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Bold, Unapologetic, Wild & Weird
403 Plays9 days ago
“A lot of my ethos about what I’d like brewing to be is that DIY punk vibe, which is really collaborative.”
A year on from Feral’s return to independence, the brewery unveiled a new look, a tightened core range, and a new head brewer, with ex-Beavertown and Beerfarm brewer Charlotte Freeston entrusted with shaping the next chapter in the iconic brand’s story.
Ahead of Froth Town 2025, we joined her at Feral’s brewery (with AIBA Best Media 2025 winner Guy Southern along as co-host) to find out more about the new direction and plans for the future, from barrels and a new venue to the return of Tusk.
As anyone who has met Charlotte would know, beer and brewing formed just part of the conversation. We find out about her pre-Beavertown career, which took in fine art, making bespoke paint and music videos, set-building, and travelling the UK in her grandad’s old BMW gaining brewing experience, as well as her views on the wider beer community here and in the UK, the Pink Boots Society, and learning not to apologise for being unapologetic.
It’s a delightful chat, which follows a look back at the week on Crafty – Sobah entering VA, more on the beer scene in Central Queensland, a peak inside brewer trials for new hops, and the second part of Creating A Venue – and includes the latest winner in our Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month campaign. Enjoy!
And if you do, please consider liking, subscribing, rating and reviewing!
Start of segments:
- 17:21 – Charlotte Freeston Part 1
- 33:21 – Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month
- 38:00 – Charlotte Freeston 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
Event in Frio with Rhys Lopez
00:00:05
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Crafty Pine podcast. I'm Will. I'm James. How are you doing there, Will? I'm great. James, I heard a rumour that you were recently in in the big smoke with some civilisation.
00:00:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah, we had we had a we had a had a funny week since until I saw you. I guess a certain distance south of Shark Bay, suddenly green fields and trees and all that stuff came out. And I have to admit, sort of the family's collective heart sank a little bit going, OK, this is officially on the on the sort of the the homeward straight now.
00:00:37
Speaker
um But it meant we spent a few days. um We stayed in Frio um and I did an event with Rhys Lopez from Evil Megacorp. um at Frio Social in typically organised Crafty Pint and Evil Mecca Corp fashion.
00:00:49
Speaker
We got there and realised that we'd booked the event in their front bar before hours before the venue even opened. um i think we decided that was a good time to do it and thinking we wouldn't get in the way of their other trade and we certainly didn't because they had send someone in a few hours early to open for us.
00:01:04
Speaker
umm And then on and on top of that we ended up with more people there than we were expecting which I guess is a good sign. I think that was an issue at Reece's end rather than mine. But yeah it was great, it was basically a you know just a Q&A chat with him. um He shared a few of the beers that I guess got him into beer and was sort of um a definitive team in early in his career.
00:01:21
Speaker
And then a whole bunch of evil megacorp beers, including the fundraiser he's doing with and for Medicines on Frontier or Doctors Without Borders, which you can still get hold of for now if you want to help him reach his $10,000 target.
00:01:32
Speaker
And it went on for two and a half hours um and people really engaged. So I think you know it says a lot about, A, the quality of his beers and I guess the breadth of knowledge he has to to bring to the the conversation.
Road Trip from Frio to Melbourne
00:01:44
Speaker
um It did mean i meant the start of I missed the start of the footy, but the less said about that, the better. So maybe that was that was a blessing in disguise. And our poor podcast listeners who were only treated to what 40, 45 minutes of race. And even then he was still trying to extend it. and They could have had a three hour episode. Well, I think at the end he went over, his girlfriend, Ali came to help out and at the end he goes, oh, that was, that was really great. You know, it,
00:02:06
Speaker
She'll do that again, and she just rolled her eyes. and like yeah You've had 10 beer samples now, Rhys. I didn't get to do too much beer stuff. It was a bit of a flying visit through Frio, through Perth. We did stop in at um MP Brewers' new tap room in the north of the city, um caught up with Jason there. um so that so They've um been in there a few weeks now.
00:02:26
Speaker
um I think they've always wanted to have a more sort of customer-facing home like that. the The warehouse they had before wasn't ideal. um So it was nice to get my hands on ah and a red IPA and ah and a Dunkle after the the best sort of craft beer we'd be able to get our hands on for a couple of months would be you know, hoppy pails and stuff you could find in some bottle shops around the Northwest, but not much else. Um, and also swung by, Frothcraft beach there, there, their bar in, um, in the North Northern suburbs well to have another catch up with Pete after he gave me a fantastic tip off, uh, red bluff campground on the way down.
00:03:00
Speaker
So, um, but yeah, that, that was kind of it. It was in do, do what we had to do and then hit the road and, The plan had been to go and visit Nigel at Lucky Bay in Esperance on the way back. But then on Sunday evening, Tara and I sat down to work out just where were going to stop on the way back and realised that even giving ourselves nine nights to drive back from Fremantle to Melbourne is very, very tight and doesn't allow for three-day detours to Esperance. It's a pretty big country.
00:03:24
Speaker
So, ah yeah, we're just we've not long gone to the start of the Nullarbor, which I discovered the other day is two Latin words together. You probably knew this, Will, but it's Nullarbor. No trees. And as you can see, they were clearly lying because there's bloody trees as far as the eye can see. But maybe we'll hit the no
Sober Beverages Challenges
00:03:40
Speaker
trees bit tomorrow. I don't know.
00:03:42
Speaker
All I know about the Nullarbor is it's one long, straight and very, uh, very boring road. So you're in for a treat, I'm sure. Yeah. Yeah. Well, apparently but we we will hit the bit tomorrow, which is the, the, it was the longest exactly straight, uh, stretch of road anywhere on the planet, 90 miles without a bend of any sort, but apparently the Saudis have now built one longer and straighter. Well, I don't think you can be straighter than straight, but longer anyway. So, um, it's now the second longest, uh, in the world.
00:04:09
Speaker
So unless it' they can iron out a few kinks either side, I'm not too sure. But it's interesting, here you know, we we stopped in a place called Norseman earlier, which I thought was a fantastic name for a place in WA, named after a horse apparently.
00:04:20
Speaker
um And a gold mining town They're still mining for gold there. And it did have a brewery there in the past, which i think is a reminder that, you know, go back. The best part 200 years or 150 years, and there would have been, you know, small breweries in a lot more places just like there are now.
00:04:35
Speaker
um You know, maybe not brewing IPAs and passion fruit Belenovice, but certainly because breweries in every town. I'm sure they had a lot more brett going on as well, potentially. Yeah, yeah.
00:04:46
Speaker
and and Unwittingly sour beers, perhaps.
Central Queensland Brewing Scene
00:04:49
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. um So on to the news of the week and some unfortunate news out of the Gold Coast with sober um beverages ah ah ah going into voluntary administration.
00:05:01
Speaker
Yeah, no, you saved me that the word of that this morning. I mean, yes, it's been a bit of a, um you know, I guess, sorry state affairs for them since they opened their place on the Gold Coast with, you know, so much and fanfare. Obviously, they'd been the first non-alcoholic brewing company in Australia. Then they opened the their brewery on the Gold Coast, again, as as has been with many...
00:05:21
Speaker
things in the last few years. you know Timing you know clearly wasn't yeah was it was against them with with with what's happened. They've obviously been looking to change the operation business, selling the brewery, going to a partnership with Black Hops.
00:05:34
Speaker
i'm yeah know it's It's unfortunate. you know we We've done events with Clint, who launched the business with his wife, Loz, a number of years ago. He's just such a charismatic, passionate guy. like but one don't One event i remember at one of the brew cons in the past,
00:05:46
Speaker
just the way he spoke on the panel. I was like, you need to come and talk at every event we do around the country. Like he's's he's got such a good backstory and is such a, you know, inspirational talker. um You know, hopefully this isn't the end for them. They said they've got plans for the future. We'll see what they are.
00:05:59
Speaker
um But yeah, just you' sad to see that and get to this point. Yeah, I mean, as with many of these things, it's sort of in administrators' now ah hands now, so we'll see where it goes and um we'll bring that news once it's ah available. And um we've kind of got a couple of second part stories this and this week, which, as I like to say, the second parts are often the best parts of movies. Terminator 2 is the greatest ever Terminator movie. And Pat Paddington 2 is the greatest movie of all time, so...
00:06:28
Speaker
I forgot your obsession with that movie. So um part two of Mick's piece on Central Queensland, where he's mostly focused on Gladstone and Wardsbury this year. But again, ah ah some great input from the team at Yep Brewing as well.
00:06:41
Speaker
yeah Yeah, I think this this one sort of, um I guess what he got from from Michael at Wards was pretty interesting was like, you know, here's a bunch of the challenges we face being a regional brewery in this area. And here's what we've done to sort of, you know, to find success.
00:06:55
Speaker
And I think there'd be a lot of, you know, good insight for anyone running a regional brewery or even a regional, you know, crafty hospo venue in what they've done over the years. Because it sounds like they're going really well. He says, you know, they they keep growing in terms of their success.
00:07:08
Speaker
And also focus on you know the festivals that they have there and the and the community support, you know in in particular the fundraiser for Justin's um ongoing battle with cancer at um Yet Brewing. um But yeah, he's yeah yeah we as we yeah hinted at last week, Mick doesn't like to do things by halves. and oh yeah I guess there were two halves to this article, but it certainly
Happy Camper Venue Challenges
00:07:27
Speaker
goes in really deep. But you know that there is yeah the stuff there that's relevant beyond just the you know the central Queensland um brewing community.
00:07:34
Speaker
Yeah, and hopefully relevant to many venue owners and maybe brew pub owners as well in the country is my second part of a story I've been doing with Steve Jeffers after he announced that he'll be taking over the former home of Deeds Brewing. We've been sort of catching up.
00:07:50
Speaker
i The first article was about two months ago and then this one's out this week where um about what he's sort of doing to build Happy Camper and the sort of steps he's taking and and the challenges he's facing along the way.
00:08:02
Speaker
Yeah, no, it was a great read. I think, you know, it's a shame that and cement isn't the same thing as concrete. think we spent about 20 minutes today debating the exact wording of the title to give it some sort of nice sort of poetic flow.
00:08:16
Speaker
And I was getting really upset whilst wandering the streets of Northman about the fact that cement has a soft C, which didn't work as well with the other sounds. But um yeah, I mean, he's he's he's brought up, brings so many, you know, d almost decades of experience really to what he's doing.
00:08:29
Speaker
But it sounds like, you know, he's facing new challenges and finding new ways um to go about building a venue. um And yeah, he's he's still hopeful of opening it before Christmas. i can I can see maybe part three or four maybe being the one where he's like, God damn it, we'll just open with you know half the venue or something like that. But um yeah, finger fingers crossed it doesn't turn out to be that way because what he's envisaging is obviously pretty different to what Deeds had obviously no brewery there, bigger venue, beer garden, and all that kind of stuff.
00:08:56
Speaker
um And yeah, you know, Steve, you know, he he he brings, as I said, experience to the table, but also grand vision and plenty of ideas. Yeah, in particular, I mean, his, you know, process of personally writing letters to the people who were already getting sent the notification that the venue would be expanding um so that the people around him, the businesses and also residents and um ah there were two that complained and he managed to convince them that but maybe they shouldn't complain. I don't know if that's common practice when building a venue or not. It doesn't really seem like it to me, but I, yeah.
00:09:27
Speaker
You know, i think a lot of people would relate to that sense of like, oh, if there's one one objection, this could get very slow, very, very quickly. And I really don't want that to happen because I'd love to have that good summer trade.
00:09:41
Speaker
Also, though, his ah his um admittance that he's he's found great benefits in using ChatGPT5, maybe ChatGPT wrote to all of the local residents.
Hops Experimentation with Clayton Hops
00:09:52
Speaker
That's true. Actually, he's not the first ah sort of beer business owner to tell me that they're using ChatGPT as their personal assistant. as it did I think it's pretty common in the beer industry.
00:10:03
Speaker
Well, maybe I'll have a look, Will, and then ChatGPT can become my co-host, or maybe you can become your co-host and I'll just sit there just typing a few commands in well Yeah, we' ah we'll find out. um And speaking of finding out, we've got a number of brewers who are finding out about new hops out of k Clayton Hops. So this is one of Jason's articles from Sydney.
00:10:25
Speaker
Yeah, Jason, he and was ah lucky enough to visit um the NZ Hop Harvest this year, spent some time with the team at Clayton Hops. They did an article earlier in the year about, you know, what the experience was like being there sort of through the eyes of brewers and himself.
00:10:37
Speaker
um He came back and it was said he was very keen to do something on... ah the experimental varieties that Clayton were working on. I mean, there's new hop varieties being dropped, you know, from brewers and breeders around the world but with, ah I guess, probably greater frequency now than any time, certainly, that we've been involved in covering beer. But imagine pretty much ever you'd have thought, you know, given the growing interest in aroma hops, flavour hops, et cetera, et cetera.
00:10:58
Speaker
um But I think what's interesting is this is the first time Clayton have done it. They've very quickly become ah and New Zealand's largest grower, but this is the first time they look to bring two of their own proprietary um Hops to Market, and he talks about how they've, you know, yeah eight thousands of, it you know, a trial trials were abandoned along the way. They've been working with the country's leading and breeders, and then he's spoken to three different Aussie brewers to find out what they think about it. So a bit of an insight for people into, you know, what goes on to bring you the new new hop to market, although he didn't manage to persuade and Brian Clayton to give him the heads up on what it's going to be called. So we'll have to wait until next year for that one.
00:11:35
Speaker
um I always think they probably don't know. in the And I was thinking when I was working on Jason's article, it was kind of interesting. We're sort of almost the you know six months on from hop harvest and six months before the next one.
00:11:48
Speaker
And yet, you know this is the same week that we've got this article up there about these new um you know trial hops being put to brewers. And we've also been posting stuff about HPA's upcoming the release of their um new mixed hop pack in which they've worked with Rocky Ridge to design six different pale ales, same recipe, but each one using a different hop, including two of their as yet unnamed varieties.
00:12:09
Speaker
um it's kind of interesting, there's still so much sort of stuff happening around the world of hops. um And obviously we're working with HPA and Rocky Ridge on this. i'm I'm loving what they've done with the The branding um for the series are very much Castle inspired, we won't say anymore, but it's it you lead really leading into that.
00:12:26
Speaker
but Probably one of the most classic Aussie movies of all time. um And we'll be hosting a live stream from Humdinger Studios for these guys with Lindsey Gregg, who's now part of the HBA team, certified Cicerone.
00:12:38
Speaker
and hopefully bringing in some of the brewers from WA's chat about the series. um Yeah, so that's on October the 23rd, and people can get their all pre-orders in now for the – is it just the vibe?
00:12:50
Speaker
It's just the vibe. It's the vibe of it. It's the vibe of it. There we go, Will. Thank you for saving me there. um Yeah, so that that should be a bit of fun as well. Yeah, definitely join us. it It will be really fun. We'll have um the YouTube subscription in the show notes as well. So you'll be able to, you know, set up a notification so you don't miss it on the live stream night.
Interview with Charlotte Freeston Teaser
00:13:11
Speaker
No, because who would want to miss you and I and Lindsay and others talking about hops while drinking beer? like but more What more could you well more could you want to do on a Thursday evening? Absolutely. And on to this week's guest, who is, you're still in WA for the moment. You may still be. Yes, yes. Before the episode comes out.
00:13:29
Speaker
I think so. well we might We may be crossing back into SA. Yeah. after yeah on the same day that this this article comes out. But um I caught up with Charlotte Freeston from Feral um when i was in Perth um last month for Froth Town.
00:13:43
Speaker
um You may notice the background looks very similar to the background from our chat with Rhys Lopez if you are watching it on on YouTube. Feral very kindly let us bring Rhys in to record the the show there.
00:13:56
Speaker
and they We did take the Feral Tusk poster down from the wall before we spoke to Rhys to try and create a little bit of difference. But yeah, Charlotte, we did a piece Wrote a piece on her a few months ago, around about the time they're about to unveil the new branding.
00:14:08
Speaker
a Really um awesome article, got a great reaction. So we had a catch-up with Charlotte. She's got a fantastic story to tell. So they started putting out you know her first new beers, um as well as you know the rebranded existing um feral beers, Hop Hog, War Hog, and warhog and ah Biggie, that they've kept as the...
00:14:25
Speaker
the core beers. um I did see they have announced the date for the new the next tu Tusk Day, which I think was always the question that Guy was always asked whenever there was a story about Feral and and anything happening in there that brewery's evolution. So people will be very excited to see that Tusk Day is coming back, although believe only in WA this time around.
00:14:45
Speaker
um But yeah, Charlotte's had a you know fascinating career pre and in beer, so um she's coming up after the break.
Feral Brewing Rebranding
00:14:52
Speaker
Great. So enjoy the chat. And Charlotte, I'm a big fan of hers. I first met her at a blobfish actually. And um when she was still working at Beer Farm, I was thinking this person is someone who may have done Rowlings.
00:15:05
Speaker
So if you'd like to shout out to someone who's incredible in the beer world, who goes above and beyond, is just a lovely presence to be around, then um head to craftybint.com slash Rowlings.
00:15:18
Speaker
Excellent. Will, I feel like you're spending more and more time working on these segues every week, and i I commend you for it. It's it's almost rallying's worthy, I would say. i Thank you. Yes, yeah, and I guess, you know, we we we should shout out the Brewstone Yeast Brewery of the Month campaign. However, in the mid-show, you will actually discover the winner of the latest Brewstone Yeast Brewery the Month. So without further ado, we'll get to Charlotte, but not before.
00:15:42
Speaker
If you enjoy the episode, make sure you like, subscribe, or leave us a review or comment on Spotify or however you listen to your podcast. it It really helps people find the show. Cheers. Cheers.
00:15:54
Speaker
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00:16:06
Speaker
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00:16:27
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00:16:39
Speaker
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00:16:53
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00:17:16
Speaker
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Charlotte's Role in Rebranding
00:17:23
Speaker
Charlotte, welcome to the show. Thank you. um I guess let's start with where we are now. We're at Ferrell's brewery in Bassendine. You've been here three months now, I think. Do you want to tell us and about the New Look Ferrell, how you ended up here and what's been going on?
00:17:36
Speaker
um It's been a wild time, the last three months, but i full of energy and excitement. so It's starting to come out in the world about the new Feral rebrand, which is big news for us. um And it was originally like something that helped me get over the line in terms of joining. and i said yeah you'd You'd obviously heard about Feral, so your background is is not in w a You were brewing in the UK, but before you came out here, you'd heard about Feral previously, so...
00:18:02
Speaker
Yeah, had heard about Feral um and moved over about five years ago and had various hats in quality, MPD, um things like that. And so it was a natural fit to come and join a brand that really wanted to focus on coming back to where they were as a you know quality focused and really innovative brand making bold and fearless beer.
00:18:21
Speaker
So obviously you're not a graphic designer, you weren't involved in the rebrand, but do you want to just step us through your side of things for what happened with the rebrand? Because obviously Ferrell is an iconic Australian brewery.
00:18:34
Speaker
um What got you excited about it and you give us some insight into how we landed back with these kind of cans? Yes. So the rebrand, obviously with newly found independence, is a way of talking about that without talking about it directly. And it's quite conceptual, which is interesting. And early references to like creature feature, horror posters, typography, punk zines were part of that like initial process.
00:19:00
Speaker
So it was great to see and something I could really relate to. um I think you know the Old Feral brand is somewhat quite aggressive boar and pig imagery was really appropriate you know when the brand was part of the valley. But I think you know the beer industry has evolved and the brand has evolved since then. And it's really great to see something kind of creative, conceptual, fun and flexible so we can you know expand from these capsules of broken free from the lab and then as you see the limiteds get further and weirder out from that space you'll start to see some of those like references really come to play which is exciting and that's starting to happen now.
00:19:36
Speaker
And did you have much involvement in in the evolution of the brand given it being I guess developed for quite a while before you came in did you get to come in go all ah I like this let's move in this direction or was it more you're just the liquid side of things?
00:19:47
Speaker
more just the liquid side of things like input and um base touching we're such a small team like we can't we like we're all pretty involved with everyone's stuff um but it was really driven by darcy and um a group of guys in freemantle and some of which who originally worked on the brand so he was really keen to make sure the honor in the past was there and those who'd had like concepts before kind of were part of the process. A lot of people were involved with the redesign. It sounded, obviously I did some interviews on this previously, it sounded quite consultative, like you know really getting the feelers out to people that were involved with the brand.
00:20:20
Speaker
way back at the beginning and going, how's this fit and how's it relevant to the modern day? That kind of thing. Is is that yeah Yeah, definitely. And like, it's, we've got the hog there in each of the corange cans, it evolves. So like it gets like, for Warhog, it's like got big tusks in this a little bit more and then, yeah you know, it gets sort of, it's a different identity on each of the core products, which I love and still kind of like pays tribute to, you know, the original feral pig.
00:20:44
Speaker
But yeah, has just like, even that that diamond shape, that was the old ho hog hog kind of diamond shape when it was in bottles and like, ah twenty in the late noughties, I'd say. Yeah. think I love the little OG nugget on the typography in Hot Cog where O and the G are joined together yeah and all the other, yeah.
00:20:59
Speaker
there's so it's There's a lot of really like clever things in it um that I'm still like, you know, becoming part of and learning, which is really cool. But yeah, really excited to start seeing some of the limited spaces play out and even at For Offtown tomorrow when you see some of the decals, you'll be like, uh-huh.
00:21:15
Speaker
And was it quite daunting coming in with like a brand that had such a reputation? I know obviously there's been a lot of changes in recent years, but still, Feral is one of those like real icons of Australian breweries. You know, coming in going, hey Charlotte, here you go you're now top dog for Feral.
00:21:31
Speaker
Top hog. Yeah, top hog. um But yeah, definitely daunting. But that was, I think, chumped by the excitement of like kind of having carte blanche to go and be like, this brand wants to be interesting and creative and exciting and innovate and get back to things that really felt kind of to my strengths you know with the background of barrel aging and NPD.
00:21:53
Speaker
um But yeah, like very keen to honor the past. like there's been so many amazing people that have worked here in the past like i'm just a part of the story um and when i want to think about it that way it's an honor rather than a you know yeah so you talk about innovation you've got this tusk poster behind you that's probably the most asked question since um the rewilding of feral uh what's the story is it coming when's it coming is it yeah we're so on for task yeah yeah i don't want to give the game away too much because i get over excited but um it's with we're on for this year
00:22:27
Speaker
This year?
Feral Brewing Future Releases
00:22:28
Speaker
ye yes Excellent. Excellent. Yeah. and And how did you land on the the new core range of three? Because obviously the core ranges you know yeah but fluctuate a lot over the years and now gone with these three, I guess, well-known sort of hoppy, hop-driven beers.
00:22:41
Speaker
It is interesting. Actually, the decision to drop, run an XPA came before I started. So that was a bit of my first bit of work cut out for me. um But I think just keeping... Maybe what distilled Feral down to, you know, its actual feralness was these three beers, Warthog, Hock Hock and Biggie.
00:22:59
Speaker
And I think now we have an opportunity to kind of modernize the core range and create something a bit more in line with contemporary drinking needs and maybe a little bit more that reaches just outside of craft or just outside of kind of a heavy male, probably slightly older the demographic that we've always had. there And how did you set about with your first limited release, the Oak Cream IPA? Was the decision to go with that sort of style?
00:23:25
Speaker
So I was looking, doing my research and um just looking back through the abundance of beers that Feral have made and kind of realized that Feral fans like well they love a hoppy beer and you the nature of the old gods always had you know a lot of a good following and was like this is a great way for me to say hello and announce myself like kind of show people the shape of things to come and you know what I would like to be creating and you know Furno Cream is I would say the lactose use is restrained, it's balanced, it actually does have a bitterness addition.
00:23:57
Speaker
It's not like this kind of like p cloying thing. So i just, I thought it was a good way for me to always welcome myself and demonstrate how I want things to look like. i think the name is quite telling as well.
00:24:10
Speaker
Well, yeah, wasn't even allowed to tell people I'd started the role for a while while Kostasar was like, nope, this is very top secret. Like, we'll announce you with the limited. And so even just getting stuff from suppliers, i was like, hi, guys. Yep.
00:24:21
Speaker
I don't have your email address anymore because I've left my job. And I have a new job. But um it's nice that everything's like in place now and starting to come out. Yeah, and what sort of lies apart from Tusk, you know, what ah else lies in store for Farrell, you know, in the next in the coming weeks or months?
00:24:38
Speaker
You know, anything you can tip us off on right now? A lot of exciting things. um Yeah, Tusk Day is definitely a big one for us. um Modernizing the core range, so we'll see a few additions there. And I would really like to start a limited program that kind of like builds trust again and yeah invites more people back to the brand. yeah ah So yeah, we've got four new beers on for Frott Town this weekend, which is exciting.
00:25:01
Speaker
um And yeah, just watch this space. and Some approachable Ferrell and some limited. Even that in itself, four new beers for Ferrell, you know, for the past recent past, there's only been one every six months thereabouts. So four is quite, it might not sound to some pimpers like a lot, but it's a lot for Ferrell right now yeah and probably good momentum for what's coming forward, did you to say? or Yeah, definitely. Like really keen to make sure the limited momentum is like well executed and well timed. I don't want to be just sat on limitants for the sake of it. If we don't sell that through, we need to pace them differently.
00:25:34
Speaker
But we'veve we've also got the pilot kit so we can brew small keg-only releases and then bigger can-only releases. So of the four, only one of them is in can right now with another one due late September in can.
00:25:45
Speaker
So yeah, the smaller keg-only limiteds hopefully will come through quite well and where we can play a bit more and be a bit more experimental and weird and wild. And then the can-limiteds with that volume, yeah, things we know tried but tried and tested but with a twist, very feral.
00:26:00
Speaker
Yeah. But what do you understand to be very feral? wit and When you come to design a beer thinking this is a feral beer, is there some concept that you and the team have in mind going, this the essence of this has to be in each beer?
00:26:13
Speaker
Yeah, and this is a really interesting question, especially when you so think about designing the core products. Like we, like Ferrell, it's very bold and unapologetic. The craft credentials that it started with, with its inspiration from America, is really important and I think still important to the brand. Like when we look at the market and what we're told out there is like, be lighter, be lower, be less.
00:26:35
Speaker
yeah And i really want to interpret that in a Ferrell way and I think keeping to our craft credentials, but all you know just executing well, I think is really key to that. um But i don't yeah I don't want to water things down. I would like i think a feral drinker potentially isn't after that version and of that product and that we might be able to offer something that kind of meets those needs, but is still very feral.
00:26:58
Speaker
yeah I think there's a lot of consumers out there are still looking for that as well. And there's been a lot of safeness creeping into the beer world because, you know, obviously people need to sell stock, but there's consumers are still asking for for bold, as you say, unapologetic beers. They might be not be drinking a whole cube of them or buying, you know, full packs or whatever, but there's still an audience for that. Yeah. And it's great. Like there definitely is. Um, it's great kind of going out there and people like seeing Biggie on tap and being like, Biggie, you know, and getting excited to drink a 6% beer, which we keep getting told people don't want.
00:27:30
Speaker
And you know, other beers above 6% have been doing really well recently. And I think there's something to be said for, you know taking that information and processing it through your brand and who you guys are, and then landing where you land.
Charlotte's Journey to Brewing
00:27:44
Speaker
Yeah. yeah I know you've only been over here five years, I'm assuming you've done fair bit of research into the background of Feral.
00:27:50
Speaker
Is there any past beer that you've looked and gone, ah really want to reboot that? There's definitely some. There's definitely like, there's one or two that I kind of, feel like I would give the game away too much if I mentioned right now. And it's so emotional with the beers of the past that people want you to re-brew. People are still so engaged and always i telling you. There's some that I can see and I'm like, oh, i want to try that with this process. or and you know, with some of my barrel aging experience, I think there's one or two that might come to mind.
00:28:17
Speaker
um And yeah, I don't want to disappoint anyone and over promise here, but definitely yes if you. Are there some that you've looked back and gone, why did they make that? like No, no, not at all. It's great like watching, thank you can kind of see someone's thinking process sometimes and you see how they iterate.
00:28:36
Speaker
And it's actually been kind of fascinating taking on a space where you can watch someone else's process of thought and then apply your own. um but yeah which has been really interesting but also different hot products and different um ingredients coming through over many years within one brand that that'd be fascinating as well yeah well that's not like such a huge opportunity for us over the last few years kind of in that technology space and process space you know this core these core products haven't evolved with what's available to us so that's a really exciting opportunity for me to like i mean keep these products as they are they're so well loved and iconic but like
00:29:09
Speaker
is there anything out there that can make this better, juicier, cleaner? Like there's a lot available to us that we haven't had a chance to play with yet so that's really exciting. Yeah cool and in terms of the rebrand I guess the news that you know your new head brewer and there's all these big plans what has there been much sort of response from the public you've heard like has there been positive reaction to what's happened? Yeah it's been very positive actually and Yeah, I was surprised and I don't know why. i think because Farrell is so iconic, I had a bit of like, was a bit nervous about the announcement. i and you know And a woman had Brewer as well. I was like, is there going to be backlash on that?
00:29:46
Speaker
But no, actually things have been like overwhelmingly positive and it's been really great and yeah Well I don't think it hurts that. mean and I know when Guy sent me the Oscar I was like oh my god she's a walking quote machine. It was just like it was such a beautiful interview and it's like you'd actually did done I think little more than just piece the best bits together. and that's just right things I guess that would have helped as well like to have help have that new face and go, oh, this is a very eloquent person. She's really thought this through, you know, and i understands what it's about, I guess would have would have helped. And I guess, you know, the liquid doesn't hurt as well. And have you actually done much with the existing beers to... We've been getting the limiteds out at the moment. And um yeah, the they're looking at them.
00:30:25
Speaker
The existing product development is kind of on the cards for now. But it's like, I want it to slow burn and slow process. Like I want to make meaningful changes and and kind of test them out instead of like, brashness. I'm very, there's a sensitivity around those products and how we make them better and yeah.
00:30:42
Speaker
and And I think people have been asking as well, Ferrell hasn't had a venue, an outlet for a while, is that something of that's on the cards? Is it it was outside your wheelhouse? I don't know because, you know, it's obviously been production only for quite some time now and I think people love that old home, which obviously now Slumdog in Baskerville, but you know, is that on the on the cards? It would be amazing to like find our new spiritual home. like The valley is such a big part of Ferrell's past and I think the future, it probably isn't in the valley, I think maybe it's a bit more in the city, but it like,
00:31:09
Speaker
In my mind, I would love like that kind of like urban winery, like barrels. I need the space to like get real weird. And I think we would find our spiritual home and something like that. But it's it's a difficult one. that like Finding the location probably the hardest part.
00:31:23
Speaker
I think that's probably indicative of where Feral's been for the last year 18 months even. Post-independence, post independence everyone expected this big blow up of, oh, the Ferrell's back and they're going to come storming out of the gates. and And pretty much nothing happened. And Ferrell was very quiet. And there was a lot of work, obviously, behind the scenes.
00:31:42
Speaker
And taken on a year before there's Charlotte's on board. We've got new beers. We've got new branding. And so perhaps the the venue space is... something not to be rushed into, it's more considered and when you're ready to go then let's get excited about it. I think if we found the right place we would we would probably try and jump on it quite quickly. Yeah of course. I think it'd be important like it's such an interesting time in Farrell's history as well to be telling our story and that kind of owning it.
00:32:10
Speaker
It would be nice to have a space to do that in and then just the freedom of like the dream and freedom of having a very small kit and a few barrels and I see you've mentioned barrels a couple of times now. because they've been What's your sort of remake from on high? Is it like, do whatever you want, Charlotte? Or you know was that part of the conversation going, I really want to do this.
00:32:30
Speaker
ah want to get back into wild beers, et cetera, et cetera. It was definitely part of the conversation and it's definitely a big part of my motivation. um The conversation was kind of like, we need you to take ownership, which is great.
00:32:43
Speaker
I love, I'm a planner, I love thinking about the future and you know, how things are going to look in so many months time. But I also like, we were such a small team and i like making everyone come on the journey with me.
00:32:54
Speaker
So, you know, ideation concepts which we talk about them and but uh yeah the barrel aging thing was definitely like a huge motivation to come because a brand that actually wants to do that isn't you know is a bit few and far between yeah yeah certainly in recent times um i guess i guess your past pre-australia will feed into that as well so it maybe take a short break now and come back and sort of dig into the past even pre-beer as well so awesome come back after the break cool cheers We're back to announce the Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month. Bluestone is Australia's first and best liquid yeast supplier. If you haven't tried liquid yeast yet in your brewery, be sure to give Derek and the team a call.
00:33:36
Speaker
Hello, Will and James here, here to talk about another Bluestone
Brewing as Art and Science
00:33:40
Speaker
Yeast Brewery of the Month. This is where people ride in and celebrate their favourite brewery for whatever reason that favourite brewery is.
00:33:47
Speaker
And James, we have an honourable mention in front of us. Yes, from Eliza Metcalfe, who I've ah bumped into at many beer events over the years since I'd say probably my earliest days, ran craft beer. um her and her partner, Jacob, are great supporters of craft beer.
00:34:03
Speaker
um And she's nominated Inner North Brewing, um which you never guess, but it's based in the inner north of Melbourne. um Eliza says she loves it because the vibes are always perfectly relaxed and community focused and the beer is interesting without being too challenging. So you can bring beer noobs.
00:34:19
Speaker
um You might have a bit of insight on Inner North Brewing as well, Will. anything you Any connection you might have apart from living nearby? Well, I'm glad you did i' i'm glad that you you know Eliza because I was worried you'd assume that I'd written that under some kind of pseudonym or something like that because I'm at Inner North very, very often. It's sort of my local brewery. Yeah, I've been in there a few times. I love love the beers they have there. It just it seems to encapsulate that sort of almost like you know traditional traditional older school um warehouse-based craft brewery really well. They've made it very comfortable without it not feeling like ah a warehouse with a brewery in.
00:34:55
Speaker
Um, yeah, it's, it's just a, it shows you don't necessarily have to be too clever if you do the concept well, I think. Yeah, absolutely. It's, uh, it's very popular with locals as well. There's always some regulars there. If you drink a hundred pints, you get your name on a plaque as well, which I'm gunning towards.
00:35:12
Speaker
I'm surprised you haven't been around the clock a couple of times, to be honest. think I maybe would if I remembered to, to tick, ah tick my box when I turned up. But on to this month's winner, which is sadly not a brewery I get to hang out at too often. i would love to, but they're in Sydney, ah the south side of Sydney, actually, a Sunday Road Brewing.
00:35:31
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. And Sunday Road, they picked up the best in show for their Hefeweizen at the this month's Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Awards. I have to say, I'm pretty sure that's going to pale in significance ah now that they've been named Bluestone Yeast Brewery of the Month, and nominated by one of their regulars, Sammy Crestani. I'm hoping I'm pronouncing that correctly.
00:35:52
Speaker
um Who, and yeah, he he's just said, you know, very family friendly, um and pet-orientated brewery catering for all beer enthusiasts' palates, so and in common with ah Eliza's for reasons for nominating Inner North.
00:36:05
Speaker
um Not a large brewery by any means compared to some I visited, however they have a very personal approach where whereby they pretty much know everyone by name. Sammy goes on to say that they also remember what he drinks, which probably tells you how often they visit.
00:36:19
Speaker
And then says that the brewery taproom, though it's been in operation since 2019, it's actually expanding at the moment, more room for more clientele. And he also wants to shout out the owner, Brad, Brad Walker. Yeah. Who is a lovely, lovely guy.
00:36:32
Speaker
Yeah, no good stuff. And their their head brewer, Michael O. Rance, is someone who's well-known in the industry, been around a long, long time, and and yeah he's been just making absolutely cracking beers in a whole bunch of styles ever since he moved there. So um congratulations to Sunday Road Brewing. Apart from the um immeasurable honour of being named ah the Bluestone Yeast Brewery the Month, what else do they get, Will?
00:36:54
Speaker
Yeah, well, I was about to say that I love Sunday Road's IPAs and maybe next time they're brewing an IPA that they might like to use this, which they get courtesy of Bluestone Yeast. As this month's winner, they score a box of Bluestone Yeast brand new Zinc Booster from the Bluestone Yeast Booster range.
00:37:11
Speaker
It's a cold side addition of sterile zinc, which replaces the zinc lost in the boil. And as we all know, zinc is essential for optimal yeast health and performance. Excellent stuff. and Well, congratulations the team at Sunday Road um and Inner North. Thanks for the nominations, Eliza and Sammy.
00:37:28
Speaker
um If anyone else would like to nominate a favourite brewery, um please get in touch, craftypint.com forward slash bluestone. um And we'll be back with some more winners next month.
00:37:40
Speaker
Enjoy the show. Cheers. The Brewery of the Month is brought to you by Bluestone Yeast. When it comes to liquid yeast, the team at Bluestone really are the experts, and they can even work with you to create custom yeasts for your brewery, kept safe in their biobank and ready to go.
00:37:55
Speaker
Find out more at bluestoneyeast.com.au.
00:38:01
Speaker
Welcome back, Charlotte. Let's yeah head back in time. So you haven't always been a brewer. Do you want to tell us a little bit about what you were doing pre-brewing back in the UK? ah Yeah, it's actually a funny path. ah I studied fine art, specialising in painting, and then went on to be an artist ah in printmaking, music video, set design.
00:38:25
Speaker
We even had... um a little artist collective called Blessing Force in Oxford, which makes me cringe now when I think about it. What's it called, Blessing? Blessing Force. Okay. And it was musicians and artists and we like toured together and like built sets and made each other's album artwork and it was a nice, it was a nice time and I actually think like a lot of my ethos around what I would love brewing to be like is really like that DIY punk vibe which is really collaborative.
00:38:48
Speaker
um And yeah, so was an artist and paid the bills then by like working in a paint factory. Well, I started doing set design for this woman who made this chalk paint stuff, which I think now might have ruined most nice furniture, know, and everyone was upcycling everything.
00:39:01
Speaker
um And ended up traveling around the world with her to all these paint factories, like color matching and helping set up factories. And was homebrewing at the time, had like always loved beer and was really interested in it and was pushing paint around all this stainless and was like I can do this.
00:39:18
Speaker
So um quit quit my job, ah like worked in a pub and got my GCB and studied then up in in the north of England and travelled all around in like my granddad's old BMW just like work placements everywhere, semi living out of my car.
00:39:33
Speaker
um Which is such a good time. Where were some breweries? Yeah. ah We... i It was at Witchwood for a bit. um Badco, which was a big brewery in the UK for a while. Almasty, Anarchy.
00:39:46
Speaker
um There was one called Dancing Duck. And actually, the woman, Jenny, at Dancing Duck was, like, one of those people who, like, was really... welcoming in the industry and helpful um did a lot of cask beer out of there um yeah heaps of them that's great prior to that you mentioned music videos can anyone find any music videos online that you're involved in producing i think if you the pets of the internet would probably be pretty fruitful for you yeah okay in any bad names we need to be looking for um Oh no, I'm not going to go to this stage. There'll be a production credit somewhere there, I'm sure. yeah um And so were were all those breweries sort of short stints work experience or i then said was Beaver Town the first sort of proper job? Yeah, the first proper job. i actually emailed them and I was like, have you got room for a little one?
00:40:33
Speaker
because they weren't hiring and i ah had my GCB there, like I was convinced that I was going to be qualified. I felt like to get my foot in the door, I had to have that under my belt. And even when I was studying for it, it was, you know, and this older man who was like, you're going to find this hard.
00:40:50
Speaker
But um I got it and then I got my TCE, I got my, and then I got my diploma and then yeah, room for a little in and I came in for an interview and Cosmo was like, you're the first person that's ever brought wellies for your interview, know, and spent the day there and like moved to London, I think like a week later. the Australian audience, wellies being gumboots. Yeah, we all wore orange gumboots, which is great, unless you're in the mixed firm bit and that was all yellow. Okay. Yeah.
00:41:15
Speaker
and And what was the experience like that? What time did you join be Beaver Town? and and you know Because you got got involved in some pretty interesting stuff there. It was great. um It was like early 2016. And it was like a baptism of fire. ah Hard and fast.
00:41:30
Speaker
Brewing four times a day. Twice on Sunday. 50 hectolitre kit. And then we had the barrel program. It was on the same site, but across the road. Mm-hmm. And yeah, so of an amazing team. And ah another phenomenal woman, Lydia, who was the brewing manager there and her sister both worked there. And they were, yeah, again, very good to work with and helped me find my place. Did you get to design your own beers as part of that? or was it, or you were part part of the team making stuff that was already part of Beaver Town? Like the first year was like full on production brewing and stuff. um They did have a program where brewers could do their beers, but I moved across to like the MPD and Mixed Firm site pretty quickly. um And then with the year of being there, was like running that.
00:42:14
Speaker
And then that was pretty much, again, like carte blanche on the on the barrels and M4 and stuff, which is great. Yeah, cool. um And I had a question from Will. he won might you try and read this one out because he he's like, I know it's a bit of a cliche, but given Charlotte's background, what's your take on the phrase that brewing is the perfect blend of arts and science?
00:42:34
Speaker
Oh, maybe I am a cliche. It's funny, i actually do think about this. Like when you're an artist, you have a sensitivity to your materials that you choose to use. um And then you know how you manipulate them. And I think in brewing, it's quite similar.
00:42:49
Speaker
You have sensitivity to your raw materials. And I think the science is the levers that you pull to you know make that concept come to life. um I always think about like luck and magic and chance and that name of that garage project. It sticks in my head a lot. And I think there is a bit of that, but more in like the way Oh, this sounds so ranky. When you take a photograph that's like on film and you have to wait for it to develop, that like time that you have to wait for something to ferment, it's um it it makes it feel like there's that element of well. It's it's not just art and science, but that that like love.
00:43:20
Speaker
Well, I guess to an extent, I mean, I'm not brewing myself, but you know you can probably think, oh, this should work. These ingredients should work together. This blah, blah, blah. But sometimes beer has just come out to be utterly magic. you know the that just that few percent better than anything else. And is that luck or is it by design? And if if it does if it is by luck, how do you then go on to capture it again and again and i make it a consistent beer?
00:43:47
Speaker
I think it's by design I think about having that maybe like the art, the idea, the concept, you know, the science, the knowing what levers to pull, what things to change and then just getting it right every time. It's that like kind of attention to detail and meticulous record keeping and you know, like one end, I kind of always had a sketchbook to keep ideas for brews and on the other end you've got like the spreadsheets, the firm logs, you know, everything that you refer to and um just being able to do it again and again.
00:44:15
Speaker
It does seem like quite a like your your career is quite a narrative of the Blessed Collective and all that stuff. all that that That there is a breeding ground for what follows next. Making paint globally, yeah going to different factories is an amazing setup to lead into brewing.
00:44:32
Speaker
It's not just art and science. There's commerce as well. yeah Yeah, true. True, yeah. um And I think my career, like going from like quality to MPD and then developing a bit of a commercial lens has been really
Move to Australia and Margaret River
00:44:45
Speaker
interesting. and I think maybe of what helped with the role here, like it's kind of suitable for such a small team to have that many hats thing going on.
00:44:52
Speaker
And what was it that lured you from London to the southwest of WA
00:44:58
Speaker
It's a weird story, actually. I grew up in the Philippines, but my dad now lives in Kuala Lumpur, and he has a bar and restaurant. And I think Ian, who owns BFR, must have been in there because I just get a text like, hey, this dude, I told him you were at the Bufordown. He wants your email address. I was like, okay, yeah, give him my email. And i he basically just messaged me and was like, do you want to go on an adventure?
00:45:17
Speaker
Ian. Yeah. And then, like, you know, a few phone calls and conversations. It was actually when COVID hit that really catalyzed the move for me because London got... Yeah, a lot.
00:45:28
Speaker
and And then I moved and it was the best decision i've ever made. Yeah. And so had you met Ian at the bar or you just heard he was chatting to your dad? and He was just chatting to my dad. My dad's like, oh, my daughter does this. Yeah.
00:45:40
Speaker
Wow. Random text message from the other side of the globe. As the world gets a lot smaller, yours got bigger. Yeah, it did it did. It was worlds apart, actually. Yeah. And tell us about your time at Beer Farm then. So did you come in? What was your position there? And you know what did you get involved in So we we spoke about how I would get involved quite a while before I actually joined, but I ended up joining in quality role and building that quality department from scratch and, you know, processes, documentation, all the stuff that you need to get to where you want to go. then...
00:46:09
Speaker
and then you know Once I'd left that in better hands than mine, i sort of headed up MPD. and I think there I played a little bit with that commercial lens. It good. I made a lot good friends.
00:46:21
Speaker
and How did you find the change? Having grown up in the Philippines and lived in the UK, how did you find the change to come from London to like somewhere it's beautiful as the Margaret River region and place on its own slippy side?
00:46:33
Speaker
It was actually really good for me to slow down. miss... i miss
00:46:40
Speaker
Gigs, I miss. Protests, I miss. like London had that energy. that like The Southwest has a bit of, you know, it's very like that. It's got its own energy. from there Yeah. But I think that energy has been really good for me and kind of been good for my anxiety, been good for my mental health, like giving me space to kind of create a life I want, which has been, I'm very grateful for that. And you you mentioned protests, that sort of ties and into this, but there was a quote in your chat with Guy that we ran a a few weeks before we're chatting now, where you said, you're talking about Feral and the relaunch, saying, the part of me that feels like an outsider, the part of being a woman that feels wild and untamed, I like the idea of reclaiming that.
00:47:19
Speaker
There's renegade energy there that i'm really into. Can you elaborate on that? Because i you saw that tying into Feral, you know, and obviously, you know, what, you know, that part of you that can tie into Feral, I'd love to hear more on that. Yeah, it's funny to hear it back.
00:47:35
Speaker
An outsider, I think that outsider-ishness is kind of maybe how like part of how I got here. um Yeah, I always felt like I needed to be more qualified to like kind of get the same roles that my male counterparts had.
00:47:46
Speaker
And I think in production brewing, you know, it can be quite difficult for women. I still, they weirdly feel quite like quite like an outsider in the industry. and Yeah, I don't know what that is. But the women, you know, were sort of brought up to be tamed and like domesticated. And I think...
00:48:05
Speaker
you know seeing some of Darcy's early brand stuff like escape domestication and things like that, i was like, yes, I want to be part of that narrative. And I think it's probably, hopefully quite relatable that um you know for women to feel that way.
00:48:18
Speaker
And how do you feel about being a woman in the beer industry over here compared to the UK? Is there a difference or is there a common commonality throughout the craft beer world? The Pink Boots Society is way more um active here. I think it's like the second biggest chapter in the world, which is wild. In the UK, that's not really a thing.
00:48:38
Speaker
um But, yeah, and that's actually the first time I came to Bass and Dean was for the Pink Boots Brew, which was great, and got to go to the Valley. And recently joined their mentorship program, and it's been amazing being a mentor this year and just sort of sharing what I've learned. and you know There's been points in my career where if you asked me if I wanted to do that, I'd say, no, don't don't get into the beer industry. But actually, like being in a position now where with women who want to be in the beer industry and progress and might have had similar similar challenges, I'm enjoying being able to like work with someone on that. Yeah. and i
00:49:13
Speaker
but say Through your positions, do you have an opportunity or responsibility to sort of help the position women the industry? You have a very high profile role within the industry now, so?
00:49:26
Speaker
Yes, I do feel like I have an opportunity to do that. I don't know what it looks like. It's only been three months in general. But I mean, even if it's just something like working more with Pink Boots or if it's something a bit more like... One thing I really miss is like having a network of people in production and that kind of technical friendship and support group. like I feel...
00:49:49
Speaker
people are a bit further away here maybe, or it could just be that Beaver Town was like a factory for brewers and like, you know, we all stayed in touch and then it just felt like everyone's connected. But ah yeah, I think there's something there maybe. Yeah, right.
00:50:02
Speaker
It feels like you're still processing it. You're a thinker. You are a thinker. And you know, there's, that's why it's that's why you're a great interviewee, but you know, like I can see the cogs are turning, there's a lot of processing and like,
00:50:16
Speaker
You're not someone that's going to just give the answer because that's the answer. You need to make sure that you're on the right path, even though that path might be a bit serpentine. Yeah, definitely. Is that fair? Yeah.
00:50:26
Speaker
But so is Ferals, to be honest. like you yeah You coming into the brand feels very aligned from me watching... watching one of Australia's most important breweries over many, many years and drinking the beers. It just feels like an amazing fit.
00:50:39
Speaker
Thank you. yeah Thank you. Now, it does feel good. It feels like a great move and a very exciting time. Yeah. And looking ahead, is there any I guess maybe we'll start with Feral. you know what What would you love to see for Feral you know in the future, whether it's short-term future or further down the line?
00:50:55
Speaker
I would love to see the Quarange offering like fill out and become a bit more whole and sort of have something a bit more for everyone. i would love to see a limited program that excites people and gets people talking and it's fun. Barrels. Barrels. More staves.
00:51:14
Speaker
Barrels. um But yeah, in the venue would be ah wonderful thing. if I can have some space there for barrels yeah and what about on a personal level what's the you know what what would you like to see for Charlotte in the future whether it's through the prism of ferrule or you know wider than that I think I'll always be a work in progress but I think you know like I said when I took the role on like it's like definitely a conscious opportunity to I mean as a thinker stop overthinking it and like actually back myself and um be that bold and unapologetic person, you know, without apologizing for it first. yeah Sorry, was going to be bold and unapologetic. Yeah, they're getting there. yeah
00:51:55
Speaker
Yeah. And would you have thought when you moved here five years ago that this opportunity would have come your way? Like, what what what did you think when you moved to the other side of the world and, you know, brew in a beacolic paradise?
Aspirations for Feral Brewing
00:52:06
Speaker
Yeah. um No, I never would have thought this would happen but in my wildest dreams. i Even once I'd been in the country... Yeah, knowing about Feral. and Yeah, it wasn't something that i really thought about. I think the visual, the power of the visual change was really, and it really made me relate to the brand more. And like, I think maybe hopefully others, i think that was important for me. Yeah.
00:52:27
Speaker
And I guess having had experience within, you know, the brewing scene in the UK and been through a company that's end up being acquired and then come over here and sort of move around whatever um what would you like to see for like why do you see i know it's been a tough time for craft beer globally in australia if you could have to you know one wish for the future for beer it's funny talking about like re-independence and having been made not independent before like i love that redemption story ah but i would really love to see like the Beer here, like we're battling really against big beer and non-independence and not Australian owned.
00:53:04
Speaker
um But I think it's trickling down into like almost battling against each other instead of like collaborating. yeah And you're sort of starting to see that on like, yeah, this level, which I think I'd love to see us join forces to battle the other way.
00:53:18
Speaker
more unity. Yeah. yeah Well, on that note, thank you for but your patience with all of our technical issues today. Hopefully everything's going to work out okay. but It's been lovely to have a chat. and We'll see you Frothran over the weekend, hopefully. And um yeah, thanks for having us. Thank you so much. Thank you. No, always.
00:53:36
Speaker
The Crafty Pine podcast is produced and edited by Matt Hoffman. You can get all your beer-related news and reviews on the Crafty
00:53:50
Speaker
We wouldn't be able to produce the podcast or the website, events or festivals we run without support of beer industry, whether that's suppliers, bars, breweries or bottle shops. If you'd like to support the show or partner with the Crafty Pine in other ways, please reach out to Craig via the details in the show notes.
00:54:06
Speaker
And if you're a beer lover who'd like to support what we do, you can join our exclusive club for beer lovers, the Crafty Cabal. Visit craftycabal.com for more. And until next time, drink good beer.