So… beer.
That's why we're all here, right?
But the beer didn't get here on its own - it didn't magically appear in your glass, I'm sorry to say.
Beer, breweries, pubs, taprooms, bottleshops are all from people.
And that's what this podcast is all about.
I have two things to introduce - the podcast, anD myself.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Perhaps I start by acknowledging the elephant in the room that is what the world needs right now more than anything else is yet another podcast.
I think it does and the reason I've brought this one into the world is because, having met lots of them, I think that beer people and the community all around beer are fantastic.
and quite simply in life and in beer we would have a very empty glass were it not for the beer people.
who do I mean when I say beer people?
Well, it's the long line of people involved in ensuring we can all enjoy beer. That’s Everyone, from:
farmers
brewers
engineers
back office staff
pacakaging experts
can art designers
sales team
buyers
Dray drivers and distributors
Publicans
Taproom and bottle shop owners
Bar staff
Beer origanisations
Beer writers
Home brewers
Home brew shops
Festival organisers
Right down to the people enjoying a beer like you and me
It's everyone there and everyone in between. They're all beer people.
So I thought, wouldn't it be interesting to speak to some of these people, shine a spotlight on them and their perspective and experiences and find out more about beer people.
ABOUT the podcast host
So that's what the podcast is all About, and I should now introduce myself.
Hello, I'm Rob and my pronouns are he/him. I'm from the Reading area of the UK and, if you haven't gathered already, I like beer.
And People know this about me and so it's not unheard of for me to receive lots of beer socks for Christmas - but I'm not complaining.
I like a hop forward beer, but I have a big place in my heart for a perfectly balanced lager or a bitter. I strongly believe there's a beer for every occasion and there's a joy in discovering those moments.
Beer is of its time and of its place and of its people - it reflects all of them. It also reflects where we are and who we're with at the time - it says so much about our history and our present and where we're heading to. I think that's something we see when we start speaking with the beer people.
I'm also a homebrewer of several years. I started out baking bread and had an epiphany moment when I discovered that I was using flour water salt and yeast and ending up with bread. I could just do a few more steps and end up with beer. Beer that I'd made and contained alcohol!
I've brewed for several years beginning with demijohns and using pans on a stove top with my fair share of diacetyl-heavy beers and bottle bombs.
But one thing that helped me was joining my local homebrew club - shout out to Reading Amateur Brewers - it's a great community and I've learned so much from fellow homebrewers.
Homebrewing is great and there are so many different variable s that you can play around with to make a beer that's just to your tastes. Want to do a traditional pilsner with citrussy hops, you can do it? Want to add basil to your black IPA, knock yourself out. Whilst it might not always work out can share and compare it with others and when you do nail it there's not much greater satisfaction.
When I'm not brewing I've worked in communications and social media, recently in the beer industry. I really enjoy meeting different people inside and outside of the business, finding out about them and the role they play.
So I guess that's where this podcast came in - I thought I could do something that interests me, meet some amazing beer people, and I can use my comms skills and experience.
The last thing I want to say is why I've called this We Are Beer People. And that's because I want this to be a unifying and positive community of people involved in beer.
In society and within the beer sector, we are often caught up in politics and tribalism - but it's easy to forget that at the end of the day we are all the same, we are human beings we work with and enjoy beer.
We have much in common and much we can learn from each other.
At the end of the day