Employees

John Preston Hobbles around Albert Park Lake or the Tan around 3 times a week Favourite Beer Styles to drink and all too rarely make – currently Flanders Red, big Stouts, US IPA On Board of ANHC BJCP Judge Likes to read History and Fiction Enjoys cooking especially with Wood Fired Oven Tigers tragic Stuck in a timewarp listening to 1970’s New Wave/Post Punk/Electronic music and 50’s and 60’s US Jazz
Chris Schaefer Favorite Beers at the moment Rodenbach, Liefmann's and IPAs BJCP Judge 2IC, Head brewer and Chief Troubleshooter with G&G Prefer reading technical info rather than novels Bake lots of bread at home Coffee roaster and drinker Tinker with food and cooking including kefir and pickles Enjoying being dad, have a 5yo son Like playing with computer programming Go overboard with getting measurements right, I have spreadsheets for: brewing, hydration of bread dough, cooking rice, making coffee, and more
Steve Volkman Brew on a 3 vessel system - currently building a HERMS Favourite beer Rodenback Grand Cru or anything from Cantillon Brewing a lot of sour mash & Brett beers, hiding them away so I won't be tempted to drink them too early. Favourite hop: Gotta love Citra Favourite malt: Acidulated Favourite yeast: Wyeast Belgian Saison Other interests: Seem to have been renovating non stop for the last 3 years Occasionally get out on the mountain bike.
Ben Soulsby Punk rocker turned homebrew dad, it's all about the DIY man! Most likely brewing something ridiculous or experimenting with an offbeat idea or concept. Favourite beers: Couldn't play favourites, though I've never been able to go past an ESB on a beer list Favourite malt: Weyermann or Best Munich. It just boosts everything, gives it legs. Favourite Yeast: 1968, London ESB Favourite Hops: EKG, Tettnang and Citra, for completely different reasons Best advice: Even when everything goes wrong, you still end up with beer! Second best advice: But if you don't clean and sanitise everything properly you only have yourself to blame
Matt Collinson Enjoys cooking, Thai and Indian cuisine would have to be a couple of favourites. Enjoys playing golf when spare time is available. Current favourite beer styles : IPA’s, Bocks, enjoying malty beers right now. Always keen to try different styles from around the world. Started brewing in 2010 with a coopers European Lager kit, 2 years on become a BIAB brewer and currently Having fun building a three tier brewing system to eventually become a HERMS system. Three Favourite malts : Simpsons, Dingemans Biscuit, Beechwood Three Favourite hops : Citra, Ella & Fuggle
Paul Rigby • Ex Cartographer and passionate home brewer. • Occasional wine and mead maker. • A distiller when time permits. • Maker of salami and dried/preserved meats. • Seasonal maker of tomato sauces and pastes. • BJCP Judge. • Conducts regular brewing workshops. • Member and past president of Westgate Brewers Club. • Loves all beer styles but has a soft spot for British Ales. • Enjoys making/tinkering/modifying brewing equipment. • Web, admin, packaging and a bit of retail
Simon Haylock Qualified and experienced brewer (Red Hill Brewery, Matilda Bay and home brewed since 1987) Now part time brewing consultant to new craft breweries Braumeister evangelist ! Love Belgian, sour and very hoppy beers Sent my Son for a high school exchange trip to Bavaria and he’s decided to stay in beer mecca - lucky him! Into XC skating and telemark skiing, landrovers, coffee roasting, lever coffee machines and anything that requires tinkering Favourite beers: Cantillon Gueuze and any hoppy IPA! Favourite malt: Weyermann Dark Munich! Favourite Yeast: Wyeast French Saison Favourite Hops: Mosaic Best advice: Relax and just press the Braumeister button!
Oscar Casley Beer and beer enthusiast. Loves to have a beer while drinking a beer, and definitely loves to have a beer while making a beer. Favourite drink: Beer. Favourite beers: Schlenkerla Rauchbier (any of the varieties), Timmy T's Landlord (Classic), Boatrocker Ramjet (oof) and give me an Epic Hop Zombie any day of the week. Favourite brewed recipe: The 'Burnt Toast and Jam': a peated, raspberried, darkish ale with lots of Chinook. My pride and joy and one of the only beers I brew over and over again. Worst homebrewing experience: Double Decoction Dunkel which turned into more of a quadruple decoction. Never again. You can actually see a video of the brew day on my silly little homebrew blog here. Other interests: I play in a couple of bands, do a bit of drawing and enjoy eating. Oh, did I mention beer?
Sam Poolton -Brews with three others on a three tier gravity all grain system. -Studying Electrical Engineering. -Somewhat madly in love with anything produced by Firestone Walker brewery. -Started brewing in 2002 with a highly infected Bavarian lager kit. -Favorite pub is the Union hotel in West Brunswick. -Grew up in Ocean Grove and moved to Melbourne in 2008.
Geoff Hammond Avid home brewer and maker of cider and mead. Compulsive tinkerer and fettler of things electrical, mechanical and electronic(al). Hand-makes soap for family, friends and neighbours. Single-vessel brewing evangelist. Conducts the hugely popular Grain and Grape BIAB demos, often with brew-buddy Dan. Enjoys living Off-Grid in Victoria's Central Highlands. Remains unable to derive an income from his 200-tree olive grove. Favourite malt: Simpson's. Favourite hop: Cascade. Favourite tool: Chainsaw.
Tom Davis • I've been home brewing and making cider since 2007 • Best thing about working at Grain & Grape is being able to help customers brew great beer and learning new things from other brewers • Started out with Coopers cans, got bitten by the bug, and now I brew on a 3v HERMS system • Being a Westcountry boy from Devon in the UK, I think that real ales and traditional ciders may actually be part of my genetic make-up • I've been known to doodle the occasional cartoon • Favourite beer styles: Right now it's a dead-heat between Rauchbier, US IPA and ESB. • Favourite yeast: I'm a real sucker for Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley • Favourite Muppet: Beaker • My mantra: Clean well, then clean some more, sanitise properly, brew, share, enjoy, repeat.
Tom Yeung -The baby around G&G, and the G&G ‘packaging boy.' -Part-timer on the Saturday rush. -If it’s packaged, I probably did it. -Looking to move out, might need to borrow dad’s pico brew zymatic though! -Favourite malt: Simpsons. -Favourite hop: Galaxy & fuggles -Best advice [about working at GNG]: Tom, don’t try it. It doesn’t work, we’ve all tried it. Paul Rigby -Daily advice [about working at GnG]: Tom, don’t try it. It doesn’t work, we’ve all tried it. Paul Rigby -Everything is better with a beer!
Joel Ellis - Once worked as a freelance editor and producer, creating content for community television and the corporate sector. Now I brew beer. - A home brewer since 2008, currently brews on a 50 litre Braumeister system. - Loves to drink, brew and talk about sour beers, wild ales and anything hoppy. - Favourite stuff to brew with: botanicals, oak, fruit and wild yeast. - Favourite malt: Really digging anything by Gladfield at the moment. - Favourite comment people make about the house when I'm brewing: What’s that stink!” - Best advice: If using non traditional ingredients for the first time, moderation is the key (then throw some Brett in it.)
Brendan O'Sullivan -Occasional part timer with G&G since 2006 -Hosts the 3-tier Gravity/Braumeister demo -Enthusiastic homebrewer and beer evangelist -Completed a Diploma of Brewing in 2010 at ECU -Loves helping people brew better beer -Head brewer at Three Ravens -National level BJCP beer judge -Amateur coffee roaster and cheesemaker -Passionate about beer pairing with food (and vice versa) -Favourite things to put in beer: salt, hops, wild yeast, more hops, bacteria and peated malt -Can't stop using: Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe <3
Peter Lowndes Interests- There is more to life than beer alone, but beer makes these other interests even better Favourite drink-Lageritta Favourite film-El Topo Favourite book-the Oxford Companion to Beer Favourite band-Beasts of Bourbon (circa The Low Road) Favourite philosopher-Paul Rigby Favourite sanitiser-Defender. I always like to take a little with me on my travels. Career Highlights- defeating cousin Craig Lowndes in a downhill billy-cart race when I was 12.* Career Lowlights-Craig Lowndes; and all his achievements since that day he comprehensively had his arse whipped. A little piece inside me dies every time he graces the podium. Homebrewing Epiphany-when I stopped using airlocks on fermenters. Airlocks-what are they really good for? Absolutely nothing. Never have I felt so liberated as when I abandoned these jiggery-pokery devices. Chill or no-chill? I say chill motherf***er!