Having resurrected our focus on Australian beer bloggers last month with Brisbane-based Brews and Bacon, we're switching our gaze to the west. What's Mashing WA is a blog that focuses predominantly on the state's beer scene: its beers, brewers, events and venues.
It's written by home brewing Jono Outred and is his way of supporting the local industry he loves via beer reviews, interviews, event reviews and more.
Name: Jono Outred
Name of blog: What's Mashing WA?
What do you do when not drinking beer and writing about beer?
I love food and cooking so I spend lots of time in the kitchen at home and for work. When I'm not working, I get in as much time as possible hanging with my girlfriend and puppy!
I also homebrew, which keeps me pretty busy year round.
When did you start the blog?
About 18 months ago.
Why did you start it?
I really enjoyed reading beer blogs but couldn't find many that really focused on WA beer and brewing. I drank a lot of local beer and I've always been about supporting local, so I figured a blog about WA beer and brewing would have plenty of content, was something I really believed in and would allow me to be more involved in the industry.
What do you tend to focus on?
The Western Australian beer and brewing industry! I'd say my biggest focus within that though is the brewer's insight posts which are always interesting reading.
Why should people read it?
That's a tough question. I blog because I enjoy doing it; if others read it, it's a bonus!
However, I think it's important to support your local anything: brewery, liquor store, home brew shop, restaurant, bar. If they're doing the right thing for homegrown beer get behind them!
My blog is an extension of that – trying to put the word out and throw support behind local vendors. I think my blog is one of the many places to source info about what our industry has to offer and current industry happenings.
What do you love and enjoy most about beer?
It's gotta be diversity! I firmly believe there is a beer for everyone out there and as a regular beer drinker, the variety available is ridiculous! I mean, you can have a bottle of something that tastes borderline like vinegar and has the carbonation of champagne as well as a bottle of something that tastes like chocolate which pours like cream and side-by-side they're worlds apart, but they both fall within the realm of beer. Magical.
What's your favourite Australian beer?
There's so many good beers out there right now it's really hard to pick one! I recently had Boatrocker Banshee and that was phenomenal.
Closer to home though, the lesser known Beaten Track Brewery (Kalgoorlie) has consistently been offering up beers that make me think: "Is THIS the best beer in Aus right now?"
But I think if I had to pick a beer to call my favourite, it would be a tie between Pirate Life IIPA and Feral Watermelon Warhead.
What about non-Australian beers?
Definitely sours. There's so many good ones out there I'm not even going to try and name a favourite. Whatever I can get my hands on I'm happy to have!
A favourite is Jester King Brewery from Texas. They're a really cool, small scale farmhouse brewery knocking out all kinds of wild beers aged in barrels, using their own strain of wild yeast and some whack adjuncts. We occasionally get their wares here in Perth and it's always really exciting to get a hold of some.
I like a lot of American made stouts as well, they seem to do well crafting big, bold stouts and I'm a sucker for them!
What's your favourite time and / or place to enjoy a beer?
I think my favourite time has to be whenever my day off work is! There's nothing like cracking an awesome beer on your day off to reward yourself after a long week.
As for place, I really love drinking beer at any of our awesome breweries out in the Swan Valley. It's always such a relaxed vibe and you feel like you're nowhere near home, despite really not being far at all.
We've got a great selection of breweries, so more often then not you find yourself on a bit of a beery tour through the valley sampling all the latest offerings
What are your hopes for beer in Australia?
My hopes for beer in Australia would be positive growth, of course!
I'm hoping the difference between "craft" beer and commercial beer can be better defined in the eyes of the law, making startup for small, independently owned breweries a bit easier.
I think everything else an Australian beer enthusiast could want is slowly happening: bigger variety of styles and more breweries pushing boundaries/experimenting, better understanding and appreciation for beer by consumers, more education available and, in general, more vendors getting on board the beer train!
I think we'll see plenty of trends come and go, but I'd like to imagine one thing that will stick is breweries across the board striving to produce the best quality beer they can and continuing to put Australia on the map as a serious beer destination!
Where would you direct people for examples of what your blog is all about?
- Interview with Ron Feruglio, brewer at Homestead
- Head to head IPA tasting
- Interview with the team behind Dutch Trading Co
Thanks, Jono. If you write about Aussie beer and would like to be featured on The Crafty Pint, please get in touch via email – crafty@craftypint.com.