Beer School pours a keg-full of knowledge

CBD brewpub, Aunty Jacks has launched with the simple philosophy of making good, classic beer.

But head brewer, Dr Peter Aldred knows there aren’t many people that fully understand the variety of beers on the market, their complexities, or what to look for, so he’s launched the Aunty Jacks Beer School.

“In Australia, beer has been behind wine in the customer education space, so we’re trying to educate our customers on the different beers that match different occasions,” he said.

“On Sundays, our new brewer Matt Ives and I are teaching people about different, classic styles that have come from certain countries; Germany, Belgium, the UK and Ireland, and America.

“A beautiful fire-side Belgian beer is one you might have at the end of the night instead of a port or brandy, for example, and I maintain that America make the best beers, and the worst beers in the world,” Dr Aldred laughed.

In the coming months, the pair will sit groups down, and pour five or six beers for them to try and discuss over an hour-and-a-half.

“We’ll talk about how you would smell or taste a beer if you were doing beer judging, for example, let the ‘students’ taste the beers, and get feedback on the flavours and whether they like them.

“Matt or I will discuss how the beer is made, what we should be finding in the beer, and giving our spin on the particular beer style, including history and raw materials used,” Dr Aldred said.

“We’re looking to explore ‘beer faults,’ which is all about how to recognise flavours which should and shouldn’t be in your particular beer style. We know it’s a dangerous thing as a brewer to teach people how to pick faults, but that’s what we’re about.”

Having run a few beer schools in recent weeks, the brewers have met a range of drinkers. Some arrived at the beginning of the class as established beer-lovers, and some were not previously fans.

“I’ve had non-beer drinkers that have found beers they like in our sessions, so it’s changed some people’s minds about beer,” Dr Aldred said.

“Our beer school is simple; it’s about learning, but it’s mostly about fun.”

Visit auntyjacks.com.au to discover upcoming classes.