Cheers with Nat

Welcome back to Beer with Nat.

It's been a while! And, no, this isn't a return to our regularly scheduled programming just yet, but I promise there will be new episodes in the new year!

What I've got to share with you today is something of a holiday special... Beer Nation 2020.

A few weeks ago, I was very kindly invited to take part in a podcast collaboration looking back at the year in beer here in the UK.

Beer Nation 2020 is the brainchild of Steve and Martin of the Beer O'Clock Show.

They recorded the first one way back in 2015, and five years later, they rounded us up for another conversation to put into the time capsule.

In this 2-part special, you'll hear from the folks behind the following UK-based beer podcasts:

- Beer O'Clock Show

- Beers Without Frontiers

- Rhythm & Brews

- Sheffield Hopcast

- Men Beerhaving Badly

- Fermentation Beer & Brewing Radio

- and Beer with Nat

We talk about how this year has impacted the beer world, discussing topics like:

-where we're drinking (as pubs, bars and taprooms were closed for much of this year),

-beer broadcasting and the rise in live streams and online events,

-diversity in beer, including the gains made and work still to be done,

-and our predictions for 2021.

Have a listen and share your thoughts with us on social using #BeerNation2020.

This is Beer Nation 2020, Part 1.

Welcome to this Beer with Nat mini-series!

Instead of chatting with women who work in the beer industry, like I normally do… in this mini-series, I'm chatting with women who don't.

Why? To show that it's not just women who work in beer that love it.

Today's guest is journalist and broadcaster, Marverine Cole. Marverine tells us what inspired her to pursue a career in journalism, talks us through the various roles she's held to date, and lets us in her new day-to-day, as head of the undergraduate journalism program at Birmingham City University.

In addition to her work as a journalist and broadcaster, Marverine is also a Beer Sommelier! We chat about what got her into beer, what led her to pursue the Beer Sommelier qualification, and she shares an exciting new opportunity that's just come her way that combines her passion for beer with her career in journalism.

Coincidentally, Marverine and I ended up drinking the same beer! A modern British classic, Thornbridge Jaipur. You'll hear why she loves it so much shortly.

(Just a quick heads up, this episode was recorded remotely, so the audio quality is not quite the same as previous seasons, but I hope you still enjoy it.)

Here's Marverine…

Check her out on Twitter, @beerbeauty

Find her author page on BBC Good Food

And finally, here are some of the wonderful women who helped welcome her into beer:

• Melissa Cole
• Jane Peyton and her School of Booze
• Susanna Forbes
• Frances Braces
• Sophie Atherton
• Sophie de Ronde
• And many more!

Welcome back to this Beer with Nat mini-series!

On every episode of Beer with Nat, I share a beer and a chat with people who do what they love for a living. But this mini-series is a little different.

Instead of chatting with women who work in the beer industry, like I normally do… this time, I'm chatting with women who don't.

Why? To show that it's not just women who work in beer that love it.

Today's guest is Gabrielle Corbett, podcast producer and host of the Bitesize Bodacious Babes podcast, a podcast that demystifies the music industry. Gabi tells us about what led her to pursue a career in music, talks us through the different roles she's held, and explains how they've inspired her to start her podcast.

We also chat about Gabi's love of beer, how she discovered her go-to style, and what aspect of beer she enjoys most.

Gabi's a dark beer fan, so she's got a porter from a local Scottish brewery and I'm sipping on a stout. We'll each tell you more about our beers of choice shortly.

(Just a quick heads up, this episode was recorded remotely, so the audio quality is not quite the same as previous seasons, but I hope you still enjoy it.)

Here's Gabi…

---

Gabi's shout outs:

• Check out her podcast, Bitesize Bodacious Babes
• Her Medium page for podcasting tips
• And @_studioemma's Instagram

And a quick clarification:

7:10 - The collective that Redinno is part of is called Numbrs (not Colours!)

Welcome back to this Beer with Nat mini-series!

On every episode of Beer with Nat, I share a beer and a chat with people who do what they love for a living...But this mini-series is a little different.

Instead of chatting with women who work in the beer industry, like I normally do… this time, I'm chatting with women who don't.

Why? To show that it's not just women who work in beer that love it.

In this four-episode mini-series, I chat with an actress, archivist, podcaster and broadcaster, not only about their careers and what it's like to do work that they love for a living, but why beer is their beverage of choice.

Today's guest is Ellie King, archivist at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. Ellie tells us about what sparked her interest in a career as an archivist, the training required, and the coolest project she's worked on so far.

We also chat about what got Ellie into beer, what inspired her to set up her beery Instagram account (@hoppy_raptor) and what she enjoys most about the online beer community that she's a part of.

Ellie is a big fan of Burning Sky Brewery – she lets us know why in the chat! – so she's drinking their Arise Pale Ale. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on the same beer, but I had a lovely fruit-forward pale ale from Rock Leopard to keep me company.

(Just a quick heads up, this episode was recorded remotely, so the audio quality is not quite the same as previous seasons, but I hope you still enjoy it.)

Here's Ellie…

--

Ellie's can't miss Instagram accounts:

@mary.hoppins

@awomansbrew

@theresa.undine

Welcome to this Beer with Nat mini-series!

On every episode of Beer with Nat, I share a beer and a chat with people who do what they love for a living. But, this mini-series is a little different.

Instead of chatting with women who work in the beer industry, like I normally do… this time, I'm chatting with women who don't.

Why? To show that it's not just women who work in beer that love it.

Over the next four episodes, I chat with an actress, archivist, podcaster and broadcaster, not only about their careers and what it's like to do work that they love for a living, but why beer is their beverage of choice.

Today's guest is Saoirse-Monica Jackson, actress best known for her role as Erin Quinn in Derry Girls. Saoirse tells us how she got into acting, the differences between working on stage and on screen, some of the things she wished she knew when she first got started and the people who have helped her along the way.

We also talk and taste our way through two different beers, as Saorise tells us about what it was like to grow up in a pub as her parents ran one when she was younger and what got her into beer.

Saoirse's normally a light lager drinker, but she asked me to introduce her to some new styles, so I pulled together a few options and we ended up tasting a unique Belgian beer style called a kriek – it's aged on sour cherries, so it's got a beautiful pink colour and sweet-and-sour flavour profile – followed by a pastry, or dessert, stout which was flavoured to taste like a chocolate fudge cake. You'll find out what she thinks of each shortly!

Just a quick heads up, we recorded this episode way back in December 2019, back in the days when we could be in the same space and share a beer! The initial idea was to release this mini-series in April, but as you all know, life happened. So here we are, a little while later. But, better late than never!

Here's Saorise…

---

Saoirse's shout outs:

Find a link to the Kate Nash music video Saoirse mentioned here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL7ROvmXe-A

Along with a link to the IMDb page for their upcoming movie, 'Higher Grounds': https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11426538/

And if you haven't yet watched Derry Girls, here you go: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/derry-girls/on-demand/59741-001

Welcome back to Beer with Nat.

On every episode, I share a beer and a chat with people who do what they love for a living…

But this mini-series is a little different.

Instead of chatting with women who work in the beer industry, like I normally do… this time, I'm chatting with women who don't.

Why? Following the philosophy that's inspired every episode of Beer with Nat - "If you can't see, you can't be" – I want to show that it's not just women who work in beer that love it.

In this four-part mini-series, I share a beer and a chat with an actress, archivist, podcaster, and broadcaster, not only about their careers and what it's like to do work that they love for a living, but why beer is their beverage of choice.

I had the idea for this mini-series a while ago and actually recorded the first episode way back in December 2019. The initial plan to was release it after Beer with Nat Season 3 wrapped up, but, sadly, that season was left at a loose end because of the pandemic and I put my recording on hold.

Despite my reluctance to record remotely – there's really nothing quite like sharing a beer and a chat in person – I decided these stories were worth telling, so last month, I hopped on Zencastr to record episodes two through four.

And, finally, here we are. Better late than never, right?

A new episode of this four-part mini-series will go live each Wednesday in August. So be sure to check back tomorrow for episode one… with actress Saoirse-Monica Jackson.

Chat soon!

Today's guest is Becky Kean, Co-Founder & Director of Nirvana Brewery, a London-based brewery that specializes in alcohol free beer. You'll hear how Becky first discovered beer, how a road trip to Germany with her brother helped her get her start in the beer business, and what her day to day with Nirvana looks like now. We also talk about the no and low alcohol space and how it's grown, some of the different approaches to producing alcohol free beer, and, of course, some of the challenges. Finally, Becky tells us what she learned from her previous roles, how they've helped with the work she's doing now and what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industry.

Here she is...

Today's guest is Alex White, Brewer at London Fields Brewery. Before Alex started brewing beer, she used to sell it, working as a sales rep for Carlsberg's House of Beers. But before all that… she was a chef!

From her time as a chef, to beer sales, then brewing, you'll hear about Alex's experiences in each role and her grand plan for what she aims to do with the knowledge she's gained along the way. We also talk about it was like growing up in Australia, how she got into beer, and what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industry.

Here she is…

Today's guest is Jackie Moody-McNamara, coach, mentor and consultant at Turn the Key.

Jackie, quite literally, grew up in pubs, as both of her parents ran pubs when she was younger. She tells us how she progressed from pub relief manager, to trainer, to Director of Operations for Punch Taverns, overseeing an estate of 500 pubs.

We talk about what she learned along the way, and how that's informed her current role as a coach and mentor to other women who are advancing in their careers in hospitality.

Then we go into some fascinating research that Jackie's undertaken on the 7 factors that are holding women back from the boardroom, and the 7 opportunities. Find the full report here.

Finally, Jackie lets us in on what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer and pub industry.

Here she is...

Today's guest is Jo Dring, Senior PR Manager at Heineken UK.

Jo lets us in on the day-to-day of her role, the best bits of the job, and some of her favourite campaigns that she's run over the years.

Then we talk through her decade-plus career in beer, from getting her start at Wells & Young's, to working for Carlsberg both in the UK and abroad, and then to her current role at Heineken. She also tells us about her brief stint as a stand up comedian and how that's helped her in her day job!

Finally, Jo tells us how she's seen the industry change over the years and what she enjoys most about being a part of it.

Here she is...