Cheers with Nat

Today's guest is Becky Kean, Co-Founder & Director of Nirvana Brewery, a London-based brewery that specializes in alcohol free beer. You'll hear how Becky first discovered beer, how a road trip to Germany with her brother helped her get her start in the beer business, and what her day to day with Nirvana looks like now. We also talk about the no and low alcohol space and how it's grown, some of th...

Today's guest is Alex White, Brewer at London Fields Brewery. Before Alex started brewing beer, she used to sell it, working as a sales rep for Carlsberg's House of Beers. But before all that… she was a chef! From her time as a chef, to beer sales, then brewing, you'll hear about Alex's experiences in each role and her grand plan for what she aims to do with the knowledge she's gained along the wa...

Today's guest is Jackie Moody-McNamara, coach, mentor and consultant at Turn the Key. Jackie, quite literally, grew up in pubs, as both of her parents ran pubs when she was younger. She tells us how she progressed from pub relief manager, to trainer, to Director of Operations for Punch Taverns, overseeing an estate of 500 pubs. We talk about what she learned along the way, and how that's informed...

Today's guest is Jo Dring, Senior PR Manager at Heineken UK. Jo lets us in on the day-to-day of her role, the best bits of the job, and some of her favourite campaigns that she's run over the years. Then we talk through her decade-plus career in beer, from getting her start at Wells & Young's, to working for Carlsberg both in the UK and abroad, and then to her current role at Heineken. She also te...

Today's guest is Claire Bullen, beer writer, cookbook author, and Editor in Chief of Good Beer Hunting. We start by talking about Claire's newest role as Editor in Chief of Good Beer Hunting, how being a writer for the site helped prepare her for the role, and the best bit of the job so far. We also discuss her award-winning cookbook, The Beer Lover's Table , her favorite recipe from the book, and...

Today's guest is Natalie Davie, Transformation Manager at Camden Town Brewery. Natalie tells us what a Transformation Manager does, how she got the job, and why it's the perfect role for her.   We also talk about what it was  really  like to be on her side of the business when Camden Town Brewery was acquired by AB InBev in 2015. Finally, Natalie shares her experience of navigating the beer indust...

Today's guest is Gabe Barry, Education Manager of Europe for Brooklyn Brewery. Gabe lets us in on some of the many different things she gets up to as a beer educator, along with her unique approach to education, and her favourite beery topic to teach. We also talk about her recent relocation from New York to Paris, how those beer scenes differ, and what excites her about being on this side of the...

Today's guest is Megan Stone, brewer and social media consultant. Although she's currently based in San Diego, California, Megan was recently in the UK for a three-week brewing residency with Laine Brew Co in Brighton to help them launch their new diversity in beer apprenticeship . Megan talks us through her career in beer to date, from her earliest brewing internship, to her most recent brewing r...

Today's guest is Cara Simpson, Sensory Trainer at Cara Technology. Cara talks us through what it means to be a sensory trainer and what her day-to-day in the role looks like. We also discuss why she and the business she works for share a name, what it was like to spend 6 weeks on a brewing internship in North Carolina, and of course, what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industry.

Today's guest is Natasha Wolf, London Sales Manager for Manchester's Beatnikz Republic Brewing Co. Natasha talks us through her career in beer to date,  what interested her in sales, and how each of her previous roles has helped provide her with the skills she needs for the job she's in today. We also talk about how she got into beer in the first place, how she's welcoming other women into beer as...

Today's guest is Miranda Hudson, co-founder of Duration Brewing . A few years ago, Miranda and her husband and co-founder, Derek Bates, set out to build their dream brewery. She talks us through her role in building Duration's brand, business, and the brewery itself. Miranda and I recorded this episode at the London Craft Beer Festival as she was invited down by Jane Barnes from Mothership Brewing...

Today's guest is Amber Dernulc, Procurement Manager at Jolly Good Beer. Amber tells me all about her role and the skills it requires, how she got into beer distribution in the first place, and how her previous experience in theatre and film production proved surprisingly helpful to what she does today. We also have a bit of real talk towards the end of our chat as Amber lets us in on some of her c...

Today's guest is Lily Waite, Founder of The Queer Brewing Project . As you'll hear, Lily wears a lot of hats – she's an artist, activist, beer writer and photographer, and with her newest project, a brewer! Lily tells us how The Queer Brewing Project got started, what her day-to-day looks like now, both with the Project and outside of it, what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industr...

Today's guest is Ellie Walsh, General Manager at BrewDog Canary Wharf. Ellie tells us what it takes to run a bar, how her uni studies in film making are surprisingly relevant to her role today, what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industry, and a whole lot more. Here she is…

Today's guest is Louisa Ziane, Global Brand and Sustainability Director for Toast Ale . You'll hear all about how Louisa helped get Toast off the ground and how her varied background – from  law and accounting, to consulting and digital marketing – made her the perfect person for the job. Louisa also tells us about Toast's mission and why it's so important to her and, of course, what she enjoys mo...

Today's guest is Lucy Do, owner of The Dodo micropub in Hanwell, west London. Lucy tells us what micropub is, what inspired her to open one, how she made it happen, and what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industry. Here she is…

Today's guest is Annabel Smith, a self-described professional beer taster. Annabel is an  award-winning Beer Sommelier  and offers tastings, trainings, and consultancy through her own business, BeerBelle. You'll hear about how Annabel discovered her love for beer, her journey from pub landlady to professional beer taster, and what she enjoys most about being a part of the beer industry. Here she i...

Today's guest is Francesca Slattery, Overseas Manager for The Five Points Brewing Company. Francesca has been a part of the Five Points team since 2016. She got her start at the brewery here in London, but when her personal circumstances changed and she relocated to Dublin... she brought the job with her! For anyone wanting to know how to break into the beer industry, this is the episode for you....

Today's guest is Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, a role she's held for the past 10 years.  We talk about the many different aspects of Brigid's role, her previous work experience and how she got to the role she's in today, the accomplishment she's most proud of, and a whole lot more. I will note that as Brigid represents many member breweries on behalf of th...

Today's guest is Anouk Lagae, President Core Europe for Duvel Moortgat  - an independent, family-run Belgian brewery - a role she's held for the past two years, after being promoted from her previous role as Chief Marketing Officer. After graduating with a degree in business engineering, Anouk held marketing and management roles at Unilever and Coca-Cola, the latter of which saw her travel the wor...

Today's guest is Nanna Guldbaek, Art Director for Norwegian brewery Lervig . Although Nanna just gradated from her Industrial Design program in Denmark last year, she didn't wait until she finished university to get to work – balancing projects for uni while producing beer labels for Lervig. Nanna's been working with Lervig for two years now, initially as a designer, then transitioning to her curr...

In a Beer with Nat first, this week includes a bonus episode! Lotte Peplow, who you heard from in Episode #008, is so passionate about beer and food pairing, she invited me to her home and prepared three different pairings for us to share... so we could eventually share them with you, as well. Lotte talks us through each dish – a starter, main, and dessert – and explains why each recipe works well...

Today's guest is Lotte Peplow, UK representative for the United States Brewers Association , the trade body for small and independent craft brewers in the States. After graduating from uni, Lotte got her start in PR, working at several different agencies and representing various breweries and beer brands over the years, before deciding to set up her own PR business, Peplow PR. Back in 2006, one of...

Today's guest is Jane Peyton, an award-winning drinks educator, author, speaker, broadcaster, and tour guide who runs her own business – the School of Booze – which she founded back in 2008 to offer training, consultancy, and corporate events. Jane tells us what she was doing before she started the School of Booze and how a Venn diagram helped her to discover her perfect career path after she left...

Today's guest is Ree Scales, People and Development Manager for Mother Kelly's , an independent group of pubs, bars, and bottle shops based here in London. Back in 2015, Ree and I used to work together behind the bar at Mother Kelly's in Bethnal Green , an East London beer institution. She started there in April that year, just a year after Mother Kelly's opened, and has since worked her way up to...