This edition of our Club Hops subscription, we chatted to James Isacsson, founder & head brewer at AVNGE!
James’ wife, Steph, is to thank for setting him down the brewing path by introducing him to an array of incredible breweries during visits to her hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area. This planted the seed for James to try his hand at the craft and lucky for us he did.
His approach to brewing is fueled by a passion for all steps of the process, from recipe inception right through to when his beers are poured from the taps. While currently brewing out of Killer Sprocket in Bayswater (VIC), keep your eyes and ears peeled for news of their own venue in the future!
Do you have a brewing mentor?
Sean from Killer Sprocket.
Which of your beers are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the Hella Dank! Double IPA.
Tell us a little about your label designs!
I create all my own labels including artwork, some of my art work has been inspired by time spent in the United States with my Wife. We try and keep a consistent theme with each label design as people love our Hop Characters!
What do you drink when you're not drinking beer?
Coffee.
Where do you source your hops from?
I source my hops via Ellerslie’s HPA and Bintani pending on what is available to spot buy.
What's the biggest mistake a brewer can make in terms of hopping beer?
Not Dry Hopping enough!
What’s your favourite hoppy beer of all time?
Pernacious Weed - Garage Project
Do you have a loyalty to either the West Coast or East Coast style of hoppy beer?
Seeing that my Wife is Californian I don’t need to elaborate why the West Coast is the best Coast.
Image: James Isacsson. @avngebrewing
