ABOUT ME
I live in Sydney, Australia and my original motivation to home brew, back in 1998, was a lack of decent ale in the land of mega swill lager. I started with cans and then followed the slippery slope of partial mash, then in 2000 after backing the winner Brew (what else!) in the Melbourne Cup, I used my winnings to move to full mashing with the acquisition of a 60 L kettle, burner etc. I now have gone electric with a homemade PID controlled one-vessel system.
I am a member of the Extra Special Brewers (ESB) home brew club, a great bunch, who fearlessly conduct sensory appreciation every month.
I have a Graduate Certificate in Brewing from Ballarat (now Federation) University, completed the Siebel Institute's WBA Concise Course, and have judged at state and national level as a BJCP Recognized Judge.
In 2014 I had an article published in BYO about 'Hops Down Under' and also a piece on historic beers from Morrell's of Oxford, in the Sep/Oct 2020 edition of Zymurgy, p75 - 79.
I have also presented in 2009 at NHC in Oakland on 'What makes a Great Brewery Tour.' In 2010 at ANHC2 in Melbourne on 'Brewing Technology from Around the World.' and in Canberra in 2014 at ANHC4 'Don't be Afraid of the Dark.’ and in Melbourne again in 2018 ANHC6 on 'Australian Sparkling Ale - through the years.'
I have also lectured at Homebrewcon in 2017, about 'The Origin and Evolution of Australian Sparkling Ale' , in Minneapolis and in 2018 'The XXX story of Australian OLD Ale' , in Portland.
AHA members can view my Conference Seminars online.