For those people who may not have heard, can you tell us a little about Free The Hops Beer Fest?
Free The Hops is an 11-day craft beer festival that starts on October 15 and runs through to October 25. This is the first year that it’s taking place and there is a completely different style of event happening each day at a different venue. It will be heaps of fun.

We hear there is a beer and bacon party, what can you tell us about that?
My two favourite things! The beer and bacon party is taking place at Not Tonight in Southport. It’s a really cool, quirky little bar and it’s pretty much going to be all things beer and bacon – bacon poppers, bacon testers, there might even be some bacon-flavoured beer.

How did the idea come about for an 11-day roving beer festival?
Well the idea itself isn’t something new, it’s just new to the Gold Coast. At the moment there’s Brewsvegas, which is a beer festival that takes place in Brisbane, there’s Sydney Craft Beer Week and Melbourne Craft Beer Week, basically there’s a craft beer festival everywhere except the Gold Coast. I had the plans drawn up for this event about three years ago and it’s just been a matter of waiting for a time when it would actually work. Because of the breweries and the amazing new venues that have been opening up, I thought now’s the time.

What have been some of the challenges getting the festival off the ground?
The great thing with the beer industry is that everyone wants to be involved. All of the breweries and venues are really keen to just have a bit of fun with it, which is very different to other industries I’ve worked in. You’ll often find breweries collaborating because it’s all about the love and passion of beer. The only thing I’d say that has been a little bit more difficult is because it’s the first year and the Gold Coast is a little bit behind on the craft beer scene, it’s getting that understanding and the education about what the festival is all about. Some people have thought it was 11 days of pub crawls but that’s not it at all.

Do you feel there is a growing appreciation for craft beers as opposed to more mainstream brews on the Gold Coast?
Absolutely! Craft beer is going nuts at the moment and the funny thing is that the definition of craft beer is that it comes from a micro-brewery, it is not something that is mass-produced however I think ultimately the demand will grow so much that it will need to be mass-produced. The fact that one of the major beer companies has just put out a pale ale is a massive indication that even the big guys are seeing a need for a little bit more interest. It’s exciting because I love beer education and showing people that a beer isn’t just a Corona or a XXXX, there really is something out there for everyone. I think craft beer is slowly taking over the world.

What is your blue-sky dream for the festival?
Ultimately, my biggest thing is education. I don’t want people who don’t know much about the different types of beer to feel intimidated. Personally, I have no idea about wine so I wouldn’t think about going to a wine event for fear that I might look like a dumb-ass. I want these events to be fun and informative for everyone so even the people who always reach for the Tooheys New will try a beer they don’t know. And then obviously have more and more events so that people come to the Gold Coast and see that we have a lot to offer.

If people can only make it to one event as part of the festival, which should it be?
It depends on what you want to get out of it. If you are an adamant beer lover and you love your food, The Cambus Wallace is doing an amazing beer degustation dinner with Newstead Brewing Company. They have five of their best beers with five-courses of food, the beauty of that event will be that it’s nice and intimate and the brewers will be there so it will be very informative. Then on the other end of the spectrum, the beers and bacon offers a more causal vibe and if you want to learn how the beers are actually brewed, Lester & Earl is doing an Up In Smoke event and they are actually going to be making a brew right there on the property for you to taste.

As founder and organiser, do you get to sample all of the brews?
Hell yes! It’s definitely one of the best parts. My ‘beer research’ as I like to call it is very thorough; I usually always have a different beer in my hand. I suppose it’s a labour of love. I’m heading down to Melbourne to check out some of the breweries down there and then I’m off to Hong Kong to do some tours around.

Craft beer brings its own unique lingo that can get mighty confusing for novices. Can you explain the difference between some of the different types of craft beer?
Let’s start with the basic different between a lager and a pale ale, lager uses a lager yeast and a pale ale uses a pale ale yeast. A lager yeast actually ferments on the top whereas an ale actually ferments on the bottom. The fermentation of a lager is also done at a much colder temperature so it takes a lot longer, to make a lager it can take between three and six months and those yeasts don’t bring a lot of their own flavours. That’s why a larger is generally nice, simple and easy to drink where as an ale is really tasty and with that bottom fermentation that is going on, it’s done at a higher level so it’s a bit quicker. That’s pretty much the basic difference.

Best cure for a hangover?
Another beer.

Only a Gold Coast local would know… an Alfred’s Diner breakfast burrito cures all.

FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up …  The Shack Superfood Cafe at Nobby Beach.
Relax …  At home.
Indulge …  Ze Pickle or House of Brews.
Dine …  Hank Dining and Bar at Broadbeach.
Be inspired … I love going to new events, art shows and live music.