Articles by Marie Claire Jarratt
Marie Claire "MC" Jarratt hated writing essays in High School yet has since won the AIBA Best Media trophy for writing about beer, which she finds very funny. After completing her PhD in experimental physics, she entered the brewing industry and currently works as a brewer at Brick Lane. She can be found on Instagram and Facebook.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
I moved from the craft beer wasteland that is Sydney's Upper North Shore, where I grew up, to the Inner West and went on to visit every craft brewery there within a fortnight. I then did it again, but blogged about it the second time. The articles were so terrible I've since deleted them from my website.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Batch Chapeau or any other seasonal fruited sour: Sours are a good way to showcase that not all beer is bitter, but the addition of fruit adds a bit of sweetness that combats that sour. It's also a really good thirst-quencher for the hot, Aussie climate.
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Modus Operandi Former Tenant: On the other hand, there are people that love the bitterness in beer and this is a great one that starts to become a bit more complex, challenging and interesting than the usual fare. I recommend drinking this one at the brewery - the drive is worth it!
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Philter XPA: This is just a normal beer that tastes like normal stuff that people are used to - but it's made by your mate, not a big corporation. Plus, the can looks cool.
The last beer I enjoyed:
Garage Project Whittaker's Chocolate Beer: I brought it back in my suitcase after visiting my family in Wellington a few months ago and after a long, hot summer since, the weather was finally cold and rainy enough to enjoy it.
Three things that represent me:
- My Canon 700D and Fujifilm X100S
- The Bundeena to Otford Coast Track
- Dilution refrigerators
Beer Basics: Milling & Mashing
We've covered the key ingredients in beer – water, malt, hops and yeast – so now it's time to take our Beer Basics series to the next stage and get stuck into the brewing process. First up: milling and mashing.
From Oskar Blues To The Blue Mountains
He started brewing at Oskar Blues in Colorado before helping launch Modus Operandi as the Northern Beaches' brewery's first head brewer. Now you'll find DJ McCready and wife Harriet winning over locals in the Blue Mountains.
Beer Nuts: The Indies Lovers
We've featured some impressively keen beer lovers in our Beer Nuts series over the years, but never any quite like Jess and Locky. Marie Claire Jarratt got in touch with the couple who got engaged onstage at indie beer's biggest night.
Philter Find A Home In Marrickville
Three years on from launching their first beer, Philter have found a site for their own brewery. It's in Marrickville, the home suburb of the brewing company's founders, and will add to the area's vibrant indie brewing scene.
Small Batch
Batch are to open a second brewery to help meet demand. But instead of going bigger, their new site in Petersham is far smaller and will be dedicated to small batch brews, experimentation and refinement.
Beer Travel: Vancouver
The US tends to consume most column inches when it comes to discussions of the North American beer scene, but there's plenty going on in Canada. Here, Marie Claire Jarratt takes us on a guide through Vancouver.
Common Ground: Blending Beer & Coffee
Once predominantly the preserve of the occasional stout or porter, these days coffee is cropping up in all sorts of beers in a variety of fashions. Marie Claire Jarratt spoke to producers on both sides to find out more.
Going Green: One Drop's Box
As part of their mission to inspire change, young Sydney brewery One Drop have designed unique environmentally friendly packaging for their cans. Marie Claire Jarratt got in touch to find out more.
Crafty Crawls: Petersham
It might not have the density of crafty offerings of some neighbouring 'burbs, but times have been a-changing in Petersham. Local resident Marie Claire Jarratt guides you to the best spots for beer lovers.
Women In Drinks
International Women's Day 2019 will see a new festival celebrating women working in beer, wine and spirits launch in Sydney. We spoke to two women leading the way in the local beer world to find out more about their experiences and changing times.
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The Big Issue: Sexism
Typically, it's overtly sexist labels or crude marketing that brings the beer world's relationship with women into the spotlight. But, as Marie Claire Jarratt finds, there's a more permanent and insidious form of sexism affecting women every day.
The Collaborators: Ryefield Hops
The owners of a former dairy farm in the south of New South Wales have embarked on a new direction: hop farming. Ryefield Hops harvested its first crop earlier this year, with some of those hops going into Waratah, an all NSW beer released by Wildflower during Sydney Beer Week.
Retro Philter
The Craft Beer Awards have had a tendency to turn the spotlight on new brewing companies. And that was no different in 2017 as four-month-old Philter took out Champion Pale Ale. We chat to the well travelled brewer at the helm.
Craft Beer Heroes: Liam Pereira
Within the Australian craft beer community, there is a handful of characters almost everyone seems to know – or at least knows of. Liam Pereira is one of those characters. We caught up with him as he prepares to oversee his first Sydney Beer Week.
Cheers To Change
From the deep bush of Papua New Guinea via one of Mexico's most dangerous cities to creating Eden in the Southern Highlands, Marie Claire Jarratt discovers one couple's journey to brewery owners has taken the road less travelled.
The Collaborators: Voyager Craft Malt
The Collaborators is an ongoing series looking at businesses growing in tandem with the local craft beer industry. Here, Marie Claire Jarratt chats to the man behind a craft malthouse in NSW and brewers who use his malts.
Beer Travel: 12 Hours In San Diego
When Aussie beer lovers head to the States, they usually give themselves several weeks to explore the beer scene. What if you've only got 12 hours? In San Diego for a conference, Marie Claire Jarratt discovered the answer is: plenty.
The Big Issue: The Canned Wagon Pt II
Earlier in the week, we looked at the history and recent renaissance of cans in the beer world. Today, in part two of her Big Issue feature, Marie Claire Jarratt delves deeper with a panel of experts.
The Big Issue: The Canned Wagon Pt I
After a slow start, the rise of craft tinnies has been little short of phenomenal. Today, we kick off a two-part Big Issue feature, looking at how and why they've come to prominence and how popular they may become.
A New Breed Of Bottleshop
Sydney's Inner West has been increasingly well served by breweries and bars in recent years, less so bottleshops. Not so now with two new ventures each bringing something new to the scene, as Marie Claire Jarratt discovers.
Want to know more?
Mead Made Modern
A tiny number of Australian brewers have played with mead and braggots, but there's now a small yet growing number of people specialising in these ancient beverages. Marie Claire Jarratt spoke to some of them in her debut article for the site.
