In this episode I’m joined by Natalya Watson to talk about beer education, tasting and judging.

Nat is an Advanced Cicerone, Beer Sommelier and WSET educator, as well as an experienced beer judge.

What do you actually learn when you study beer?

We talk about WSET and how a more structured approach to tasting can change the way you experience what’s in your glass.

Nat explains some of the biggest mistakes people make when tasting beer, why smell is so important and how to approach tasting more systematically.

We also talk about some of the beers used in WSET classes, including a Munich Dunkel

How do you actually become a beer judge?

Nat takes me through how she got started, what happens around the judging table and how judges separate personal preference from assessing a beer against competition criteria.

We also talk about different beer styles, developing your palate and how you might introduce someone who doesn't think they're a beer drinker to something they could actually enjoy.

Towards the end, we talk about Natalya’s own podcast, Cheers with Nat, and how it has evolved into conversations across the wider drinks world.

We finish with a few quick questions, including Natalya’s favourite beer, an underrated beer style and three breweries that have played an important part in her beer journey.

If you’ve ever thought about doing a WSET beer course, becoming a beer judge, improving your tasting skills or simply understanding more about what’s in your glass, there’s plenty here to get stuck into.

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/cheers_with_nat/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/beerwithnat

00:00 - 04:56 Natalya Watson's Journey into beer

04:57 - 08:24 What beer education teaches you

08:25 - 10:39 Does knowing more about beer ruin the fun?

10:40 - 15:24 What do you get from a WSET beer course?

15:25 - 18:35 The biggest mistake people make when tasting beer

18:36 - 25:30 How to taste six different beers

25:31 - 27:52 How do you become a beer judge?

27:53 - 32:05 What actually happens around a beer judging table?

32:06 - 37:10 Can a great beer be a bad example of its style?

37:11 - 39:44 Why beer gets pre-tasted before WSET classes

39:45 - 43:09 What beer would you give a non-beer drinker?

43:10 - Cheers With Nat, what's next & quick-fire questions

See more at beerrepchats.com

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Dean Baker, co-founder of Baker's Dozen Brewery, joins Martin to talk about the journey from running a pub to building a small independent brewery with his wife Jill.

Founded in 2015, Baker's Dozen is a five-barrel brewery where Dean and Jill do everything themselves, from brewing and cleaning to deliveries, sales and marketing. We chat about how the brewery started, the influence of Oakham and Brewster's, and why focusing on brewing consistently good beer has always been at the heart of Baker's Dozen.

Dean talks about some of the brewery's best-known beers, including Electric Landlady and award-winning Undertow, made with Citra and Nelson Sauvin. We also discuss SIBA awards, BeerX, why the brewery decided to focus on its core range, and how Dean's taste in beer has changed over the years.

The conversation also moves into some of the bigger challenges facing small independent breweries, including rising costs, quieter pubs and access to market. Having previously run a tied pub, Dean shares his experience of the tied pub system and the difficulties independent breweries face when trying to get their beer into more pubs.

And finally, Dean explains his love of the long-gone Carling Premier, talks about a previous Nitro IPA collaboration and why he thinks we should see more Nitro Lagers, Nitro IPAs and other nitro beers.

Could a Baker's Dozen Nitro Lager be on the way?

Shop Baker's Dozen Beer

https://www.bakersdozenbrewing.co.uk/

Baker's Dozen Socials

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bakersdozenbrewing/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakersdozenbrewing

TIMESTAMP

00:00 - 03:25 Meet Dean Baker and Baker's Dozen Brewery

03:26 - 04:53 From home brewing to starting a brewery

04:54 - 05:40 Brewing good beer without reinventing the wheel

05:41 - 08:49 Leaving the pub behind and focusing on the brewery

08:50 - 09:54 Oakham, Brewster's and the influence of hop-forward beer

09:55 - 12:07 Electric Landlady and Dean's favourite hop

12:08 - 14:18 How Dean's taste in beer has changed

14:19 - 16:26 SIBA awards, BeerX and the importance of recognition

16:27 - 21:05 The story behind Undertow

21:06 - 23:59 Building a strong core beer range

24:00 - 30:40 The challenges facing small independent breweries

30:41 - 36:39 Cider collaborations, taprooms and the future of Baker's Dozen

36:40 - Quick fire: favourite beers, nitro lager and future collaborations

See more at beerrepchats.com

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In this episode Martin speaks to Ben Addison, Head Brewer at Tap Social Movement in Oxford, about brewing beer with a purpose.

Ben shares his journey into brewing, from starting at Purity Brewing and working on large automated brewery systems to joining Tap Social and developing his skills on a hands-on manual brew kit. He also explains how hop dipping works and how the technique can create smoother, more rounded hop aromas.

The conversation explores what defines a Tap Social beer: high quality, experimental when appropriate, but ultimately welcoming and accessible to as many drinkers as possible. Ben discusses the brewery’s growth, supplying supermarkets such as Waitrose, increasing can production and the challenges of consistency, shelf life and cold storage.

At the heart of the episode is Tap Social Movement’s social enterprise mission. Ben explains how the brewery provides paid employment, training and progression opportunities for people who have been through, or are currently going through, the prison system. He shares how people can build confidence, learn new skills and move into brewing, sales, hospitality or their own business ventures.

Tap Social Links

Website: https://www.tapsocialmovement.com/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tapsocialmovement/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tapsocialmovement

CHAPTERS

00:00 - 02:42 Introduction: Meet Ben Addison, Head Brewer at Tap Social Movement

02:43 - 04:37 How Ben first got into brewing

04:38 - 07:38 Discovering hop dipping and how the process works

07:39 - 09:49 Why Ben joined Tap Social Movement

09:50 - 12:32 What defines a Tap Social beer?

12:33 - 16:00 How brewing on a manual system changed Ben’s approach

16:01 - 19:26 Supplying Waitrose and scaling up can production

19:27 - 22:16 Supermarket beer: consistency, shelf life and cold storage

22:17 - 26:09 How Tap Social Movement’s social enterprise mission works

26:10 - 29:28 Building confidence and careers through employment

29:29 - 33:47 How buying Tap Social beer supports people rebuilding their lives

33:48 - 36:35 Why brewing is about more than making beer

36:36 Why people should visit Tap Social Movement

Check out all episodes https://www.beerrepchats.com/

See more at beerrepchats.com

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