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Ten Years On The Wild Side – Wildflower Brewing & Blending
504 Plays8 days ago
“We want to pay proper homage to the ten years of people that have come and made this their home.”
When Wildflower co-founder and visionary Topher Boehm announced he was to close the Marrickville venue the brewers and blenders had called home for a decade, it didn’t just send ripples through the beer world – the story was picked up by mainstream media too.
Perhaps that’s only to be expected: in terms of impact made per litre of beer sold, there can be few operations anywhere on the planet that would come close to this magical corner of the Australian beer world.
That impact can be measured by the quality and sheer delightfulness of their many releases, the transformative nature of their Marrickville base, the team’s advocacy for other producers and growers, as well as for better ways of producing and growing, and in the generous manner in which they would share their experiences, knowledge and learnings.
As soon as we got word Wildflower was to close at the end of May – at least for now, and in its current form – there was no question we’d invite him back onto the show. So grab a glass – or bottle – of your favourite mixed-culture beer and settle in as Topher tells us what led him here, how he thinks Wildflower might evolve, and shares stories and reflections from the past decade-plus.
It’s our longest episode to date – which won’t surprise anyone who knows our guest – but we’re sure you won’t be calling stumps early.
Before we get to Topher, James and Will discuss the impending opening of a venue by an operation with similarities to Wildflower, the ongoing rise of non-alc beers, the arrival in the Crafty directory of Melbourne bars Rose Island and mates., plus the opening of entries for the 2026 Australian International Beer Awards, and the latest events and giveaways for our Crafty Cabal beer club members.
Please like, subscribe and tell your beer-loving mates if you enjoy the show too!
Start of segments:- 16:18 – Topher Boehm Part 1
- 54:04 – The High Country Hop 2026 Preview 1
- 59:31 – Topher Boehm Part 2
To find out more about featuring on The Crafty Pint Podcast or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.
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Transcript
Introduction and Inspiration Behind Subramasar
00:00:05
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Crafty Pine Podcast. I'm Will. I'm James. How are you, Will? I'm doing great, James. One of my favourite little Melbourne breweries is opening up the taproom. I thought you going to call me one of your favourite little Melbourne people, but there you go. um Yes, well, tell me about the taproom then, Will. I'm quite disappointed now, but never mind. my Valentine's Day coming and everything.
00:00:24
Speaker
Yes, Subramasar opening up a tap room that the name is inspired by spanish a Spanish word for sort of the time you spend around the table after a meal. they're very The beers that Casey and Hannah make are very inspired by sort of to pair with food. that They're very...
00:00:40
Speaker
Delicate, complex, but also very easy drinking. I always think of them as being quite zippy. If I had to use one word to describe the entire operation that makes very broad mix beers. and It's pretty exciting. I know they've been looking for a space for a long time in in the sort of Northern
Breweries' Business Strategies and Challenges
00:00:54
Speaker
suburbs. ah One of the reasons it took them a while was they did want to not overextend themselves, not overcapitalize, as we've seen many breweries do at ends in tears, but to find something they wouldn't have to have open all the time so they could have a you know lower throughput seller door experience where they don't have to rely on constant taproom sales and things like that. And I guess at the end of the day, their main focus is on Saison's and also then, you know, real ale car scale to not necessarily, you know, um on the tip of the tongue of the of of contemporary craft beer drinkers, you know, who are chasing, it or you know, hops or maybe lagers or whatever. So I guess there's there's that side of things as well. um But I guess, you know, they um are looking to do it on a keep it on a pretty small scale as well. And in terms of, you know, the number of people through the venue as well as, you know, the distribution.
00:01:42
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. It's, ah as we get into it, our main chat, it can be a challenging market, the the sort of mixed culture world. We've obviously seen a lot of breweries either stop doing it or those that were focused on it sort of potentially close. And that's not just in Australia as well. That's globally, ah definitely in America. We've seen a lot of that interest in that fall down the wayside. but is it Is it interesting falling by the wayside or is it moral case that it's just hard to sell $35 single bottle beers these days?
00:02:09
Speaker
Potentially that that's a thing. Yeah. I mean, i I'd love fans of these bits or maybe previous fans of these bits to let us know because yeah it it is a big cost.
Melbourne's Beer Scene: New Venues and Trends
00:02:18
Speaker
But um as today's guest said, we live in these conservative times. I think people are less willing to experiment with flavor as well. Yeah, yeah, for sure. No, they'll be open in a few weeks' time. We're hopefully going to get in there for an event at some point as well. So, yeah, best of luck to Casey, Hannah, and Andy with that. um and Just quickly on Reservoir, four breweries in that sort of outer suburb of Melbourne, which is interesting. There was a point where, what, Collingwood probably had five or six, and now Collingwood's down to three. Reservoir is up to four. So, yeah, it's it's kind of interesting to see craft beer move out like that.
00:02:54
Speaker
Resort is a very large suburb, however, that does seem to incorporate about a third of the outer north of Melbourne. I had a look, Steamjacket, which is on the sort of very eastern side, and then Hawkers, which is on the very western side. It's about an hour to walk between the two of them. Yeah, I don't know if there'll be a reservoir crawl to rival the Marrickville one in ah in a hurry, unless so anyone's thinking, you know, filling those gaps in between. um And talking, I guess, of new venues in Melbourne, there's a couple of ones. that what One's not necessarily new, but has introduced a new rooftop recently. Another one um is going to be new to one of our festivals but later in the year as well. But we've got a couple new listings on the site for our venues that you've been to check out recently.
00:03:34
Speaker
Yeah, Mates in Mordialic, which is a great ah great ah bar neighborhood bar on the bayside suburb of Melbourne. They've been doing great stuff for a really long time. Really well liked and loved in the craft beer community. and Really adds something to that community, I think. And yeah, they they recently installed a rooftop bar. So it's a very, very excellent place to hang out year round now. Well, I did like the first comment on our Facebook post about it. was Someone said, best bar this side of Mississippi. So there you And then the other one, a bit of it so different style, but again, another area that doesn't have a huge number of like really quality craft beer, you know quality hangouts as well, Rose Island. Yeah, Rose Island and in Windsor, Lachie who founded it said that the main thing he was looking for was to make sure he wasn't too close to Otter's Promise, which is one of the other great bars in that area and that they are a distance from each other. But sort of what I think once upon a time we would have called a Melbourne wine bar, but does have six taps pouring excellent beer and Lachlan's more into craft beer than he is into wine. So he sort of opened with a wine focus and has convinced a lot of his customers and punters to come along and and drink more craft beer with him.
Crafty Cabal Events and Australian Beer Awards
00:04:41
Speaker
What a hero. um And it's a great story behind the name of Rose Island as well. i won't sort of you steal the thunder. People can jump online and read the listing, we'll put it the show notes notes and maybe a few people will be jumping off to go and watch some documentaries about Rose Island. um Aside from the new venues, although i guess this does tie into a new venue, ah you've been chatting to people about, um I guess, non-alc beer appearing a bit more on tap around Australia now. I think the non-alc space You know, we would have done first artists on this a long time ago, blind tastings a few years ago. it's like, how big will it get? And it does seem to be, you know, you you can see news headlines from around the world talking about how interesting non-AUK and sales non-AUK beers seem to be growing everywhere. And now we've got an extra option for for people on tap over here.
00:05:25
Speaker
Yeah, well, Heaps Normal, obviously they've they've got their home now in Marrickville that people come to. They open sort of Fridays at the moment and opening at four events, DJs and that kind of thing, but they do hope to have it. The the doors open a bit more regularly and- i help The Health Club they're calling as well. So you've got Bob Hawke Leisure Centre and now the the Heaps Normal Health Club, both in Marrickville. It's really like if you're searching for these things on maps, you must be losing your mind when they pop up and you're like, oh, great. Yeah, I do need to go to the pool actually. Yeah. I just wonder was there. Yeah, heaps normal. I think a lot of people probably see because we've received pretty widespread coverage. They've recently released their first beer on tap. It's another beer for them, that a draft beer. um Sort of mirrors, you know classic Australian draft beers. They've spent a lot of time and research into it because there are issues with non-alcoholic beer on tap in terms of freeze conditions.
00:06:15
Speaker
the potential for them to freeze and also say without alcohol you have a range of problems with potential problems with bacteria anyway so spoke to them but also bridge road have a very bridge road style um quietly been selling non-alcohol on tap as well for for four years pioneering but forgetting to tell anyone about it yeah I remember speaking to you Ben years ago and he said, uh, do you have, if you ever want to do a story about bridge roads, inability to capitalize is I'm being first to market. Let me know. it's just Yet another example of that. Uh, but you know, it's interesting to know where the customers are as well. They're selling kegs to oil rigs, places where you can't have alcohol, army barracks, uh, even like.
00:06:56
Speaker
you know movie productions where they want to have poor beers on tap that people are drinking and That they're selling non-alc beers to that because just to have on the movie set and things like that So yeah, it's it's interesting. I think you know that those that like 2020 to 2023 was kind of the year that the hype non-alc uh era wasn't it and maybe like in craft beer it was what 2014 to 20 probably the same time actually 2023 we're past it now but there's less i think excitement potentially about it but i think part of the reason that is because it's become so normalized as well and this is a Having
Wildflower Brewery's Journey and Future Plans
00:07:33
Speaker
it on tap really goes a long way to to changing that. There is something odd and I've done it before when I've wanted had when i've not wanted to drink where you're buying like your friend a beer and it comes in a pint and you're buying yourself a can. There's something a bit different about that and also being able to see it as well. Like I hate going into a pub and having to reach my head around the the bar and kind of be like, I really hope they've got a good non-hour beer because I don't want to ask for one and then get like a Carlton zero or something like that. So this really changes the situation, think.
00:08:03
Speaker
Yeah. And, um, I guess, you know, when, when you talk about not necessarily wanting to have a can when everyone else has got a pint, I guess that sort of maybe ties into the, the theater of beer, the presentation, you know,
00:08:14
Speaker
The experience of having a drink isn't just about the the liquid and the smell and the taste, it's about all these other things as well, um which is something that we'll be ah discussing in event with ah this week's guests when we do a Theatre of Beer um event on February the 22nd with Topher Bain from Wildflower. um and ah Quite fortunately, Pete Gillespie from Garage Project will be in town at the same time up in in Sydney and launching a new beer with Topher, which I guess is a very long-winded way it is to our main guest this week, which is Topher. And by this stage, I'd imagine that everyone listening or watching on YouTube will um be well aware of the announcement that they made. um
00:08:54
Speaker
on Tuesday this week, um which sounds like it's been some time, you know, some time coming, um very much claiming it's gonna be a pause, although i don't know if you've read the Topher's beautiful long blog post. He does say their groundhog period could be a number of years as they try and find the exact location they're looking for but um yeah essentially um wildflower will close in maritville for the last time on may the 31st um they'll store their equipment with their friends uh sam and chris greenwood and the plan is to sort of rebirth uh wildflower
00:09:27
Speaker
at some point in the future in a wine region. Smaller scale potentially as well. Smaller scale, making more sort of Lambic-style beers as opposed to the Saison-inspired beers. um But yeah, I mean, we I wouldn't say too much because we we talk at great length about this. We've already put the article out there. But I think um it's interesting. i think you know i don't know whether anyone would be too surprised as we talked about it is kind of hard selling these kind of beers. But at the same time, I think what Topher and Chris and their team have achieved in that space as in the venue, which is incredible. And with the the the beers and the blends they've been making, the collaborations they've done, the advocating they've done for organic produce, for you know for local ingredients, you know just the amazing way that he's spoken about what he does and the travels the experiences had has been quite remarkable. And you know I'm sure in terms of... um
00:10:15
Speaker
cut through or sort of impact per litre of beer sold, there'd be be few that would have a sort of higher, um you know, ratio or density, whatever you want to call it, than than Wildflower over their 10 years.
00:10:26
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's already made it news in the big but main papers and things like that. Like wildflower has always been a story that I think any, anyone in drinks in Australia has really wanted to celebrate and that's made them stand apart. Like you talk to any wine maker, any distiller, or any drinks writer, they they point to wildflower as being something really special. So it's, it's good to know it won't be gone, but it it is still sad to know that, uh,
00:10:54
Speaker
Well, fortunately, both of us will make it to their tap room one last time. But after that, it will be, I'm sure a very sad occasion for a lot of people who love going there, particularly the locals who call in all the time. Yeah, sure. he has said there's going to be a wide range of beers and blends available. He reckons they'll get them through roughly end of this year. And then some of the more, I guess, the beers they make more often should still be available in 2027 um i have um seem to put aside a few bucks worth of beer for for the crafty towers um collection so i'd imagine a few other people like that so i guess know there is still beer available people want to get hands on it probably best not to hang around too long um but yeah it's a great chat not just about you know the decisions about why they've decided to close but also you know the story behind it and you know guess reflections on
00:11:42
Speaker
the challenges or just you know the the space he operates in what it's like for people like like him um and those sort of producers um in the in the current climate. um So that's a you know really um great chat. appreciated Tofa for making the time and giving us the heads up as to what what was coming ahead of time as well. i In a a very sort of romantic, wildflower situation that I took the call from him at learning what was happening while I was sat outside of mechanics on the south coast waiting for my car to be repaired. So it wasn't quite so as ah romantic as the wildflower story. But yeah, so, and as as I said before, we'll be up there for an event on the February 22nd. We'll include details in the show notes. and There's a fantastic discount for our Crafty Cabal Beer Club members for that as well. And that's just one of three new events we put live for members this week. That one in Sydney, a couple in Melbourne. We've got one with John Cope Williams and Steve Matthews from Shore Brewing, um who make predominantly hop-forward beers. um John's been around the i guess the Australian beer scene, especially the the Melbourne beer scene from the very early days. um
00:12:43
Speaker
turned Cookie into one of Melbourne's first craft beer venues. He's been bringing over amazing Kiwi beer for a long time. Just bit a bit of a legend, beautiful man. So we're we're we're joining them at the Sporting Club Hotel in Brunswick on February the 12th for tasting um a five of their beers, two of which will have been canned that afternoon um and a bit of chat about their their various careers in beer. And then two days later, there's nothing like you know doing no events for sort of six or seven weeks and then two in three days, we'll be at Bench Warmer. It's the West Melbourne Bar's sixth birthday party. They've got Brady down from Future Brewing in Sydney for a tap takeover. And before it all sort of really kicks off, they're inviting Cabal members to join them for a bit of a tasting of three of their um pretty stunning beers and a chat with Brady before all and the DJs kick off and all that kind of thing. So we'll include details on those in the show notes and hopefully see a bunch of you there. And if you're not a Cabal member and want to get invites to these kind of special do's, then jump to craftycabal.com and check it out. um
00:13:40
Speaker
In terms of continuing our public service announcements for the week, Will? Well, importantly, news has just dropped that the ABES entries are now open. So if you're a brewer who'd like to get your beers judged against the best in the world, then make sure you enter now. You've got a bit of time, but don't...
00:13:55
Speaker
do the thing that everyone does, which is delay too long and then have a very stressful final few moments before you get there. Brewers and cider and perry makers. There's ah categories for cider and perry again this year. And of course, the Crafty Pint sponsored ah Beer Media Award. um I think Crafty Pint writers have won it the last few times. it'd be really nice if we can get a few more entries there. and you know And it's open to non-traditional media as well. We know there's some great um beer blogs out there now and you know some video channels and stuff like that so if if you're keen to see your name up in lights then make sure you enter the ABBAs before mid-March I think it is when they close registrar submissions Yes, I was referring to myself before when I said that don't enter at the last minute because I've 100% done that every single year. So enjoy our chat with
High Country Hop Festival and Mixed Culture Brewing
00:14:43
Speaker
Topher. And if you do, make sure you like, subscribe, leave a comment on however you get our podcast and that will help other people find it. Cheers.
00:14:51
Speaker
Cheers. We love how beer brings people together. And that's really what the Crafty Cabal is all about. It's a community of beer lovers who love discovering great breweries, supporting the people behind them and sharing a few good pints along the way.
00:15:06
Speaker
For just $99 a year Cabal members get access to a stack of perks, to some of Australia's best breweries, venues and bottle shops. Plus invites to exclusive events and 2026 is already looking mighty fine.
00:15:20
Speaker
Feb 12, get to know Shaw Brewing as they take you through a private tasting in the private dining room at the Sporting Club Hotel Brunswick. Feb 14, future brewing are heading to Benchwarmor in North Melbourne for an exclusive cabal event to celebrate their sixth birthday. Feb 22 joined James from the Crafty Pine at Wildflower in Marrickville as he hosts the Theatre of Beer featuring Wildflower and Garage Project.
00:15:48
Speaker
Plus, we have double passes to give away for the Canberra Beer and Cider Festival and cases of Colgate's new release Sour AF Up the Grass. There are hundreds of deals, special releases and events rolling out across the country.
00:16:03
Speaker
If you love good beer, good people and discovering new places along the way, we'd love for you to join us. To find out more and to become a part of the Crafty Cabal, head to craftycabal.com.
00:16:15
Speaker
Cheers.
00:16:19
Speaker
Topher, thank you so much for joining us. ah Thanks so much for having me, Will. i Genuinely, and both of you guys for doing this and having... Anyway, I could go on too long. You're welcome. Thank you for having me.
00:16:30
Speaker
Well, yeah, i people will have read the story probably and that might be why they're listening, maybe for the first time and we'll be keen to know. But ah tell us about the decision to close or pause or around Wildflower.
00:16:43
Speaker
Yeah. um it's It's a big one. It's a big decision for for us and it's been sort of a long time coming. I'll definitely try to get into it and it's definitely one of the reasons I was keen to chat with you guys about it is to kind of give a bit of shape to everything instead of just headlines. You know, there's so much, um I guess, context, I think that'll that willll help um and that I'm keen to convey. But ah again, I just have to say, like, this has been a decade now for for Wildflower. um Crafty Pint's been with their
00:17:17
Speaker
has been with us on that for the entire time. I've told James in the past that the Crafty Pint map was was on my phone while I was on ah azon our honeymoon in 2013 in and around Tasmania going to Seven Sheds up in Lonnie and random bottle shops in various places as we're driving around.
00:17:37
Speaker
or outside of Launceston Seven Shades was um and ah you know in no small way has played a big part in in this place ever existing and and my own beer. And so like it feels very natural for me, but also fitting. And I feel very a great amount of gratitude for the masthead, I suppose, if we want to call it that, but like really, you know, for keeping the fire. And and I think we'll talk about it, but, um you know, the last few years, i think for the industry have been really tough. And I think a lot of people have fallen away from that kind of support. And you guys have gone the opposite way from from the seams, you know, it's kind of poured more in to the industry and the community. And um I think it's a huge reason why,
00:18:21
Speaker
this is a pause i think we're you know in a relocation of the business rather than okay we're shutting up shop you know and a big reason of that is the people is the community it's the industry it's genuinely filled with incredible people like yourselves so um i guess before i get into that it's like please please know that i'm very um grateful and and humbled to to be able to chat with you all about it because it's very important to me um Anyway. No, I appreciate it. Equally, even before Wildflower launch, you were there in a sort of educational role for me on Twitter with your your Twitter account there as well, picking us up if we, you know, you use the wrong terminology or whatever around farmhouse brewing or something.
00:19:06
Speaker
Zealotus lexicon. Yeah, for sure. yeah but um But yeah, back back to the decision. So sort of why and why now, you know? Yeah, so I guess now that this is coming out, um we would have announced that we're we're going to be closing the venue here in Sydney in in May. um we have ah We've stopped brewing production already um here at the brewery and we have about nine months to a year's worth of stock in bottle and can. so There is, firstly, to say anything, there's no need to fret. It's not a, um you know, don't overindulge in terms of purchasing things, worrying that we won't be here for a while. um This decision has been a long time in the making, and so we've had a lot of time to plan for how we want this to happen.
00:19:56
Speaker
for how I'm kind of keen for this to go. um And so, you know, it's not ah it's not a flash flash sale and it's not that will be something that'll be gone immediately. So just saying that as a small caveat first. And so if you stop listening now, or at least you understand
Sustainability in Brewing and Market Trends
00:20:11
Speaker
that.
00:20:11
Speaker
um So the decision what we've made, and I think that we're talking about it is is to relocate the business. um where Like I said, this has been a long time coming, but um it was sort of spawned, I think initially for me,
00:20:28
Speaker
um Probably about a year and a half ago, um we were realizing that 2026 was going to be our 10 year um you know anniversary of being here on Brompton Street. We signed the lease here in October of 2016.
00:20:45
Speaker
And this idea of a decade just started to keep kept coming into my mind over the past year and a half. And you know when you do something for a period of time like that, I think um we were ah I was obviously wanting to kind of um bookmark that in a way that, or sorry, bookend that in a way that um was fitting, you know whether it be a collaborative beer or a festival or whatever it was. um But also I think in terms of my own sort of working life and um where where i'm at you know i started the business we chris and i started the business when we i was 25 um so i'm still very young now um but uh doing something for a decade it just has felt like a natural sense of what's what's next and the thought of the the natural thought for us at least from finishing one decade is like okay what does the next 10 years look like you know what this was the first 10 years and what does the next 10 years look like And so when I went through that thought process of what the next decade looked like and I started to do the sums on how old I would be, how old my kids would be, um what Sydney would look like as a place, you know who knows what that looks like, what the market would look like, and who knows what that looks like. but When I started doing the sums of you know where the kids would be at school and where like in their schooling you know matriculation, um where I would be. It started to, there were sort of other factors that started to weave into wildflower, I suppose, the business that um you when you're 25, you don't weave in as as much. And you know part of that is where where you're living, what your daily life looks like, um your um
00:22:28
Speaker
the demands on your time that are from a working perspective. And so I wasn't sure that, and I, so this kind of started because I became unsure that I would be able to maintain my energy and um input into the brewery, you know, both time and um creative input and mental capacity for another decade at at this stage, like the way that it was now, you know, we've been incredibly fortunate over the past decade to build
00:23:00
Speaker
a business that has production wholesale sales online direct to customer direct to face hospitality director customer export we have lot of different businesses you know logistics businesses that are kind of tacked into this one thing and i think a lot of small business owners understand this we have to wear a lot of hats um and ours is is quite diverse um and and wide and it's been one of the reasons we've been I think very, very um lucky to, and i suppose fortunate to to um stave through these times, you know, that have been a little bit slower with sales and things that have been harder. The business has been diverse enough to weather that all right. um
00:23:43
Speaker
However, it requires a lot of energy and all of those different inputs. And so I just started thinking about, okay, what is a way that we can maintain the,
00:23:56
Speaker
um Integrity, I suppose, or and don't like the word authenticity, but maintain the aspects of the beer, maintain the aspects of the product, maintain the aspects of the brand and the identity behind the brand that's been built over the past decade, you know, particularly around things like agriculture and wild fermentation.
00:24:16
Speaker
How do we maintain those things that are beautiful that can last for a longer time? Because right now, I can't see that in 10 years I could do it the same way I'm doing it now. you know It's so exhausting. um And I hate, I will don't want this to be framed like, Topher's tired, therefore need a break. That's not necessarily what it is. It's more that like, I think anyone that...
00:24:39
Speaker
and I'm still very, very young. so the more that I speak to people, anyone that has grown up realizes that your energy and time becomes less available as you go. And I think this perspective, I'm trying to build something that is more sustainable.
00:24:55
Speaker
And that's the kind of main precept of the decision I don't want to get to a stage where we, we Phoenix and just get too close to the sun and just burn up and never come back. Um, so I guess, I guess that's Icarus rather, sorry. Um, instead of Phoenixing, um, we don't to don't want to that and then have it be completely, um,
00:25:19
Speaker
eradicated. This isn't a business I think that is you know available for sale. It's not something that we built in order to pass off to someone else. um I don't think that would work very well. But ah So instead of going the Icarus route, let's try to to just tread somewhere that um we can maintain, you know, even from like an energy level, but particularly from the beer level for for a lot longer. um And I think, like, I think if,
00:25:49
Speaker
like i think if maybe this is preempting another question and you all have had me on a podcast before, so you know that I'm quite happy to chat the whole time. So sorry for the pause. um I think that if you had told me in 2016, when we started, if you had told me that, hey, in 10 years, um this is the situation that you're gonna be in, I would be elated and there would be no, nothing other than,
00:26:21
Speaker
pure measures of success to to look at that as. And the situation that we're in is in 10 years, you've, what well, this this place has carved out a market in a community with incredible people in an incredible industry. um that sustains itself which you know for an entirely mixed culture brewery is is pretty rare and this is a you know relatively small market for that you know we have breweries in bigger markets that haven't made it through so that's a tick um but mainly amongst that is the people that like we've created having a space in the city has allowed us to create a community um around that we've been able to be a part of
00:27:03
Speaker
agricultural changes in the industry that you know have put a focus back on on farming and particularly regenerative farming. um And that lastly, you know we'd be in a position where we have equipment that we could move to a rural site um and and restart there. And I'm not sure if it was part of the early stories you know that Nick Oh wrote about us in the beginning, but um This is all in the blog post, by the way. There's a very long blog post on our on our website um that kind of goes through a lot of these things. But um before Wildflower, there was brewery called Paddock.
00:27:39
Speaker
and And I don't know, ah James, you might remember this or not, but Paddock was um paddock was a brewery and a business plan that we set up and attempted to start on the south coast of New South Wales in Gerringong. We actually had a place of piece of land set aside for it from someone, and we went to the council for those approvals then. So from the beginning, pat Paddock was the the farmhouse brewery, you know, and this is 2015, 16 ideas was farmhouse breweries.
00:28:08
Speaker
It was our original idea to do that. Patek was going to grow all the ingredients that went into all of the beers, of course. Of course, we're were going to be doing our malting. Like it was pretty intense. Like I'm not going to lie. um And I don't know how successful it would have been because um knowing what I know now, that would have been incredibly exhausting um to do. You'd be a much more tired Topher. Exactly. Yeah, on that part.
00:28:33
Speaker
um Council pushed us back and we were going to have to take them to Land Environmental Court. This is the Cayama Council down there um to change the LEPs on the on the um Land use requirements because breweries, rural zoning, don't don't mix. um Thankfully, I think a lot of a lot of councils across Australia have realized that not all breweries are too easy new. and But again, think back to 2015.
00:28:59
Speaker
Batch was two years old. um Grifter hadn't started. Balter wasn't around. like Like a lot of businesses weren't. For me, Balter started in 15, but anyway. um something like that. you know This is a more nascent stage of beer from a council perspective. So we weren't able to do that. And um when we realized you know the cost of going to land environmental court, plus just the amount of headaches you'd have with council if you started to fight with them from the beginning, um Chris and I decided, well, why don't we do a wedge in the city? Why don't we do something in Sydney?
00:29:34
Speaker
Start the beer, the brand there, or try out in Sydney and um see where we get to. That was the original thought. And um that this is where we got to. Yeah. well well what log it yeah While creating something that feels very country and very what rural once you step through the doors anyway.
00:29:55
Speaker
It was a you know ah fluke, like when we first walked into this spot in March of 2016. Anyway, it doesn't matter but what was happening at the time, but i hadd um we walked in and I just went, this this has to be it. And of course, it was the first place we looked at. you know um They wanted way too much for the rent. So Chris, my brother-in-law and who works in real estate law, was like, hey, we have to walk away. We can't sign a lease for that much. So we did.
00:30:23
Speaker
And um they came back to us later saying, hey, no one else has rented this. How about this price? And we went, sure. So we got we got very lucky there. But um' yeah, I think that was always the idea. And, you know, going back Waratah days or even, you know, 2019 planting that first, you know, schooner barley in in organic soils to be made into organic malt.
00:30:46
Speaker
there was always a thought of, okay, there was the thought with the brewery, and I talked about this in the first one for sure, is there's four ingredients in beer, you know, water, grains, hops, and and yeast. We're gonna start with the yeast in terms of things that come from here, and we're gonna try to work our way through.
00:31:02
Speaker
um So we obviously we haven't finished that project, because we're still using um organic hops from New Zealand, but we want things to come from as close as as as possible. um And that was always the beginning,
00:31:16
Speaker
that The fact that we weren't going to be growing our own grains because we were in Sydney, weren't be growing our own hops because we were in Sydney. The um impetus for that agricultural edge was, okay, well, if we can't grow it, then we need to support and promote the people that are doing it well. The people that already have land holdings, that are already doing it at scale. And that can have an outsized impact. You know, it's not just me growing two acres of barley for my one brewery. It's Chris and Sam growing however many hundreds of acres and that being available to brewers and distillers across the country. um So we need to promote that. Even though we're a very small business, we want to bring the country to the city. And um that was always an important part. And so I think, yeah, I think, sorry, a very long-winded answer. probably 15 minutes long. But... um
00:32:08
Speaker
And that's not even the totality of the decision. We still have so many more things to explore. um But ah it it really is kind of a return to that original idea, but with the understanding and knowledge of a decade of of running a business.
00:32:23
Speaker
So to cut that part of the answer short, listeners want to know what the plan is or you know viewers want to know what the plan is, is that there'll be a farm brewery version of Wildflower at some point down the line.
00:32:38
Speaker
Yeah, that's the intention for sure. Yeah. Great. Yeah. Yeah. And do you have the land sort of earmarked? Is there a, or even a vision of whereabouts in New South Wales or Australia? It might be, presumably in New South Wales. It'll be domestic. It'll in Australia. Um, I would say that I think, um, we have some ideas, but.
00:33:02
Speaker
We've been really, and we, this is probably me and my wife, Bernadette, mainly, while going through this process, I think it's really, um easy to try to jump towards the next thing. um It's been really hard for us to sit where we are and do this part really well. um I think it would be probably from a marketer's perspective, the better idea would be like, here's the shiny new thing over here. Okay. Yeah. Sydney's closing. This is what we're, you know, um for those listening, I'm shaking and a non-existent piece of paper in my hand. um so i thought it was a back look at this look at this um and uh so it's been hard to push against that impulse um but we're really trying to do that and sit with the decision as is instead of making the next one preemptively um what we do next will be for a long duration um that's the intention and so we don't want to jump into something too early so we have you know, I'd love for it to be in an area that that grows grapes, um not because I want to farm grapes, but because there's a lot of infrastructure in in winemaking areas for shipping and trucks and logistics and glass and all of the things that you need to run a business. Those things are already existing in rural rural areas that are that are supporting you know viticulture. um You know, we have young kids, so schools is a thing, hospitals are a thing, you know, like there's just there's there's the logistics of life as well. But I'm
00:34:33
Speaker
Given how long we have, you know right now it's February. we're not closing till We're not closing the venue till May. And then I expect that we'll still be selling beer probably this time next year. Maybe some good as gold blends or gold blends that are still floating around. um It's not a decision that's close the door, that's it, we're done.
00:34:53
Speaker
And so we want to kind of take the time. So um I don't know if that was a super political answer of avoiding the the actual question, but the the reality is that we we don't have something earmarked. There is no um next spot. And we want to, when we think about those next things and we make those decisions, we'd rather have all of the chips on the table, like all of the information and and primarily we don't want to rush this this step because um as positive as it is for us um and i'm i'm excited about the idea um i i don't think it's going to come without a bit of a sense of loss and mourning not not not just for us as well um you know this place like we want to pay
00:35:42
Speaker
proper homage to the 10 years of people that have come and made this place their home. So um we don't want to push to the next thing too quickly. As you've made clear, it's not been an easy decision to take now that it is out in the open and you have started telling people, you know, how do you feel now? um It's a relief, of course. um It's been, you know, there's a massive amount of um anticipation and anxiety i think surrounding at least particularly telling our team and that decision because it has probably the biggest impact on them and everyone's been so understanding and i think that their their response has been very much of a of a
00:36:26
Speaker
ah like it's time kind of thought. This makes sense. um Those kinds of emotions are coming out. And so while I feel this great amount of responsibility, i think there's been a lot of people that are quite...
00:36:41
Speaker
happy for that, this sort of this chapter, the ending of that chapter, you know, if it was a movie, maybe people would be like, oh, great, we can't wait for the sequel because the first ending went well, you know, like rather than rather than like I'm never going to watch Game of Thrones again, um you know. ah So um there's been that there's been that amount of relief. But i'm also like i I think now that it's out and how am I feeling about it directly um is is quite positive. We we ah Positive but not happy is kind of what i'm this is the way that I'm kind of thinking about it. it's not I don't take joy in the decision to to close here because I think it will have an impact on on people. um But when I go back to that 10-year horizon or the next 10-year horizon,
00:37:29
Speaker
I very much feel that in 10 years, we'll look back and go, that was a great call and we're in a better place for it. um And, you know, what we're doing has a longer tenure because of it.
00:37:41
Speaker
And ah without wishing to make it sound like, you know, you're dying or the brand is dead, it's quite clear, quite clear, neither is the case. If if you look at back at these first 10 years, you know, what do you think the legacy will be for the first 10 years of Wildflower and and everything else that you've done and you know you and your team have done within the beer industry.
00:38:01
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know. what what would What would you like it to be? What would I like it to be? i mean, that's sort of like, um you know, you don't get to choose who writes your story, I don't think. um But ah if you do i'm I'm very proud of the things that we've done, particularly around agriculture. And I have to say, you guys were there at a grain stock and Stu nudging me in the shoulder saying, get up there. You have to invite everyone to Chris and Sam's um farm here at the end the Greenwood farm.
00:38:33
Speaker
And standing up on top of the Land Cruiser and seeing, I don't know, something, maybe about 100 brewers standing there in a paddock, getting hay fever excessively altogether, um drinking a beer that's, you know, poured out of a bathtub out the back of a keg, ah like on the back of a ah Land Cruiser.
00:38:50
Speaker
I remember going to that farm in 2018 or 19 the first time and talking to Chris and Sam about doing that. um And I think that was a really lovely experience. moment for me, although I probably didn't speak very well because I was quite unprompted um and the hay fever was going crazy. couldn't open your eyes either. but I could barely see everyone. um But I'd really like that to be a big part of.
00:39:16
Speaker
I'm very proud of that aspect of of what we've done. um i am also quite proud of the connections we've been able to um foster in the industry um amongst Australian producers and and further.
00:39:32
Speaker
um Being in Sydney allows us that, you know, global hub ability. People are passing through all the time. And so we've been very fortunate to be able to be close to the airport, people dropping in and always being able to kind of have conversations with producers and um i think help um I think in a small way, we've we've been a part of bringing the quality of Australian beer um up i think we've all risen together um a lot of us in terms of taking our beers overseas comparing them against world-class beers um and and putting ourselves in that market where you know we were definitely on that way in 2015 2016 but you know 10 years later we've come a long way and you see the likes of brands
00:40:24
Speaker
all over the place and incredible beer. And so I think we've been a part of that as well. I'm very proud of the part we played, let's say. in that and And in terms of beers or travel or experiences, any personal highlights to stand out? So I'm sure they are, but you know, any particular special ones from the 10 years?
00:40:42
Speaker
I was very fortunate to be able to go back to Brasserie Thierier and brew three times um at their site. So Thierier is a small family-run brewery in northeastern France.
00:40:59
Speaker
um And I worked there for a time before starting Wildflower, just a short kind of stage there and um was able to go back with with our beer or with our brand, I think, and um make ah make a Mochueca-led Saison on their kit. um And Etwa de Sud, it was called. And that was a really proud moment for me. And each time, it's incredible to be able to go to a place like Eskilbeck and sort of know it a little bit. um That was pretty incredible.
00:41:30
Speaker
Making beer with Danny at Fenn's home was pretty awesome um for that time. um i mean, we've had gosh so many. i love i love the English beer scene. I love going to Lewis to the beer f to the Beak Festival. um of course Of course, the Firestone Walker Festival. I mean, I think each trip has had its own little different things. I was just recently in Belgium um in November and was able to spend a couple of weeks there. And um was just greeted and met by so many producers as a peer. um And after 10 years of doing it, it was probably one of the first times I felt that. And it was, I was just so humbling to think, you know I went to the Kantean Public Brew Day in 2014, I think, and I met Jean for the first time there. And um we've hosted Zwan's, I'm not sure how many times since then.
00:42:27
Speaker
And to be able to go just email Jean and be like, hey, I'm dropping by and spend a couple hours tasting one-year-old Lambix with him. it's like, it's a real mind-blowing experience. You know, just to kind of when you put it into context in that in that circle of time and go, how did that happen in 12 years? So there's been some incredible times for sure.
00:42:46
Speaker
And what what what was it like sort of the first time you either visited with your own beers or, you know, brewed with some of these, um you know, classic Belgian operations? Here's this Texan bringing wild ales from Australia. You know, what what what was the reaction like from those people at first?
00:43:06
Speaker
um Well, most of the time i I don't do it. So I don't often bring my own beer. So when I saw Jean this time, I probably took him whiskey. Last time, of take i usually take people Australian wine um because I'm not a very, I don't, don't,
00:43:23
Speaker
don' i don't I don't like the sense that there could be some rejection there, so I'm just going to avoid that entirely. um i remember a time with um Daniel Thierier. I did. I had some bottles of gold. He asked me to bring some beer to share with his team, so we opened that.
00:43:38
Speaker
And um Daniel and Yvanda Bates wrote a book together. Well, sorry, Daniel wrote The Saison. um section in a in the farmhouse sales book that was a collaboration between evan debates and another american writer who i can't remember the name of but classic book um even debates being brasserie de la sena exactly yeah and the history of your historian you know um uh incredibly incredibly switched on person um but uh Daniel has done a lot of work in the Cezanne world and being ah one of, think they've just saw 25 years, maybe more of Thierry. So it's been going for a while. And I remember giving him a bottle of gold and we drank it there together. And he was talking about it with his team in French and translating back to me. And I was picking up the parts that I can in French and um just little bits. But he looked at me and he goes, I think this is what Cezanne was really.
00:44:30
Speaker
would have really tasted like, you know, and this is because they use a monoculture yeast. So he's saying before the gold has a character in it that is, you know, very Saccharomyces led. It's a mixed culture beer, but it's kind of plays off to try to be a ah clean beer. um And that was always the intention with gold was I wanted to make something that was somewhat like what Cezanne might have been like, who knows what it was. um, actually like, and so, you know, pulling different influences from the Lambic world, but also from a lot from the Cezanne world. And, um, and Daniel mentioned that and I was like, oh, that's, that's pretty tall cotton. So that was pretty cool. And I remember a friend of mine sent me some photos of, you know, Armand drinking gold with him and at their, at their site and, you know, saying really, really lovely things. And you're like, oh my gosh. So the responses have been somewhat secondhand other than the time with Daniel. Um, but just,
00:45:28
Speaker
I don't know. There's a beer and art part of me that gets really kind of excited about it. And then there's also the other part of just being a a glorified plumber where you look at these people and their businesses and they have, they have kids and they follow sports teams and they like that music and they just become friends to you. I've been incredibly fortunate to become, um,
00:45:50
Speaker
like quite close with Pierre Tilkan and, um you know, when I go there, we just have dinner together and hang out. I don't even need to drink and talk about beer necessarily, although Pierre is very switched on when it comes to Lambic and I think his beers are incredible. um But I think that's just a whole other benefit of the industry itself. And like I was saying, this this not being a finality because these these people are my these these are my friends. you know um the And plenty of producers in Australia. they're I can't get rid of them because they're part of my life. I'm sure they'll still be calling you all the time as well. yeah yeah exactly. Anyway. And Topher, what about, uh, Brompton is closing though, like in terms of people coming in, you're open until May, like, yeah yeah have you thought about how that's going to feel? I mean, there's going to be a point where there's people that have been coming for 10 years, coming in for the last time. Like that's going to be a very emotional experience. Uh, I think for everyone, the person and and and for you and the team as well. You're trying to make him cry well. Ideally. Not yet, not yet. um Yeah, I've tried to spend a lot of time thinking about it, and that's one of the reasons we've given it such a long horizon. um wanted to announce it. I wanted to give, if someone is in Australia that wants to come visit, there should be an option for them. oh I mean, well, there might be, because there's four months, you know, um if if they can come make it.
00:47:13
Speaker
um I mean, maybe I can plug it now or a bit later, but we're doing a number of events, you know, in those last times, in the in the last few months. to create different incentives. If someone, oh, we get that, you know, I want to go do that museum tasting um on a Thursday night. Great. We'll we'll we'll promote that in various ways. um There's some bigger events, there's some smaller events and maybe, maybe let's i'll hold that till the end. So don't let me forget to kind of promote that. um I'm gonna be here every Sunday um and and to be here chatting. ah
00:47:45
Speaker
Again, I'm still working in the middle of the week and i have three kids, so I can't commit to being here every single hour of the last four months of of being here, but I'm gonna be here every Sunday. um and those are usually quite nice days to to come in and have a quiet beer.
00:48:00
Speaker
um And then, um ah ah yeah, i um maybe this wasn't part of your question, but it's just where my head's going to. um I don't know what happens next for this space. um was that Was that, did you ask that or did I make it? No, no, I know was wondering but if it might stay in in the beer world. but um There's no, we don't have anything agreed upon with anyone, um but I would love to see it.
00:48:27
Speaker
I would love to pass it on to someone um who is interested in keeping, not necessarily mixed culture beer, you can do with it what you want, but keeping a space that's public facing, it's such a beautiful space. um So definitely plug, email me info at wildflowerbeer.com. There is a lot of infrastructure here that that plays it out. All of the licenses are here. um Across the street is Four Toms, Heaps Normal's just opened up, Gelata Messina. It's a great little site. And I think that's actually one of the, you know, especially since Four Toms has opened, they've become such good friends, see them every single day. It's an amazing place.
00:49:04
Speaker
That's one of the harder parts I think of kind of leaving is the community just down this end of Brompton Street that's popped up since we've been here is is pretty awesome. So um landlords are great.
00:49:15
Speaker
We have anyway. i just for to sell But like like genuinely, if if you know I think it would make an incredible wedding venue you know for someone at some stage. It's just not in my noose. I don't know how to do that. it's not it's we're we're I'm a brewer. i'm not a hospitality operator. I meant to ask you earlier, I know you're storing the equipment on Sam and Chris's farm. Yeah.
00:49:37
Speaker
Is that barrels as well or are the barrels, you know, off? Yeah, I've gone back and forth about that. we're so we're So we're keeping um quite a bit of equipment, um but the next spot will definitely be a downsizing in volume. Like I don't intend to make as much beer as we have.
00:49:57
Speaker
and um you know little scoop i think that the that the beers will be different um at the next place i potentially won't use a a um a ah heat exchange at all you know for our mixed culture beers and potentially we'd only be brewing in winter toffee you told people not to panic buy that's probably going to make people panic buy but um but like it's it's more that the nature of what we would want to do the beers in the future i think were built are going to be built for a long duration i really want to build some a business that lasts but also a product that's incredibly age-worthy i suppose and obviously this brewery wildflower certainly started more saison and i think the next one might go a little bit more into the wine and kind of lambicky
00:50:43
Speaker
duration world, let's say. Anyway, because of that, it means that some of the equipment I won't need, right? So that that's the that's the the why I'm saying this. you know um I don't think we'll be making or canning table beer in the future. I can say that. It is the most difficult beer to make consistently and causes me the most head case situations um but uh there's a lot of so um the brewery the brew house the core ship um a handful of key barrels um and uh you know lots of other fittings and equipment we we'll be keeping and we're sending out to um the greenwoods i'm not keeping any beer aging because i just don't know what that looks like i don't know what the timeline looks like and i also don't have a place that's
00:51:31
Speaker
you know, ready to mature beer. um We are going to be distilling. So in the past few weeks, we've bottled up all of the good beer. um And so, you know, I have three, three blends of gold in hand. Right. So but that's and it usually takes us about four to six months to sell a blend of gold. So like we have quite a bit there. And I was very fortunate. I was very glad that I'm Dom. John Robertson is my friend. He's the sommelier at Attica, spent his Christmas holidays and came with me and blended those last three with me. So that'll be quite nice to release those ones. But um we ended up with some beer that was just not ready.
00:52:05
Speaker
So under ripe beer, I suppose. And that's all being distilled. um and that will sit in barrels over the time so um we will have some product like we're trying not to throw anything away because everything is is good um the good things are there um but whiskey is just so much more durable to ah an ability to sit for a while um we'll be selling a lot of barrels a lot of tanks the bottling line um i'll have a list i have a list that's kind of going and i'll be putting them up there but um to the point i think mostly is that
00:52:41
Speaker
Over 10 years of doing this and working with our beer, I've become quite... attuned to which Coopers um our beer develops best in and what formats they do.
00:52:55
Speaker
um So I'm sitting here in a room full of punchins, 500 liter punchins, and we'll be keeping, we'll probably go forward with more punchin aging, larger format barrels, and maybe, you know, Fudra larger format barrels rather than 225s, which are a great barrel size, and they've served us really, really well for gold which is a 12 month to 14 month old beer but if i want to be looking at things that are more year multi-year aging we need to be thinking about larger format um barrels so not everything will be kept and um anyone who's been here knows that i've got a thousand square meters of
00:53:33
Speaker
random stuff that I collect all the time, including this non-functional kettle, which is definitely staying with me because I can't get rid of it. um ah ah Because yeah I am a bit of a hoarder, so not everything is going to go, but I'm i'm freeing myself of some things and hopefully people will be able to use them.
00:53:51
Speaker
Great. Well, we might take a quick break and come back and talk a bit more about the industry and everything else that's going on. All right. Thank you. Cheers.
00:54:05
Speaker
Hey guys, Craig here and I'm here with Ben Krause. Many of you know him as the founder of Bridge Road Brewers. He's also the organizer of the High Country Hop Festival and Technical Symposium, which is becoming the largest gathering of independent craft beer professionals in Australia. It's back again, 26th to the 27th of March in Beechworth in Victoria.
00:54:28
Speaker
Ben's here to give us an update, mate. Good to see you. Yeah, you too. It's been a while. It has been a while. Now, we're excited. We've got High Country Hop coming and we'll just do a couple of quick updates throughout the the the show leading up to it. Now, just tell me, for those that haven't attended the technical symposium before, what what can they expect from it?
00:54:48
Speaker
um The technical symposium is sort of picking up a little bit from, I guess, where BrewCon left off. it's ah It's really an opportunity for brewers, firstly, to come together and and network. We don't get that much opportunity to do that these days. um And then, as the name suggests, it's it's an opportunity to to learn from technical presenters about brewing techniques or new ingredients, or it could be about tap rooms, market trends, just sharing sharing any learnings and hoping that there's value there for for the brewers that attend, that they can get that one or two pieces of key information and learn something from the day, um but also have a chance to to meet brewers outside of work and and talk about challenges or opportunities or things that they've been wanting to discuss.
00:55:40
Speaker
Yeah, fantastic. I think um those moments for education, as you say, and and learning a sort of few and far between. So great to take advantage of these opportunities. Yeah, um and this year we've, I mean,
00:55:52
Speaker
I always end up with a blur of how many years we've been doing things. I'm going to say four or five years that we've been now running the symposium. And each year we we tend to change tact a little bit and try to bring a new angle and be relevant to to brewers. This year we've managed to bring together something that I saw in CBC when I've been there in the States. And that's the opportunity to so get your hands on brewers.
00:56:17
Speaker
all different hops um it's ah it's a celebration of the victorian hop house the festival itself um so we've got yakima chief from the states bringing some hops over for for brewers to have a look at to to rub and smell and see um clayton hops from new zealand will be there they've got a few products amplifier is one of their products that they'll be showcasing Ryefield hops, a smaller independent grower from from New South Wales, will come down and show some of their hops from from the harvest this year. And then, of course, our main partner is HPA. They're our our large local hop grower here. They'll be showcasing hops. So we've sort of opened up to have Thursday as an opportunity for people to come in, drop in and and get hands on with hops all in one location at one time.
00:57:02
Speaker
um and on top of that Thursday afternoon we'll have a couple of workshops so um fermentus will be oh no sorry lalaman will be presenting something on Thursday um showcasing some new flavor profiles they have that highlight files and um different sort of sensory engagement tools that they have they've got a kit that they wanted to showcase so we'll be doing that um and also the ah rasv will be running a masterclass or ah or a i don't know a technical intro into into judging beer.
00:57:38
Speaker
um So Tina from Royal Melbourne or from Asahi, but she's sort of heading up Royal Melbourne judging for the AIBAs. She'll be coming up and running people through how we go about judging beer.
00:57:50
Speaker
um what to look for and and having some samples there and running people through that i think the benefit of that is just showing brewers um what judges are looking for and and maybe highlighting what some of the common um faults or or highlights are when when charging beer that people can look out for when they're when they're entering uh beer into the beer awards That is fantastic. It sounds like the ah the ultimate scratch and sniff session for brewers and yeah, get involved. um Ben, I understand tickets are limited. They're already selling fast. How can brewers ensure they don't miss out?
00:58:26
Speaker
um If they head over thehighcountryhop.com.au and navigate to the technical symposium, details of the program are thin on the ground apart from dates and timings.
00:58:37
Speaker
um I'm updating the be program this week, last week and the week before. so I'm just building out, particularly on Friday, how how things will be presented. The IBA will be there um Kicking off things, Crafty Pint will be there as well. I think Will and James, I'm not sure if you're around for that.
00:58:55
Speaker
um But yeah, tickets tickets are available through through the link on the highcountryhop.com.au. Well, mate, we can't wait. And yeah, I think Will James are already looking at a combination. recommend everyone does the same. i Get along to the High Country Hop Technical Symposium. Visit thehighcountryhop.com.au. Ben, we'll come back to you in the lead up to the event with more updates. We'll talk keynote speakers. We'll we'll give people a real insight into what's happening, but don't miss out. Thank you so much, Ben.
00:59:26
Speaker
Thanks, Greg.
00:59:32
Speaker
back So far, obviously we've stressed again and again that Wildflower is still going and you'll still have a focus on very interesting beers, but you know, a conversation we have at the Crafty Pint, a lot is sort of how are these beers doing, particularly at the moment? A lot of breweries that experimented in more mixed ferment and that kind of thing and barrel aging just aren't doing it anymore. Some that were focused on it, I believe struggling or aren't operational yeah anymore. What was your thoughts on where...
01:00:03
Speaker
these beers are at in Australian beer or is it just a wider industry issues? What's what sort of do you think is going on? Yeah. I mean, where they're at is exactly how you've described it. It's it's we had a period of.
01:00:19
Speaker
of consumption, let's call it, you know, from from people that was explorative, like they were explore exploratory, um that were keen to be pushed, that were keen to try new things. And I think that that reflected ah an internal feeling for those people that they were, sorry, they were in a position that was able to wager in a way, you know, they were able to take a bet on something like, oh, I can't wait to try this new beer or this new style or someone at a restaurant or a pub says you should try this next thing. And they say, sure, no worries. um I think, you know, globally, um we've seen a move towards a little bit more conservatism, not not just politically, but um even in terms of what we're willing to risk.
01:01:15
Speaker
And um so there was an probably probably a feeling of there was plenty around before, and now we're in maybe this has to do with people's finances and how much they can actually spend. And I think we're more in ah in a phase now where we have to conserve. We have to think, okay, well, this is how much I have to spend on this entertainment, um sporting, alcohol, food, whatever you describe as entertainment.
01:01:42
Speaker
And we have to be more um thoughtful with how that works. you know, how that dollar is is purchased. And I think you see it mainly in the wine um industry in terms of which styles are are selling the most. We moved from ah alternate varieties, you know, the Mills are an alternate variety show. It's been going for 30 or 40 years or something. That's an incredible celebration of all of the other grapes than what we all know. And those those those wines were had been selling quite well, things that you know grow in the Australian climate but quite better. And people were willing to try a Zbibo or I don't even, like I'm not going to remember all the different alternative varieties off my off my head, top my head, but they were willing to be sold by us on, hey, if you like a buttery Chardonnay, taste this wine. And people were like, yeah, sure, no worries, I'll do that.
01:02:35
Speaker
um In wine now, we've moved to a Pinot Chardonnay marketplace more and more. Sanjio and Riesling kicking around there as well, but you know the the stalwarts of what people know, because we don't want to be disappointed. You don't want to put out 30, 40, 50, 100 bucks in wine and and kind of be burned by something that you didn't know and go, oh, I should have just done the go-to option. And I think that reflects in the beer industry as well. You know, a lot of brands, even ones who were and who are still quite experimental, they're putting more infrastructure into well-priced, well-made.
01:03:18
Speaker
somewhat go-to brands, like go-to products. And i don't I don't fault anyone for doing it and I completely understand why. And I think it's what we as producers need to respond to the market. you know As much as we drive the market by what we're making, we also have to make a product that the market wants. And so we have to, there's a given give and take with those two things.
01:03:39
Speaker
um you know So I think that you see things like, like Yav mentioned as well, and if this is a, its I think good example of this, but the Hop Nation's um Melbourne Black, I think they call it. the yeah the the It's a stout.
01:03:52
Speaker
That's what people are drinking. They're happy. it's not It's not a very cheap keg from from Lion or whoever's distributing and selling it. It's you know it's a fairly pricey keg, but people are willing to pay for that because they know what they're gonna get, right? It's a well-known product. So making something that slips into that stream, but it's maybe even better priced, potentially better made.
01:04:16
Speaker
Well, actually, I can say in Hop Nation's case, certainly better made. 0.1% stronger. Yeah. yeah um And a local option, we see that customers are happy to do that.
01:04:27
Speaker
This isn't a huge ask when we when we supply them something that they know that they want or they think that they want and in that mind and that time, in that moment. And I think with a lot of other breweries, you see things that are more four pack, case of 16 options rather than singles. Obviously, we have, you know, mountain cultures bucking the trend there with the singles and the the the limited releases but those are within um a bandwidth that people are comfortable to risk in you know okay it's a it's the style that they know from someone who makes a lot of those styles so they know that that's going to be pretty good right so there's there's experimentation within within boundaries even um and in terms of how that relates to mixed culture brewers
01:05:12
Speaker
um and and and us particularly. i think it certainly like reflects ah the market getting to a point where it is and and stopping. So if essentially, if you haven't heard of our beer or you haven't tasted our beer now, it's unlikely to me that you might be, um, it's less likely now than it was in the past that you would be willing to, to, to convert. So, you know, we've, we've been able to build this incredible community and certainly one that's sustainable for brewery of our size. Like I, I'm, I'm not, um, I don't want to I don't want to underplay like how supportive and how interested our customers are. They really, really are. And they are, every time we release a new beer, they're so keen to taste it and I'm incredibly, um grateful for that and it's what's kept us going you know i think it's more of that like 100 true fans idea rather than playing to the market playing to everyone um but i do think that you know in terms of for a lot of markets we were at a place where you could tack on a mixed culture program and find new customers through that and i don't know if that's necessarily where we're at right now
01:06:27
Speaker
In terms of the future, these things swing, right? And I look at the Lambic Brewers. The Lambic Brewers have probably hurt the most out of mixed culture brewers in the past three to five years. um It's been ah like really, really tough for quite a lot of them. That's coming off of a huge swing, but they've been they've been here before, and they're better off now than they were in the ninety s so It's not, there's still Lambic blenders and brewers opening. So it's not that we've hit rock bottom anymore. It's just that we're in a trough. And I do think that, you know, as we continue, and I think that, you know, thinking on like 25, 30 year horizon, the nature of the workplace, the nature of what work is, is going to change pretty dramatically, um in in my opinion, and products
01:07:19
Speaker
any kind of product that is driven by hand work and by things that can't be um automated or are sort of substituted by a computer of some sort. I think that will hold their value, um but they need to be done, i think, in a way, in my opinion, they need to be done in a way that um is a bit more Japanese in you know singular people,
01:07:47
Speaker
pursuing their craft for their career and that's it. And they're not trying to create ah brands that sell at airports. um They're just making knives for their local community and the dozen or so you know interested people that that know about them around the world. I'm just thinking, i'm just um I don't know about a knife maker that I'm, there's no one coming to mind necessarily, but this idea of building a sustainable craftsmanship being built on a on the market that you have um and that's committed to you rather than trying to become ah you know a global knife brand or something like that maybe it's about analogy it might fall apart somewhere but um that's where i think i mean and the decision of what we' we're doing is obviously mirrored in in that um that answer in terms of where i think that we might be going as a market
01:08:39
Speaker
I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but um we need to we need to we need to have the baby having a bath. Like I want to continue making this. So we want to make it something that's sustainable for for whatever the market brings.
01:08:53
Speaker
And if if we accept that tastes and trends are cyclical in beer, wine, whatever it might be, Is there anything you think that could be done to you know speed up that cycle? So it entice people back in to try a new experience, you know to want to go and visit the next wildflower and ah and be taken on a journey. Is there anything can be done or is it for more money to be floating around the economy and wait for the the wheel to turn?
01:09:22
Speaker
I don't know. i I honestly don't know. um but Maybe once you've had six months away from the business, you might have had time to work out. Yeah. Well, I mean, the easy answer is to say just the latter, just wait, you know, just hold it out. But I think there's nuance in even that answer because,
01:09:39
Speaker
We've seen this in watches, in the watch industry um during the quartz crisis. Like we could we could drop prices and just flog everything out just for the sake of cash flow, but it doesn't help anyone in the long term. And also like we actually can't do that. Our prices are as low as we can put them. But um but ah it's not, i don't think so I don't think that going volume or going wide is going to be the thing that will help us in that next stage. And so I think the only thing like the decision is i a like i suppose wait for that sentiment to change um but be there and maintain your integrity in the meantime um so that when the cycle does come around you haven't uh discounted your
01:10:29
Speaker
identity so much that you're no longer, actually, this is interesting in COVID, right? So it's interesting in COVID what many businesses did in order to keep the customer's dollar. And then when the dollar came back, the businesses pulled those, some of those niceties away.
01:10:43
Speaker
And I think that's a really dangerous spot to be in as a business is to say, hey, we'll do, we'll do same day delivery for any online order, you know, today and this isn't just Nibir was lot of other businesses that would say while we really need it we're willing to work a lot harder but when we don't need it as much we're going to take those services away from you and I think that that's a really risky thing for for businesses to play around with when things are rough is to overextend themselves in a way that's not sustainable for them when the market turns around
01:11:16
Speaker
And if if the market is out. I have no guarantee that, like, yes, fashion is cyclical, trends are cyclical in beer and music and a lot of places. i i i I think there's a place for these styles of beer, the what we make long term, certainly do. um But I don't know what it would look like and in what veracity it would it would come back. um So I don't know.
01:11:41
Speaker
Topher, one thing that has changed a lot in your time, um and we each touched on it before, sam and Chris Greenwood, ah for anyone who hasn't heard that episode, they can listen to you and Chris talk about ah your relationship and that kind of thing. But yeah it must feel pretty positive looking back at at that. I imagine that's going to be a proper highlight in terms of forging those qua bonds with agriculture from the inner west of Sydney.
01:12:07
Speaker
and So how does it feel sort of looking back at it? oh i mean uh amazing um i think the best part is that we we've gained some incredible friends through it really um sam and chris are excellent people who i've very very fortunate to be able just to ring up chris and he'll be on the header or on the tractor doing something and just be able to have a yarn for a while and it doesn't need to be about grain or beer or anything um so in terms of how do i feel i mean how do you feel about whenever you get to make a new friend from someone that you wouldn't have um
01:12:44
Speaker
You wouldn't have normally passed, crossed paths. um That's personally probably the highlight of that. um The industry, I think time time will tell, you know i think sometimes people would say that you know the the legacy is written by what happens after and not necessarily during. So um I think the drive and interest in organics, particularly from a carbon perspective,
01:13:10
Speaker
um was hot and heavy for a while, you know, 2020, 2021. People were really thinking about that. They were considering their far carbon footprint. um And i think that was during a time where there was, you know, a bit of I'm speaking of the beer world during a time where where there was time and space to consider those things and finances to explore them. um i think that the heat has come out of that a little bit in the beer world but i think it'll come back in much quicker than the i think it'll come back in at ah at a way that it doesn't track one-to-one with the interest in beer i think it'll come back quicker than the market will come back for craft beer um and i think a lot of that was driven by
01:13:54
Speaker
not just um responsibility, but I think there'll be a lot of like equity reasons, like financial reasons for people to to turn towards more sustainable terms of ways of farming. And so I'll be interested to see where that happens, what happens with that. um i i i don't want to um yeah I don't have the glass ball, don't know what's going to happen, but I'm very happy and proud to have been a part of that when it when it started. i think there's so many more brewers and distillers, out and to an extent bakers, are using Voyager's products, for example, and there there are more... so
01:14:30
Speaker
more small thing, small multi operation starting around the country. And then, you know, I was, i visited Bryfield hops, um, in January yeah to record a podcast with those guys actually they been bit out by the time, by the time people listen to this one. And they were talking about, you know,
01:14:46
Speaker
Some of the hops are going into more core range beers now. So just just having that sort of regularity of those ingredients being in beers and being talked about surely helps. You it's not everyone's going to be interested, but, you know, the fact that that they are sort of so much more prevalent within the industry now, it's not a novelty. It is a thin thing that.
01:15:06
Speaker
some breweries are 100 voyager malt you know not just use it sales you know and other other people are going that way i think that has to help surely even if there's not as much discussion or as you say heat heat about it right now yeah yeah i you're you're exactly right so i guess just taking outside of just the organic farming just even talking about using things that are from your own backyard it just makes sense um and voyager i think i think i I think we were Stu's second customer along with that. you know I remember meeting Stu before he'd done any, before he'd molted anything um at Batch. And that was when I was just there before, just before starting um Wildflower. So Chris, you know that's an amazing thing to see um and to see the growth of that and to be a part of that and kind of,
01:15:52
Speaker
the amount of phone calls that I've fielded from people being like, is it actually is it actually good? Does it actually work? And you're like, oh man, come on, guys, go out there. you Just go, you know hop on a plane, go see it. um you know And there's obviously, yeah, it's been an incredible, incredible um process and journey. At Grainstock, you know I've hosted a number of people here from the bigger the the overlords of beer um who are coming here not to taste the beer and certainly not to make an offer to acquire me, um they're coming here to talk about farming.
01:16:26
Speaker
They're talking about regenerative organic farming. And you know you see what Keelan has done at at Stone and Wood with, I think he's a certified sustainable or whatever, they're theirre their their grain conversation that that happened. um and has is happening i don't know where it's at right now but um at stone and wood the fact that these are even happening is is pretty incredible and i don't i don't think you know it's come with with a lot of work and a lot of actual kind of doing it doing the work by particularly by stew and by chris and sam they're stew and brad and k chris and sam but Um, yeah, it's incredible. So, I mean, I, I can't be upset when Asahi wants to put regenerative organic grain in a beer, right? You cannot be upset about that. This is exactly what we asked for. and Um, we, we're pushing that this is a small, you know, out of the box, um, left of field industry craft beer that is putting, you know, pressure on pressure or
01:17:28
Speaker
influencing things that have much broader influence in the, in the marketplace. And that's a good thing. You know, that's a good thing. Yeah. And I guess ah ultimately the growth of that side things we were, I guess, driven by consumers choosing products, you know, made with generative organic products or what have you, what have yeah you found works it in the conversation with consumer and consumers to kind of get them on board with that side of things?
01:17:55
Speaker
It's giving as many fucks as they do. um you can't You can't start with that, right? um It's making a ah great product that they want to just go to time and time again.
01:18:09
Speaker
um If you try to be the perfume seller that sprays it in someone's face, they're never going to be... interested but if you're the one that you walk past and you go that was interesting is a side note something a little small then then they come to do their own their own research about it and choose choose something for themselves um ah i'm not a marketer i don't know how to do that i think that's pretty hard um but um for us uh we've definitely found at times there's
01:18:41
Speaker
At different times, you can play up or play down different aspects of the business but um or the product. Sometimes it's in the zeitgeist to be regenerative organic, and that's what a customer is going to.
01:18:56
Speaker
Other times, it's just being local. Other times, it's just being beer. um i don't I don't know how to track those, but that's what I'm saying in terms of the heat in the market has changed. And I think that has to do with how much, you know, I think in the past people were able, a broader proportion of people were able to make financial decisions about the things they put into their body based on the farming or the sourcing of that. And I think that the that the there's still a huge group of people that can do that now. But there's also a huge group of people that are like heating and rent and, you know, home home and heating, paying those kinds of bills. And so, you know, the the choice of the farming in terms of your consumer product is not as You don't have as much purchasing power. immediately leave Leave trails of crumbs rather than step onto a soapbox, maybe.
01:19:51
Speaker
Yeah, maybe it is a little bit like the like the mixed culture beer stuff in general is like, you know, just just be here. Just keep doing it. Just I i think it's just just keep doing it so that when that does turn around, you haven't become this. um um beige producer that kind of does a little bit of everything. It's like, you know, who do we go to that sells really great lager? That producer who makes really good pale of that. pretty Like, I don't know, find something that you're good at and and that I think is important to you. And when that becomes important for the customer, then i think you'll be a that person that is the authority on that.
Non-Alcoholic Beer Trends and Social Impact
01:20:34
Speaker
and rather than um trying to continue to chop and change the whole time and your identity is just as a chameleon. um
01:20:43
Speaker
That might be a little bit. That's just my opinion. on I'm probably not a great business person, though. I think if you were able to chop and change a little bit quicker, you could probably be a bit more successful on the market. But I have a different measure of success than that. so ah Topher, quite a um potentially broad question for you, but is there anything else about the beer industry, whether in Australia, that's like exciting you a fair bit at the moment, or you've found, you know, more fascinating recently or interesting that, you know, you didn't think you'd get to, or, or that's really keeps you, keeps you passionate other than all of it.
01:21:19
Speaker
Um, uh, I think this is probably a broken record at this stage, but I am i am fully on board with non-alcoholic beers being on tap. like I'm sure there's a lot of people doing that, and I know that Bridge Road's playing around with it, being on tap a bit more. um Heaps Normals just started to release the draft, which we have on tap at Wildflower. And yesterday when I was meeting up with a friend, that's what I was drinking. um That shift I think is is huge. um And I think I saw some some stats recently that they're expecting NA to be a pretty decent proportion of the beer market, like up to 10% coming years.
01:21:56
Speaker
in in coming years um And I do think that that obviously had a really big flash and I think it kind of stepped back a little bit, but um particularly in Australia where we're quite we're quite low we're quite alcohol sensitive in this country in terms of our um consumers um in a way that the Belgians and Americans are not. um But people people are have always been considerate of the ABVs of their of their drinks. you know I drink 4X because of three and a half. People know that and I think there's a lot of places in the world where people don't. So I think non-AUCs will fit, I think particularly on tap.
01:22:32
Speaker
um changes that social scenario so much so that it's not, it doesn't have to be conversation. You don't have to be different um when you go and get around, right? It's the exact same thing. And I think that the stigma, at least in Sydney, is gone in terms of whether you're drinking or not. No one cares. No one cares at all. um And so that's really exciting to me. um And seeing seeing some of the flavors and the ability of these brewers to get um products that are of the quality they are without alcohol in them, but still having fermentation character. That's awesome.
01:23:07
Speaker
Awesome. I'm super into it. I would never make it, but I really. Yeah, there's something game changing about. Going to a pub and being able to order a pint that you see and you know, it's there and you spotted it his walk in the door. That that's really mentally ah a really different thing other than looking for the can behind the bar in the fridge. Exactly. You'd want a night off drinking or something like that. Exactly. And then it's all you go get around and kind of three of those in a tinny. it's a something Yeah. um So I'm super, Guinness zero on tap. Come on, bring it out, please.
Celebrating the Brewery's Closure and Future Endeavors
01:23:39
Speaker
TOFA, we've said many times people don't need to panic buy and they can also come in until May. So what's the sort of next few months of the the Brompton wind down look like? Yeah. um So I'll start with the beer releases because that's kind of once we get through these releases, then there won't be ah more. So we we have bottled up. There is a finality in terms of what we have put to bottle.
01:24:04
Speaker
um So right now we have released this week um St. Florence, St. Walter and St. Edward. So our Simeon beer, our Gamay beer and our Montepociano beer named after my three kids. And those are the last releases of Saints. So like again, don't panic buy, but then there isn't any more coming out once those are done.
01:24:23
Speaker
um So ah next month in March, we have a number of collabs coming out in March and April. So we have... our collaboration with Garage Project coming out in February, which we'll also be doing an event with. So I'll get to that in a second. um Sorry, that's coming out in the event events in February, beer releases in March. And then we have a collaboration with UK based brewery Dayer probably coming out in March. and collaboration with Lucy M Wines um probably coming out in March or April.
01:24:53
Speaker
We have Fudra Beer, another Fudra Beer with Mike Benny, that's probably April. And then in May, we're releasing two you know kind of cornerstone beers for us, one of them being The Last Blender Village 2025, which has been in bottle since November. It's looking amazing, so I'm really excited about that. And then we also have this commemorative blend that I've put together with a bunch of kind of Reserva barrels of gold and some non-gold beers that we've put together, which is calling 11 to 13 Brompton. Bernadette has, my wife's painted a little artwork of the space and that's going to be the label. And i think by now you'll have seen that label on some of the marketing that we have that we've already put out around our closure. So those will be quite special beers. And then that that that's it in terms of the,
01:25:40
Speaker
um the the releases, other than the fact to say that the gold 47 is being sold right now, we have 48, 49 and 50 in, you know, blended up and bottled.
01:25:53
Speaker
Kudas Gold 22 is out right now. We have 23, 24, 25. Amber, we have two blends of. Hive, we have two blends of. Table Beer, we have OTB 23s selling right now.
01:26:05
Speaker
We have 24 that was just canned this week. um So once the previous blend is sold, we start selling the next one. So when I say there's no new releases, that's just in the sense that there's no different labels the variety of gold amber good as gold hive table beer those will last until like and just move iteratively one beer one blend to the next so as we sell those online um and through wholesale we'll continue to be able to communicate that through our our email list um and and whatnot. But what I guess what I say is there's no new releases. It's just that there will be new blends as as time count comes for that next one to be sold. I just don't know what the timeline looks on that. So um that's that's pretty much, I think that's everything that we have in Bottle going forward. And Collective members would have already, you've you would have already received an email from me. So if you haven't seen it, go into your spam i talking about the Collective this year because all of your beers are safe, Bottle. Bernadette has painted a whole series of labels that all go together as a set for these final 10 collective beers as well, which is pretty cool. um So that's that's all there in terms of the beers.
01:27:14
Speaker
um In terms of events, again, we want to kind of we want this to be a really exciting time. And there is a bit of risk. you know I think with people's attention spans, like and I'm just putting my own vulnerabilities out there, and there's a bit of a risk giving four months to close. right Because we could everyone comes in really quickly and then go, OK, I've done that. you know That place is dead to me. And we could be very quiet. um And so that there's a risk to that. However, we wanted to give a lot of time because we don't I don't view this place just like a normal, like a similar to a restaurant closing or something like that. um I think there's people that might want to come in. Well, that would happen at a restaurant. But I think we're closing a production a hospitality vineyard at the same time. So I want to give that time. So we've spoken with a number of um friends in the Sydney hospitality community and are really trying to promote
01:28:07
Speaker
our time here in Sydney in this last little while. So February 22nd, again, all of the information on any of this is through the newsletter, which is going to be the best place to get in touch, to stay in touch rather.
01:28:19
Speaker
February 22nd, Pete from Garage Projects coming here. We're going to be doing an event here with Pete and with the Crafty Pint, it sounds like, which would be great. um Talking about some of the the theater of beer and different methods of serving but also we'll release our collaboration beer that day and we have two of Sydney's best chefs genuinely um cooking food that day so that'll be really really exciting um March I don't think we have March we'll probably do some tastings some smaller events um you know that'll be ticketed kind of Thursday nights Friday nights kind of things um
01:28:58
Speaker
april is going to be huge um april 12th is a sunday we're hosting a post harvest festival for every winemaker that we've ever collaborated with um they are either going to be coming um if they finish harvest or if they haven't finished harvest which is what adelaide's looking like at the moment they'll be sending wine um and we'll i'm trying to pull some the cellar the beers that we've made with each of these producers over the time so this is your ravensworth's your Tirols, Clonacilla, a lot of other people, um they've all will be they've invited to be here and we'll pour beers for beers and wines for a little bit.
01:29:38
Speaker
They'll be off the off the... They'll then be able to relax and we'll just open up the bar for kind of a festival hangout. That day is being... The food there that day is from um Matt Lindsay, who's the head chef at Esther and owner at Esther and Polly, and he'll be supported by... um two two really close friends and old colleagues of his. So that'll be really fun. um I know this is getting a bit intense. Last one, we have a someone yesterday told me it was like an LCD sound system.
01:30:10
Speaker
If it's going to be a funeral, we better make a great funeral weekend where on Anzac day April 25th, we'll be hosting Kentian Zwanzee Day again. um And information about how to get tables for that will be coming out. And the next day we're doing our collective model share the next day for the collective members. So if you're interstate and you're a collective member or have a friend is, that's probably going to be the weekend to be here. And then um that's the last of the major events. Obviously, in May, as we as we get closer to that to that final date, there'll be some things popping up here and there, but not not anything that I have kind of ironed out yet. um So ah my hope and suggestion would be don't wait till the end and don't don't come too many times in February and um and and you know forget about us for the next few months. So you know it is quite important for us. And again, showing my vulnerability, it's important for us to be able to continue. like we We do need to keep trading in the next few months to pay our bills while we do this, not sitting on a...
01:31:11
Speaker
pile of cash to be able to pay everything if no one comes in um so we do uh really appreciate anyone kind of coming in and paying that time but um those that's everything that i have planned to to a level where I can talk about well it. Well, it sounds like a fair amount and it should guarantee a tired Topher by the time you close the doors for the final time. Looking beyond that, when we reach June, 2026, what do you think you'll be doing ah ah but up until the farm brewery opens? Yeah, ah definitely a bit of a sleep.
01:31:46
Speaker
um You know, I'm not going to lie that part of the decision, and I think I mentioned this a little bit at beginning, has been to be able to have ah a pause from it. You know, like I was saying, 10 years of doing it, another 10 at this rate.
01:32:01
Speaker
would be pretty difficult. um i think i'll i'll i'll look I'll look for a job that's just a boring nine to five something and draw a wage without you know going on holiday and being able to like to put an out of office on. um The idea of that sounds really nice. I'm sure I'll get more with it super, super quickly. um So I don't know how long that would actually last. um But I don't know exactly what it looks like. um I don't imagine it would be in the industry. um i think just something, um i you know i studied,
01:32:37
Speaker
ah uh like my degree kind of want to go back into a world of um using using a different part of my brain for a little bit or maybe study um i'm not sure exactly yet obviously it's pretty open um i was considering going going to get my phd and then i realized i have three kids and i don't know how that happened so that wasn't gonna work so anyway we'll see ah well but Best of luck with it anyway. and Best of luck with the next few months. Appreciate yeah you coming on for chat at this momentous time for you and everyone ah around you, family and and the team there. and it's been It has been wonderful to be there right from the start.
01:33:15
Speaker
you know nick Nico coming in before you you know even opened the place. I love that. I'll be using that photo again in in an article. what i If I haven't already, the the silhouette, you know, yeah a few you sat around the table but at Brompton. yeah um So yeah it it's just been a one wonderful, you know, you you you've already played such a wonderful and, you know, key key role in, I think, craft beer, beer Australia over the last 10 years. And we ah would look forward to welcoming you back in 2027, 2028, you with whatever the the new line of beers looks like.
01:33:47
Speaker
It'll be there. Thank you. And thank you guys so much for taking the time. Like, again, it's the people i called you.
Crafty Pint's Support and Podcast Credits
01:33:53
Speaker
You were on family holiday and I've said, this is the timeline. Can we do something beforehand? And here here we sitting here we are sitting here doing this. I cannot thank you enough for that. Appreciate it.
01:34:07
Speaker
There's no doubt that running a craft brewery can be tough. There are so many moving parts and often not enough hands to manage it all. And when things get tight, sadly, it's often the marketing efforts that get put on the back burner.
01:34:19
Speaker
But believe me, friends, if you're not talking about your business, nobody else is either. And that's where the Crafty Pint can help. We've spent over a decade building up the largest and most engaged audience of craft beer drinkers anywhere in the country. They read about beer, they listen to beer, and most importantly, they buy beer.
01:34:38
Speaker
And if you want to connect with that audience, there's no better way than with a brewery listing on the Crafty Pint Business Directory. For just $50 a month, plus a one-off set-off fee, you'll be featured on the Crafty Pint website and on our app, which helps beer lovers find their nearest breweries wherever they are. We'll promote all of your beers with engaging write-ups and share them across our newsletters and social channels.
01:35:00
Speaker
We can help you promote your taproom events or even assist in recruiting your next team member with our popular job listings. Plus we have a large loyalty club, The Crafty Cabal, where you can promote special online offers.
01:35:12
Speaker
And when you're ready, all listed businesses benefit from 20% off all digital advertising with The Crafty Pint to help you drive your new beers, events and campaigns even further. Consider us your in-house marketing partner, helping you connect with customers while you get on with the job of making great beers.
01:35:30
Speaker
Email Craig at craftypint.com for more info. The Crafty Pint podcast is produced and edited by Matt Hoffman. You can get all your beer-related news and reviews on the
01:35:48
Speaker
We wouldn't be able to produce the podcast or the website, events or festivals we run without support of the beer industry, whether that's suppliers, 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.
01:36:04
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, good beer.