Articles by Matt King
Matt King is a beer-loving sports nut who dabbles in homebrewing and writes about beer to seek solace from his full-time job as a primary school teacher.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
My good beer experience began in London, when I was taking a tour of the Greenwich Meantime Brewery in 2010. All the ingredients were laid out in front of me and we were able to eat the malts and smell the fresh hops; the fresh beer out of the tanks probably helped as well. This is the moment I realised "beer can be better", opening my mind to all the possibilities.
I then began exploring London for all the great beer spots and ticking off beers from smaller breweries; it was mind blowing. On my return to Australia, I continued to explore, starting where a lot of people started, with Stone and Wood Pacific Ale.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
There needs to be a good cross-section of styles when doing this, I believe; you never know what beer will be the hook. I would come armed with a tropical pale ale, an IPA that is on the sweeter/sticky side (not one that is too bitter) and probably an oatmeal stout.
The last beer you enjoyed:
The last beers I had came from The Wheaty and all of their beers are always great.
Name three things that represent you.
- Very long road trips
- Watching and playing any sport
- Beer, beer, beer, beer.
Crafty Crawls: Ballarat City Guide
Each summer, Ballarat attracts thousands of beer fanciers to its City Oval for its annual festival. But, with four breweries and a growing number a craft venues, there's plenty of reason for beer lovers to visit at other times.
Too Big For The Big Shed
It's been a case of "You say hello, and I say goodbye" as brewing buddies Big Shed and Mismatch embark on new adventures in SA. Matt King spoke to both about their plans and how they see the beer scene developing.
Best New SA Beers of 2016
As in WA, collaborations make multiple appearances in our panel's selection of the best new beers released in South Australian in 2016. The ten ranges from mid-strength to triple IPA with some root vegetable there for good measure too.
A Braumeister's Thoughts
Tobias Zollo is Braumeister at Weihenstephan, the world's oldest brewery. During his fleeting visit to Australia, he collaborated with The Wheaty and also caught up with Matt King to offer his thoughts on beer and brewing.
South Australia's Next Wave Pt II
Last Wednesday, we showcased three of the new brewing companies set to launch in SA in the coming months. Here, Matt King gets the lowdown on four more that hope to have their first beers out soon.
South Australia's Next Wave Pt I
Recent years have seen the South Australian brewing scene expand rapidly. And there's little sign of things slowing down soon, as Matt King discovered when he made contact with the next wave of brewers coming through.
Canning & Expanding
It's all change at Barossa Valley Brewing as one of the longest-established of SA's microbreweries expands and repackages its beers in cans. It's also in the process of establishing its Tanunda base as a mid-size contract facility, as Matt King discovered.
Samoyeds Still Smiling
Myponga brewery Smiling Samoyed made it two for two at the Royal Adelaide Beer & Cider Awards, with its Dark Ale backing up last year's Best Beer win. Other big winners last night included Pirate Life, Goodieson Brewery and Coopers.
In Hot Pursuit Of Hoppiness
When it comes to delivering the message of "Fresh is best", has anyone gone to greater lengths than the duo from Adelaide's Big Shed Brewing Concern? Matt King reports on their unique Cannonball Run of beer.
Turning Wine Into Beer
The rise of craft beer continues to win over converts. After years on the road taking guests to wineries around his home state of South Australia, Matt Berresford was bitten by the beer bug, as Matt King discovered when they hit the road.
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More Brew From The Boys
One of South Australia's longer established microbreweries is expanding as it prepares to mark eight years in business. Brewboys is opening a second site in Adelaide's west as it looks to cope with increasing demand for its beers.
The Micro Malting Man
Adelaide Hills brewer Al Turnbull of Lobethal Bierhaus is nearing the end of a decade long dream. He's designed and built his own in-house malting that will him to create his own malt for brewing, becoming the first SA craft brewer to do so.
Stop, Collaborate & Mill In
As recently as five years ago, a brewing collaboration was a genuine novelty in Australia. These days, as this look at what's brewing in SA right now, it's far more commonplace, even if the outcomes turn out to be genuine novelties themselves.
The Collaborators: A Glimmer Of Hops
With hops in ever greater demand and supply shortages increasingly common, a South Australian is hoping to bring hop farming back to the Adelaide Hills. Matt King caught up with Stuart Binnion as he prepares for his first harvest.
Beer Travel: Adelaide's Craftiest Beer Gardens Part II
Last week, we kicked off a tour of some of Adelaide's craftiest beer gardens on a mission to find out what makes a beer garden great. Here's part two, as Matt King checks out another half dozen combining craft beer with al fresco action.
Beer Travel: Adelaide's Craftiest Beer Gardens
Summer's here, which means it's beer garden time. Matt King has been visiting many of the best and craftiest that Adelaide and surrounds has to offer, asking owners and patrons what makes a beer garden great.
The Geeks Inherit
More good news for SA's beer lovers as the brewing duo going by the name Little Bang have opened their own brewery and venue. It means bigger batches of their beers and yet another place where you can enjoy beer as fresh as fresh gets.
Best New Beers of 2015: South Australia
The beer scene is booming in South Australia. Recent years have seen an explosion of new brewing companies and there's now a growing number of venues supporting them. Matt King gathered a panel to pick the best new beers to come out of the state this year.
From Cellar to Shed
After almost a decade manning one of the most archaic brewing setups in Australia, Lord Nelson brewer Damon Nott has abandoned cellars and ladders for life in Adelaide's Big Shed. Matt King caught up with him as he started in his new role.
Beer Food: Butchers With Butchers
As the South Australian craft beer industry continues to grow, it's reaching beyond the breweries, brewpubs and beer bars to forge partnerships throughout Adelaide's food and beverage scene.
Throwing Open Their Robe
South Australia's newest microbrewery sees historical brewing return to Robe Town as a Latvian couple open the doors of one of the country's most unlikely breweries.
Fox On The Loose
Vale Brewing has launched a second label, the tittersomely titled Fox Hat Brewing, as the place for head brewer Jeff Wright to cut loose with his beery theories.
Lady Burra: Lady of Mystery
The small brewery renaissance in South Australia continues with Adelaide welcoming its own brewpub. Matt King checked out the just opened Lady Burra Brewhouse.
As Easy As Adelaide, Beer, Celebration
The beer lovers of Adelaide look set for a treat this winter as a major new beer festival comes to town: the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival.
G'day From SA
The buzz around the South Australian beer scene isn't confined to SA itself anymore. A number of the state's micros are now distributing interstate for the first time.
It's In The Can
Adelaide's Pirate Life Brewing have launched a world first, using their cans to tell the story of how the beers inside are brewed via pictures and words.
Adelaide Catches The Craft Beer Wave II
In part two of his roundup, Matt King highlights more of the beer bars and pubs helping Adelaide finally catch the craft beer wave.
Adelaide Catches The Craft Beer Wave
First the state's brewing scene began exploding into life and now Adelaide's bar scene is gathering a head of momentum too, as Matt King discovers.
Beer In Their Blood
A South Australian brewery that first made beer 130 years ago has started brewing once more as Henry Pike's descendants open a new brewery and cellar door in Clare Valley.
Prancing Into Greener Pastures
The remarkable start to life enjoyed by South Australian craft brewery Prancing Pony continues as they move into ever larger premises in the Adelaide Hills.
The Year Of The Pirate
The first new brewery to open in South Australia in 2015 is Pirate Life. Matt King joined the former BrewDog brewers as their new home started to take shape.
