Tasting Paddle: Big moves on the WA beer scene

Welcome to The Sip’s new and soon-to-be regular round-up of beer moves.

BACK TO THE OTHERSIDE

One of WA’s emerging breweries has recruited one of the country’s wisest beer minds – but he won’t be working the kettles or the fermenters.

The Southern Hemisphere’s first Advanced Cicerone, Matt Marinich, is back home to be a key player in the continued growth of Otherside Brewing Co.

Marinich’s previous role was a venue manager of Stomping Ground brewpub in Melbourne. The Collingwood operation is viewed as one of the nation’s most popular beer establishments.

However, Marinich, pictured below, honed his talents in WA with the Print Hall and The Monk before heading east in July 2016 in time for the opening of Stomping Ground, the joint venture between Guy Greenstone, Steve Jeffares and Justin Joiner.

Marinich’s new title is group venue manager for Otherside, meaning he will be keeping a keen eye over the business’ brewpub in Myaree and the company's new entertainment venue at the old Fly By Night club in Fremantle.

Earlier this year Marinich travelled to the US to sit and pass the Advanced Cicerone course, the third level of the beer accreditation system.

SETTING SAIL AT GAGE ROADS

WA's biggest brewing operation has bid farewell to two key figures in its sharp sales rise over the past two years.

National Sales and Marketing Manager Scott Player and WA/SA/Northern Territory Sales Manager Steve Finney departed Gage Roads in December.

Their exits follow the decision of Gage Roads to rebrand its sales arm as Good Drinks and to headquarter the operation in the Eastern States in an attempt to seek more growth in NSW and Victoria.

Player, who joined Gage Roads from Matso’s (which was later acquired by the Palmyra operation) was a key member of the team that won the beer supply contract for Optus Stadium. Gage Roads sold 1 million litres of beer at the facility in 2018.

Finney has moved a few kilometres down Leach Highway to join the Otherside team.

ROCKY RIDGE GETS A LITTLE CHEEKY

Seasoned brewer Ross Terlick helped Cheeky Monkey source new equipment for its new brewhouse being constructed in Vasse.

And then he decided he need a change in career direction and has moved a little further up the road from Wilyabrup to join Rocky Ridge at Jindong.

Terlick was the brains behind some of Cheeky Monkey’s best-selling brews, including the Perth Royal Beer Show champion Lager (4.6%) and gold-medal winning West Coast IPA (6.5%).

Meanwhile, expect a new look to Cheeky Monkey in the next few weeks with a rebranding set to coincide with the first beers to come out of the new Vasse brewhouse.

FROM THE MALT RUMOUR MILL

The growing preference for cans among craft beer consumers could persuade one of WA’s most prominent breweries to switch packaging for one of its core retail range.

Let’s just say it would be a biggie shift for the popular juice. But this team has had recent success at changing the vessel for some of its other brews in recent times.

Stay tuned!