Chat On Tap

EP18 - World Tripel Day explained by The Craft Beer MC

David A. Lennon Season 2 Episode 18

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0:00 | 25:52

What happens when a Newcastle beer fan becomes the Australian ambassador for International Tripel Day? And what exactly IS a Belgian Tripel? Don't worry, David didn't know either until today. 

In this episode of Chat on Tap, Dave sits down with Matt Chester “Craft Beer MC” at Two Halfs Brewing in Alexandria to talk Belgian Tripels, the global craft beer community, and how an Instagram beer page turned into friendships around the world. 

  • Why the style is usually 8–9% ABV
  • The history of Tripels and their roots in Belgian brewing
  • The rise of Craft Beer MC – Matt’s journey from macro lagers to running a global beer Instagram community with thousands of followers.
  • International Tripel Day explained – what a Belgian Tripel is, why it’s such a legendary beer style, and how Matt became Australia’s ambassador.
  • Beer trades & Beerstagram culture – swapping beers across countries to try rare brews you’d never find locally.
  • Global craft beer friendships – connecting with beer lovers across the US, Canada, the UK, and beyond.

00:00 Intro – International Tripel Day at Two Halfs Brewing
01:05 Meet Matt – Craft Beer MC origin story
02:10 First craft beer experiences in the US
03:15 The global craft beer Instagram community
05:30 Beer trades explained
08:30 Meeting through Instagram
10:10 Rare beers and international trades
12:10 Becoming the Australian Tripel Day ambassador
15:10 What exactly is a Belgian Tripel?
16:40 First time drinking a Tripel
18:00 Tapped In – Newcastle beer venues
21:00 Pub pick – The Clarendon Hotel
22:20 Matt’s day job outside beer
23:40 The Craft Beer MC birthday T-shirt story
24:40 Outro 

Tapped In – Newcastle Edition
Matt’s top venues to visit if you’re heading to Newcastle:

  • Shout Brewing
  • Method Brewing
  • Grainfed Brewing
  • The Clarendon Hotel (pub pick)

Venues & Breweries Mentioned

Two Halfs Brewing – Alexandria, NSW
Shout Brewing – Newcastle
Method Brewing – Newcastle
Grainfed Brewing – Newcastle
The Clarendon Hotel – Newcastle
Slow Lane Brewing – Botany, NSW

International breweries referenced:
Tree House Brewing
Trillium Brewing
The Alchemist Brewing

This episode is a perfect snapshot of what craft beer culture is really about — community, sharing great beers, and meeting people you’d never otherwise cross paths with.

From Belgian Tripels to beer trades and Beerstagram friendships, this chat shows how one simple beer page can open doors around the world.

Recorded at Two Halfs Brewing, Alexandria NSW

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Interested in sponsorship? email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com


SPEAKER_01

Welcome to Chat on Tat, the podcast about pubs and the people in them. Today we're at Two Halves Brewing in Alexandria because we are here for a very special day celebrating the International Triple Day. Now I may have got that ro wrong, but we will check in with an expert very, very, very soon. The voice you can hear is a man by the name of Matt. He is on Instagram, the Craft Beer MC. He's a legend of the industry. And Matt, thank you so much for joining us today on Channel Tap. Welcome. Yeah, you are welcoming here. What are we doing here today?

SPEAKER_00

Triple Day is um yeah, can I always come down celebrate Triple Day down here with um to Hasbroin being the first um Australian partner brewery for International Triple Day? So yeah, it's a fun day. Came down here last year, this is the first time, and um yeah, back down again this year. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01

Alright, we'll get to Triple Day in just a second. Because um I was perplexed, despite being quite a um a fan of the beer. Uh I had never heard of this. So we'll get to that in just a second. But um so you're uh a bloke on Instagram who likes beer, I guess is how it started. Pretty much. Give us if someone is meeting you for the first time, what do we how do you explain who you are?

SPEAKER_00

Uh look, I'm a born and bred Novo Castrian. So I grew up back in the day, it was pretty much standard macro beer. So your Tuies, you Carlton. Remember uni, Carlton Cold was the bee's knees. And I sort of started a gradual sort of journey into sort of craft beer um over the years. I think it was a a trip I did to the US a few years ago that I really helped open my eyes to sort of what else was out there um in terms of different sales of beer. And I remember having being in um Boston and Sam Adams and having a Scotch ale for the first time and going, wow, and a barrel-aged Scotch ale, it was like this is gold, and no one else liked it, so I had a whole drug to myself, but yeah, and it's just been an ongoing sort of process from there, and created the um my first beer social Instagram account. I think it was a very imaginatively titled craft beard guy. I mean, I'm amazed you got the handles. I know, it was like, yeah, great. And then that sort of lasted a bit, and then sort of started thinking and sort of do a bit of a revamp and then came up, workshopped a few um names with uh a couple of mates, and with my initials MC, I thought the craft beer MC is sort of a quite appropriate one, and and it's just sort of gone on from there. I think it's what it was it's been about four years now, yeah. Almost four years that I've had yeah, had this craft beer MC sort of uh beer account. So and 4,000 followers? Just hit 4,000 followers. I'm about 4,100 at the moment, just over that at the moment. So which I mean which is a great achievement because it's a fairly oh yeah, it's um look, it's a slow burn, but hey, it's it's look, it's great. It's it's been a great um great journey. I've got to meet so many different people um through the craft beer community, not just meeting people locally, I've sort of you know developed great friendships with um international sort of craft beer lovers as well.

SPEAKER_01

Well, we'll get to that also in a second. I think this is the longest I've gone on any of my podcast episodes without having a sip of whatever is in front of us. So, can you uh about a week and a half ago when we met up, I had no idea what a triple was. I thought it might have been a triple. Um explain me through what we've got and what I should be tasting here.

SPEAKER_00

So, Belgian triple is it's it's it's pretty much a it's a strong ale. Um it's a big one.

SPEAKER_01

That's my description would be it's a Hefeweizen who's been hitting the gym.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, it's it's it's beefed up. Um yeah, so a strong Belgian sort of style ale. You're normally looking at with a triple at least eight and a half plus ABV. Oh wow. Oh yeah, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So I um yeah, alright, okay. Lucky my wife dropped me off.

SPEAKER_00

So you don't want to, if you're hitting a few of these, you're getting public transport or a ride share.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally. So as you said, you know, your the Instagram page has led you to all these um different places around the world. Can you talk to some of the places that you've you've been or some of the people you've met up with? Give them a shout out as well.

SPEAKER_00

Um we're talking about uh beerhead for the win and person who I call the Pedro Pascal of uh Be Instagram, beer Jimmy. So I'm I'm gonna look this up. Oh yeah. He's he's in about 27,000 followers at the moment. Yep. And he's he's Mr. Content, like he's just gold.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yes, I've met you've spoken about him before, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I'm looking forward, so they're they're two that I'm actually I'm heading off the US touch wood in a few weeks. So catching up with those two legends. Look, I've got a shout out to the originator of International Triple Day himself, Mike, in Ontario and Canada. So he's the guy who came up with the whole day, and yeah, guys in the UK, guys in New Zealand. It's just been I've sort of done catch-ups with a few of these, and it's been great. Um, Sean, be head for the win, he was out in Australia a couple of years ago, and he actually he was in Sydney, and he we sort of convinced him to come to Australia from New Zealand. He was in New Zealand to come to Australia for a few days, and he came up to Newcastle, so we had caught up catch up with his family and over a few fine craft beers in uh at the grain store in Newcastle. Um yeah. What was what do you do you have a time where you had uh you know the first person reach out to you where you were just like, oh, just because I'm doing a little beer page, someone's interested in what I'm doing or wants to say hi, or I think um especially with Sean Beer Hitler the Wynn, we were a connection like I follow we were following each other's account, but hadn't really sort of engaged, and then he had branded glasses that he was doing just looking to do trades with. And I said, Yeah, sure, I'd love one. So he sent one out and we sort of agreed to do a bit of a trade. Unfortunately, beer glass version one, uh came all smashed up, but then he sent out he sent me another one, and that is um yeah, that that has developed into great friendship. We sort of catch up all the to talk all the time, and we do a lot of collaboration posts. So you know, I send we've done beer trades, sort of managed to get them into either country. Uh there are ways around it, and then yeah, other people I've just reached out to. If I've gone somewhere, I've reached out and said, hey, looking to catch up.

SPEAKER_01

Which is um I have to let the listeners know, it's exactly the reason why we're sitting here today, and it's because um Matt reached out to me on Instagram, and we still, you know, you we've followed each other. I think once I I found once I got into the craft beer and um the interested in the industry, and you start following people from the industry and you start commenting on each other's posts, and I I never really have been a part of that kind of online community before. Um, I always sort of would send things to people privately, but would never really jump in the comment section. And then you realize it's all about um you know people supporting each other and being like, oh well you if you put a post up, I'll you know I'll sling you a like and I'll give it a read and pay attention. Yeah, and it's become this really cool um community. So then when it was early days for me, and I see, you know, the craft beer MC pops up at someone I follow, you I see your posts, and then you comment on one of my pages because I I think it was the Wawood, the old Wayward brewery. I posted a video and you're like, oh, that used to be my local, I used to love it. Whatever. Anyway, fast forward one day, Matt goes, Hey, um, you uh I'm down in Sydney and you want to catch up for a beer, and I I thought you'd messaged the wrong person. Because I was like, who the hell is this weirdo messaging me being like, hey, I'm gonna be around, you want to catch up for a beer? But I was like, no, I'm gonna respond, because I think as well, we're is he scamming me? Like, is this a long con? I don't know. Um and sure enough, I just responded as if that's the case, and you and it turns out you uh you have property in Sydney right near where I work, we met up for a couple of beers, and I almost felt like it was a bit of an apprenticeship learning from you of all of the um people you've met and things you've done through the beer community. Um is that how you now like if you go, right? I'm in the States, I'm gonna hit up these people, like what parts of the world could you go to and meet up with someone?

SPEAKER_00

Oh look, US is quite a few. I could reach out to people in the UK, New Zealand, um, there's probably others that.

SPEAKER_01

And Australia? Probably.

SPEAKER_00

Definitely. Like I had over, I've been over to Perth a couple of times and I've caught up with a couple of guys over there, beer economists. Cheers.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Um, I have to say thank you for teaching me the beer trade. I'd seen on a lot of um people's Instagram uh bios, you know, DM for trades or email for trades. I didn't really know too much about what that meant, but uh well explain it how it means to you, really.

SPEAKER_00

Uh it's it's about I think one of the things I love about a trade beer trade is that you get to, you know, you especially coming from Newcastle, so there's a great crappy scene in Newcastle, a lot of great breweries there. So I like to sort of take a lot of the beers, yeah, do a selection of the beers from Newcastle and send them over to wherever and sort of you know, you get a get some of the beers that you from wherever they're coming from that you can't get in, you know, Newcastle or even Australia. So I've been lucky to um with Brendo, a beer economist, to sort of do a couple some great beers from Perth that I wouldn't have got over here. Stuff from the US, like your treehouse, your Fidens, um Trillium, that sort of stuff. It's been um yeah, absolute gold.

SPEAKER_01

Do you have to pay a tariff?

SPEAKER_00

Postage is killer. Um tariffs, I think, is gonna kill it at the moment. We haven't done anything since the tariffs came in, yeah, because it's applying to everything. Um but before it was just uh it's a gift. It was there's secrets to get around with it. I won't reveal them online. No, no, no, of course.

SPEAKER_01

But you can DM the crop here and see if you need tips.

SPEAKER_00

But you get to um you get to experience, you know, try beers that you would never think of trying. I think I've been lucky enough to like couple the Grail beers, your um Alchemist, your heavy topper on your flat call banger. I've had a couple of cans of that that Sean sent me out from the US, and it's been you don't see them out here.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Uh you know, we'd been trying to get this trade done for a little while. And I because I was like, well, I know you've drunk a lot of beers, um, you've you know you're very experienced, so it would for me I had to realise it's not lazy to go to the the brewery that's two minutes from my house. No. That's actually the good thing because when else would you go there? Exactly. As it turned out, we went there anyway, but after some logistics issues. But um, but no, it was just yeah, I I'd not I'd I'd kind of heard of the concept. I I'd maybe maybe uh it's probably no different to other communities, Pokemon cards or or other collectors items or something like that. Um anyway, but I I yeah, I must say thank you for introducing it to me. And because I just I just thought it was a kind of I didn't really know what to think what to make of it. And I've probably gone, I could probably just get four cases, make up four mixed six packs, and then or oh no, really, sixteen mixed four packs, yeah or six packs or whatever, yeah, um, and then just palm them off to as people are ready to trade, because I suppose it's a um a sharing of culture or location or whatever, right? Definitely, definitely, yeah. Yeah. You mentioned uh I forgot his name from Ontario. Oh Mike. Mike from Ontario, so he's crafty days. Yep, he um he's the one that got you into this ambassadorship as a pretty much as the for the triple, international triple day.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been following him for a bit and I'd seen, you know, a couple of years of triple day, and then he has got a lot of good branded glasses, and he's got the nice chalice glasses um for Triple Day, for the Belgian triples, and I went, really like one of those glasses. So I reached out to him at DN's and said, Hey Mike, you know, how what what's the possibility of getting one of those glasses? And he said, got back to me as well, let me check the postage, but you know, I'm happy to send you one out, you just pay for the postage. I said, Yep, no worries. Um, and I ended up getting a t-shirt, the the o the original t-shirt of uh Triple Day. That came out and arrived in the mail and it had a bit of a note there saying, Thanks for your support. I hereby appoint you um the Australian ambassador for Triple Day, and I went, Great, alright, I'll take that. And look, I've sort of taken on board. My mate Sean in the US, he's the American ambassador for Triple Day. So we've done a you know, we've sort of helped promote it. Um I think last year we did a um very low budget um um be a Razzie winning um um Reel, sort of promoting uh hands across the water sort of stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um it was very funny. Um Real sort of promoting triple day. And with Mike, he's sort of, I think when it initially started it was more he only had Canadian sort of breweries, um, but he wanted to sort of take it globally. Um so I've sort of reached out, looked at who would be great here, and two halves, they do a great um, great range of European style beers, and so I reached out to Kirk and Dragoner and went, would you be interested? Like, you know, this is came down and actually had a quick meeting with them and they got on board and they thought it was great. And last year was the first time they were the first international sort of Australian partner for um Triple Day, and yeah, it was a great day last year, and they've really gone just gone above and beyond and and just supporting it and being a part of the the whole day.

SPEAKER_01

Do we have any um uh authority from from Belgium?

SPEAKER_00

They're they're actually this year, um they are all the major brewers like the Triple, the Trappists, the big the big main brewers in Belgium, in Belgium, like Blatrap, Westmal, Lupeless, Archell, they're all I'm just assuming these are factually correct by the way. No, yeah, well, they're they there's about 33 different brewery partner breweries this year, and they but yes, he's been able to get the big names in Belgium to acknowledge and and the Netherlands like on board, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh right. Okay, because it's so okay, so then talk tell me a little bit about the style of beer and it and its history for the beer nerds. Um you don't have to go in depth. You don't have to go in depth. But it comes from Belgium.

SPEAKER_00

Belgium, yeah. So it's roughly how old? Oh, look, it's probably at least a hundred and something in the midst of time. Yeah. But it's it's traditionally a strong strong ale, and it would be one X, two X, and three X. So your three X is your strongest beer, so I think your 1X is 4X though.

SPEAKER_01

I know, well I won't I won't I won't do the joke. No won't touch that.

SPEAKER_00

No won't do the joke. But your 1x is about 3%, 2x about 6%, and your 3x is about 9. Yeah. And I think they use like it's triple X, so they've sort of got shortened down to Triple Triple. And I think they've been using that term sort of 1800s, but it sort of really became more broadly used probably 1956 onwards, I think. Okay. Yeah, when it's I think Westmall have used it in name one of the beers, and then it sort of got yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so it is actually it's it's probably more of a modern take on an old yeah, on an old style. Yeah. As as typically when you run a podcast, you let the guests speak more. Uh and as such, I have been just drinking this away. Like it is, it is not taste like 8%. No, I know at all. I know. This could be a dangerous afternoon. When did you first come across the style?

SPEAKER_00

Well, funny, I actually had a look on uh my untapped earlier, and um the first Belgian triple salt that I had was down the road at to uh Slow Lane. That was wasn't by I researched, it was just by chance I had their triple style beer. This is back in 21. I think a can I got part of the um it could have been a six-pack at the Prince Botlow in Newcastle. Then I got into the La Trappe and that sort of stuff. That was about a couple of years later.

SPEAKER_01

Where would you rate it in terms of your kind of like favourite beer styles?

SPEAKER_00

Uh they're a great I actually really enjoy this beer. They're good like the winter sort of colder months. Um you just crack it open, pour it in a nice chalice glass, of course. Yeah. And um it's a slight sip, you just do a slight sip, you just sit there, enjoy it, and just let the as it gets the room temp, let the flavours really develop and and you just you can track it. You can see how it changes as it as it gets a little bit warmer. Oh right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I I'd really enjoy this sort of style of beer.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Okay. One of the regular segments on um Channel Tap is Tapped In. Now, I meant to text you about this, so sorry, this is being sprung on you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, but it's where we're running. I'm aware of it. Yes, I'm aware of it. I'm a listener. Um I thought, given that your home base is Newcastle, I know we've talked a lot about you having touch points with all over the world, but Newcastle is your home base. Could you give us your top three in terms of uh top three, like I don't know, places to go in Newcastle? They can be pubs, they can be breweries, they can any kind of venue. Um it can be for the beer, it can be for the vibe, it can be whatever. Someone's going up to Newcastle. I have time to go to three places. Where should we go?

SPEAKER_00

Alright. First shout out is to Shout Brewing. Um they uh they uh I I really enjoy those guys. Um Jake and Sam. They do really great beers, like they do some really odd, really out there styles. So in the lead up to Christmas, they did the six weird brews of Christmas. Okay, and it was some real interesting, so it was my first ever pickle beer that I ever had. Oh I've been seeing this a lot, and I went, I've never seen it and went, I don't know. But it was and Jake had saved up all this pickle juice from over the year. Um it doesn't go off? No, no, no, but it was brewed with it and it had an had a dormant sort of a with a uh nice pickled chili as well. Okay. Um they also did a pumpkin beer as well, and that was my first ever proper pumpkin beer, and that's Sam because she's Canadian.

SPEAKER_01

I had a pumpkin beer in in Ohio. Yeah, they uh uh Cecilia, who's co-host here, her grandfather brewed it. They're a different beast.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, I was not expecting it. Um they're rich. Um but yeah, they're great. Back to the pickle. Are you a pickle fan? I would now I am. They've converted me to it. I love pickles. Oh no, okay, that's what I mean. So like I would take a pickle off the burger. Nah, nah nah nah. I don't mind. I'm not the guy used to Okay, so Shout? Was it Shout Shout Brewing? Yep. Uh Method is uh one of the other ones. So they're this is all around the Islington sort of area of Newcastle. Um they're really good as well. Um so I've had quite a few of their beers. Uh I even took one of their beers, I was over at France for a conference in Leon, and I took it was their first birthday, and I was over there at the weekend, it was their first birthday. I took one of their beers over and gave them a toast on the banks of the river in Leon. Oh nice. Grain Fed, they're good. Yep. Uh they're a good one. I think I gave you one of their beers. Yes, yep. That'll be a cracker. I'm looking forward to it. Um they're in a perfect spot, they're right near the um the stadium. So when it comes to all the big events, so as football, the league, soccer, that sort of stuff, they're perfectly located. Four columns a good one, that's one of the original ones in town. Okay, what about um not necessarily craft brewing?

SPEAKER_01

What about just your kind of old like pub? Just a pub for vibes.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, good old pub. Alright, go to Clarendon. Okay. It's right near my work. I work at I work at the uni in town, and it's uh short stroll down, and they've got a great, they do a good range of craft beers, and it you can't go past their uh Snitzel lunch special. 20 bucks. 20 bucks.

SPEAKER_01

Ah, that'll that'll work. Yeah, yeah, that'll work. Love it. Um, so what is your um you just mentioned it there. Tell us about what you do outside of the beer game.

SPEAKER_00

So I work at University of Newcastle. I work, I've been in the business school there for shit, 13 years nearly. Um as I've ever worked in one place. So yeah, it's it's it's great there. Um I sort of work in the quality assurance and data management sort of side of things, and that keeps me occupied during the day, and then Yeah, then it's craft beer after hours.

SPEAKER_01

And then what's what's forward for the craft beer MC?

SPEAKER_00

Oh I think just yeah, just keep going. It's getting to explore. I've got a couple of trips overseas next this year, so I've got the US and I've got one in Italy. So just sort of try and experience some of the beers over there. And I think just generally just get out there and enjoy different craft breweries, like spending a bit more time down here as well.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Fair to say, as an assessment, like it's not like there's you know big long-term goals as such. For you, it's like all of it is already good. Yeah. Let's just do more of it. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I think it's a really nice way to live life. Yeah. No, I think I was like last year I sort of um got the t-shirts going.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, can you can you tell the story about your your the t-shirts at your birthday?

SPEAKER_00

Oh right, so my my 50th, yes, I am 50. I'm 53. Some people might be surprised. My my wife as a 50th president with um organized my initial logo. So got the present, opened up a present, it was like, oh, there was a cap and a t-shirt with a logo, they designed a logo. Um and I went, oh, really great. They sort of had a certificate with the new logo. Oh, really good. And then we had out having my 50th at Shout Brewing that night. So I'm getting ready, and Mike said, Oh, I should wear your t-shirt tonight. I went, okay, sure. Um that's a bit interesting because you normally don't like me, you know, like oh a bit underdressed. Um so we turn up to Shout Brewing, and every pretty much everyone there who's coming to the party were all wearing the same t-shirt. So they'd organise. I had no idea about this, it was a complete secret. Somehow, you know, my wife's pretty good at searching secrets, but it's like great, so yeah, it was fantastic.

SPEAKER_01

So and anyone and for anyone going, oh Matt doesn't look 50 at all, he's had that and changed the logo since.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, so he's definitely 50. Yeah, so the new logo is uh what's on Insta is pretty much, yeah. So that that was a good um play around with uh what was it, Microsoft design at the time. Yeah, yeah. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well Matt, thank you so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_00

Nah, absolute pleasure.

SPEAKER_01

I think we might do a little bit of a bonus if we can grab him for the for the beer nerds out there, maybe get Kirk to um to explain something, and we'll put that on a different episode. But uh thank you for being a listener. Thank you for introducing me to the swap, uh, and thank you for reaching out via D.

SPEAKER_00

Absolute pleasure. It's great to um great to meet fellow sort of craft beer people, and um yeah, that's the that's the fun of it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I I appreciate everything that you've done as a kind of mentor, and uh, and well, yeah, good luck for the makes me feel old, yeah. I'm feeling 53. I I I'm not an ambassador yet, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Thank you for the streaks coming through.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you, mate. No problem with these beers. I'll let I've spoken too much and maybe drunk too much, and we should get off camera before I have too many of these and really screw it up. Uh but thank you for watching um and listening to Chat on Tap. Make sure you send us your recommendations, uh, your feedback, questions, any of that stuff, send it to uh uh hello at chat on tap.com. I haven't done that for so long. We've been off for a little while. Hello at chat on tap.com. If you want to email, follow at chat on tap, uh you can DMS there as well, um, all the other information's on the socials, uh, and you can subscribe on YouTube as well. So, anyway, thank you once again, Matt. Let's go enjoy a triple uh a triple and uh I'll see you next week for a trick. Awesome, cool, man. That was cool. That was cool, that was