Brewers' Blog - Charlie Hodgson
Long-time beer drinker and The Sip editor Ross Lewis asks some of Australia's leading brewers about their thoughts on 2014 and what's ahead in 2015.
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Mash Brewing in WA's Swan Valley took a giant leap forward in 2014. It claimed the best beer of the year for its Copy Cat AIPA at the Australian International Beer Awards. But it also increased its presence in pubs and craft beer beers around the country.
So The Sip asked Head Brewer Charlie Hodgson to look back on a great 2014 and give insight into what is to come this year.
Charlie Hodgson - Mash
1. Can your name the highlight for the Australian brewing industry in 2014?
For me it is Good Beer Week in Melbourne. It's awesome and getting bigger and better each year with some wonderful beer-driven events with something for everyone. It's great to catch up with industry folk and chat to beer enthusiasts from all over the country. We had a beauty here in Perth, too, this year.
2. What was your brewery's biggest achievement for the year?
Definitely the trophies Copy Cat picked up in Melbourne and Perth (Champion Australian Beer and Best IPA in Melbourne, Best Draught beer in Perth). But to win Champion Draught Beer and Gold for the Russell (our Amber Ale) in Sydney plus Gold in Perth for Russell and our Pale Ale shows the consistency of our work.
3. What trend caught your eye over the past 12 months?
Big hop-driven beers for sure plus the emergence of canning craft beer in Australia. Beards in brewing have also been very popular!
4. Can you highlight how your production increased in 2014?
Our production has gone from being able to comfortably keep ahead of sales to the opposite very quickly especially after the wins in Perth. Hats off to Eddie and Evan for a huge year!
5. What was your best beer for the year?
A toss up between Grasscutter (our French oaked Summer ale) and Copy Cat. Russell has been outstanding as well.
6. What beer from another brewery caught your attention?
From over east Chateau Sour from Redoak while we were in Sydney was a beauty as was Druid from 3 Ravens. Locally (Michael Brookes) Brookseys' Bootleg Speak Easy IPA and Jeremy Good's (Cowaramup) English pale and IPA are favorites.
7. Name a beer you'll be drinking over the holiday festive period?
Grasscutter without a doubt and Bon Scotch (our Scotch ale) with Christmas pudding!
8. What trends will emerge in 2015?
The $64 million question! I think sours are still on the up, canning will push on and for those that have the room barrel ferments and conditioning will be popular. We can still expect a heap of big hop bombs as well (how high can you go?)
9. Can you give a hint about what you're producing for the New Year?
To stay the course and keep making smart complex beers that have a nice point of difference and clever craft beer elements. Some big, some small!
10. What would you like to see happen within the industry over the next 12 months?
Hopefully an easing of the burden on hop demands! So many new breweries opening up, most of which are, or are having to go hop large to follow trends. It's a big struggle to get the hops you love tied down for a year and is something we think long and hard about at design stage. What are we looking for, what hops will deliver, will they deliver a point of difference and then can we get them for for the duration of the given beers lifetime?
Charlie Hodgson and Eddie Still celebrate Mash's big win at the Australian International Beer Awards.
