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.

Favourite beer you’ve brewed:

My favourite would be Bridge Roads Bling IPA, love the smell in the brewery when its fermenting, though the clean up of the brewhouse and hop flowers afterwards is a fair pain in the arse.

Favourite beer you haven’t brewed:

A big syrupy oak aged barley wine, as close to a sweet Spanish sherry as possible.

Greatest beer achievement:

Nominated for best international small brewery and 10 medals including a Gold for the Aussie Ale at this years AIBA’s.

Favourite brewing website:

Apart from microbrewing.com.au?? I like ratebeer, it’s a good way to see what the ‘critics’ think of what your doing.

How you see Australian Microbrewing industry:

New to the industry myself, just over two years, I see it picking up in all aspects, more brewers more drinkers, and the quality is getting better. Oz has some top class beers, even when compared to other more established microbrewing lands, we “critics” just have to stop putting ourselves down, an realise how good it really is.

Brewer you most highly respect:

Pretty happy with the way things are done at Matilda Bay in Melb, Brad Rodgers is churning out some good gear, and hes happy to share info and experiment with new stuff. Im sure it would be just as easy for them to go through the motions and pump out more beez neez.

Hint to home brewers.

Gee this is going to get me in trouble;

Please don’t tell us about how good your own brews are whilst drinking someone elses (bring in a sample and prove it!), to steal a quote from another brewer who will remain unnamed ‘with homebrew its like a fart, its only their own ones that are good, everyone elses stink.

Hint to microbrewers.

Havent been around long enough to offer any advise.

Editor comment: Amazing effort for a fairly new brewer. With new brewers like Ben and DAn Turley the Australia microbrewing industry has a good future.