Chat On Tap

EP 22 - 9 Breweries. 8 Days. 1 Shirt. The Hop Harvest Fest Challenge

• David A. Lennon • Season 2 • Episode 22

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0:00 | 23:28

What is Hop Harvest Fest, and why are Sydney brewers and beer lovers treating it like Christmas?

Recorded at Mixtape Brewing in Marrickville, David sits down with Jason Treuen from the Inner West Ale Trail to break down one of the most unique beer events in Australia, a celebration of fresh hop beers brewed within hours of harvest.

From brewery passports and cult t-shirts to the logistics of getting hops from Victoria to Sydney in a single day, this is your ultimate guide to Hop Harvest Fest.

  •  What Hop Harvest Fest actually is and why fresh hops matter 
  •  How brewers transport and use hops within hours of harvest 
  •  The “passport challenge”: visit 9 breweries to earn the iconic free t-shirt 
  •  Why fresh hop beers taste different (and why they’re rare) 
  •  Route tips, strategy, and how to tackle all 9 breweries 
  •  The story behind the Inner West Ale Trail and its growth 
  •  Why breweries today are about more than just beer (food, community, culture) 

If you love craft beer, pub culture, or just discovering the best of Sydney’s Inner West, this episode gives you everything you need to experience Hop Harvest Fest properly — not just as a pub crawl, but as a celebration of brewing, community, and ridiculously fresh beer.

👉 Explore the trail:
https://innerwestaletrail.com.au/

🍻 Breweries (Hop Harvest Fest Participants)

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
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Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
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SPEAKER_00

Welcome to Channel Tap, the podcast about Pobs and the people in them. Today we are recording at Mixtape Brewing. We're in Marrickville with someone who is a bit of a legend around the local area. He's also become a pretty good friend of mine. His name is Jason Truin. He heads up the socials at the Inner West Ale Trail and he's pretty fond of a beer too. So a couple, a couple.

SPEAKER_01

And we've had a couple together, which has been good.

SPEAKER_00

Indeed. Welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, thank you. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00

And thank you for everything so far because, you know, in should be known, obviously I've done a lot of work with in Marrickville, and that is partly due to you because of the uh the bond that we've built. Um so it's been really great working with you over the time, but we've got something really cool to talk about today. The Hop Harvest Festival for 2026. Uh, for someone who'd not know what that means, explain it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, first of all, I did bring you a present, if that's alright. So a bit of a show bag. It's uh a bit late for the Easter show, but there's your Hop Harvest Fest show bag. I noticed that you've got last year's t-shirt on, so we thought we needed an update. So uh the new ones in there.

SPEAKER_00

Well, so so we should probably say that these shirts um are kind of special. Like you have to you have to earn a shirt.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, you've got to go on a treasure hunt, and this is the treasure.

SPEAKER_00

And so uh so what I mean It is in there, right? Do I have to promise to uh fill out my passport?

SPEAKER_01

Uh yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If I don't have to hand it back. Taking your wallet and your phone as a deposit.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, great.

SPEAKER_01

Which will be hard to pay for the beers, but we'll figure it out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Alright, let's uh let's explain the Hop Harvest Fest.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so it's a really exciting time. It's kind of um like Brewer's Christmas. Um harvest happens once a year, um, and it happens in March where the hops are picked. Um down we get ours from Victoria from the HPA farms there. Um so it's a really unique special time of year. Our brewers they head down um and bring them back uh within a day. Sometimes, yeah, they go down that early that morning and come back at you know six o'clock at night and start brewing with them. Wow. Um, so normally when hops are picked, they're processed and pelletized and then cryrovaced for transport and storage throughout the year to you, and they make really, really good beers, but you can also get them in the fresh hop, unprocessed um stage, and that's what we've done. So the brewers have brought them back um and then toss them straight into a brew, um, and it really captures them at their kind of I guess most special, unique, and freshest as well. So how long would hops last if you didn't do any of that treatment process? Yeah, they start to deteriorate not long after. Like, I mean, they are a plant, and you know, once it's peaked, they do start to brown. So we try to get them at their freshest. Um, and then yeah, so that all happens in March, and then um come April now, we've got the hop harvest festival. Um so we've got nine breweries that are pouring these exclusive brews um made with fresh hops, and it's also you know, it's a celebration of great beer, but um, it's also about the connection to the farms and you know, back to the land, which you know I often forget about when you're at the at a local brewery, or and it's also about you know celebrating the art of brewing. So each brewery ordered um you know different hops. Um, you know, there's so there's galaxy and there's lunar and eclipse and all these other ones that HPA offer, um, but they're also using different quantities of it, they're using it with different other ingredients in different styles. So it's really about their individuality, I guess, and um a great range of styles um on offer.

SPEAKER_00

What was the origin story? When did the hop halvest festival start for the inwestral?

SPEAKER_01

I've um I've been with the the Inner West Altral for two years, but it actually started the year before. Our president Richard Adamson, who also co-founded Young Henry's, um, and the Altral, yeah, they just did it. Um, I think he made the first passport, you know, himself. It was um so it was a bit more, it was a bit more simplified, but really effective. And everyone loves that passport as well that you showed. Like we have talked about going digital and having um, you know, like a an app or whatever. Yeah, so which is actually better for tracking. So we could see how many people came, how many people, how many stops they went to, that kind of thing. But everyone keeps coming back to oh, we actually like the analogue passport and the old print. I guess you know, with travel passports now, you don't you don't have that stand that was always so rewarding. So um yeah, we've we've stuck with the paper one. It's just grown from there, actually. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Do you think it's because people enjoy the I guess the pilgrimage of it? Because you do have to hit nine breweries to get your shirt.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. I think it's yeah, definitely. It's you know, we kind of call it yeah, part adventure, part uh treasure hunt, yeah, kind of thing. And uh yeah, I think it's that, you know, people are planning their their routes, routes, however you say it, um, already. Um and yeah, but some people are getting really excited about it already. Um and it's also just celebrating the craft community and getting everyone together. So the festival kicks off on Friday and then it goes till next Friday. So you do have eight days to collect your stamps, so it's not like you have to we tell people it's a marathon, not a sprint, you don't have to fast and furious your way through. Um and you know, obviously RSA is important.

SPEAKER_00

So what would be have you is have is there the idyllic route?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well it depends how where you're coming from in Sydney, I guess. I guess my first general tip is probably start at Batch or Young Henry's, which are kind of the bookends. So Batch being like two minutes away from Sydenham Station, even though it's in Marrickville, and then otherwise Young Henry's, which is about two minutes away from Newtown Station. And then and also ending in whichever one you don't do, you end in there because they're where you can pick up the t-shirts once you have uh the completed passport.

SPEAKER_00

So you could reasonably also just do one per day and maybe one day have an extra one.

SPEAKER_01

You could, yeah. Yeah, I mean it's it depends if you work, I guess. Um and the only other thing, I guess the other hot tip is just to check the hours because some breweries are only open Friday to Sunday, like kicks. Um so you just want to make sure that you're not getting squeezed out that at the end and you need one more stamp and they're not open for a few more days.

SPEAKER_00

So if I was to so I'm gonna be doing, I think, a session Friday and a session Sunday. Yeah, yeah, to try and knock off the nine. How would you suggest my route?

SPEAKER_01

I'd probably yeah, start at batch um and then work your way up through Marrickville and you can do as many as you can. There's nine in Marrickville, and then leave the rest and then do future and young Henry's on the Sunday. So and you know, drink a lot of water on the Saturday as well.

SPEAKER_00

I think I will be. Um the shirts have sort of become a bit of a cult item then to collect them because I've seen I didn't really know much about it when I uh you know this time last year.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, you got the shirt. Like you you did it, you completed it. How how many people complete?

SPEAKER_01

Um last year we had like maybe 120. So um, yeah, it's I think people really get into it. Like, you know, everyone loves free stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

Uh we're also like we really try to make sure that um, you know, the t-shirts are really well designed. Like the first two were done by Cindy Sin, who's a pretty iconic Newtown artist, and this year um we're making it by this one. Yeah, yeah, that one, especially the back of it's unreal. Yeah, there we go. For our YouTube viewers. Yeah. And then uh this year we're kind of trying to mix it up as well with different artists. So we've got Aiden Howes, um, he's doing this one. We're paying homage to the inner west icon of the ibis as well. Um, but kind of keeping it, you know, you can see Hot Man there riding the the IBIS uh proudly. So uh yeah, we're pretty, yeah, we put a lot of work into it. Um and that, like you said, the people get excited. I think they're a badge of honour as well for people that have done it, um, done that pilgrimage, which is quite cool. Um, you know, like down the track, I'd love to do more different, like more festivals from in the West Owl trial, but maybe get a similar t-shirt, um, event t-shirt, or you know, like it's a custom glass or something. So I think that's really exciting. And then of course, I don't we don't want people to get psyched out. You can just come along and have some great beers. You don't have to do all nine. Um, you know, just come along for a great time.

SPEAKER_00

You don't even have to do the nine, you could tag along with a with a beer nerd and you can find any of the other drinks or food or whatever you want. Discover the ale trail.

SPEAKER_01

You can, that's right, that's right. Um, and then you know, when they're not looking, you just seal their t-shirt at the end of the day and say, I don't know what happened. Where is it?

SPEAKER_00

Um, can you talk to any of the beers that's coming up this year? Is it still a surprise for you?

SPEAKER_01

No, no, they're all in that passport there, actually. So um tasted any? Yes, I've had a few. Um, and yeah, they're great, they're pretty exciting. I think fresh hot beers as well, there's a unique kind of uh uh freshness and greenness to them as well, which is a bit different. Some taste um very similar to you know, your kind of regular, hazy, very uh heavily hopped beers as well, but there is quite a vibrant difference to them. Um, so I know I'm excited. Mixtape here is doing a black IPA, it's the only dark beer on the roster, so I'm really excited about that. Um, and then um, yeah, there's like places like Future and Brackett that are just using a crazy amount of hops. So um I think Future's putting 50 kilos of Galaxy into their mix, uh, which is a lot. Right, I wouldn't know what those are and and quite expensive as well. And then um not to be outdone brackets doing 60 kilos of uh Vic Secret as well. So um that's a tremendous amount of hops, which should taste amazing. That one's 8.4, so I might just have a thimble of that one on depending, but maybe two thimbles. Um yeah, but it's good. There's a good range, like there's I think there's six IPAs of different styles and colours, um, and then there's an XPA that Grifter's doing um and a couple of a couple of lagas as well. So kind of something for everyone.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so for the people listening who aren't super beard nerds, so to bring them back, yeah, yeah. Let's tell let's tell people about the inner west ale trail in itself, and it's you know, it's not just a beer tourism thing, really, is it?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so we're a collective of 16 breweries uh across the inner west. Um you know, and some of them have been going Young Henry started in 2012, and I think Batch started 2013, so it's kind of um you know, coalesced from there. And then a couple of years ago we launched officially um and then really wanted to put on the map as a tourist spot. And at the same time, we celebrate beer and brewing, but we really want it to be bigger than beer as well. So we're very keen to, you know, we're always letting people know that we have great wines on tap, um, you know, like handpicked lists as well. It's not a case of there's two types, it's red and white, and that's all you get. There's cocktails, a lot of um non-alk beers as well. Um, some places do hot water or just soft drinks, and then really celebrating the food. I think the days of just getting a standard burger at a brewery are long gone, and like we have everything from like this place here does like great falafel plates and um tacos. Well yeah, jalapeno bites. They do a Sunday roast as well, and yeah, it's quite a quite a foodies paradise as well. I guess the thing is where I'm just always always actively trying to smash those old stereotypes around breweries as well. Like it's not just a bunch of bearded dudes sitting in a corner. Uh what? Um you know, like analysing an IPA, it's really for everyone. So, you know, and I think if you come out on a Saturday to the breweries, you see that, you see families, you see um big groups of you know, lots of different people. Um, and we want to be like super family friendly, dog friendly, we're very queer friendly as well, and um just you know, they've got really great big spaces and we, you know, want to fill them and people to have a great time.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I think there's a lot of a lot of I don't know, people in sort of younger people, maybe just either just about to become families or just started being families, have found that yeah, but yes, there's a couple people who lead the charge by saying, Let's go to this brewery because I want to try this beer. Yeah, but it's but everyone else just sits around the table. It's the around the table environment, I think.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. And there's like, you know, there's the kind of specialist beers, but there's always beers that are really approachable depending on what you drink. And um, you know, I've got two kids and you always want like a nice sunny spot or a sp a spot that has a great amount of space where they can run around without getting in trouble or getting under people's feet. You know, it's it's easy to get a table booking as well. Like breweries are really big, they have good capacity, so it is easy to do events or also great just to pop into, I think, as well. How did you get involved in the Inner West? Yeah, so it's a funny story. Um I got into home brewing about five, six years ago. Um randomly a mate just for my birthday gave me a home brewing kit. Um, it was kind of I say randomly because we didn't really buy each other presents at all. So he just I was at first, I was like, is this a free gift? And if it is, that's cool. Um and then I kind of put it off for a few months as I always do with things, and then um, yeah, gave it a go. And uh the first beer was a big failure. Um, but it was really exciting. Like for someone who works in content and socials and uh on websites all the time, like and you know, in that digital space, it was really exciting to like, you know, be hands-on with something and to make something. Um maybe not the first beer, that wasn't exciting, um, to make. But after that, like um yeah, I loved it.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, so so hang on. So you mean that because you're usually making something on a computer, yeah, something that's assisted in that you're making digital assets to actually make a tangible that you can give to your friends and try and like, you know, um, you know, sweat over the boil, etc.

SPEAKER_01

Well not literally, not sweating, you know what I mean. The secret ingredient. But yeah, like you're actually moving your body as well, rather than you know, you might have the same in radio as but like where you're you're making something, then it just gets flushed down the the digital feed. Yeah. Not seen again. So yeah, I really got into it. I ended up winning a couple of like um like small homebrew comps and stuff. Never the grand winner, but the but like the subcategory winner, like I won Best Pay all hour with a batch competition, which was pretty amazing. I did a pretty happy dance. And then after that, I got into the TAFE course for brewing, which JC actually at mixtape, he did a few years before me. And I've always been a writer, so I started writing for Crafty Pint, which is Australia's um, you know, probably best and biggest craft beer website, plug plug. Plug plug.

SPEAKER_00

And they do a podcast too. Yes. And we're not we're not competitive.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I've never met them, they probably don't know who I am, but then uh But I listened to their podcasts, and if you are a beer nut, that is Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Um and then I got um I got made redundant at my day job. I worked for Yahoo, the yes, it's still around. Um I'm not though, they got rid of me. So and then um yeah, I was all set. I was like, finally, I I I'm gonna take a break. Like I'm gonna take two, two, three months off. Um I'm gonna play Last of Us and watch The Office UK and sit around in my pajamas. And then instead of that, I met up with Richard, who I mentioned before, the co-founder of Young Henry's and also the kind of um founding teacher at TAFE, and said, Richard, I've got all these kind of content writing skills and I love beer and craft. How do you think I can make it? Like blend them together. And he said, actually, the Ale Trouse has got um two really substantial government grants from the state government, and we need a digital person. Can you start next week?

SPEAKER_00

Wow.

SPEAKER_01

So it was amazing. Um, I had to get out of my pajamas um and yeah, start working. And then, yeah, we built the new website for launch, which was October 2024. Um, yeah, like had lots and lots of meetings and tours with all the breweries to get to know them, and then yeah, had a great party actually here, so it's quite fitting, actually, that we're here. Yeah, we had the launch party here. Albert came along. Oh wow. Um, which was pretty exciting, and his security detail. Um and then I've been working on it ever since. So I kind of do the day-to-day website and uh the social media. Hopefully you've seen it. If you do, click a lot. So it's been it's been quite a weird, serendipitous journey, but it's a really cool, like sometimes you know, you get down in the the weeds of creating, you know, content as you as you do, and then other times I'm like, holy shit, I'm working for 16 breweries. Yeah. Um, and regularly sending memes to Richard the head of Young Henry's going, is this funny enough? And he writes back. So And is he honest? And yeah, yeah, I think I think so. I don't know if he's just got a low bar or or whatever, but um yeah, it's pretty cool, it's pretty magical that I have to yeah, remind myself of, I guess, sometimes.

SPEAKER_00

That's how we've kind of grown to know each other for for people to give context. I mean, we also met like they're then our last guest, we also met on Chuck's tasting panel.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes, so I wish my uh voice was as uh dulcet as his. Yes. Yeah, but that's how we met on the panel, right? I think I saw your video because you had to enter for the competition, and I was like, oh, that's really, really good. And I put in one that wasn't as good, but I also made the panel, so I mean, no, I I thought it was great.

SPEAKER_00

My favorite bit was when you were moving your beer around and it was splashing out.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that was my first beer as well. But yeah, that's been it's been great. It's been great to get on that panel and also um plug into this craft community like through the Ale Trail, but also through this, like meeting you guys, and yeah, you know, you and Bev captured it so well last week, like better than I could. But it's actually pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00

But I think like uh I mean you and I have a you know, it it feels like a different kind of connection, I suppose, because we both you're in the content game and also making content, so we we've been collabing on you know, what what do you call it? Like um exposing still not the right word, but bringing some attention to the Inner West Ale Towers.

SPEAKER_01

Um missions to the breweries to drink and eat, which is tough missions. It is tough missions, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I think I well what are we at? I think I'm at something like ten, eleven, or twelve. Yes. Which which means we're on the home stretch to cover all of the inner west breweries.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. There's there's a few more to go. But yeah, you've definitely been busy for us, which is great. And it's great to get your you know, your perspective and your like you know, you often tell me that you're not as beer nerdery, that's a word, as as others, but I love those that fresh eyes and that for that fresher like point of view as well.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah, I mean look, I you know, that's why the whole tagline here is I mean, I say pubs and spend all my time in breweries, but essentially it's the people around hospo venues, um, which I think is why I really like the Inner West Altri. With all the stuff that you were just saying, it's great that um so the focus is not just the like, like you said, it's not just beers, we're not trying to turn you away by talking about malt profiles or whatever. We just want people to come together and yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01

I mean we can talk about malt profiles if you want, but um no, yeah, definitely. Like I think maybe in the past, you know, many, many years ago, craft beer was in danger of that as well. Like, you know, like I drink a bigger, bad IPA than you. So like it got to maybe a bit elite, and I think that's not the case at all. Like you can approach it any way you want, and we're really, really trying to showcase venues that are you know happy to do that and talk to you about what your next beer should be and explore that, I guess.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and that's I don't know, as Bev and I were talking last week, we don't bang on about it, but that's that's all I felt from everybody, you know. Like these guys have let us in to use their space in, you know, um at short notice. That's short notice. Um and and they're just you know, they're just doing some brewing over there at the background. Yeah. So they're like, yep, come on in, whatever. So anyway, um look to Rab, what are you most looking forward to about this year's Hop Harvest Fest?

SPEAKER_01

Um probably doing it all, I reckon. Last year I'm I don't know, um I think I got to five or six, and then family events and stuff like that got in the way. This time I reckon two days. I'll probably see you on Friday and Sunday. Um, and yeah, do all nine, I think, and really spend each you know a bit of time with each beer and hopefully catch chat to the brewers and you know learn the stories about each as well. So and um yeah, get a crew together um with you. Um Well, we should have we should have CC on Friday. Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, um if people have been watching the relationship between Boido and Blossom.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I'll be jealous. I mean, you know, no one can crack that uh iconic duo.

SPEAKER_00

But um But next week's episode, we're gonna do like we're gonna do the the hop harvest festival. It's gonna be next week's episode is the challenge to see did I get through all nine in what week.

SPEAKER_01

So to take some before and after photos of that. I mean it's fresh hops, it's green, it's like salad. Yeah. You know, it's pretty much good for you. Well that's fine.

SPEAKER_00

Um but next week's that will be chaotic because uh I don't really this is easy, right? We just set a couple cameras up, we talk for 20-30 minutes and then editing afterwards, whereas this is gonna be like at the venues. Where do you put the camera? Uh it's gonna be almost more like a YouTube vlog. You need a hat with like a GoPro at the end. The train guy, yeah, Francis Bourgeois. Yeah, exactly. So maybe I should just be very exciting. I look forward to that. Um so yeah, so that'll be next week. But Jason, thanks so much for joining us. Enjoy your show, but um, been wanting to get you on for a long time. Scratch tour all things ale trail. I think this is gonna be a really great festival. Um, I hope people hear this and get down.

SPEAKER_01

So they've got till next Friday and finishes up the 24th.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, come along and yeah, try a few and if you miss it, if you've missed it by the time you've listened to this episode, just get down to the ale trail anyway. There's so many great beers in Marriottville. It's probably the heart of beer in Sydney, I would say.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think so. Like just geo group geographically as well. We've got sixteen breweries within five Ks, yeah. Um, which is pretty rare. Like there's other trails out there that are amazing, um, but they're a bit more spread out. But just to be able to walk or quickly Uber some of the stocks.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and to get in from the city on the train for like ten or fifteen minutes as well. Um but anyway, good luck for the Hop Harvest Festival. Is there a chance before we get can I is there a sneak peek, do you reckon?

SPEAKER_01

I reckon we can probably get a cheeky's Yeah. Preview of the uh black IPA there. I'll talk to Jay soon. Yes.

SPEAKER_00

The one I was probably most excited for, too. I would tell you how good that beer tasted, but I am not allowed to until next week. I just wanted to pop up at the end here and say thank you so much to listening for Chat on Tap. We're over 20 episodes in now. I'm really enjoying it, and I just wanted to say thank you to those who have reached out and you know checked in and to see if there was an episode coming or whatnot. It really is motivating to keep making this content because it can be quite a drag when it's not your full-time job. So look, if you've made it this far in the episode, um I know I say it every week, but I really want to implore you hey, get in touch from wherever you are listening, from wherever you are having a beer. Um send us an email, hello at chatontap.com, um, or follow us on the Instagram page at Chatontap, and you can send us a message there. But it's cool to see statistics of people listening from around the world, whether that's in the US or apparently a reasonably vegan Vietnam. So if you're one of those people, um do drop us a line, let us know where you're from, what's happening, and let us know what you're liking about the podcast, what you would like to hear differently, who you'd like maybe me to interview over a beer. So, uh, once again, thank you so much for being a regular listener. Um, or if this is your first time, welcome. And uh, I will see you next week for a drink.