New Collab With Dave’s Brewery Tours
We’re pumped to be in cahoots with Dave Phillips, owner of Dave’s Brewery Tours and Dave’s Pub Walks. It’s tough to match his knowledge of craft beer and enthusiasm for the industry he works in.
First off, if you haven’t been on one of Dave’s tours check ‘em out here: daves.com.au Dave’s tours take you behind the scenes of some of the finest NSW breweries, so you can watch the talented local producers in action.
So, what’s this collaboration all about? Well, you can now buy a mixed case of Dave’s favourite beer from his tours through yours truly – Craft Cartel! Take a squiz at Dave’s selections here.
As Australia Day is around the corner we caught up with Dave to pick his brains about the best beers to serve up on this much-loved holiday, and his GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer predictions…
1. Dave, what beers do you recommend we serve up at our Australia Day BBQ?
Australia Day is always one of those days where the beer choices really need to match the occasion of course, and as per usual at Dave’s we will be spending our day oscillating between a bit of backyard cricket and listening to the GABS Hottest 100 Beers podcast on Sessionable. To make sure we’re doing the day right, my esky is going to be full this year with Nomad’s Easy As Session IPA, Wayward Brewing’s Keller Instinct, Pact Brewing 100 Acres IPA, Balter XPA and Mornington’s Brown Ale. That will keep the thirsty crowds happy I reckon!
2. Are there any beers you’d particularly like to see do well in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll on Australia Day?
Talk about putting me on the spot! Of course I would love to see beers from the breweries we visit on all our tours do well, but if I had to pick a few beers I am hoping to see place well they would include The Grifter’s Bright Eye or Serpent’s Kiss, BeerFarm IPL, 5 Barrel Milk Stout, Akasha Tradewinds, Balter XPA, Batch Brewing West Coast IPA and Bridge Road’s Brett Pale Ale. But really I just like to see local beer supported and loved, so no matter who or what places where, I’ll be happy.
3. What do you love most about Sydney’s beer scene?
The people behind and around it. From the dreamers with their life’s savings tied up in a venture, the established operators focused on quality through to all the beer fans and beer explorers we see out and about at venues every day. The Sydney scene is growing and continues to amaze us that even in the face of growth challenges the beer community continues to pull together in support of each other and the lifting of beer and its appreciation across the city. We are seeing local beer spread locally, inter-state and even overseas and it’s all down to the tenacity and passion of our local producers, supported by keen beer explorers. And of course we’re looking forward to Sydney Craft Beer Week this year!
4. Your tours give beer lovers access to some great breweries. Do you reckon you enjoy your beer more with a bit of knowledge up your sleeve?
Absolutely. Getting educated and experienced in anything you love is a good thing. We’re lucky to have such great breweries that are keen for us to do our thing in getting more beer lovers and the “not so” lovers behind the scenes. A large part of what we do is education, done in a fun way of course, and we find that taking an educational approach really helps our “beer explorers” to understand and appreciate what they’re drinking and what it takes to get it to them. I’m currently studying to become a certified Cicerone through The Institute of Beer and I can say that it’s not all beer and skittles in gaining accreditation in beer.
5. Are you launching any new tours we should keep an eye out for this year?
We do have some plans for Sydney tours later this year, however these are things we are still refining so can’t say much about them just now. We took a big step at the end of late last year and launched in Canberra which has been great. Taking what we have learned from that, we are looking at other parts of NSW and will be up and running in the Hunter Valley and Newcastle very soon, with two other regions following later this year. So yes, keep an eye out!