light Lemon Tea seeks cash in on Bud Light losses Great Northern to feature women on it’s billboards Radio Brews News is proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt has been bringing you the world’s best local and imported malts...
This week we visit soon-to-open Boiling Pot Brewery and get to meet owner John Scott Madill and his brewer Pedro De Luca. Scott’s family are well known for their car dealerships across the Sunshine Coast, but this is his first foray into beer. He has been contract brewing and building his brand across the region for a little over a year and his brewery and taproom are on the verge of opening in behind Noosa. John discusses his background which he describes as the cliche of ‘two mates and their d...
Pete and Matt are pushing the Cook limit this week and they pack plenty in. The big stories of the week are: AB InBev say 8% of beer volumes come from no and low alcohol beer Bird state finalist in business awards comes as Brews News prepares to celebrate International Women’s Day Breweries represented in Australian Tourism Awards 2018 results The Portman Group is trying to destroy Britain’s proud history of strong ales Following Test Drive, Craft Brew Alliance Formally Establishes ‘pH Experimen...
This week we continue our tour of the Sunshine Coast with a visit to the region’s latest brewery - Heads of Noosa . We catch up with Craig and Lance Masterton, who gave up stock trading to open their brewery in Noosa. And it’s no bootstrap operation either, they have made a significant investment in what they are doing. Unlike many craft breweries, they have opened with a Japanese lager, that’s light and crisp and the samples we tried we very well made. We talk about their backgrounds, the place...
Pete and Matt are back from their road trip and get stuck into the beer news of the week including: Smaller is better as craft beer booms Experts advise brewers on product recall liability Radio Brews News is proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt has been bringing you the world’s best local and imported malts. Your premium brewing partner and proud supporters of Brews News. We thank Rallings Labels and Stickers for sponsoring this podcast. Call Rallings on...
The first stop on our sweep through the Sunshine Coast with Sunshine Coast Craft Brewery Tours is to Eumundi Brewery to talk with head brewer, Chris Sheehan. We have talked a bit about Eumundi recently and what ‘local’ means when you’re part of a much larger business and can scale production to breweries across the country. And also why multinational breweries are thinking small. We chat with Chris about that, but we also learn about the background to the resurrected Eumundi Brewery, what it mea...
This week on a bonus episode of Beer is a Conversation, Pete and Matt are on the road with Josh Donohoe from Sunshine Coast Craft Brewery Tours. The recent GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers poll shone a spotlight on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and its brewing scene. Listeners will know our goal for 2019 is to get out more for Beer is a Conversation, so we approached Josh to help us to put a trip together to check see first hand a few breweries on the Sunshine Coast, and meet the people behind them. Y...
Pete and Matt are on the road to the Sunshine Coast this week. They sit down together to discuss: What it means for a beer to be truly local Endeavour hitting its crowdfunding target Our writer Megan asks the question "Have you noticed any changes in the number or prevalence of pokies machines in your area in pubs? If so, has craft beer had anything to do with the change?” And we have a full mail bag. The letter of the week is from Luke Pomery: Hi Guys, Have been listening to and enjoying your s...
This week we chat with Shawn Sherlock from Newcastle’s Foghorn Brewhouse. In January it was announced that Founders First had invested in the brewery, buying out co-founder James Garvey’s share of the business. Last week we heard from Mark Haysmen from Founders First, and this week we discuss the partnership with Shawn. Of course, that’s far from all we chat about. In this episode we go way back before the days of Facebook beer pages, before ubiquitous craft breweries to a time before craft beer...
Matt and Pete bring you the top beer news stories of the week including: Craft beer waits for more consumers to join its movement Eumundi Brewery goes National Craft needs to rethink attitudes to pastuerisation Social media concerns continue for ABAC Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt has been bringing you the world’s best local and imported malts. Your premium brewing partner and proud supporters of Brews News. We thank Rallings Labe...
Mark Haysman, CEO of Founders First, details the company's innovative approach to accelerate independent craft beer and spirits businesses. He explains how Founders First provides crucial capital, expert sales and marketing support, and property solutions to help founders grow while maintaining their independence. The conversation highlights their successful investments in Jetty Road Brewery and Foghorn Brewhouse, emphasizing a long-term partnership model that aims for an ASX IPO rather than individual brewery sales, fostering a collaborative network for mutual growth.
Matt and Pete have fun calling out advertising faux pas while discussing this weeks biggest news stories. Flagship February Strong Growth for Gage Roads Foghorn bags a backer Hey kettle, you need a wash: Pot Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt have been bringing you the world’s best local and imported malts. Your premium brewing partner and proud supporters of Brews News. We thank Rallings Labels and Stickers for sponsoring this podcas...
Ash Cranston and Tom Champion from Brisbane’s Felons Brewing join Matt as the brand new venue explodes in popularity. Brews News readers will know that Felons opened as part of the city’s Howard Smith Wharves precinct just before Christmas, and promptly ran out of beer such was the immediate popularity of the venue. Ash and Tom are both Little Creatures alumni, Ash from the hospitality side of that business and Tom as a brewer. In this conversation we find out a little about their backgrounds an...
With the GABS Hottest 100 Australian Craft Beers announced last week, Pete and Matt look at some of the misconceptions and criticisms about the poll that have been expressed on social media. Please let us know what you think of the new theme music and if there is such a thing as "too much polka". Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt have been bringing you the world’s best local and imported malts. Your premium brewing partner and proud ...
Now in its eleventh year, the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll shines a powerful spotlight on the trends, brands and breweries shaping the booming craft beer industry. The 2018 edition saw a record 31,000 beer lovers place more than 155,000 votes for their favourite craft beers of the year. Enjoy the full countdown hosted by Matt and Pete live from last years winners Balter Brewing.
On our first conversation for 2019 we catch up with Brooklyn Brewery President Robin Ottaway and Gordon Treanor, General Manager of Craft at Lion to discuss both company’s plans for Brooklyn here in Australia. Readers will recall that Lion secured distribution rights for Brooklyn, taking over from Coopers late last year. The news was no great surprise, as Lion’s parent company Kirin holds a 24.5% stake in the US craft brewery. Does contract brewing over here affect the brand at all? What beers w...
Breweries walk the fine line of cultural sensitivity this week with one accused of mocking maori culture and another opting to rename one of its beers to avoid negative connotations. So where is the line in the sand? Pete and Matt discuss this as well as the rest of the weeks beer news. BrewDog construction now underway following delays Ballistic changes beer name for mental health Brewers encouraged to consider cultural sensitivities Aussie bar accused of 'mocking Māori culture' with use of tā ...
Matt and Pete are back to discuss the news of the week including: WA bus route revives ailing beer tourism Moon Dog makes a recall CUB apologises for ring pull caps Also, don't forget to join us as we count down the pointy end of the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers this Sunday. You can listen live here and join us in the chat room to discuss the results with our guest brewers. Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt have been bringing you the...
Welcome back to another year of the podcast. This week Pete and Matt look at the beer news of the week, including: Townsville Brewery opposes new Lion venture What's the new craft beer: Cheese or Jerky ? Who owns your beer ? Tim Ovadia tapped to become Global Brand Director for Stella Artois Flagship beers are failing as consumers get bored quickly Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt have been bringing you the world’s best local and im...
On our 200th Episode of Brews News Week we record live from Wilfred's Room at The Local Taphouse . Some of our most popular podcast guests - including Zoe Ottaway from Totem Marketing , James ' Crafty Pint ' Smith, Luke ' Ale of a Time ' Robertson, Intellectual Property lawyer James Omond and Scott McKinnon from Wolf of the Willows join in to discuss the hot topics from 2018 and their predictions for the new year. Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the fie...
On our weekly Brews News Week podcast host Pete Mitcham and Brews News founder Matt Kirkegaard discuss the attention-grabbing beer stories of the week. This week they look at: Endeavour Brewing's equity crowd-funding campaign The announcement that Cryer Malt has partnered with Yakima Chief Hops in the wake of the Bintani / Yakima Chief court case . We also tease next week's 200th Episode, which was recorded last week in Melbourne. Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25...
On a special Breaking News edition of Beer is a Conversation, we chat with Cryer Malt's David Cryer and Ryan Hopkins, Vice President of Sales for North and South America for Yakima Chief Hops about the announcement that Cryer Malt is the new distribution partner for the US hop supplier. Listeners will know from our many conversations with Jason Perrault and other representatives of Yakima Chief Hops that Bintani has been the company's Australian partner. The sale of a major interest in Bintani t...
This week on Beer is a Conversation, Matt Kirkegaard catches up with Endeavour Beer Founder Ben Kooyman. Today they kick off an equity crowd funding campaign which will enable beer lovers to invest directly in the business. It's the first time this is happening in Australia but this type of capital raising is set to become increasingly popular among small brewers so Matt investigates what it all means and why Endeavour chose this path. If you'd like to invest visit here . We thank Rallings Label...
On Brews News Week host Pete Mitcham and Brews News founder Matt Kirkegaard discuss the attention-grabbing beer stories of the week. This week they look at: IBA welcomes new board members Queensland's new craft beer strategy Will Australian brewers embrace the US move to making alcoholic fizzy water ? Bulimba Gold Top 6 pack ad Brews News Week is Proudly presented by Cryer Malt . With over 25 years in the field, Cryer Malt have been bringing you the world’s best local and imported malts. Your pr...
This week Matt ventures to tropical north Queensland in search of the beer from up there. Cairns is an interesting city. 1730 kilometers north of Brisbane, it is a tropical city with a population of 160,000. This conversation was recorded in early November at a time when the rest of the country is welcoming summer and brews are expecting their busiest time. In Cairns however, that’s the end of 'the season'. While Hemingway's draws the tourists, it's also something very Cairns for the locals to e...
