Ed Bott is the CEO of BrewDog APAC – rolling out craft hospitality breweries across Brisbane in a bid to make it a premium beer destination. He spent close to a decade working in the beer industry in Germany before he returned to Australia to help roll out the BrewDog brand nationally.
Bott spoke to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
Brisbane. I love Brisbane for its unpretentiousness and relaxed attitude. It’s one of the most easy-going major cities imaginable.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
I’m a full-blown pasta nerd. My wife and had one of our most memorable meals together, at a tiny little Trattoria in Bologna a few years ago. A gorgeous tortellini brodo (broth) with chili and basil oil caviar. Ridiculously good. I still think about the food in Bologna a lot.
FAVOURITE BAR
It’s hard for me to go past my favourite beer, in my favourite BrewDog bar. Jack Hammer, a 7.2% bitter but perfectly balanced West Coast IPA, in BrewDog Berlin Mitte. It’s one of my favourite bars for the many great memories and evenings I spent there, talking about beer with colleagues and craft beer friends. I love wandering around Berlin Mitte (the area) as well.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
Riesling. Dry and relatively straight forward, but enough of a kick to ensure it’s not all business.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
Sauna and alcohol-free beer (low carb, low sugar, decent level of nutrients and a little placebo pick-me-up as well).
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
I’m naturally biased, but BrewDog Pentridge (Melbourne), our taproom within the old Pentridge Prison Infirmary (if the walls could talk), is genuinely a brilliant bar to enjoy a great beer, in a heritage building with a weighty history.
OVERSEAS BAR
BrewDog DogTap Berlin. Disneyland for beer drinkers in one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
FAVOURITE WINE
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat. I grew-up near Rutherglen and was introduced to the regional fortified wines at a relatively early age. In my 40’s I now realise just how brilliant the Rutherglen Muscat and Tokay fortified wines are, and love to share a small glass of Rutherglen Muscat with guests after dinner.
FAVOURITE WINERY
I’m biased towards the Rutherglen region, in northeast Victoria, but I do feel the wineries are a hidden gem in the Australian wine scene. I particularly love Campbells for their brilliant (and historic) wines. For wow factor, you can’t go past the beautiful setting of All Saints. For food and wine, Lake Moodermere Estate is hard to beat.
You’ve worked with many brands in your career – what makes BrewDog a different challenge for you?
I love BrewDog for the amount of freedom we’re given to build the brand, especially in Australia. We’re genuinely a local team with the freedom to brew what we want (what we love) and build our own Aussie BrewDog business. The sheer variety of daily tasks and the feeling of building something we all love, together, is ceaselessly motivating.
You worked with Adidas and Paramount Pictures in the past – some career highlights?
Both were brilliant companies to work for. Whilst at Paramount, I managed to convince the UK business to release The Castle on DVD for the first time in the UK. I’m fairly certain the only people who bought the DVD were homesick Aussies.
What is the future of craft beer?
Although there’s plenty of people happy to claim, “craft beer is on it’s way out”, I genuinely believe the reasons craft beer started and boomed, remain just as relevant today as they did at the beginning. Great beer combined with variety and creativity, will never go out of fashion. I feel Sydney remains the capital of craft beer in Australia, with some of the best breweries and taprooms anywhere in the southern hemisphere.
How is the Brisbane appetite for craft beer different to other major cities in Australia?
Brisbane has such a strong craft beer scene. I’d say the main difference in Brisbane is the strength of mid-strength beer, especially lager. Given the climate, the locals love to reach for a 3.5% or 4% lager, preferencing refreshment over all else.
Favourite Beer Right Now
I’m increasingly drinking alcohol-free beer these days. Right now, I absolutely adore our BrewDog Cervera Especial (Alcohol-Free Lager). Genuinely drinks like a brilliant 3.5 – 4% alcohol Cerveza. It’s difficult to explain how challenging it is, to create an alcohol-free lager that drinks just like a mid-strength lager!
