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Creating Kind, Considered, Comfortable Community Spaces
416 Plays9 days ago
“Be kind to people and treat your beer well.”
It’s been an emotional few days for Nemesia Dale-Cully – or Meesh as she’s known to most. For almost half a decade, she’s been running the venue at Wildflower in Marrickville, where they bade farewell to their last customers on May 31.
We took the opportunity to chat to Meesh ahead of the closing weekend, not just to reflect on her time at Wildflower but also to find out what she believes goes into creating a great hospitality experience – both for staff and customers.
Her insights have been earned over a period in which she swapped running events at libraries for bar shifts at Sweet Amber in Adelaide, which led to working at Pirate Life as the brewery swapped its OG Hindmarsh home for its Port Adelaide behemoth, then being headhunted by Shapeshifter as they set up home, before swapping Adelaide for Sydney’s Inner West.
Her advice ranges from the importance of respect, kindness and “meeting people where they are”, to cleanliness and theatre. And we go deeper too, with Meesh one of the most respected voices in the beer community on diversity and inclusivity, not least when businesses or individuals – on either side of the bar – fail to meet even basic standards of civility.
There was big news in the world of big beer this week, with Lion announcing they’re to cease brewing at James Boag Brewery in Launceston, while in the world of indie beer, the IBA revealed they‘re switching the focus of their Indies awards from liquid to people, and our Building A Brewery series returned for a third chapter.
With Pint of Origin wrapped up, we’ve lined up a bunch of new specials for members of our Crafty Cabal beer club, so if you’d like to boost your beer experience while supporting us on our good beer mission, feel free to sign up. And, of course, feel free to like, subscribe, rate and review the show so we can reach more people.
Start of segments:- 0:00 – The Week On Crafty
- 13:48 – Meesh Part 1
- 35:35 – Driving Footfall & Loyalty with GoTab*
- 41:24 – Meesh Part 2
To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
*To book a demo with GoTab, email nathan@gotab.io.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
00:00:04
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Crafty Pint podcast. I'm Will. I'm James. Hello again, Will. We're now comfortably into our second century of podcast episodes um and once again separated from each other by a sick child. So I apologize for the ongoing illnesses that seem to be impacting me here. But um having said that, you know, one stage yesterday when we were recording next week's podcast um over over here. We did think about getting getting in really early with our intro and you know saving a bit of time and giving that our producer a bit of time to get ahead. Thank God we didn't, Will.
Trend of Craft Brand Closures
00:00:40
Speaker
Yes, big news from our small estate this morning with Lyon saying that they'll stop brewing at James Bogues from November. So close watchers of James Bogues will know that this has been, I mean, quite tumultuous over some years. Several years ago in 2023, they said they'll close their visitor center. The state government then um offered them up a $1 million dollar grant to not do that.
00:01:06
Speaker
and So that visitor centre, they apparently spent $2.4 million dollars on it. So some of Lyon's own money as well, obviously, to reopen it late last year. That's staying open, but brewing is actually no longer going to happen um for Lyon in Tasmania. Instead, they'll move production of those beers to the other Lyon sites across the country.
00:01:28
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. yeah, so, you know, obviously, if it's said staying open, I guess it's sort of I guess continues a trend for Lion in recent years, you know, a number of their sort of craft brands either cease to exist or they close the breweries down while sold them on. um You've, you know, listed them within the article there. um I guess this is arguably the biggest name within the within the existing sort Lion beer structure to, um I guess, fall foul of the the current times and the cuts that are going on. But um but yeah, certainly there's been a pretty yeah um interested reaction across social since ah you put the story up, and well, probably about an hour hour hour or two so before we actually sat down to have this chat.
00:02:06
Speaker
Oh, well, I mean, the comments in the Mercury social media pages are ah much more intense, obviously. ah Northern Tasmanians are very proud people. I think importantly, and ah you know, a Lion have said they'll repay that $1 million dollars that they get. So it's not like they could sort of use it and then make 42 people in the brewery redundant. And, um, on, you know, I guess the other side of that, that sort of, I guess raised my eyebrows when I was putting it together, lie and say, well, they're only using the site for fifth of its production. So, you know, it's production capacity, so we need to close it. But at the same time, a couple of years ago, they decided to brew the beers, uh, the Bogue's beers for the main street, for the mainland market on the mainland. So it's like, well,
00:02:53
Speaker
they They already sort of made the call to move production elsewhere. And now this is just kind of following through with it. So yeah, it's definitely a sad day. Does that tell me he made Bogue's brands now an imported brand on the mainland?
00:03:06
Speaker
ah Well, it'll be interesting to see. I mean, you know, Tasmania is classic, isn't it? Where you talk a lot about that North South divide and it's like all mainstream beer drinkers North in the Northern part of the state go to Bogue's and in the South it's Cascade. You do wonder if, um, people will really want to move away from Bogues as ah as a brand, as a mainstream brand anyway.
00:03:27
Speaker
Yeah,
The Indies Awards New Format
00:03:28
Speaker
yeah. And I guess on the topic of ownership within beer, you also had a chat at the start this week to um Sabrina from the Independent Brewers Association. They've decided that um the Indies Awards will be coming back next year. It's on a be and a bit of a hiatus. I guess it's had a fairly turbulent few years. like you know I was involved in doing it a couple of years when it went online during COVID. then It had to have been turbulent to get you co-hosting it. Exactly, I know. if they They'd sort of, you know, they'd reached the bottom of the bucket.
00:03:57
Speaker
But yes, you know, since then bringing it back in person, then, you know, i'm stopping it again and and and doing having a couple of independent beer and brewery awards at Ebers. But um yes, planning to bring it back, but in ah in a sort of different format, which I think a lot of people will be pretty interested in, given there's so many other awards out there that are celebrating the liquid um as opposed to the wider industry.
00:04:18
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, they want to champion the people within the industry. that They often had this as part of the Indies. The last time it ran in 24, they'd sort of moved away from this before, but they had the Young Gun Award and um sort of Lifetime Achievement and and these kind, of and ah one for venues that supported independent beer as well. So they're sort of making that the focus now. i think... you know With the AIBAs being the size it is and scale it is and and such a big competition and we're looking at um hopefully at some point in the near future we'll have news about Jane Lewis and Justin Fox's beer championships as well.
00:04:58
Speaker
Definitely would say there's probably not enough space in Australia for three national beer awards sort of looking at quality in that way so the IBA have decided to to make it more about the people and you know ill offer I think people in the industry the chance to shout about people that they love and who they think maybe go unacknowledged as as playing a really pivotal role to the industry day in day out.
00:05:22
Speaker
You can add add to your three best media trophies on the the trophy cabinet at home at some point hopefully we'll. Well, the thing is, if they um bring back young gun, the the cutoff year, I think was always 35. So I've missed that boat and unless they want to raise it to 40, but I was always suggesting it should be 30 max. Anyway, I reckon you're not quite a, I'm turning 35 later this year and I certainly don't feel like a young gun.
00:05:48
Speaker
ah
Building a Brewery: Black Match Brewery
00:05:50
Speaker
Excellent stuff. Well, and I guess from the world of indie breweries generally to one specific independent brewery, not quite open yet, but part three of our Building a Brewery series, which I guess is conceived to give people some insight into what it's like, the process you go through, the costs, all that kind of stuff in building a brewery in the current climate. It's gone live this week as well. I think you had another chat with Callum Fowler, the head brewer at the forthcoming Black Match Brewery.
00:06:18
Speaker
Yeah, I caught up with Cal at Black Match. He spoke to me from the back of a shipping container, unloading a one half of his pasteurizer, which he's just arrived from China. And he's found out the technician who was on the way over to service it hasn't managed to get the visa. So he'll be sort of putting that together over Zoom.
00:06:37
Speaker
I think with an interpreter and and these are kind of the stories trying to get out with this building a brewery series, you know, the the sort of day in day out, what it looks like when you, I guess in the belly of the beast, when these things are coming together, they had an,
00:06:54
Speaker
an unusual addition it's uh where they've decided they've managed to secure a ah still basically they're leasing it off someone who felt it was actually who bought it and then it realized it was too large for their needs at the moment and are hoping to grow into it so they're um we're sort of planning to do spirits anyway but that's becoming a part of their journey much sooner than they thought but i mean classically with brewery builds everything else is happening much uh Later, ah i last time I spoke to Cal um in early April, I think it was, he was hoping the production brewery would be up and running by May, which was now past. He's now hoping it will be July. And then the venue side of things is looking more like September, which creates a challenge in itself as well, because it's like, well,
00:07:41
Speaker
you know, difficult to know how much beer to brew when the venue's a way off and sort of sort of navigating that as well as a real challenge. When you first spoke to them about doing this series, what was the what were the expected dates back at the start? oh Well, the they were hoping the beers would be ready in April and then tap room was always going to be later. So yeah, it gives you a sense of the delays there. And, you know, some of it's like, there's obviously this council staff and, but, but so some of them are so unavoidable. It's only Cal and his brewer working, sort of setting it all up.
00:08:15
Speaker
The brewer gets sick for two weeks with a respiratory condition, isn't coming in, obviously that, but When there's only two of you and someone can't work for two weeks, that blows timelines out pretty dramatically. They got, uh, one of the funniest stories was they got delayed because, uh, there was a drainage issue and when the water services dug like right in there, they found that one of the drains was just completely full of spray cans because there's so much tagging going on in the area that so many spray pan cans have ended up down there, uh, over the years that they were causing this sort of massive, uh,
00:08:50
Speaker
blockage Perhaps they can try and identify the the culprits and get them to come and do a free, you know, free bit of street art mural sort of on on one side of the brewery for them to ah compensate for their lost time.
00:09:02
Speaker
Yeah, or maybe say pick up your rubbish but please or something like that. Tag here, but leave the area clean. Yeah, yeah, yeah. um Good thinking. Excellent. Well, yeah, so I guess there'll be at least maybe one or two more pieces to follow in that series before um the brewery's live. and then Hopefully two at most. Two at most, yeah. We'll only drag it on until 2027, the poor buggers. um But yeah, maybe we'll have an event in there for our our beer club when it opens. and We have got a few new things lined up for members of our Crafty Cabal Beer Club since Pint of Origin finished. um Festival Council of... take up a fair bit of your time. But yes, we've got a few things. We've got a, if you're a Victoria-based member, we've got an event with Molly Rose and Proud Mary next week where people get up close and personal when they create a coffee-laced collaborative
Crafty Cabal Beer Club Events
00:09:50
Speaker
brew.
00:09:50
Speaker
We've got double passes on offer for Other Side's Dark Days Festival in Perth um in a few weeks' time. Brewmanity are offering some bonus beers to any Cabal members that go to the launch of their next new releases. ah Hoppy Red Ale and The other one escapes me for now, but it'll be on on the Crafty Cabal website. We've also got double passes to give away to the Hunter Valley Wine and Beer Festival in July, as well as Froth Town in Perth in August. Also, $10 discount on a Boilermaker Masterclass coming up between Starwood Whiskey and Three Ravens. um And you can win some cases of Holgate's most recently released XBA, X marks the spot as well. So if you're into that kind of thing, like, you know,
00:10:31
Speaker
winning stuff and exclusive events and discounts or whatever, head to craftycabal.com and sign up um and join our club and help us do what we do and week in, week out of the Crafty Pint. um Anyway, I guess self-promotion, ah over which isn't something we do very well or very successfully, um or very often, I should say.
Winding Down Wildflower's Public Operations
00:10:49
Speaker
to this week's main guest, Namisha Dale-Culley, or better known to pretty much anyone that knows her in the beer industry as Mish.
00:10:56
Speaker
um who just wrapped up, well, I guess is now packing down Wildflower, but ah ah along with the rest of the team Wildflower wrapped up that Marrickville Brewery and Blenderies operation um in terms of at least the public facing operation just early this week.
00:11:12
Speaker
Yeah, it was great to have Mish on. ah We spoke to her just before the final weekend. um yeah Pretty emotional ride, I think, the final weekend as well. I was i was ah watching her Instagram stories on Sunday and seeing some of the gifts and and letters and things like that that Wildflower customers sent. were bringing in and I think that's a big reason why we wanted to have Misha on the show. She's but really, ah she came on to Wildflower several years ago and has sort of really created a beautiful venue space that I think matches the elegance of the beers and before that she was also working in the Adelaide beer scene Shapeshifter and Pilot Life so she's got a lot of experience in the front of house side of breweries so we we're really eager to pick her brains about that and um how to make brewery spaces better for everyone and more inclusive and all that kind of thing. It's ah it's a really wonderful conversation.
00:12:07
Speaker
ah Yeah, Misha is such someone who's very well respected in the industry, you know, especially in South Australia and in Sydney where she's spent most of her working career and offers yeah loads of really great insight on a lot of topics, you know, from, you know, running a good venue, how to run an you inclusive venue, how to be a good member of staff, but also how to be a good customer, you know, a respectful customer, not just to the the venue that you're in, but the people around you as well. So I think it's a really, really awesome chat, um, coming up, um, after the break.
00:12:36
Speaker
Yes. And if you enjoy the conversation, make sure you subscribe, like, leave a comment, however you get the podcast. It helps other people discover the show. Uh, so enjoy. Cheers.
00:12:47
Speaker
Cheers.
00:12:51
Speaker
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00:13:49
Speaker
Mish, welcome back to the Crafty Pint podcast. and Thank you. ah Tell us how it feels at the moment. You're just winding up things at Wildflower.
00:14:01
Speaker
Yeah, crazy, crazy times. um Obviously, as you can imagine, lots of lots of feelings are involved. It was never going to not be an emotional process, think. ah It's been, like, quite beautiful because it's quite indicative of the community that we that we have and that people feel so attached to the space and and the product and all of those things. So think, yeah, it's a roller coaster every day, but, like, I've only had two people almost cry this week so far. That's... that
00:14:39
Speaker
that's pretty good Yeah, two almost cries. Does that make a whole cry? Maybe. i don't know. And just for a context, like how long have you been um working at Wildflower and sort of overseeing all the know events and venue side of things?
00:14:54
Speaker
ah I was reflecting on this this morning as I was trying to madly think about what I was going to say today. Yeah. They started in March 2022, so that's four and quarter years, which is like the best part of half a decade, which is kind of insane. um And and and i guess yeah you did I guess if you've been reflecting already today, you know yeah you probably had a thought about some of your highlights from that time. I mean, I guess even in that for four and a quarter years, there's been a huge amount of change with bringing in you know the the cheese, you know bringing in mountain culture at one stage. and There's been various expansions, many many many events. So um you know what's been ah the pick for you over that time?
00:15:33
Speaker
Yeah, it's quite unbelievable the amount of change, like looking around the space today from the space that I initially walked into. But... In that, I think the the heart and and soul, like the feel of it is so the same, which is really special. But that's not the question you asked me, so I'm going to answer the question that you asked me. um
00:15:57
Speaker
It was like quite hard to pick, you you know, pick like... There's so many things I can think of. um Surely it was the event we did recently with Topher and Pete. You know, could be better than that? It was very good. I didn't even get to, like, hear what was going on, though, because we were we were just full steam ahead in the in the venue. um I mean, yeah.
00:16:19
Speaker
big highlight for me is genuinely like the expansion for myself when I started, like the learning and growing to like understand this, our product or like our method of making beer a lot more deeply and but getting kind of excited again or like more excited and kind of falling deeper into the like history and the culture and the theatre of beer service, if you will.
00:16:48
Speaker
um We've had so many amazing events, like to be to have hosted Swansea Day twice now, incredible. To have been, you know, this time last year.
00:17:01
Speaker
we were in Paso Robles in California um getting ready to pour some beers at Firestone Walker Invitational, which was quite crazy for me because I went to a masterclass with Matt Brindleson Carwin Cellars in like 2018 or 19 where he was showing all of their mixed culture beer and that was kind of a moment for me where it like clicked and I was like oh this is really interesting which led me on a path to being here so that was really nice and full circle and I tried to tell him that story but I'd had it um about eight beers and I probably didn't do it much. Surely he saw you walk and went Mish have you been? Yeah He does now. He definitely, I think he, I think he did remember me this time. But anyway, that poor man meets so many people at that festival. of all It's like such a crazy, thing.
00:17:49
Speaker
And it must have been, so you know, i assume you knew Wildflower relatively well when you came in with the job, but to sort of like be inside it and and sort of there with the barrels and and working on the hospitality and everything, it must have really changed your appreciation of it, I guess, of a, I don't know, feels like beer's slowest form and the form of craft beer that's closest to sort of the slow beer movement and agriculture as well.
Joining Wildflower: A Personal Journey
00:18:16
Speaker
Absolutely. It was like, it's one thing to, you know, enjoy the products from outside and, and cause they're, they're beautiful beers and they were delicious, but then to, yeah, come in and, and see the process in action and kind of get deeper into that ethos is yeah, absolutely what I was talking about. I feel like my, my brain just kind of like exploded and yeah, to, to be in this space, which I think I said in a, in a Westdale trail thing recently, like I,
00:18:46
Speaker
I actually took the job without ever physically having been in the cellar door. I was supposed to come over during the like interview process, but got COVID. So i just got off the plane one day and got picked up by a strange man who I'd never met in a ute at the airport at seven o'clock in the morning, was like driven through the back of St Peter's through these like really industrial and it was like raining and miserable and I was like, oh my goodness, what have i done? And then we drove down the end Brompton Street and this like little adult just peered and I walked in and I was like, okay, all right, we're good.
00:19:24
Speaker
Good stuff. And I guess um sort of, well, stepping back a bit in time, but what was it that first got you into um craft beer in the first place? it was like a... A number of things all around the world, like one time, but one thing that I remember really clearly, um and my dad will love this because he will listen to this podcast, so shout out.
00:19:45
Speaker
okay Dad gave me can of Fire Life Double IPA in like very early on. Like I've always been to be a beer drinker. I'm um' a Cooper's girl, drank Cooper's Sparkling like forever. Best best beer, love it.
00:19:58
Speaker
But dad gave me this can of Double IPA and I was just like, what the fuck is that? Yeah. She's my friend. Like, in a good way. Like, was like, holy, holy shit. um And around the same time, ah it there was a venue on 7-4 Road in an Adelaide, where I'm from, called Sweet Amber, which was kind of, I of i think, modelled sort of on, like, a Carwin Sellers kind of vibe, like a nice little bottle shop, um but also a bar with a couple of taps, like, much smaller than Carwin, because Carwin obviously is, like, an incredible machine.
00:20:32
Speaker
um But that sort of mode of you could come and sit in and drink a couple of beers or you could look at something in the fridge and Dane and Rach, the owners, were like massively, massively into beer and massively knowledgeable. So I sort of started going there and started drinking stuff and I was just excited and wanted to ask questions and wanted to engage and they were really willing to do that.
00:20:57
Speaker
with me eventually i just sort of went there enough and was chat probably chatty and annoying enough that dane kind of looked at me one night and said um i know you have a job but like do you want to come and like work here just like a couple of nights a week like just for fun and i was like yeah we'd like that well what were you doing before what what was your other job at the time um my My day job, my background is actually in public libraries. I worked in events and marketing running children's programs from like 18 until kind of 24, 25. And I think I was in the peak of a bit of a like quarter life crisis, you know? um
00:21:38
Speaker
and that kind of, and I was getting interested in beer and then Dane offered me this job and then I started lot bartending, um, And they had a wonderful manager there at the time, Sasha, who I love so dearly, and he taught me a lot of what I know.
00:21:56
Speaker
and i' was like, this is really cool. Maybe I could do this. Because I don't think we, like, teach young people that hospitality actually is a ah career. It's not something that you just do while you're at university. There are people who love doing it and have long and successful careers. And I think that that is messaging that needs to come across more because, um,
00:22:17
Speaker
you actually don't need to go to university. You don't want to. yeah Yeah. And I guess you went from, you know, running events for little kids to running events for big kids then. yeah Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the little kids were easier to deal with, but there was definitely more shenanigans in the library than I think I've ever seen in a licensed venue. But that is a story for a beer another time and maybe not for this podcast.
00:22:38
Speaker
And what was it about hospitality that
Passion for Hospitality and Community
00:22:42
Speaker
drew you in so much? Obviously you had the love for beer, but was there anything about the work that made you fall for it? Definitely not the work, I can tell you that much for free. um i For me, I think, ah in up upon reflection and of like all the jobs I've done, I've been working since i was, which is now a scary amount of years.
00:23:00
Speaker
um i love people. love connection. i love community. And the library had that in a really beautiful way. um And you got to have like really special connections with people because, you know, not just children and running children's programs, but we had a lot of like elderly people who would like it. And that ability to,
00:23:19
Speaker
really make someone stay or make someone feel like and welcomed it's that it's the people aspect for me at the end of the day like it like also I think the pace of hospitality I like the fact that there's like there can be like seven things flying at you and you can just be like and Because that's how my brain works. If you try and make me sit down at a computer, it's not going to work. And what when what did the step to occur to move into working for a brewery for the first time? I know Sweet Amber sort of started a brewing side of the business as well, but to actually move into running brewery venues per se.
00:23:59
Speaker
I did. um Yeah, well, I was...
Growth at Pirate Life and Transition to Management
00:24:03
Speaker
kind of on the lookout to get out of my library job. So I was moving around, finding bits and pieces of jobs. And then one day i strolled into Pirate Life in Highmarch and went on a brew tour with a lovely Matty And my friend who I was with at the time was just like,
00:24:21
Speaker
so do you guys need any staff? Because Emma Redison, I was like, I couldn't possibly, i just have to. ah And she just she just asked him and he was like, yeah, like come back come back with your resume, like will be here on this day.
00:24:34
Speaker
and I went back and they were just like, yeah. cool um so we were there for a while and that was like another kind of um explosion of learning for me um like ed in particular is just such an incredibly knowledgeable brilliant person and he they all just welcomed me with open arms and gave me so much information and we just had the best time And eventually they ah were are in Port Adelaide, the current massive site, which you've probably been to. um And High Marsh closed, which was which was quite, but, you know, as the nature of progression as things go on.
00:25:20
Speaker
um And then ah that was kind of more of like a high volume environment. And I slot into the management team there and did a things. ran functions for a really long time, um which was awful. And I hate functions. um But, yeah you know, taught me a lot working in like a high volume environment like that in a team of managers with like quite a big team of people.
00:25:44
Speaker
um And lot of fun, like really intense time of growth for the business, lots of incredible, like massive events. Another who's still the head of hospitality at Pirate Life who worked with was like an incredible mentor. She taught me so much. We had such a great time.
00:26:02
Speaker
um And then got headhunted, I suppose, if you want to use that term, by James McCall, a shapeshifter. Back when they sort of were making some beer and had some presents in bottle shops but didn't have a bricks and mortar yet.
00:26:20
Speaker
So I jumped on board there and opened that venue in 2021 and then came here. one and then came here So it's a bit of a sort of, you know, from, I guess, a small suburban cafe to, I guess, ah a very ambitious, fast-growing brewery, then into a massive sort of, you know, expansion, I suppose, and then back to maybe something sort of in the middle. But I guess with Shapeshift, you brought in to kind of go we've got this space.
00:26:48
Speaker
We think you can, we'll understand how it needs to look and how it needs to operate and given sort of carte blanche to sort of work with them on how it was going to operate. Very much. Yeah, I think, um,
00:26:59
Speaker
they were like, we need someone who has an understanding of like the hospitality space. But obviously trying to find someone who has an understanding, a strong understanding of the hospitality space and a strong understanding of the beer space is like quite difficult.
00:27:11
Speaker
um So yeah, they approached me and definitely i would they were just like, yep, we trust you. Like go. to And I, you know, in in hindsight, it's it's so funny. like I think, I yes
00:27:27
Speaker
think, i think I did a really good job and I'm really proud of what I achieved and we definitely learn a lot of lessons along the way. But God, I had no idea what I was signing up for. Just absolutely none. like um and You know, the I don't know, they um the arrogance of the arrogance of youth or or the arrogance of like not not having the knowledge, i don't know, but it was a crazy experience. Like it... it
00:27:54
Speaker
in In hindsight, I was in updating my resume the other day and thinking about all of the things that it go into building a venue from the ground up and how like incredibly proud i am doing that.
00:28:08
Speaker
and trying to like learn a lot of lessons around like trying to instill best practice around, you know, cleaning the beer lines and like breaking down all the taps and the couplers and like ah you're doing all of those things. um When I was one person, not like team of people, which it was probably ridiculous to take all of the kegs out of the keg room every week and scrub the walls. like I probably wouldn't do that today um while trying to do everything else.
00:28:39
Speaker
So there there's some of that. There's like, i think there's definitely learnings from bigger, higher volume environments in terms of like, yeah, quality and, like, um efficiencies that you can bring back to a smaller environment, but definitely need to be, like, conscious of what is what is actually physically possible.
00:29:03
Speaker
And you have, like... you know, are there golden rules that you're like, we did this at Pirate Life, it's right everywhere? Or is it very much you sort of started a place and you're like, and no, um I've got to build the hospitality program around who this brewery is and and what they make and who they're trying to be?
00:29:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think like, i mean, the only golden rule is probably like <unk> for me anywhere, but every every venue has specific lack needs and requirements. I mean, obviously, beer line cleanliness and like glass cleanliness. Anyone who knows me or has the misfortune of following will know how I feel about that, how intensely I feel about that.
00:29:50
Speaker
So, yeah, I mean, it's not it's non-negotiable to be cleaning a beer line at least four nightly. Like, that is just no two ways about it. And yeah, could like maintaining clean glassware, whatever that looks like. Not everyone is so fortunate to vote Winterhalter, which is still my absolute baby and favourite child.
00:30:12
Speaker
But, you know, whatever way you need to get to that outcome, it needs to needs to happen. Like service is so important. There's, you know, truck driving down the street. it's quite loud. Yeah.
00:30:26
Speaker
There's number of like elements that go into experience, but I think we really need to drill down on paying attention to service and really nailing that and having attention to detail. Because if you think about it in terms of like ah a wine space or a cocktail space, there's so much thought and effort and consideration that goes into the vessel that the drink is in, the way that it's served, the temperature that it's served at, the story around it. And that's so normalized in that environment. So why not in a beer environment? Mm-hmm.
00:30:55
Speaker
And have you found it sort of coming back to your, I guess, current for, you know, couple more days job at Wildflower? It's, I guess, you've been part of the Inner West Ale Trail. There's a whole bunch of different hospitality offerings. You know, what's what's it been like being part, you know, part of that um and seeing, you know, so many different approaches to serving customers, serving beer over the last couple of years, last few years?
00:31:17
Speaker
It's wonderful. i mean, the beer scene is so thriving here. And I think the like community is really strong, which is really nice. It's like everyone's sharing things and helping each other and like drinking in each other's venues, which is really nice.
00:31:31
Speaker
um one of the perks of the ale trail is everyone does do everything really differently. and you can kind of like go to different when we're not all competing because you're able to visit different places for different things.
00:31:47
Speaker
Um, and there's some brilliant people out there, like making brilliant beer and doing great events and, um, People are getting on the train of like different modes of service.
00:32:01
Speaker
I've taught a fair few people how in theory to pour a check cut. So like maybe someone will step into that space and and um i won't have to make one ever again.
00:32:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think that was on the on the agenda for the Theatre of Beer event originally. And it's like, no, no, it takes way too long. We'll just do all the other things, but not that one. Yeah, unfortunately a logistical nightmare for that volume of people. But, I mean, it is a fun it's a fun education point to, like, discuss with people as well. But times you just, one order another five and you just want to lay down on the floor and die. Fair enough. And I guess having worked in a, you know, a diverse range of places, big, small, um you know, a bere very large different sort of products,
00:32:50
Speaker
now that you're a few years into your hospitality career, if you could conceive your dream vent you know dream brewery venue, what what would it be in terms of beer offering and you know the offering to the consumer?
Vision for an Ideal Brewery Venue
00:33:00
Speaker
it's such a... This was a nice one to think about, actually. I thought it was a really great question. um One of the really special venues that I can think about is the the Weedy. Like, Arwen Cellars is like kind of another one in terms of that offer. Like, I think it would be something that was...
00:33:18
Speaker
smaller um I'm definitely more suited to more intimate environment where you can engage with people, I think, than like a higher volume turnover environment.
00:33:29
Speaker
and i'm I'm thinking more like a beer venue maybe than ah than a brewery venue because that gives you a bit of ability to move around. But maybe like a more streamlined offer. I think we need to get away from this mentality of like you have to be everything for everyone.
00:33:45
Speaker
You actually don't. You can like offer what you offer and stand in. people can come and engage with if they want to and people that don't want to don't need to and that kind of creates that community in a way you have a you have already a group of sort of like-minded people which i think we we have here quite differently different interesting products things that have a story things that you can speak about history and and culture and people are so fascinated by that people love the the story and the the law around things
00:34:18
Speaker
I would want to do some like really beautiful food. Like so excellent that would just be a dream to work with. Because I think another one we've sort of lost is beer and food pairing. I feel like there was kind of a golden era where beer and food pairing was was a thing. And there was like beer versus wine pairing dinners.
00:34:39
Speaker
And we seem to have drifted away from that. And I don't understand why, because like beer is a really diverse, interesting, wonderful beverage that can engage with food really nicely.
00:34:51
Speaker
like to like play in that space. Yeah, and and like of it I was thinking about events and stuff as well. like Having art in a space is really nice. I've got so many friends who are makers and creatives and we've like always had these pie in the sky dreams of like having a multi-use space where one can like run ceramics workshops and then you can like sell their ceramics but then there's also sandwiches during the day and then drinks at night and it's all very fanciful. It's something in that vein. Good stuff. well I think at that stage we'll take a quick break and then we'll come back and I guess to talk about the sort of wider hospitality scene, some of the um other issues you've been concerned with over the years and we'll take it from there.
00:35:35
Speaker
If you run a taproom or bar, this one's for you. We're back with the team from GoTab, one of the world's leading brewery point of sale platforms, breaking down ways that you can maximize your hospitality revenue.
00:35:48
Speaker
Today, it's about driving footfall and loyalty. And I'm joined again by Australian GM, Nathan Merriman. Nathan, hello. Craig, how are you Good to see you again. Mate, it's always a pleasure. um I love talking about this stuff with you. i think, um you know, when it comes to running like a hospitality venue, obviously getting people through the door and then coming back through that door is absolutely the name of the game.
00:36:11
Speaker
um what Why do you think, why is it so important to foster repeat customers? Yeah. Repeat customers can be built through multiple ways, right? So personal connections over the bar, talking about your your favorite ipa um pure love of the brand and the concept you know that you're there to experience as well. And then it can also be captured and built through you know using technology in the taproom as well. We find that loyalty or loyal customers you know They're consistent foot traffic in off seasons, when you're going to be a bit quieter as well. They generally spend more and they're less price you know less price conscious when it comes to things like merch or limited releases and things like that, which is really exciting.
00:36:57
Speaker
Yeah, and they do say it's actually, um you know, it's cheaper to keep ah a customer coming back than it is to acquire a new customer, I guess. Yeah, it is. New customers, when you start to look at whether that's paid media, adverts, and, you know just finding different ways to to get in the door can be quite expensive. um Once you have that customer, that first visit, if you can bring them back for that second, third, that cost drops dramatically while you're also seeing an increase in their spend, right? So loyal customers, they've got this ability to really become a recurring revenue stream throughout, which is just fantastic for a business. GoTab has got a range of tools to help, I guess, entice and engage that to to drive that customer loyalty. Talk me through some of the most effective techniques. Each brewery has their different ways of of you know approaching loyalty. And I think at times it has different meanings as well, right? so you know you could look at, is it a a discount that you're offering? Is it a a free product? Is it this buy one, get one free product? Is it a coupon or are you looking at these you know tiered memberships where people can either sign up for and and pay? So you've got a monthly subscription or is it this, you know, earn one point per dollar, you get to 100 points and, you know, you get a free pot of beer or whatever that may be as well. So with GoTab, we've got the tools to essentially do a built-in loyalty where we can break customers down into different segments and send out offers to them or they can have their free pot of beer automatically applied to their tab or to their order once they check out at the POS or through the QR code. And you you can get right down to the nitty gritty, can't you? I mean, if someone, you could almost segment your audience by who's drinking ah IPAs, the next time you launch a ah limited release ah IPA, you can really target that segment alone. Yeah, exactly, Craig. We're seeing, you know, the the IPA drinker. We're seeing how many times they've been and, you know, they're coming back. But we're also now having the ability to send out specific content and marketing via email or SMS,
00:39:10
Speaker
based on what they love, based on why they're coming in what they're spending, what they're purchasing. And that's really powerful. You're no longer sending rosé to the IPA drinker. um That birthday message becomes, we know you love IPAs. It's your birthday coming up. he's ah Here's a complimentary IPA or we've got this special limited release we'd love to share. Mate, um I love it. Can you give me, I guess, any examples of breweries in Australia that you're working with that use these loyalty features really well? And and I guess what's been the the impact or the upside for them? One of my favorites would be Bridge Road Brewers in Bridgeworth in Brunswick. And they've both got um essentially like this really community feel run club. It's this great way to get
00:39:53
Speaker
the community together. So they're building brand ambassadors within the community as well. They go for a run. So they're doing, know, they're chatting, they're, you know, exercising, and then they're coming into the um into the brewery, into the tap room, and having a pot of beer afterwards with their with their friends.
00:40:11
Speaker
I love that. That's one of my favorite ones we're seeing. We're definitely starting to see a lot of breweries look at this tiered membership solution and Apple Wallet Pass is becoming you know quite popular in that space as well. Impact on the business, you know what we're seeing at GoTab across all of our venues that are using loyalty and in multiple different ways is that 20% of those customers are coming back for a second time.
00:40:40
Speaker
i say There's a real opportunity for people to use loyalty to essentially you know bring that number up as well. And it's about finding what's the right program that works for your your customer base as well. Mate, I love it. This is fantastic. Guys, stay tuned for more segments with the GoTab team looking at ways to maximize your taproom revenue stream. In the meantime, be sure to reach out to Nathan. He he knows his stuff. An arranged demo, you can email him at nathanatgotab.io. We'll pop it on the screen and in the show notes as well. Cheers, Nathan. Thank you so much. Thanks, Greg.
00:41:19
Speaker
Cheers.
00:41:25
Speaker
Welcome back. And Meej, we already heard about your passion for clean glass and clean lines. If you run a taproom or bar, this one's for you.
Kindness and Customer Engagement
00:41:32
Speaker
We're back with the team from GoTab, one of the world's leading brewery point of sale platforms.
00:41:38
Speaker
I mean, i think ah when I was thinking about it, I was like, God, what are the golden rules? Like, it's kind of just like be kind to people and treat your beer well. um ah other If you're going to drill it down to really the fundamental. um That would be a great tattoo.
00:41:55
Speaker
Yeah, let me think. ma I do need another beer tattoo, don't I? ah Yeah, another one ah is just meeting meeting people where they're at in in terms of the person who, like, walks through the door and wants to talk to you about what's what's on tap. Like, yeah, you, like, don't need to make people feel inferior. We should be, like, bringing people in um and speaking to them in a way that they can relate to, um which, like, you know, because, like, obviously, we're working with quite a unique product here. um but I don't want people to feel excluded. I want people to feel included. And I think you should be doing that anyway.
00:42:30
Speaker
Anyway, to give us an example, let's say someone did walk into Wildflower and you were on the bar and they look up and just go, I've no idea what any of those things are. I'm surrounded by barrels. Like what would what would be the way that you'd have that conversation with them?
00:42:44
Speaker
Well, that's an interaction that happens that happens so often. um So, look, where generally i'm like, cool, yeah, like have you have you tried any of the beers before? It's like a great place to start. People are like, no. You're like, okay, well, the thing that's unique about them is blah, blah, blah. And generally we will spend some time with people, um explaining what is what because it there is like quite an extensive menu letting people taste is like a really important one i think you shouldn't have to commit to something um without being have having had the opportunity to like have a little look because
00:43:22
Speaker
then people can surprise you. Often I'll be like, oh, this person based on what they've told me is going to lie. And they're like, oh, that's really good. um But just spending the time with someone to kind of unpack things a little bit and go another one that I just use with people all the time, which is so simple, is like, what do you like to drink? Like, what do you usually like to drink? And then they tell you and you can, if you know enough about the products that you're representing, you can align that in your head and show them some so show them some options.
00:43:52
Speaker
And, you know, we're talking a lot about what to do on the hospital side, but do you feel like there is a sort of perfect customer that comes in? The miracle perfect customer. um No, I think like not ah not to It's a beautiful, positive question. I don't want to make it negative. I think, um like, how the having ah have an opinion.
00:44:16
Speaker
um my My biggest bugbear is people who are like, oh, what's your most popular? and I'm like, no, like, what do you like? What do you feel like? It's so...
00:44:27
Speaker
subjective to and I always say that about beer like it's like wow what what day is it how's the weather like are you are you eating are you maybe a bit hungover have you just mowed the lawn like the there's a there's a perfect beer for every occasion but I need to know where you're at and how you feel in order to facilitate that for you and and People who are open and are curious is definitely like positive traits that are willing to listen and learn and like engage. Because um something that often happens to me, obviously, because I'm a woman behind the bar talking about beer, is that particularly men just don't are not interested in listening to what I'm trying to explain to them or think that they know. And then they end up with a beer that they don't like. And I'm like, well,
00:45:20
Speaker
I tried to tell you. And I used to be a lot more evangelical and then I just just reached a point where I was like, like, I think my friend I think had a conversation one day and he was just like, they want to order the beer, just let them order it. Like, don't waste your energy. And I was like, you know what?
00:45:37
Speaker
Yeah. ah And I guess the great win then is if someone comes in and just looks slightly terrified in front of the menu and by the end they're walking out, you know, with a couple of mixed six boxes of, you know, funky fruity beers or what have you.
00:45:52
Speaker
Yeah, it's brilliant. All people who just like get engaged, like often we've had like a really... like you lately like lots of young young people which makes me sound terribly old at the ripe old age of 32 but like like young like ah kind of like like late teens early twenty s and I'm they're like so excited and then I'm coming back and they're like oh I tried this thing last time it was really good and I want to try this and i was like nature is healing the kids are okay oh That's great to hear. And I guess sort of, you know, looking over your whole career again, has your sort of approach to hospitality evolved, you know, with knowledge or, you know, with more time in the in the industry or just with, you know, the different places you you've worked at?
Adapting Service Methods
00:46:34
Speaker
Yeah, I think your approach definitely does change based on the space that you're in and you need to adjust sometimes um your like mode of service based on um the way the venue is moving around you, which is quite a like skill, like having the ability to
00:46:55
Speaker
um spend ah i'll spend time with people and and invest and have conversations and engage um when see when service allows and then having the ability to still give people like a great experience and get them what they want but move them through a bit faster when things are like moving a bit faster is something that like is I think a skill that comes with time.
00:47:19
Speaker
I think over time you reach a point where I now set a very clear standard of behaviour at the beginning of an interaction. um And if you're willing to like come to the party and we're going to like, like ah there's maybe some some wriggle room. But if you're not willing to meet that, you know, that barter entry, that standard of behaviour, then I'm not willing to engage um or to like have you in this in the space. um And I think that comes with ah learning things the hard way, it comes with time um and backing yourself in and knowing when and when and how you can speak up.
00:48:02
Speaker
And i guess on the other topic of customers, I guess we sort of in these conversations, we so often sort of look at the the venue staff, the venue owner, you know, the brewery owner sort of side of things. But if you were to flip it on its head, you know, in terms of what's the perfect customer, you know, coming into a beer venue, because, you know, we do get a lot of consumers listening to the podcast. It's like, how can you be, oh I'm assuming if they listen to the podcast, they're just wonderful humans anyway. But, you know, not everyone goes into a pub or a bar or whatever necessarily with the best intention or maybe they have a bit too much to drink or whatever. Like what is the the best way to be as a, you know, as a punter going into a bar or ah or a brewery to make sure you're not, you know, testing testing the limits of the people in the venue? Yeah.
00:48:41
Speaker
um Like, remember that um people in the service industry are people too. um Another big one for me is, like, remember that there's people around you. um And I know it's easy to get, like, caught up if you're, like, in a group and you're all a bit, you know, excited. But um we work in a venue where there's often, like,
00:49:03
Speaker
children just at the next table. Maybe there's some like like older people sitting over here. Maybe there's, you know, a person that like is going to be a bit like alarmed or like uncomfortable by you like yelling because yelling, I don't know what it is about groups of men. Why are you always yelling? fuck ah i once I'm like,
00:49:28
Speaker
so so'm like what is what is that what is that um Yeah, so being aware of your surroundings, remembering that the people who are serving you are like people too. And that they' they're just doing their job and they're just trying to make sure that everyone is having a nice time and everyone's like safe and comfortable, um and which is so that's all tied into like respect, um respecting It's as simple as respecting like the furniture, respecting not putting your used zins into your glass when they're done. Disgusting. Stop doing it. I'm getting very micro now and that's not helpful. Yeah.
00:50:09
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. Is that a good... Well, I guess it's respect. Respect for, you know, other patrons and respect for the staff, yeah. Yeah, fundamental fundamentally just like respect, like for all. It's a, what does it say? One of our house rules is like this is an environment of mutual respect. So we are all here operating under that mutual respect and that is the standard of behaviour.
00:50:31
Speaker
Yeah. And Mishi have been outspoken about venues that don't do that, I think quite clearly. I mean, there's been some very high profile articles about the the biggest sort of hospitality venues in Sydney and operating around it. Do you think, you know, do you feel like there's been positive change since that or is there still so much
Improving Hospitality Staff Welfare
00:50:52
Speaker
more to do? Like where do you see that sort of safety for staff and and safety for people working in hospitality as being at?
00:51:00
Speaker
I mean, there's obviously so much more to do and I think there always will be so much more to do and that's kind of what keeps us going sometimes. But, yeah, those articles by Bianca Rovart, incredible. That was such a courageous, powerful thing to do as ah as a, like, younger woman early and earlier in your, like, journal. Well, not, like, earlier in your, that sounds about okay.
00:51:26
Speaker
that was a really like powerful and courageous thing to do as ah as a young woman in the journalism industry. um I think it really, it has changed in that it's shifted the needle around public awareness and around conversations. And we can't affect any kind of change until we get the broader public to to to understand how,
00:51:54
Speaker
how ah far reaching this stuff is and how common it is and how much people are experiencing dayto- day to day. There's only so much you can do from a like organisational perspective. um We need everyone to come to the party. We need like legislation. We need the government to to actually be listening and taking action, which there has been some great stuff in that space, like Human Rights Commission doing excellent work. They have some excellent um
00:52:25
Speaker
resources as well in terms of like positive duty legislation, which I think has been really impactful because that leaves venue owners, operators with um nowhere to go. like They have to be proactive in risk assessments. They have to have extensive training. They have to have the proper reporting like things in place because that is their that is their duty and there's no two ways about it. So that's a really important important one. But we also need...
00:52:56
Speaker
guests like the general public, um everyone to understand that as well. So it's always going to be ongoing, but having the conversations and um and it not being this whisper chain, which I know is something that like James we've spoken about kind of at length in terms of particularly stuff that happens in the beer industry, um is it's this environment of like everyone knows but no one's speaking publicly um and that really,
00:53:33
Speaker
that's like really challenging and feels really bad when you're like anytime anything happens or anytime something's a bit... ah Like you see something a bit gross on someone's Instagram page or someone says something at an event or someone releases a beer with a really awful name. Like every time my Instagram messages are full of other like women, like non-binary people in the industry who are like, what the hell? Like, this is disgusting. i can't believe we're still here, et cetera, et cetera. And then I can kind of count on one hand maybe men in the industry who've like even even spoken on it um or spoken on it publicly particularly because plenty of people are kind of happy to engage privately but not willing to speak publicly because then I think that might um reflect back on them. And there's an element of like boys club and boys protect boys and people, businesses protect boys.
00:54:36
Speaker
predators and um it can feel really it's disheartening and you know what do you think you know coming back to i guess focusing on on the beer um industry whether it is at events or in venues or just generally um you know behaviors in industry what would you love to see most to sort of the the next steps to sort of i guess create ah a more inclusive and a safer space
00:55:00
Speaker
I think on we like representation could go a long way. just like to see more more diverse people in in rooms. i ah think you can be the you can be the frog in the boiling water like a little a little bit, um whereby you're in these environments so much that you don't see how...
00:55:29
Speaker
like i at masculine like dominated they are or i mean I had a really a brilliant one where I was at an event and I'd invited a friend who is in the distilling industry which like also massively male dominated but she she came in and she was like oh my goodness like that she was like there's not like and I was like yeah I was like oh this is just what it's like um so I mean I don't know how we how we fix that um but that would go a long way to kind of making some change. um One that I just hop on about time and time again is the like house rules document. um I've mentioned it before, but um I think that's a tool again for like setting the standard, setting the time and also making, empowering um the team to feel safe, to know that that's the expectation. And if someone doesn't meet that expectation, something will be done. um So you also need management being um proactive in responding to things that happen. um And maybe that's like awareness.
00:56:37
Speaker
um and now i've lost any title point and i'm just saying words so but mean in terms of when you have sort of of you know spoken out or you know maybe post something about it or you know i guess you know raised the issue what sort of reactions have you had is it generally been supportive or you have have you found a backlash sometimes from people who just don't want to hear this stuff or just you know what's it possibly to been like or silence Oh, silence. Yeah, silence the sound of silence. um I was going to sing and then I realised I do not want to be recorded singing on this podcast because that's not good for anyone. Well, that would have been the reel that we'd taken out for it and just put the exactly kept that out it. Put on Instagram.
00:57:17
Speaker
um Yeah, look, at ah there's ah definitely people who are like, oh, i have to watch what I say around you. um I know that there's people in the industry that, like, wouldn't hire me because of – my inability to shut my mouth about injustices. um I mean, I had someone recently tell me that I'm formidable, which I think actually was intended as a compliment, and I do kind of take it that way. um But it's it's not always positive. um
00:57:50
Speaker
And, like...
00:57:54
Speaker
One thing I'm thinking of is like a very, like a beautiful person who is but quite close to the business here when all of the stuff was unfolding.
00:58:06
Speaker
Like all that stuff was in the media and we were talking about the conversations a lot and I was posting a lot and talking about it a lot. um He kind of sat me down and was like, how are you doing? Like, are you okay? And I was like, well, yeah, yeah, I'm not so like fine, didn't have to be at it.
00:58:21
Speaker
I hadn't stopped to think about it. how heavy it was weighing on me. So even that bit of like empathy and recognition of um he can see where my outspokenness is like coming from.
00:58:38
Speaker
And that was, I don't know, I thought that was like really powerful to like show people like a little bit of care because it does take a lot of like emotional weight out of you. Mm-hmm.
00:58:53
Speaker
And then, and I guess sort of looking more widely at the industry you've been part of, you know, for a number of years now, are there other, you know, sort of issues or sort of bugbears you look at and go, why, why does this still happen?
Diverse Representation in Beer Industry
00:59:04
Speaker
You know, why, you know, why, why is this going on?
00:59:10
Speaker
yeah I mean, how long have you got? No. No, I think there's like a lot of... I've seen some positive change, comment kind of coming back to representation, like thinking thinking on, um you know, like what the first year I did the Sydney Royal, I think that must have been 2023. Ian Kingham was the head judge. They committed to 50-50, like gender split at judging tables, which is huge. Like that is...
00:59:39
Speaker
awesome um and we need to be pushing more of that and um providing people opportunities um and like opening doors and bringing people in rather than you know uh shutting people out or pulling the ladder up behind us um which is where you know like it is really important to have organizations like pink boots um doing that particularly that Pathway to Judging program, that's, like, incredibly valuable um and all that they do in that space.
01:00:17
Speaker
My other bugbears, I mean... I'm not saying you're a person that, you know, this de defines your personality. Why are you just, you know, having a list of bugbears? A hatred of dirty glasses. Yeah, dadig dirty glasses. get rid and Get rid of that. Thinking about creating, like, my bugbear is, I do have a thing about, like, very, how like,
01:00:45
Speaker
funny I'm trying to choose the right language to use. and Like, making spaces welcoming. um And that can be a number of things. um But, you know, considering furniture, considering bathroom situation, considering, know, there's lots of like little things you can do to like make the space a bit more engaging for someone that isn't maybe the typical customer that we're considering. Mm-hmm.
01:01:16
Speaker
um professor I was chatting to the guys from Goons Brewing up on the Central Coast this week, and they were saying that ah yeah they'd been brewing for a few years, but when when they moved into their brew, bruw but I guess, brew pub tap room earlier in the year, they deliberately put their tanks sort of behind the bar, but only they can be seen if you want to see them.
01:01:34
Speaker
but they didn't want the tanks to be too much of a centerpiece because they felt it was very masculine and they didn't want to put off people that came in thinking oh you know this is a bit intimidating or this is too not for me and so you there's enough of them on show that you can see them so you know you're in a brewery but it's not like yeah if otherwise it feels like just a nice comfortable welcoming venue Yeah, it's not these big this big, like, formidable presence of, yeah, um that's that's beautiful. That's beautiful, like, thought. but Yeah, bitter bit of colour, like a seat with a back, yeah maybe maybe ah maybe a plant. I don't i don't know. um
01:02:10
Speaker
Well, um I mean, before we let you go what's what's next for Mish? Oh, that's the question on everyone's lips. and the good of an Including your own. including Yeah, including including my own. um I don't really have a good answer as to what's next. um i We've got obviously a lot to do here in terms of packing everything down and bumping everything out. um So i'll be we'll be here for a couple of weeks doing some bits and bobs and then I'm... um Going to head home to Adelaide for a couple of weeks to drink Cooper's Dark Ale outside the Exeter and, like, see my friends. Have a nice time. The world of library functions isn't going to welcoming you back anytime soon. Someone was sending me library jobs the other day. was like, oh, I don't know if I could get back in at this stage. No, I very much...
01:03:01
Speaker
would like to stay in the beer industry. I just, I guess, have wait my turn to find the right opportunity. But i'll be I'll be getting around pretty much trying to offer my services to anyone Who wants to take them um in in coming coming months? You know, you've you've got you've got your perfect resume now. Just say, hey watch this episode of the Crafts Fight podcast. and You'll know whether you want me or not.
01:03:33
Speaker
But, yeah, open to open to opportunities is the is the moral of the story. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I'm sure you'll find something wonderful. And, you know, who wherever you end up, they'll find something wonderful as well. So best of luck with whatever comes next.
01:03:49
Speaker
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
01:03:54
Speaker
Hi everyone, it's Matt from the Pine of Origin Festival where the world of beer comes to Melbourne. Kia ora, I'm Ryan, I'm the Festival Director of Beervana, the world's weirdest, wildest and greatest beer festival according to Dylan and myself. We're here on a mission to find Australia's biggest beer fan and we reckon that Pine of Origin is the best place to start.
01:04:14
Speaker
One lucky winner will be crowned Australia's biggest beer fan and win an epic Beervana prize including return flights to Wellington, four nights accommodation, festival passes, brewery experiences, spending money, merch and more for you and a plus one.
01:04:28
Speaker
Plus, everyone who enters will get access to two-for-one bring and make tickets for Beervana when they go on sale in June. To nominate yourself or a friend as Australia's biggest beer fan, head to beervana.co.nz. Make sure you get down to the Catfish here in Fitzroy from the 15th for Pint of Origin where you can try a whole bunch of incredible New Zealand beer.
01:04:48
Speaker
That's a bit of a taster before you come to New Zealand for beer vana.
01:04:53
Speaker
Cheers. Beer. Bringing the world closer together.
01:05:01
Speaker
The Crafty Pint podcast is produced and edited by Matt Hoffman. You can get all your beer-related news and reviews on the Crafty Pint website, craftypint.com, and can stay up to date on future podcast episodes via our socials.
01:05:15
Speaker
We wouldn't be able to produce the podcast or the website, events or festivals we run without the support beer industry, whether that's suppliers, bars, breweries or bottle shops. If you'd like to support the show or partner with The Crafty Pine in other ways, please reach out to Craig via the details in the show notes.
01:05:31
Speaker
And if you're a beer lover who'd like to support what we do, you can join our exclusive club for beer lovers, The Crafty Cabal. Visit craftycabal.com for more. And until next time, drink good beer.