Fresh off Esker Beer Co’s wins of Champion Beer, Best NSW Beer or Cider, and Champion Fruit or Sour at the Sydney Royal Beer and Cider Awards, Senior Brewer Charlie Claridge sat down with Beer & Brewer to discuss how his diverse experience benefits his brewing, launching Esker, and sharing skills with new brewers.
After studying industrial chemistry in university, Claridge started a research position with Dulux Paints, before transitioning to a marketing role. Eventually finding marketing to be a poor fit, his career change into brewing was a way to return to his love for science.
“I was a home brewer at the time. I had put together a little mash brew setup and after a few brews turning out pretty poorly it seemed as good a thing as any to learn something more about. This led to enrolling in the Grad Certificate at Fed Uni. I had never really intended for the study to result in a brewing career but on a rainy day I applied for a job at Australian Brewery on a whim and it all went from there,” he said.
This wide range of professional experience has set Claridge up well in his brewing career.
“I think that my training in chemistry is one big thing that really helps give me a great understanding of the process and how changes might benefit what we’re trying to do. I also feel like I have a pretty calm demeanour and when things go wrong in the brewery, as they always do, you just need to think through it, not panic, and find the best solution,” he said.
“I also feel like I have a pretty wide range of experience between my study, working in research and development, marketing and sales and this helps a lot in solving the various problems that arise in the brewery.”
A new direction
Since starting at Australian Brewery in 2016, Claridge’s biggest achievement has been the launch of Esker Beer Co in 2022, which he and Head Brewer Dan Shaw envisioned as a more local direction for the Australian Brewery brand.
“With a small team, we went from that idea all the way through the development process, including a couple of false starts, to getting beer into the market. It took over 12 months but having created it from scratch and feeling like the end result was a representation of the values and ideas we have about brewing, gave us all a huge sense of achievement and investment in the beers and brand. I should pay credit to Zendoke and Jarrod Fuller, the graphic designer who did a truly brilliant job to pull all our ideas and ramblings into a cohesive result.
“We put a lot of time and thought into it, so when the beers get some recognition like the Citrus Gose winning Champion Beer at the Sydney Royals the other week it is a great validation for the team in the work we’ve put in,” he said.
In the two years since the Esker brand was launched, Claridge has succeeded in creating a welcoming workplace that focuses on constantly improving its beer.
“I think we’ve managed to make it a really enjoyable place to work by not taking ourselves too seriously. It is just beer after all. We’ve had pretty low turnover in the team and everyone has developed a really good understanding of what we do in terms of brewing process and why we do it that way, and that keeps the quality high. We often talk about improving the beers one per cent at a time. We feel like our base process is good, but we’re always looking for new ways to improve,” he said.
“On the recipe side I think we manage to always have a clear purpose, and not overcomplicate things. A well-respected brewer once said to me that they know if they have a beer from the Australian Brewery that it will be well made and it will make sense. That was a great compliment because it is definitely what we are going for.”
Growing the industry
For Claridge, the ethos held by industry members has been a particular boon during his career.
“The brewing industry seems to pull in people who have the right sort of idea about what’s important in life, and I’ve been lucky to meet some of these great people and now call them friends,” he said.
He also has a strong appreciation for the diversity of products and venues across the country.
“We are making such a great variety of beer, and in making the venue part of the experience there is always something new to discover. An example is when I went over to WA and stopped in at BeerFarm. It is a great venue in a great location and what could be better than sitting there in the sunshine drinking a few pints, with my two-year-old crashing down the waterslide into the duck pond,” he said.
Now, Claridge is at the point in his career to share information with new industry entrants, the importance of which was instilled in him by his brewing mentors.
“Neal Cameron, who gave me the job at Australian Brewery, was really big on making sure that you can ‘explain why’ at all times. That is something I really took on board in the beginning and try to pass on to new brewers.
“An important part of that is being available to help them understand each little step in the brewery and how it relates to the bigger picture of making a great beer. I feel like with my background in chemistry and engineering I can really help explain some of these concepts to new brewers and that is what I try to do, and also to keep the time available to do that for them and me in a busy brewing schedule,” he said.
Looking to the future, Claridge plans to focus on building the Esker brand.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved with Esker so far at the Australian Brewery. I’m excited to make the beers as great as they can be and help the brand reach its full potential, that’s my focus for the next little while.”
