Breweries worked at and now:

Current - Otway Estate Winery and Brewery. Previously, Hunter Beer Company – Potters Hotel & Brewery Meantime Brewery London Fosters Group – Brewtech (CUB)

How you started brewing:

After studying chemical engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne I was fortunate to get a “Trainee Brewer/Engineer” role at CUB in Melbourne with Brewtech the R&D department. From there I became intrigued and interested in not only brewing but also the history of beer and the brewing industry. Technically trained by the “big boys” I saw the growth of the craft beer industry in the US and UK and fortunately now here in Australia.

Favourite beer you’ve brewed:

American Styled IPA using fresh hops grown at the brewery nick named the Hopmonster. Still drinking great 5 years later and only getting better with age.

Favourite beer you haven’t brewed:

An organic blueberry hefeweizen. Just waiting for the blueberries to grow at Otway Estate.

Greatest beer achievement:

Starting up and running a brewery in the Hunter Valley for 5 years and also now coming back to Victoria brewing at Otway Estate Winery and Brewery and growing, developing and winning awards1200

Brewers name: Fiona Geraty

Breweries worked at and now: Matso's Broome Brewery

                                                Sail and Anchor Pub Brewery

How you started brewing: The love affair started at age 4, capping home brew for my Dad. Many moons later I was working in the hospitality industry tasting quality beer, wine and spirits for restaurant and bar lists. I  headed up the coast and was working at Matso's when the owners decided to install a microbrewery. I was given the opportunity to help commission the new plant and learn to brew under PeterNolin and Bill Hoedemaker. The love affair continues.

Favourite beer you’ve brewed: I'm a bit keen on our Brass Monkey Stout. There's a lot of different malt going on so the brewhouse smells amazing.

Favourite beer you haven’t brewed: There's so many. Schneider Aventinus is a favourite. The Unibroue beers are awesome. Blackwood Valley's Stout. Redoak's Framboise. I could go on…

Greatest beer achievement: Best in Class Dark Lager AIBA 2006 for Smokey Bishop Dark Lager

Favourite brewing website: www.microbrewingaustralia.com.au, www.pinkbootssociety.com, www.beerforchicks.com

How you see Australian Microbrewing industry: 1200

Brewers name:  Alex (Alejandro) Troncoso 

Breweries worked at and now: 
Irons Brewery (Colorado, USA) during university - think it's closed since.  It was great as I was in uni and there seemed to be an endless supply of beer at my disposal.  Had 7 years as a process and automation engineer, then worked at Stockade Brewery (Melbourne) which turned into the Matilda Bay Garage, InBev (Belgium) and Little Creatures (Fremantle).  Been at Little Creatures for around 5years.  I enjoy Little Creatures as we are still small and hands on, yet big enough to be able to invest in some good technology.

How you started brewing:  
Homebrewing!  I used to all grain brew three weeks per month... bordering on excessive I think! 

Favourite beer you’ve brewed: 
At a brewery - Little Creatures Pale Ale - my favourite beer in Australia (admittedly I am biased).  Homebrew - probably a Belgian White Beer..... I brewed it in the one week period when I wasn't brewing american pale ales in my kitchen... (do you detect a theme here?)

Favourite beer you haven’t brewed: 
Tripel Karmeliet 

Greatest beer achievement:   
hmmmm... not sure.  Getting a job as a brewer!  Took me 7 years, but I got there in the 1200

Brewers name: Ian Morgan, Assistant Brewer

Breweries worked at and now:
Holgate Brewhouse - the first and only!

How you started brewing:
I moved to Australia from Seattle in 1999. At the time there were only a handful of craft breweries and it was hard to find their beers.  Having come from a beer lover's city like Seattle, I had to resort to brewing my own!  In 2007 I decided to make it my career, enrolled in the graduate certificate program in Brewing Science at the University of Ballarat, and managed to talk my way into a job at Holgate's. 

Favourite beer you’ve brewed:
They're all mybabies and I love them all the same.  I must admit, however, that it was particularly exciting to work on the recipes for our Temptress Chocolate Porter and the Nut Brown Ale.  Formulating these recipes, with their additions of vanilla beans and cocoa (Temptress) and roasted macadamia nuts (Nut Brown), was a challenge and we were a bit anxious about how the first batch would turn out, but we were richly rewarded by the result!   And the hand-pumped ESB at the bar makes for a great knock-off drink all year round.

Favourite beer you haven’t brewed:
I was a macrobrew drinker before moving to Seattle 1200

Brewers name: Brad Rogers

 

Breweries worked at and now:

 

Stone & Wood Brewing Company

Matilda Bay Brewing Company

Abbotsford Brewery

Masthead Brewing Company

Sanctuary Cove Brewing Company

Carlton Brewery FIJI

Kent Brewery

Ben Kraus

BREWER OF THE MONTH – July 2007

Breweries worked at and now:

Tiroler Bier, Innsbruck Austria, Bridge Road Brewers, Beechworth

How you started brewing:

After a stint of winemaking in Northern Italy in 2003 jumped back over the border into Austria for a skiseason in the alps. Got into brewing at a micro in Innsbruck, about an hour from where I was working, did one day a week for beer and pretzels as payment, they brewed Marzen and Weizen.

DAVID HOLLYOAK

BREWER OF THE MONTH – May 2007

Breweries worked at and now:

I have been home brewing for over 20 years experimenting and perfecting various beer styles. I moved from home brewing straight into Redoak where I am the Master Brewer of Redoak.

Chuck Hahn

BREWER OF THE MONTH – October 2006

Breweries worked at and now:

Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado Tooths and Reschs Breweries, Sydney Lion Brewery, Auckland, NZ Hahn Brewery, Sydney Lion Nathan Malt Shovel Brewery

Dave Bonighton

BREWER OF THE MONTH – December 2006

How you started brewing:

Fell in love with micro-brewed beer in the States about 15 years ago. Once bitten by the bug I was set upon a long and fruitful journey.

Hugh Dunn

BREWER OF THE MONTH – AUGUST 2006

Breweries worked at and now:

Working at Lion Nathan allowed me to fiddle about in quite a few breweries but I have really only worked for any length of time at Castlemaine Brewery (12 years), Swan Brewery (6 years), Old Swan Brewery (3 years)