Nant Fawr Brews

There's a contradiction at the heart of beer, drinking and pub culture. Sharing a drink with your mates, or even just with the people you only ever see down your local... is great for your mental health. Support, community, conversation and laughter are all good positive things.

And yet...

Alcohol is dangerous. Sadly it is that simple. It's too easy to drink to self-medicate or attempt to ease anxiety is a non-healthy way.

All of which makes this episode about beer and mental health absolutely fascinating. Emma Inch is a highly regarded beer writer and critic... and also a mental health professional. She is about to launch a podcast called 'Same Again' which will explore this exact subject, so I wanted to talk to her about it and support the discussion she is trying to enable.

As well as mental health, we discuss Emma's beer writing (she has written with some legends in the game, let's put it that way) and she has some cracking recommendations on beers to try from near and far.

Plus, as an industry expert, Emma has some insightful thoughts on the current state of the UK beer scene.

Get comfortable, grab a beer and enjoy listening to this one...

To find out the latest about 'Same Again' and all of Emma Inch's other work and projects, follow her on Twitter (@fermentradio)

Founding a new microbrewery is a dream for many of us beer lovers... so what is it like to actually do it? Zac Fox, COO and Head Brewer of Bad Idea Brewing Co (one of the greatest names for a brewery ever in my opinion) gives a brilliantly honest, passionate and positive account of his experiences. This interview really gets across the special community atmosphere that exists within brewing. There are highs... (Zac explains how brewing gives job satisfaction few other professions can match)... lows... (you won't believe what happened with their first professional brew)... and superbly random moments (toasters, metallurgy and Cinnamon Toast Crunch all get discussed). Enjoy!

Ransom is my guest this week. Also known as The Revenant Alien (and he explains what he means by that in the episode). Ransom is a fellow podcaster and creative but worried he was not into beer enough to be on the pod. But, as you'll discover during this chat... a) Ransom has a lot more to say about beer than he thought and b) beer acts as a brilliant springboard into a whole world of other topics. We talk everything from IPAs that look like orange juice, to perfectionism, Rage Against The Machine, ancient Czech lager recipes... and even near-death experiences. Pour yourself a cold one, settle in and enjoy.

I mention at the end of this episode that you can have a go yourself at The Beer Questionnaire - this new software called Rumble Studio will allow you and I to do a "virtual interview" - it will record your answers, send them to me, and I can use the audio in a future episode.

It would be brilliant to get some of these in, so please do get clicking on the link below and recording (it's fine to just answer as many of the questions as you want - you don't need to do all of them if you don't want to):

https://app.rumble.studio/forms/open/3f2a9501-a0cc-4094-a798-1b73db26d04a

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Episode notes...

If you want to check out Ransom's podcast, here are all the details you need:

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/arevenantalien

Twitter: @ARevenantAlien / Instagram: @ARevenantAlien / Medium: https://medium.com/@arevenantalien

Des de Moor knows his stuff. A hugely respected beer writer, critic and author, he has decided to write the book about Cask Beer that fills the gaps in all of our knowledge of this legendary ale style.

Des's new book - 'Cask Beer: The Real Story of Britain's Unique Beer Culture' - is out today, August 1st 2023.

What a brilliant excuse to talk all things Cask with such a global authority. Our conversation dispels myths, unlocks hidden history and - perhaps most importantly - brings to life the unique heights that this traditional style reaches.

A well-brewed, properly looked after and carefully served pint of Cask Beer is simply magical. It gives you a drinking experience that no other beer style can.

Listen to this episode, get enthused... then go out to your local Cask-friendly pub and sample a pint or 3 of Cask (and why not order Des's book while you do - link below):

Order your copy of 'Cask Beer: The Real Story of Britain's Unique Beer Culture' here

Jon Saunders is a Cardiff legend for whom beer, booze and good times have delivered amazing highs and shocking lows in his life and career.

An entrepreneurial hospitality expert in the first part of his career, he ran the legendary TigerTiger club in the Welsh capital before starting his own mini-empire of bars including 10 Mill Lane, Dead Canary and 29 Park Place.

But, the empire didn't last, Jon went bust and had to pick himself up and start back from scratch. This is where he started to focus on the ethos that has formed the backbone of his new career - the "Crack On' spirit. It's what Jon is all about. Getting on and taking action to progress even when it is tough.

Jon now has an impressive Crack On brand that includes Crack On Coaching (helping senior leaders and companies progress) and the Crack On Podcast (which he and I work on together).

Jon knows the "other side of the bar" back to front (and he shares some fun stories from his experiences), but he's also seen the other, darker side of drinking itself.

Admitting he had a problem with overdoing it on alcohol after several scary episodes... Jon made an important choice. He is now a non-drinker and hasn't touched alcohol in a decade.

In this episode Jon is incredibly candid and shares the most amazing life lessons from painful moments in his life. This is a powerful and inspirational episode which hopefully will encourage anyone who listens to embrace their own highs and lows and find the strength to crack on.