In Pursuit of Hoppiness

In this doubleheader episode, Paul Taylor chats with both Demetrius Limnatitis owner and founder of Diablo, and his production manager Ian Dalloway. Demi's is a bit of a stalwart of the Sunshine Coast entertainment scene. He's the owner of live music venue Soul Bar and a number of other venues as well. He's also a champion of Ocean Street in Maroochydore, helping make it one of Queensland's Premier entertainment precincts. His newest passion is Diablo. He makes a devilishly good beer. It says so on the label. He also makes some very special rum, as well as vodkas, gins and liqueurs. Join Paul, Ian, bartender extraordinaire, and Demi having a devilishly good time!

In this episode of In Pursuit of Hoppiness, the ‘Spirit’ series heads to Caloundra to learn the history and inner workings of award-winning gins at Beachtree Distillery Co. Steve Grace and Kirra Daley turned a passion into a business. Beachtree is Australia’s only First Nations-owned-and-operated distillery, producing small-batch artisan gin – and with names like Quokka and Koala – you know that native botanicals are a key ingredient. The proof is really in the gin itself -  they entered the World Gin Awards and won gold with their first gin within a few months of opening in 2021. Stay tuned for some rum and whiskey that is currently maturing in barrels out the back!

In Pursuit of Hoppiness continues in good spirits with Paul Taylor catching up with Matt Hobson, co-founder of Sunshine & Sons distillery based at the Big Pineapple precinct in Woombye. Within minutes of tuning in, you’ll be transported to your happy place just by listening to Matt’s passion and zest for the Sunshine Coast way of life – no spirits required!

You’ll learn that after Matt’s discussion in 2018 about starting up a distillery on the Coast with Brisbane-based mate Michael, the lads bit the bullet and made the move to the sunny side. Only the move started out with a round-the-world venture (in the name of distilling research of course!), which included a stop in the Caribbean to learn the trade secrets of rum distilling. Shortly after the lads’ return, they set up Sunshine & Sons, their Sunshine Coast gin distilling brand. And not long after that, their rum brand Nil Desperandum hit the scene. Today, Matt and his distilling compadres produce some of Australia’s finest gin and are also the third largest producer of rum in Australia. Now that’s what we call The Coast Spirit!

Join Paul Taylor as he pursues more than just hoppiness, in the ‘Spirit’ series: a podcast about craft beer and distilleries on the Sunshine Coast. In this episode you’ll meet founder and owner at  Pomona Distillery Robin Yates, who has a love of the Alchemy of Spirits, dating back to University where he spent his lectures distilling in the back of the chemistry lab while flirting with fellow students!

You’ll learn a lot about the art of making gin, his career as an industrial chemist specializing in extruded plastics before retiring to Pomona to plant thousands of trees so the koalas would always have somewhere to live. This is an episode not to be missed.

Our Head Brewer Steve Conway is passionate about Beer, starting in the business as a cellarman in 1984, Steve understands the type of beer people want to drink and has produced a range of craft beers that has something for all beer lovers. We brew in the traditional way so our craft beers get time to be the best they can be. Catch up with Paul Taylor on this weeks chat with Kenilworth Brewery.

Now to Morts, which this episode about. It sits in the boutique aisle. Maybe the smallest brewery we've had on the podcast so far. Anyway, the Mort story is a beauty, a home brewer who wanted to brew on a larger scale. He knew of a space at the back of a pub in Nambour because he used to drink there. 

Learn more at Australia's Craft Beer Capital

Paul’s mum told him that you can't always tell a book by its cover. This episode of in pursuit of Hoppiness is a case in point. When Glass House Brewery founder Simon Michelangeli fronted up, Paul had never laid eyes on him before, so took him at face value. That face was beardless.

What Paul didn't know was that Simon just had his very first shave in 17 years! Join Paul as he chats with Simon about all thing’s beards, brews, starting a family, setting up life on the coast and enjoying the finer things in life.

Learn more at  Australia's Craft Beer Capital

In this episode Paul twists the top of a squealer of Noosa Hinterland Brewing Companies Finest IPA with founder, owner, Brewer, Barman and Chief bottle Washer John Tynan. Noosa Hinterland - that family owned and run microbrewery at Curran. Believe it or not, it's in the Noosa hinterland. Google it, it is a beautiful Aussie village. It's safe to say it's the smallest brewery that we've talked about so far in this podcast.

Learn more about Australia's Craft Beer Capital

This podcast is about the Sunshine Coast’s (and Qld’s) first brewery, Sunshine Coast Brewery. It's a great story, a conversation about the start of craft beer in Queensland on the Sunshine Coast.

Join Paul as he chats with the Curran family, Bridget and Greg who bought the place at Kunda Park behind Maroochydore over 20  years ago, and their daughter Bernadette  who recently joined the throng as head Brewer. With their mixed bag of skills and passions – they may be the perfect lot to own a brewery.

Learn more at  Australia's Craft Beer Capital

Opening to the public in May 2017, Sunshine Brewery is situated in the industrial estate of Kuluin. In this podcast, listen to the origin of Sunshine Brewery as Paul and Daryle Cook talk through their flagship beers and get more of an understanding on how these Brewers keep their family brewery hustling in the Craft Beer Capital of Australia.

Learn more at  Australia's Craft Beer Capital