Brewers' Blog - John Stallwood
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.
Catch up with other beers on The Sip Archive
Over the past 12 months Nail Brewing has broken new ground. While renowned for their Clout Stout and Pale Ale, John Stallwood's team produced a range of limited release beers that caught the market's attention. It also attracted the praise of competition judges around the country.
As Stallwood begins his plans for 2015 The Sip asked him to provide his thoughts on the recent past and the near future.
John Stallwood - Nail
1. Can your name the highlight for the Australian brewing industry in 2014?
The 3rd annual Fremantle Beer Festival was great for the industry in WA. Five-to-ten years ago beer festivals used to run by people that didn’t care about beer and just wanted to make money. Back then the microbreweries weren’t looked after and would lose money at events. Four years ago, WA Brewing Assocition decided it was time to represent beer ourselves with our own festival. Steve Brockman and Reece Wheadon were the key people behind getting the inaugural happening back in November 2011. Great helpers were also Dan Turley (Nail- Swan back then), Andrew Harris (Old Coast Road), Jan Bruckner (Last Drop) and Brad Cox (Mash). These guys deserve good credit, as though we had insurance, we had a liability risk. The event didn’t pull a big crowd but it set the foundations for the annual WABA Festival. Many people in WABA volunteer their time without notice. WABA President Brian Fitzgerald continues to lead WABA in a great direction. In November 2014 the third WABA Fremantle Beer festival was a great success and is now an annual event that beer lovers cant miss and a great highlight of the Brewing industry in 2014.
Good Beer Week in Melbourne continues to lead the way in events held all over Melbourne in breweries, bars, restaurants, beer halls ....
Many things are happening in the industry today. It is great to see and the future looks bright.
2. What was your brewery's biggest achievement for the year?
Winning six golds and six trophies in 2014 is a great achievement for Nail. Winning golds and trophies at all five major national awards and many best brewery trophies. Winning the sixth consecutive gold at AIBA was a goal achieved in 2014 that we are proud of. Nail has won more golds than any brewery in Australia over the last two years.
3. What trend caught your eye over the past 12 months?
The craft beer industry is still a small force but getting bigger and more organised and mature. The industry is moving full steam ahead. Festivals are so regular now on a national scale. Other things in the industry include, more cans, more beer varieties, hop shortages.
4. Can you highlight how your production increased in 2014?
Volume increased 66 per cent. Mainly due to Heron Towers (HT) Beverages increasing distribution on the east coast including Victoria, Adelaide, ACT and NSW. It is very hard work running a brewery with such growth and unfortunately with growth there are lots of headaches. My partner Cindy and myself make great sacrifices with time and finances. The key to growth is hard work.
5. What was your best beer for the year?
Hughe Dunn won major trophies at four awards and was added to Nail's core range. Nail Red also won gold in Sydney and is booming as a big selling new world beer.
6. What beer from another brewery caught your attention.
Brendan Varis from Feral hand bottled a Watermelon Warhead in a growler and brought it to office. It was a stand out. Cindy and family then drove to Feral the next day and I drove. I can't believe a 2.7% beer made me drive to location to taste it again. I've been developing a lite beer for a long time with about 20 test batches. This beer has the potential to boom when they can get it consistent and bottled.
7. Name a beer you'll be drinking over the holiday period?
80 per cent of my beers are Nail, 15 per cent Feral and five per cent others. You have to have passion for drinking your beer and I do for Feral as a brother brewery. We are also one of few that have consistently won awards every year. Of the others that I finding exciting, Bootleg Raging Bull, Redoak, Mash, Last Drop. There are many great craft beers.
8. What trends will emerge in 2015?
More people will want to try craft beer thankfully. More breweries will start. The more microbreweries in Australia, the better our economy is. Some of the smaller breweries will make steps up to bigger brew houses. Unfortunately, some breweries will also crash as the key to a successful brewery is passion to have the ability to work hard. Breweries aren’t for making money but beer. Unfortunately there will be more breweries doing contract brewing and taking advantage of the craft beer boom.
9. Can you give a hint about what you're producing for the New Year?
A 7 per cent Golden Ale 50IBU next and a 2.9% beer to Nail core range. Another Clout Stout as well.
10. What would you like to see happen within the industry over the next 12 months?
Excise relief would be a - relief. Brewers need exercise, not excise. Around 1/3 of my turnover last year was excise.
