I don't think Dave Bonighton really needs any introduction, does he?

You know him as the Co-Founder of Mountain Goat, but he is more than that...yet another trailblazer who has helped to shape the craft beer landscape in this country, and I was so excited to have him as my guest on the 50th episode of The Beer Healer Interviews.

Dave was an absolute pleasure to interview, such a great bloke. As usual, we went off on a few tangents, which is what I love most about recording these interviews!

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This one is for all of you who had/have a dream of taking their love of craft beer to the next level! Maybe you have made it and now cal your hobby your job, or maybe you are still trying to find a way to make your dream a reality...either way, you will love hearing Ben's story. He may give you some ideas for how to take the next step, or you may nod your head in agreement when he details some of the speed bumps he has hit along the way.

This is as authentic as it comes...home brewer turning pro, bit by bit, while trying to make ends meet working a day job as a truck driver.

Whether you love a good beer story, or can relate to his experiences, there is a bit of something in this for everyone...From Ben.

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On this episode I talk with Award Winning Journalist and qualified Cicerone, James Atkinson who now produces the the Drinks Adventures Podcast.

There are so many people who have given so much to the craft beer industry in Australia, and I am really enjoying celebrating their careers and sharing their stories with you, and James is yet another one who has been helping to promote the industry for the past few decades.

James was previously the editor at Australian Brews News and The Shout, he has written for many other food and beverage publications and in 2017 he won the AIBA Media Prize.

These days, Drinks Adventures keeps him busy as he explores drinks of all styles. Has he lost his love of beer? Is Sake his new love? And is he a folder or a roller? All of these hard hitting questions and answers and a few stories thrown in for good measure!

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I am going to be honest with you...before doing this podcast with Ben Joseph from WA's Beer Farm, I didn't know much about them...you will understand what I mean when Ben sets me straight on who does and doesn't work with him!

Having said that, I am so glad that I got the chance to talk with Ben, as their story is a really interesting one...from starting life as a planned Young Henry's Western Australian base to now becoming a fully sustainable operation with a killer water slide. As I said, it's a pretty cool story...oh, and beer, yeah they brew some pretty awesome beer!

But don't let me spoil it for you...find out for yourself!

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Will Tatchell from Van Dieman Brewing is back to talk about funky fermentations, barrel ageing beautiful beers and pushing the boundaries of farmhouse brewing.

Will recently celebrated 10 years of Van Dieman Brewing, and it has been a very busy year. He released a super-sized version of his stout, the Giblin X, a barrel aged beast rocking in at 10-ish percent, which has been vert well received. But better than that, Will's dreams of producing beers completely off the land surrounding is farm has finally come true. In the last 18 months he has shared Max, Edward and Oscar with the beer world...3 beers brewed with all estate grown ingredients an indigenous yeast.

But not wanting to stop there, he has now gone next level, created a new beer category, Australian Spontaneous Ales, and released his first two beers in the category...Long Shadows and Unpredictable Spring. These beers are fermented in Cool Ships...not your everyday method of fermentation.

This episode is for the brewing nerds who want to know more about what this trailblazer is doing with funky yeasts and quirky fermentation methods.

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For this episode, I welcomed Australia's First Lady of beer to the conversation, Kirrily Waldhorn.

Kirrily's contribution to beer industry is impressive, with over 17 years of involvement, she has literally been involved in every part of the industry. She is an educator, a writer beer judge, trainer and occasionally an assistant brewer.

An experienced media performer, having worked in radio and tv and the press and on stage at GABS with her beer and food cooking series, she knows her stuff!

Another episode where I get to pay homage to the people who have helped shape the industry that I love. This is a bit of a longer episode, as both of us love a chat, and I think neither of us really wanted it to end...such a fun chat.

Kirrily shares her thoughts on changing the hearts and minds of mainstream beer drinkers, recalls stories form the past, like the time she was only 1 of 4 women in a room of 400 men at a Lion beer conference, and professes her love for the Tasmanian craft beer scene.

Ladies and gentlemen...I give you, The Beer Diva!

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This episode is another one where I tip the cap to those who helped to shape the craft beer industry for all of us to enjoy. The Australia Craft Beer scene is littered with stories of people leaving safe and secure jobs to try something new, to start new business, follow a new career path and generally throw caution to the wind to follow their craft beer dream.

James Smith is one of those people...although he has kind of been pursuing his dream of spreading the craft beer gospel since he began his career as a freelance writer with the Age. James has done a lot of things in the industry...founded Good Beer Week, written two and a half books on the great beers of Australia, and probably most importantly, runs arguably to most influential craft beer website in Australia...The Crafty Pint.

In this episode, we chat about:

•How things began for Crafty;

•Great beer experiences;

•Taking pain killers for a back injury that make you write great books;

•The recent poll to award the best new beers of 2019; and

•How working in the industry and loving beer might be a recipe for over indulging;

A legend of the industry who does love a chat...enjoy!

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I was in Sydney for work this week and decided to have a cheeky pint at the Lord Nelson Hotel at lunchtime.

The Lord is, of course, the house that Blair Hayden built, so it was only right that while I was there I sat down with the great man for a chat.

In this episode we take a bit of a walk down memory lane. I really enjoyed this chat with Blair...he is no bullshit and very passionate about the industry...enjoy!!

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Mention the name Tim Fishwick around the craft beer industry and I reckon you will get a nod from the person you are speaking with. Why, well by all accounts he's a good bloke and let's be honest, he's been around the traps a bit...in a good way though.

Tim's career has seen him go from flogging pallets of Tooheys to being involved in a number of smaller craft breweries. He's been a Creature and a member of the all conquering team at Balter, but for some reason earlier this year he decided to walk away from hanging out with the lads on the Goldy and do his own thing.

There's been a few whispers about what he has been up to in recent months, and we had to put this podcast off to make sure everything was all progressing and he could actually speak about it.

So in a world exclusive, Tim Fishwick would like to let the world in on his "secret" plans to start a brewery!

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The craft beer landscape continues to change at a rapid pace. We are still seeing new breweries popping up every other week, some have sadly closed, and the number of new beers hitting bottleshop shelves is out of control.

So how do breweries cut through the clutter in a crowded market, and more importantly remain relevant in the eyes of a very promiscuous drinker base?

For well established brand, Stone & Wood, their approach has been to diversify their offerings and as such they have created a number of other brands within the Stone and Wood family...Fixation, Forest for the Trees and Counter Culture. All of these sub brands explore different elements of brewing and allow the company to try new ideas and reach those drinkers who are always looking for the next big thing.

NPD Manager Sam Martin and Creative and Community Manager Jasmin Daly join me for this entertaining and informative chat!

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