Posted in Interviews | No comments

Everyone knows Brewdog, the Scottish brewer that in a few years come into the limelight of the international brewing scene, becoming one of the best known brands in the circle thanks to an aggressive communication strategy and innovative productions. Perhaps not everyone knows that a small slice of the incredible success of Brewdog is due to a young Italian, Matteo Milan, who until a few months ago worked in a permanent position at the Scottish plant. After this experience, lasted a year and a half, now Matteo is back in Italy to become part of the staff of Birrificio del Ducato. I asked him some questions about his Scot adventure, trying to discover the secrets of Brewdog from an insider.

Hi Matteo. To get started tell us something about yourself, what has been your training and how you ended up working for Brewdog.

My approach to beer, and the subsequent falling in love, takes place during my university studies, which ended with a degree in Food Science and Technology at the University of Udine. Upon graduation I had the opportunity to start a collaboration with Prof. Buiatti, who teaches a course of Beer Technology at the same university; collaboration that is then subsequently turned into a PhD.

Over time, however, I realized that I felt more comfortable brewing and working at the pilot plant rather than spend my days in the lab working and researching. Furthermore, the idea of a work experience abroad has always appealed to me. I must be honest, when I replied to the announcement I found on the internet, in which it was written that Brewdog was looking for a brewer, my hopes of an answer was scarce. But it went in a different manner and after a series of telephone conversations, I decided to end my college experience and dedicate myself to my new life as a brewer in Scotland.

Which were your tasks at Brewdog? How do you rate your experience?

Despite my experience as a brewer was only related to the pilot plant at the university, I was hired to perform that role – of course after a period of probation and coaching on the field. Despite volumes Brewdog is a craftsmanship reality, and, as for every craft brewer, tasks cover the whole production process. I worked on so many aspects of the production, from raw materials receiving to wort production, quality and fermentation control and final packaging in bottle, keg or cask. In addition to all these issues I have dealt more specifically to a project concerning the bottle re-fermentation, which prior to my arrival was never experienced; this project has found application in the Zephir and Atlantic IPA and will serve as a basis for future productions.

It was a very good experience, which allowed me to grow both from the professional and the human point of view. Working in a fast growing brewery like Brewdog allows to deepen not only the technical and technological process but also to deal with structural problems and important market issues. This is especially true when you consider that the comparison and exchange of views at all levels have been steady and continuous, creating a large involvement of all the staff in the project. An additional chance for professional growth certainly came from collaborations with international brewers such as those with Mikkeller for Devine Rebel and Stone for Bashah.

From the outside it seems that at Brewdog are all crazy and that is all about fun. Of course there’s also hard work. However, do you confirm that the whole atmosphere is easygoing or is it just appearance?

As I said before, albeit Brewdog is a craft brewer, is a reality that works on large volumes, which exports to many continental countries, with a label distributed nationally by several retailers. To cope with this kind of situation sometimes you are forced to intense and sometimes stressful work shifts. The fun, the jokes, the ability to defuse, the complicity, allow to survive these stresses and to establish and cement beautiful friendships while keeping intact the passion and love for the work. I conclude by confirming that is a carefree environment – just consider that I, with my 30 years, I was one of the oldest of the group! But the success of Brewdog is deep-rooted in passion, enthusiasm and professionalism.

No secret that one of the flagships of Brewdog is aggressive marketing. Nevertheless, I think the brewery also produces wonderful beers. Lately, however, sensationalism seems to have become dominant, leaving in the background the beer itself (How to Disappear Completely, Nanny State, Nuclear Penguin, the Abstrakt project). What do you think about it?

Obviously there is an important marketing component, and judging from the results, even successful, but on the other hand, as pointed out by you, there is also a backbone made of less extreme beer, whose quality is recognized worldwide. In one of the first meetings I had, not only with Martin and James, but also with the rest of the staff, one of the phrases that I remember and I like most is “we brew beers we’d like to drink and like to brew” and I can confirm that is true. Sometimes, even if the result is unknown, you have fun trying something alternative, unexplored. The only (so far!) How to Disappear Completely batch was produced during my shift and although it is not a beer that meets my taste, I can’t deny that this was, for its innovation, one of most “fun” and interesting batch I’ve ever brew.

A new revised and corrected version of Nanny State is going to be brewed, and although it is stylistically a beer that does not meet my favour, I say “why not?”If the guys believe in this product it’s right to try to improve it. The market will say whether or not they hit their target. A philosophy like this exposes you to criticism and risks, obviously avoided by those who proposes always the same products. Mind that mine is not an accusation or a criticism of the latter, it is just a different way of hitting the market.

What are the main differences you felt between working in a Scottish brewery and operate in the Italian brewing scene?

Unfortunately, the time passed since my return is not yet sufficient to answer this question correctly. It’s only a month that I’m comparing with the Italian industry against over a year spent in Scotland. At first impression, beyond the differences of the market, consumption, quality and type of raw material, more or less bureaucratic streamlining, it seems that here in Italy there is less cooperation and fewer confrontation among microbreweries. This is, however, a first impression that I hope will be denied since I consider the exchange of views and the comparison between brewers an important opportunity for growth.

Finally, a purely personal question: which are the Brewdog and Ducato beers you prefer?

My favorite is undoubtedly the Brewdog Atlantic IPA. Second place is certainly for the Punk IPA. Third step for Zeitgeist, Hardcore IPA and Dogma equal. As for the Ducato I particularly like AFO, but I also love the Verdi Imperial Stout, the Via Emilia and the New Morning.