He loves beer. He loves travel. And he loves to hunt down new beers when he travels. So, following a suggestion from a mate in the pub, Matt Johnson decided to start capturing his passions via another one: photography, creating offthetap and attracting Instagram followers in the thousands.
He also blogs at greater length with more of his thoughts on the world of beer, also as offthetap, and is the final Aussie Beer Blogger to appear on The Crafty Pint in 2016.
offthetap
What do you do when not drinking beer and writing about beer?
Thinking about drinking beer? Nah, not really, but I love to travel and I just recently went to my 30th country (Denmark).
When did you start the blog?
July 3, 2015.
Why did you start it?
I was sitting at a pub (funny that) with a friend who said to me: “Matt, you really do love a beer; why don’t you start a blog?”
I started it that night while still at the pub and the rest is history.
What first got you into craft beer?
The huge variety available and cool printed cans.
What does your blog tend to focus on?
My blog started on Instagram and focuses on beer photography with a travel feel to it. I like to take unique photos of beers in a range of locations around Australia and the world. I also give a rating to each beer out of ten.
Why should people read it?
If people need some daily beer inspiration or just enjoy great beer photography mixed with some travel they should definitely follow me on Instagram.
What do you love and enjoy most about beer?
There’s nothing better than enjoying a cold beer with a few mates over some quality banter.
What’s your favourite Australian beer?
Moo Brew Pale Ale.
What about non-Australian beers?
Texels Skuumkoppe – a wheat beer. I tried it in Amsterdam and it will change your world.
What's your favourite time and/or place to enjoy a beer?
There was no better experience than sinking an ice cold beer in Santorini while watching the famous sunset!
What are your hopes for beer in Australia?
Originally being a Tassie boy, it’s great to see a solid variety of Tasmanian craft breweries make an impact locally and throughout the rest of Australia. Some of my favourite craft beers at the moment are coming from Moo Brew and Morrison Brewery.
It would be fantastic to see more small to medium craft breweries like these expand in the next few years to an overseas market.
You can find and follow offthetap on Instagram and read Matt's longer musings here.
You'll also find other featured blogs here (and older ones here from the days when we called the feature something else).