Since time immemorial, craft beer has had a home on Instagram.
Well ... that is to say people have been posting about craft beer on Instagram since the latter's early days, and as times have changed, so too has the content. Bright, clear beers in special IPA glasses have evolved into videos in which someone's pouring a smoothie sour so thick you wonder if they're going to need a knife and fork to cut through the lactose.
There are beer-related accounts on Instagram with a real point of difference, however, and among those is Auslan Beers. The account is run by members of the Deaf community and, while the group started as a bit of fun between friends, they also see it as a platform to promote Australia's sign language and make the craft beer scene more inclusive and accessible.
Leading the reviews found on Auslan Beers are Matthew Norman (pictured at the top of this article at Blobfish) and Jaycob Campbell, who have both loved beer since they could legally drink it. That said, in Matthew's case, the drinking came early and the appreciation came later, not least when he started homebrewing.
“Spirits were too expensive and so I persisted with beer,” he says. “I didn’t really love it to begin with, but now I really love the flavour and the qualities of different beers.
“[Homebrewing] did really inspired me to become more keen and inspired by beer: how it’s made and everything that goes into it.”
Likewise, Jaycob’s love for beer started early in adulthood.
“I just drank beer because my dad did,” he says. “He drank VB and so did I, but I felt it was pretty boring so I started to try different things and deviate from that origin.”
The two of them have known each other for years and, while Jaycob says it's a little hard to recall exactly when they became mates, Auslan Beers was born as COVID closed the world down.
“The Deaf community is relatively small,” Jaycob says. “I think it might have been a footy match for deaf football with the Victorian Rebels; it was a long time ago now though.
“We were beer drinkers, and then lockdown came along and we needed a project, so Matthew and I decided to review beers, find out more about how it was made, and all the rest of it.”
Jaycob and Matthew were joined in their efforts by three other mates, who all wanted a way to better remember what beers they were enjoying. When it comes to reviewing each beer, aside from the fact each of them uses Auslan, they all have their own unique approach. A particularly fun recent video saw Matthew buy a few beers at Brewmanity as Jaycob and fellow Auslan Beers community member Ravi tried to work out what they were drinking.
“Matthew and I focus on being more descriptive of the flavour,” Jaycob says. “Then, at the brewery, we talk about the environment we’re in, what the food is like, and our surroundings.”
As the account started to grow, picking up followers in other countries along the way, they soon realised they were talking to a growing audience eager to watch their reviews.
“I'm surprised we got to this point, but I'm not surprised at the same time,” Jaycob says. “You know, I do think it's a really feel-good project, and it does create access for deaf people genuinely.”
They've found their reviews have also been appreciated by students of Auslan.
“They look at the videos a lot because they can watch the videos and follow along something they understand,” he says.
Given the passion people have for beer, they view the account as a way to promote the use of Auslan, which is used by the majority of the Australian Deaf community, more broadly. Jaycob would love to see breweries work with people who know Auslan so the Deaf community has greater access to great beer experiences, whether that's visiting taprooms or attending beer festivals.
“Auslan is the native language of the Deaf community here, and having someone make videos in Auslan really helps,” Matthew says.
“Someone on staff could learn Auslan and breweries can have people come in and teach Auslan. But really it’s interpreters that you need – and a big bag of money to pay for interpreters.”
As such, Auslan Beers see their role as helping breweries learn more about Auslan, including sourcing interpreters for events. Already, BeerFest provide Auslan access to comedy shows and live music during their festivals; Matthew says interpreters are becoming a more common feature of music and comedy festivals.
“You need to start somewhere, and then the access can grow,” he says. “We could also help provide interpreters or point breweries in the right direction.”
“We go to GABS Festival a lot, which is fantastic," Jaycob says. "But there are a lot of gaps in our experience.
“We can obviously read the labels and the names of the beers and have chats with our mates. But it’s really different in a way because we can’t have a great chat with brewers, or chat in depth about different recipes or brewing processes.”
Even without using Auslan, Matthew says there are other methods brewers can implement to make what they do more accessible to the Deaf community.
“It’s also good to have recipes or scripts about what’s occurred in the brewing process, that’s really good for us," he says.
Likewise, Jaycob says captions really matter and should always be used.
“That access does need to be provided all the time, I don’t think there’s any reason not to,” he says.
Longterm, their mission is to help create a more accessible craft beer scene, although for now, their immediate goal isn't too far off.
“I guess all we want to do now is get to 1,000 followers,” Jaycob jokes. “That’s our next thing.”
You can help Auslan Beers reach their first goal by following their account here.
Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy in 2018 and in 2024; HBO have told him to please send his fan mail elsewhere. He can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
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Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
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Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."
The last beer you enjoyed:
Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.
Three things that represent you:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ken Burns
- The State Library of Victoria
