EP 21 - Beers With Bev

Beers, Brotherhood & Building Community with Bevan Giffin

In this episode of Chat on Tap, host David A. Lennon sits down with beer reviewer and community builder Bevan Giffin at the Pyrmont Point Hotel for a deep dive into craft beer, content creation, and the power of connection.

From tasting notes to mental health, this episode explores how a shared love of beer can turn into something much bigger — a genuine support network.

•  How Bevan became “the beer guy” — from travel to tasting panels 
•  Why local breweries are the best way to understand a place 
•  The power of consistency: 365 days of beer content 
•  Inside the craft beer community — why it’s different (and better) than most industries 
•  The rise of “Frothy Moco” — blending beer culture with mental health support 
•  Why pubs still matter as a space for real conversations.
• Who owns your 'Australian' beer? Article referenced: https://craftypint.com/who-owns-your-beer 
• Why buying Indie matters.

🍺 Beers & Venues

•  BentSpoke Crankshaft IPA (what we were sipping) 
•  Seeker Brewing X Garage Project (best collab for Bev) 
•  Pyrmont Point Hotel  (where we sat)

Check out Bevans work on instagram @bevan_giffin

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

Insta: @chatontap

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YouTube: @ontapchat

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Chat Untap, the podcast about pubs and the people in them. We've been out and about, we've been interviewing people, and now we're coming back to you, touching base with your listener feedback, questions, suggestions, and uh we need more of them all the time. So reach out hello at chatontap.com or you can DM us on the Instagram page at ChatonTap or the YouTube channel on tap chat because I couldn't get the name properly. I'm really excited about my guest today because uh we'll we'll consider this a co-hosted episode um because the man is a very good friend of mine. Uh his name is Bevan Giffen. He's a co-caster on the panel with Chuck and Sons, and he has joined us here today for a beer at the Piemont Point Hotel. Bevan, thank you so much for joining us on Channel Tap. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 0:46

Yeah, um I'm really looking forward to this. It's gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Alright, well cheers. That's what we should do to start with. Cheers. You've been on um oh yep, I guess tomorrow you've learned that from C C, obviously. C C, yes. Okay, um, we'll have a little sip. Let's see that you've given you've done the proper thing and you've given it a sniff first.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Uh old habits die hard. Can't help myself. Okay, so tell us uh tell us what you picked for us today. Okay, so we've gone with uh Bent Spoke's crankshaft IPA. I really like this beer, especially if I can find it on tap. It's uh it's a really easy drinking IPA. It's uh I'm sure you can taste there's lots of that orange up front, a little bit of grapefruit lemon as you start to go down the back, and then it's got a really good sweet, not too sweet, but just a little bit of sweetness backbone. It's not overly bitter either.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Now that you can see Bevan obviously knows what the hell he's talking about.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

I try.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

When did you become the beer guy to your friends and family?

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Uh uh, I think maybe let's say about five years ago, I really started to delve into craft beer. Um, so I've been very, very lucky in my life, and we've traveled quite extensively, and everywhere I go, the one of the first things I do is try to find a local brewery. Um, to and I find personally that the local brewery tells you a lot about the area that you're in because you get a mix of everybody in a brewery, you get guys who just finished work on the docks to builders to guys off Wall Street if you're in America. Well, those those you just get a such a mix across the board of everybody in a brewery. So if you can find a little brewery wherever you go in the world, I I find anyway, I get a really good feel for that place, and so from that um I started to experience a lot more different beers, different uh styles of beer as well. Australia was a little it's gotten a lot better as we all know. In fact, we're leading the world in a lot of things. We're doing pretty well here, but uh when I was traveling, I was learning a lot about beer, so when I came home, then I really started to focus on Australia and um yeah, just delved right into beer and and experiencing beer. I was lucky enough when I first started thinking about beer in a past life. I was in hospo for 20 years, so I was a chef. I've also worked behind a few bars, but uh I think my chef's background has sort of given me that ability to really understand my palate, and that helps me, I think, when I'm really trying to dissect a beer and and see the flavours that are in it and and how and and every beer that you you get your hands on, if you if you spend a little bit of time with it and uh and and I just drink it, and don't get me wrong, if you just want to drink it and that's awesome as well. But uh I like to just you know really spend a few minutes with it, really experiencing what it has to say, and those things can tell you a little bit about how it's made, even without I guess knowing how it was made. So I guess yeah, maybe about five years ago that started for me, and then the last I'd say two years, it's gone crazy for me personally. I've met so many people, the craft beer industry and surrounding people is amazing community. I met yourself through uh the tasting panel with Chuck and Sons Brewing. Um you're wearing a shirt? I am actually uh and then yeah, just met so many people through all throughout Australia. I've got many people I speak to overseas, haven't met any of them yet, but that's definitely coming. I've got a trip to Japan later in the year, and I've got a few people to catch up with there. And and then Instagram for me has just been sort of it started off as a place where I just wanted to sort of post some photos of what I was drinking as a reminder document. Yeah, that's right. And then that turned into I started to do reviews. Now I've got people sort of messaging me going, man, that review was really awesome. I feel like I know I almost taste taste the beer, which I'm really, really happy about because that wasn't my intention, it was more just me expressing myself. But if somebody else uh can take something away from that, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Yeah, and I mean, so kudos to you. One post every day last year, so 365 posts, which is essentially 365 beers.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

A few of those posts were I'd gone to a brewery or gone to a festival or whatnot.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

But uh, the the smoke and mirrors, it's not every day, it's not every day, right? But the point is you've made um you've you have you made the commitment to put a piece of content out every day regarding beer, and and I know you how well you how much you speak to um the importance of you you write a draft, you edit it, you edit it again. Did you find that that was kind of putting yourself out there and that's why you found these?

SPEAKER_02 6:28

I I think definitely. Before then, it might have been once a month, not even, just whenever it felt right, I'd maybe post a photo or I had a beer here or I went there. Um making the effort to really connect. Well, firstly, making the effort to to post regularly, um, and then secondly, once people started to sort of like my my content and and get interested and message me, making the effort to always sort of check in with everybody. I always thank everybody who follows me and um likes if I if I can, I've got to admit, sometimes I can't always say hello to everyone, but I I think uh I think that's really important that that community feeling, just just keeping connected to everyone and um seems to have worked pretty well so far.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Well, I think you so to tell you the story, to tell the audience the story of how we met, so we both entered what was essentially a competition for Chuck and Sons. They were looking for people to join the tasting panel, so they were looking for people who were either in the brewery industry, brewers, um, bloggers, whatever, and said, Hey, grab one of our beers, give it a review, and we'll we'll pick a tasting panel of five people. And so you and I rock up, we got we got chosen. We rock up on the first day um with three other blokes. Uh Ryan's a beer enthusiast from Scotland. I mean, you just have to say Scotland, you know he's gonna drink beer. Max is a really good taster and has a really great eye and whatever from um but essentially another content creator from uh out of the States but lives in Wollongong now. We had Jason who grows some hops but also runs some social media stuff, yourself who has spent the time to brew, and so it was this kind of you walk I walked in the room thinking, okay, I don't know I don't know what to expect from all of these people, and now it is turned into probably quarterly. There is something where four of the five of us are at easily planned to be at, and now your wife Athena comes along.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

I mean the Christmas party this year was the Christmas party was very good.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

That was that was a really good day out.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Got a little out of hand.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Yeah. But um but not too bad though. I thought I thought we were all pretty good by the end of the day. Yeah, it could have been a lot more messy.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yeah, yeah. Do you do you have other moments like that where you just you almost look at someone and go, like I I almost look at now and I go, if without that meeting because of our likeness for beer, I wouldn't be sitting here. I mean, I know we're doing it as a podcast, but I wouldn't be sitting here in what world would we kind of cross paths almost and become pretty good mates?

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The other pretty substantial one for me was the boys down south, yeah. All the guys from the Frothy Moko. Yeah. Um so I had met Dwayne before that all sort of came about. Um because of our love of homebrewing, and Dwayne is an amazing brewer. He really is. Everything I've tasted that he's made is really, really phenomenal. He really puts in the time and effort to just ensure each stage is done correctly and done well, and it all shows in his beer. Like all homebrewers, I can sometimes, you know, cut a few c corners and when you do that, the beer's okay, but it's not great. And um yeah, Dwayne's a really good homebrewer. And then I hadn't didn't know this at the time, but Max also through Chuck and Sons um knows those boys because they all live down the same way. So I think that group and then our tasting panel, which is slightly grown with coral, and like you said, Athena comes along from time to time. Um they're the two major ones for me. They're the two groups that have really I think without tasting panel and connecting with Dwayne, those two groups I don't think I would probably know. So I've been really, really lucky for those two those two things to happen. And then many other people. Oh, I was just in Newcastle over the weekend. Um a couple of brewers that I know were there, which was awesome, and also connected with uh a few other people that I've spoken to on Instagram from time to time, but never actually physically met. So had a had a wonderful day catching up with them and meeting with them, and since then have had you know conversations about going back and maybe visiting a few breweries and whatnot. And like I said, this this community is just amazing. Everyone just is so welcoming and and readily willing to just open up and help each other out. It's great.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

I I so my experience of that has been, you know, background my background is media, and I've over time I've worked out it's not as special as we all think it is. Like everyone thinks their industry is special. We're all human at the end of the day. Uh, but there are certain parts of industries that have their quirks, and media is one I think, and like social media and whatnot can be this kind of place I've found where people want to hold their cards to their chest. They don't want to give you any advantage if they're onto something, they don't want to give you any of it. Competitive jealousy, all of that stuff runs. Now I'm sure that exists in the brewing industry, but my experience in the craft beer industry has been nothing but welcome, supporting. You meet a brewer, I go, What I'd love to give you a beer, which one of the taps do you want? I'll take the pale ale. Oh, awesome, but I'm gonna give you the IPA as well because I'm really proud of it. You know, everyone wants to share their product, everyone wants to share all of that. Have you found the same?

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Absolutely, absolutely, and I think from conversations, everything I've read, the brewing industry, home brewing, craft beer worldwide is very much like that. And as I was saying, when I when I um first had interactions with Dwayne from down south, one of the first things he did was I I was talking about a beer that he um had brewed, gave me the recipe. Wow, just like here you go, yeah, and that happens so often because and like you said, there are there are a few in the industry and and and a few in home brewing who are like I'm really proud of this, I kind of want to keep it for myself. But 98% people have like go for it, give it a go. Here, do you want some help? I've got a free Saturday, I'll come and give you a hand. And it's just like wow, like I didn't expect that. Honestly, I just like you said, you know, so many other parts of life can be very, very self-centered. Home brewing and the craft beer community is definitely one of the places you'll find people just ready to step in and help out anytime.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Maybe humans are just a bit more jolly after two or three beers. Um I think you're right. Um, you mentioned uh just before it's a uh the the frothy moco, which you and I both willingly subscribed up to. It's very much infancy days. A lot of the listeners of the pod uh will know I've done the I did the Movember episode and it was all for the Froffy Moko. Essentially to encourage men to get out of their comfort zone, find a way to connect with other men, but then while we're at it, who else can we help along?

SPEAKER_03 14:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Is it is that that's probably the best way to describe it? I'd say so. I think it it came about for November and and like you said, I guess that's where the name Frothy Mo Co. came from. But since then, um we've been looking at ways to just as a group of craft beer lovers um to to help in different aspects. Uh myself and a few of the boys have just finished the squat challenge for um cancer research. So I think I think it's yeah, that's all in the end, that's all it is. It's just a bunch of guys. We all connected through beer, but we all want to do what we can for our communities, and um let's hope it gets bigger and better. I think so. I'm I I can see it, you know, everyone's always keen to just jump on board and see what money we can raise, what awareness we can raise.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

And I I mean it made me think, you know, I'm interested. I mean, I didn't do the squat one because I've got a couple of other ideas for later in the year, and you know, I I'm trying to be strategic about it. You don't want to fatigue people by asking them for money, but then my way is it well, I'll just donate to what you guys are doing. Um but I also just love the part of even just that immediate group. There's people in there who've never met, uh, don't know other people in the group chat and willingly opening up and saying, you know, I'd had a tough one, but Dwayne, thanks for coming and thanks for coming to the chat. Absolutely. You know, and it was it just from in that moment, immediately, regardless of all the other charity things, that group of people felt like they had a support network.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

And and I I I remember you and I having um just a little bit of a chat about I'm a little bit probably a little bit older than a few or most of the guys in the group and uh maybe brought up in a time a little bit earlier on where talking about your feelings and and opening up weren't wasn't so well wasn't looked on as something that you do. And and uh even just a couple of chats that you and I had just made me think, you know, like oh, if I'm having a hard day, just reach out and you know, there's always someone out there who's gonna say, you know, I I'm not having the best day either, but let's just talk this out, or you know what, mate, just go get a beer and have a chat.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

And have you and have you felt comfortable to do that since?

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Uh I think more so. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:04

Yeah, I think it's um it's helped me personally. Um even even if I haven't reached out as much as I probably needed to, but the one or two times I have come away from it going, you know, I feel I feel better, you know, I feel like you said, supported.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

There's people there if I need them. Yeah, so it's been good.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

I think that segues really nicely into You've got ale. You've got ale, because we've got these listener questions. Oh, I guess. But there's one here. What should the next challenge for the Froffly Moko be? Oh. But I'm gonna extend that to what do you think the Froffimoko should do next?

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Well, if it were up to me, I've got a plane. Are you listening? No, no, no, no. Oh, I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Well, I think November's gonna be that's gonna be an easy one this year.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

That that that's definitely coming up.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

I'm gonna do one this year that um is gonna be really uh 180 degrees from what we do there, in that I'm gonna do dry July. Right. For someone who's part of a craft beer support group. Uh but yeah, it's been a long time since I since I've done that, so that that's gonna be one for me this year. Yeah, that's cool. Um I don't think if the whole group did that, we would I mean, a lot of the stuff we do is often raising awareness by doing the usual beer reviews that we usually do, but within the review or within that within that content or video, mention what's happening and and whatnot. So are there any other causes you'd like to see?

SPEAKER_02 18:45

Well, there's always cancer. My mum passed from cancer quite young in life, so uh anything to do with breast cancer or ovarian cancer, I'm always up for that. I've been doing it before the frothy moco. Um I like the idea of dry July because I think sometimes when you go, we're a craft beer group promoting men's mental health, people think, well, you know, but beer's not the answer. We're not using beer to say beer is the answer to the problem. We're using our love of beer to to get the message out there that we need to support each other and help each other.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

And I think in Australia that's it it feels like it feels like the default setting of the way to sit down and have a chat, right?

SPEAKER_02 19:48

Uh as guys, absolutely. I mean, like it's not it's not so easy on the work side to sort of talk about your feelings, you're not you're not doing so well mentally. But uh you've got a you know, at the pub, just you and a mate, one beer, settle down a little bit, might be a little bit easier to talk about those things.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

I mean, for some people this is not going to be the case. It's gonna be too hard for it to be you know to go sit in a pub if if if alcohol is not the ant is not for you, and that's a lot of people. But one thing I think I would like to see, and even as a as a challenge to myself, is how do you still have the pub environment, the sitting down and having a beer with your mate, whether it's you're having a non-alk or a soda or a water, you know, like or changing it for being a cup of tea or a cup of coffee or whatever. And I think that's that's something that I long term really want to get to because I know it's a it's a real it's a real juxtaposition saying um hey, we're a we're a men's mental health group uh and we do and we like craft beer, and it's like really trying it's a fine line between self-medicating and creating an environment for a conversation. Yeah, so it's yeah, that's a tricky one, and I yeah, I I I wonder if there'd be a few of the Froffy Moko that would be up for for joining me at least in in July.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

That I think that might be the one to go. Let's put it out there. Alright. Let's see see what the boys say, and uh that'll be interesting. How to how to do a month of beer posts when you when you can't drink beer.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

Well, yeah. I'd love to dive into the um the non-ALX, which by the way, I don't know if you're a Guinness fan. Compared to the original, Guinness Zero is probably the best non alcoholic product I've had.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Right, I have not tried it. I'm not much of a fan of non alks.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Yeah, I know your feelings on that.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

Yeah. But each to their own.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Yeah. I mean, I I sometimes would say that I would just take a lemon lime soda over over a non alcoholic beer.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

That that's just my point. Um, if if I'm gonna drink beer. It's beer, and beer is alcoholic. If I don't feel like something alcoholic, I'll have, like you said, lemonade and lime, or I'll have just lime and soda, or just bitters, or that that, but that's just me. Each to their own. There's a market for non-alk, and people are loving it, so good on them.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Um right, well, that's I mean, we have really dived in there. I know. Got a a little bit left field. Let's um let's change let's change the pace. We are on the the um the questions that we put up for for you've got ale. Um these are mostly directed at you. So this one, maybe do it pretty quickly. What's been your favourite beer collab?

SPEAKER_02 22:41

Oh, it's got to definitely be Seeker and Garage Project. Yeah, they that was a really amazing beer from the Collaborary Um festival they had earlier this year. That beer, I still have two cans in my fridge. I bought two four packs. I couldn't help myself, it was so good.

SPEAKER_00 23:01

Alright, um, this one's from Smith City Reviews. What's your favorite band and karaoke song?

SPEAKER_02 23:07

Favourite band of all time? Yep. Nirvana. Ooh, okay, yeah. And I've got to say, I was very lucky enough to see Nirvana live. Wow, that's hard as a 32-year-old. Yeah, I know. I wish.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Okay, yep. Um, this question comes from Beers with Bordo. How has his Cicero training been and how far along is he in it? So, for context, um, if anyone isn't following the love affair that is between Bordo and I, Bordo, he's got a YouTube channel, Beers with Bordo. Go check out his stuff. He's the most infectious character. I know you love watching his stuff. He asked me to almost officiate him doing a macro lager challenge, trying to guess the VB from the Carlton, from the Tuies from the Forex, from the Super Dry. Uh, he got all wrong. But you sent me a text saying I just watched your video. Um, Bordo set himself up to fail. And so when I I said that, I sent him a message to you know make sure that Bordo felt better.

SPEAKER_02 24:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

That someone who's really good at tasting, and I consider you the best taster I know.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

Oh, I don't know if I go that far, but okay, top two with Max. Um because I had been messaging him and he asked me had I done any blind tasting, and I said the only blind tasting I personally have done is part of my Cicerone training, but that's more for distinguishing styles and off flavors. Yeah. And I have been I have I have been studying to do my Cicerone certification. However, every year comes around, it's time to have the test, and then life gets in the way. So I've been studying for three years. I'm hoping fingers crossed this year I can do the exam.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

But uh we shall see. All right, okay because I've got a feeling the exam's around about October when I'm gonna be in Japan.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

Right, okay. Also, the text message you'd sent to me about so for anyone who has crossovered between the Bordeaux channel and this channel, Buddha has set himself up to fail, right?

SPEAKER_02 25:19

Right, I wouldn't exactly say fail, but he has given himself, I think, personally, one of the hardest challenges there is. So, like if you were to put a blind tasting of five different styles sour, IPA, pale ale, pills, etc., easier to do. He has got five macro lagers. Pretty much all of them use exactly the same hop, which is Pride of Ringwood. I know of at least four of those beers that definitely that's the hops that they use. Uh, I think it might even be five. Uh the malt bills are pretty similar, but the only real difference between those beers is how they've used the hops, like when throughout the brewing process, and the house yeast strains differ slightly between them. But they're very similar beers. And when you're blind tasting them, but not knowing anything about each glass, it's it's uh super difficult to distinguish one from the other.

SPEAKER_03 26:40

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

You know, when we when when we w when you put three beers in front of someone and you say that's crankshaft, for instance, automatically my mind, I've had crankshaft so many times. In fact, it used to have crankshaft back. Do you remember the old can of crankshaft? The orange, the orange can where they used to have the entire lid of the can.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Oh, yeah, yeah, ripped off. Oh geez, that was satisfying.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

That was so good, but they no longer do it, obviously. Um yeah, but so so automatically, knowing this is crankshaft and having had it before, my brain is look sort of interpreting flavors. So it's looking for that that orange up front, it's looking for that, you know, that that grapefruit slash lime citrus on the back end and you know that slightly sweeter malt because they have a big malt build in crankshaft. But if I if you just gave me that wrapped in brown paper and didn't tell me what it is, it's harder. It's and then it's the same thing macro lagers are designed to be light and generic. Yeah. So you can't find if he can do it, I think he's a better man than I am. I could never do that. Wow, I know I couldn't.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

Well that's good. Well, because I would say, like, I mean I I as much as I love craft beer and I've welcomed been welcomed into the community. I also there is a time that I just want that. And and if it's, you know,$5.50 a schooner or$6 a schooner for happy hour, couldn't care less if it's draft, Tuies, VB. I'm probably not fussed with the the lights or the low carbs, but yeah, one of those three, I I would be equally happy. In fact, I often seek it out as the first beer. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:45

I personally am the opposite.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Thought you might be.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

But it's not actually the my reasoning for that is since my journey into craft beer, I suppose, especially in the last couple of years. Now that I know so many brewers, so many breweries, I know how hard they work to get that product into the industry. A couple of little facts I'm not sure if you're even aware of, and some of the people watching may know this, may not. So 51% of everyone that's employed in the brewing industry in Australia is employed by independent breweries. But yet independent breweries only hold 8% of the entire market.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

Just to what showing how much of the process is automated for the big brewers. Absolutely. And then all of those beers that you just spoke of, nothing against anyone who drinks them. You do you. That's not what I'm saying. I personally don't want to support the big macro brands other than Cooper's, because Cooper's is still family, independent, family-owned. But they're not even Australian companies anymore. So, okay, Lion Nathan is technically based in Australia, CUB is technically owned in Australia, but they're owned by Asahi and Kieran, which are Japanese companies, so all the profits go offshore. Where if I go down to XYZ Brewery and I spend my$50, and then that goes to the local bank, ends up in the hands of the local baker, who then sells to the local tradee, that's looking after people in the locally. I don't I'd I'd prefer don't get me wrong, I'll still drink a beer as a beer. If there's nothing else, I'll drink it. But I personally just don't I would prefer my dollars go to independent whenever it can happen. Yeah. So if you're and I to walk into this pub today, and there was two's and Ben Spoke. I'm picking Ben Spoke over Tuies. Only not saying it's a better beer or it's usually it is, but that's not the point. The point is at least I know that that money staying with an independent brewer in Australia. That's how I feel about the subject anyway.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Do you I know we've talked about it in our group before, but feels like there needs to be a little bit more education about those beers.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

I think so. I think so. There's a really good a really good article on the Crafty Point website. If you just jump on, I'll just go. We'll chuck it in the show notes. That really explains the beer you're drinking and who actually owns it. Because there's also other brands that are owned by say Woolworths, and then everyone thinks, well, Woolworths, that's an Australian supermarket, but they're owned by South Africa. So even though it looks like CUB owns that, the money's not staying in Australia, and and that's part of the reason why it's so difficult for independent brewers to really get ahead. You know, um I've just gone to a couple of festivals lately and uh been told that both have less brewers than before, and I think it's because brewers just can't afford to do it anymore.

SPEAKER_03 32:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

And they gotta watch every penny because of things like tax and and whatnot. And if you can, drink local, drink independent. Drink local is important. I go to my local brewery at least once a week and try to spend some money with them. But drink independent wherever possible is I think even more important because independent breweries in Australia actually support more jobs than the big beers do.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

Yeah, was half the market. That's a thing. That's it. You can you can you can buy eight percent of the market's beers and support 50% of the economy. That's it. It's pretty yeah, uh that's that's a mind-blowing fact. Um, and most scans have it written on there.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

They do. But yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

In the in the show notes, we'll put uh that article and where to find out more about this. Because I think it's important that people learn that.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

I I think it's a good thing to know.

SPEAKER_00 33:45

Uh okay, what is the next question? Fairly simple one. What is the best beer? Now, not the beer, but is it the this comes from Cecilia Hollands, by the way, whoever that is.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 33:57

Best beer. Is this the airport beer, holiday beer, catching up with an old mate beer, first one after the mowing, whatever.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Oh. Now that's a hard one because I'm a I'm a big believer in your surroundings, where you are, who you're with. Has a lot to do with how much you enjoy or not enjoy a beer. You know, I I remember um I used to listen to a podcast a few years ago um called The Beer Healer out of Tasmania. Um shout out to Chris if you happen to be listening. It's been years, I know. But uh um he would always say, like, realistically, Bintang's not the best pilsner in the world. It's right. It's like But in Bali. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. In Bali, 98% humidity on a 40-degree day sitting on a beach. That's the best beer you've ever had in your life.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Out of an obviously recycled bottle with the label falling off, you're not even 100% sure if it's clean. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

But it's the best beer you've had ever. So so I think it's I think it's like that. So then which one? You've got to pick one. Oh, I have to pick one. Yep. Uh, it's beers with mates. Yeah. Absolutely. A shared beer or share beer occasion is the best. Probably 90% what I love about brewing. But I give away so much of my home brew. In fact, I give away more than I drink myself.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

Okay, small but important distinction.

SPEAKER_02 35:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 35:35

Is it because you're sitting and sharing the beer? Because I know you're such a beer nerd, let's call you. So it's the moment sitting down and sharing the beer, or is it that the beer is secondary to the moment anyway?

SPEAKER_02 35:49

Ooh. I think the beer is the vehicle for sharing the moment.

unknown 36:00

Profound.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Okay, a couple more.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

Sorry if that was no good, CC.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

If you had a beer named after you, what would you want it to be? Uh. Want the beer to be, I don't know what that.

SPEAKER_02 36:13

What would I want the beer to be? Like what style?

SPEAKER_00 36:17

Yeah, let's call let's call it the let's call it the beverage.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

The beverage.

SPEAKER_00 36:21

That's really good, David. Um, what would you what style would you want it to be?

SPEAKER_02 36:27

Brown ale. Absolutely. Okay. I I love a brown ale because it's it's not as full on as a porter or a stout, but it's also not as light as some dark lagas, etc. It's that perfect medium, just lovely, easy drinking, but still a little bit malty, a little bit sweet, a little bit, you know. That's definitely a brown apple.

SPEAKER_00 36:56

Are paddles just for looks? No. Too often, especially on a five plus beer paddle, the froth get too warm.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

Yes. I think paddles are important, and I actually don't like going to a brewery that doesn't do paddles. Okay. Because especially if they don't do middies as well. Because I wanna I want to try a few things and see what their best beer is, and then go, okay, I'll have a pint of that, or I'll have a schooner of that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where if you go to a brewery and they go, oh well, we don't do we don't do paddles, and we don't really do midis, I'm gonna sit through five different schooners to go, oh that's a great beer. Because whatever the fifth one is was a great beer, because by that time I'm pretty well done. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything's great.

SPEAKER_00 37:45

I would I would love breweries to do your tasting paddle, but like give me, say it's four on the paddle. Four. I think four's a good number. But but give me three, give me the first one, give me three tokens, so I can come back and grab another three. Ooh, that's a good idea. Because I don't I I I'm sort of I'm with Michael here, yeah, who sent this in. That when the last one starts to get a bit warm. Like I've almost sort of stopped doing it, and I'll just I'll just go, I think I'll like those, but then I end up not trying things that I wouldn't otherwise.

SPEAKER_02 38:19

I see your point, but I mean But I but I think you you want to be able to have Leave the stout or the porter till last, because if it warms up, you're only gonna get a better beer. Okay, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

Yeah, because a stout or a porter warms up a little bit, more flavours. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Um, last one. Who plays Bev in the Bev's Beer documentary? Uh oh, um Jack Black. For sure. I was gonna say Clooney, but I'm I'm I think I think I think I think that's just the grey hair.

SPEAKER_02 38:54

But Jack Black's definitely got some uh greys coming through, so I reckon he could do it.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

You're awesome. Um that was I I just I could listen to you talk about beer all day. I really could. Um and I'm sure Athena, your wife, could as well because she has to. Yeah, she hasn't got much choice. Um, thank you for coming on today.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

Thanks for having me. Hope I haven't waffled on too much.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

Oh, that's fine. We can fix it in the edit. I'm joking, of course. Uh, really, yeah, really appreciate your time. It's been really great to get to know you over the um the craft beer journey and for you to bring us in and and educate me and you know take me under the wind and all of that. So um, yeah, just just thank you for coming along. We have to say thank you, of course, to the Piedmont Point Hotel who had us today in this lovely old world pub.

SPEAKER_02 39:47

Um, not our usual hangout of a brewery, but yeah, no, I actually really like this place. Yeah. I think I've been here before, but it was so long ago that when I walked in today, I was like, I've got a feeling I've never been here before. Well, that yeah. But it does look a little bit familiar, so come on down. This is a really great looking pub.

SPEAKER_00 40:04

These are these are these um these guys are independent as well, they're not part of a chain.

SPEAKER_02 40:08

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

And they're they support a lot of the local crafties as well where they can. So yeah, big thank you to the Piemont Point Hotel, of course. Um jump on all the channels at Chat on Tap on Insta, um, on tap chat on YouTube, um, and if you need to get in touch, you can also email hello at chat on tap.com. Uh, this of course is a Win Studios production. It's um really great to be back in this kind of this chill environment. Thanks for co hosting today, Bev. And uh, I mean I'll see you soon for a drink, and I'll see you for a drink next week.

SPEAKER_02 40:39

Cheers.