5 minutes with Scott from Mash Brewing

May 2, 2017

This edition of 5 minutes with … features Scott Earley, brand ambassador for . Like many people in the beer world, Scott is passionate about great beer and also happens to be a downright great guy too. Scott has been at Mash during a time of a lot of change including a full re-brand and the introduction of cans, both of which he played very significant roles in, not to mention the celebration of Mash’s 10th anniversary.

Scott has been hitting the books and recently sat the Certified Cicerone exam, the results of which are still unknown, and will continue to learn and study and he’s keen to help others learn about beer too. That’s why he is teaming up with the Belgian Beer Cafe in Perth’s CBD to present .

He’ll be covering six topics, one per month held on the first Wednesday of the month, you can sign up for one or two or all of them!

Before you join Scott at School of Beer, you can get to know him a little better here where he talks about changing the way his mates drink, the growth of craft and what he loves about his job.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about craft beer?

I think the most common misconception about craft beer is that it is just beer.  It’s not just a beer it’s a drink, it’s a luxury, it’s a lifestyle, it’s sustenance, it’s massively varied, it’s food, it’s a status symbol, it’s heavily ingrained into our history as human beings and most of all it’s just plain freaking gloriously delicious when done right!  I feel that all beer is tarred with the same brush by so many and it has copped a bad rap over the many years due to unscrupulous large corporations and ridiculous tax laws that have strangled the life of beer over the years and left us with the conception that beer is a light fizzy yellow drink that is good for blokes to get pissed on and cause all of society’s problems.

I think the best thing about my job is I feel like part of an army of educators going out there and changing people’s minds!

You sort of get that Matrix kind of feeling when you start to see your mates bringing their own good beer to your parties rather the same old swill they have been drinking for years. It’s like “he’s starting to believe!”

What do you look for in a beer label / can design?

My opinion on label design is probably a little more skewed towards what’s ticking off the boxes from a marketing perspective rather than what looks cool.  I look at everyones designs and think, “yep, they get it” or “nope, sorry looks cool but your message is lost”.  It’s a tough gig trying to be individual out there at the moment. With so many people getting it right, it often feels like all your ideas are copying someone else’s work and you have to start again.

What has surprised you the most in your time at Mash Brewing?

I would say the growth of the industry in such a short time.  Not only is the demand going crazy but the amount of breweries popping up is bananas.  You sort of think “geez, I hope this demand keeps growing otherwise we are going to see a lot of cheap brewing equipment for sale in a few years.”

What is your favourite food and beer pairing?

I have been studying food and beer pairing for short while now and really I am not sure I have completely struck gold yet but a recent beer dinner saw a lot of the beer used in the actual food preparation and this really made a measurable difference to how the food was perceived and the what people thought of the actual taste while drinking and eating the same thing.

What is the most exciting thing about craft beer in WA right now?

Right now I think WA really seems to be kicking all sorts of arse.  We have some truly solid breweries pushing boundaries that I think would certainly give anything from the US or NZ a run for its money.  Though some stand out more than others there is little brewed in WA that is not quality.  The crew in the industry I get to work with and learn from in WA is also pretty rad.  I was only an outsider less than 18 months ago with ZERO industry experience and the amount of people who were more than happy to help me along was amazing.