As the 2022 Australian harvest draws to a close, beer drinkers will be getting to experience the release of 2022 green hop ales.

Interestingly, brewing with fresh hops is still a relatively recent development – or at least recently rediscovered development in brewing – but one that has great potential to educate beer drinkers about provenance and also the agricultural nature to beer.

But there is a lot for brewers to be aware of to execute a great fresh hop beer and that’s what this BreweryPro panel is going to look at, planning and executing a great fresh hop beer.

In this BreweryPro podcast we discuss the secrets to making beers with freshly harvested hops, we are joined by:

Owen Johnston, Sales and Marketing Manager for Hop Products Australia. Owen began his brewing journey in 2005 when he built the largest craft brewery in Tasmania, working as Head Brewer at Moo Brew for 10 years. He has a BSc and MBA from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Science from the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.

Richard Watkins, Co-Founder and Head Brewer at BentSpoke Brewing Co. Rich Watkins is three times crowned Australian Champion Brewer and is Australia’s longest serving craft brewer. He spent much of his career as head brewer at Canberra’ s renowned Wig & Pen before embarking on the venture that is BentSpoke Brewing Co with partner Tracy Margrain. He is highly regarded as a brewer known for pushing the boundaries of his craft, not afraid to experiment and take a chance on a new untraveled path.

Reid Stratton, Head Brewer at Bright Brewing. Head Brewer Reid Stratton joined Bright Brewery in March 2019 from New England Brewing Co, NSW. With experience brewing at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Michigan and Grand Teton in Idaho, Reid’s brewing experience and qualifications provide Bright Brewery with valuable expertise as the brewery continues to expand its beer production to meet the growing demand.