Sydney Beer Week is about to kick off, and David sits down on the Hotel Sweeney’s rooftop with the man running it, Pete Anstey. Pete is the General Manager of Hotel Sweeney’s and Managing Director of Sydney Beer Week. He’s fresh off Oktoberfest in Munich, wearing lederhosen, and pouring fiestbiers on tap.

Pete explains how he and his partner Josh run a 10 day festival around full time jobs and young kids. They do it for the love of the industry, not to make money. They cover what’s on, why it’s built to include everyone, and why most events are free.

In this episode

• Pete’s Munich Oktoberfest trip and the Hofbräu fest beers on tap at Sweeney’s
• How Hotel Sweeney’s built its craft beer reputation, from a table of unknown bottles to a weekly tap takeover
• The Two Birds Taco keg record: 45 minutes
• How Sydney Beer Week came about
• The return of the Beer & Brewer Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement and Rising Star awards
• The Pro Am: home brewers compete, winners brew commercially with a partner brewery, and the public votes on the final beer
• The Beer Olympics (darts, can stacking and more) and the Sunday final with a $1,000 bar tab
• Pints & Plaits, a gluten-free Two Bays tap takeover, whiskey masterclasses and beer cocktails
• Why October is the sweet spot for a beer festival
• Why the Hotel Sweeney’s cellar capacity is four people

Timestamps

• 0:00 Welcome and meeting Pete Anstey
• 0:28 Oktoberfest, Munich and the Hofbräu beers
• 3:14 Hotel Sweeney’s rooftop and its craft beer history
• 5:39 The 45-minute keg record
• 6:28 How Sydney Beer Week started
• 8:41 The Beer & Brewer Awards
• 11:09 The Pro Am explained
• 14:26 Beer Olympics and 10 days of events
• 17:03 Pints & Plaits and the gluten-free activation
• 19:15 Whiskey and cocktails
• 20:43 Sydney as a beer destination and why October
• 23:00 The cellar capacity question
• 24:08 How to get involved (most events are free)

• Sydney Beer Week: https://sydneybeerweek.com.au/
• Hotel Sweeney’s: https://hotelsweeneys.com.au/

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

Weihenstephaner has been continuously brewing beer since 1040 — and David wants to know how you keep a brewery going for almost a thousand years.

In this bonus episode of Chat On Tap, David chats with Marcus, Vice President of Weihenstephaner, during his visit to Australia.

They talk about the brewery's monastery origins, the evolution of brewing, yeast, the German Purity Law, experimentation, Belgian beer collaborations and why the humble lager might be the ultimate test of a brewer.

Marcus also shares what he's enjoyed about Australia's beer scene and the Australian craft breweries he's visited.

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

Coopers Vintage Ale is made every year with one simple challenge: make the best beer the brewing team can make that year.

But what happens when you put five years of it side by side?

For this one I brought along an older vintage of myself… my dad. Together, we cracked open 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022 Coopers Vintage Ale for a proper vertical tasting.

Five vintages. Five different years. Five very different beers.

We taste through each vintage, compare how the beer has changed over time, and find out what happens when Vintage Ale gets a few years in the cellar.

Because that's the thing with Vintage Ale: Always Different. Never the Same.

And with the 2026 release, there's a new way to look at it: Ages Tastefully.

So which vintage came out on top? And does older really mean better?

Grab a beer, pull up a chair and join us for the tasting.

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

A month without beer? For three people who spend most of their time talking about pubs and craft beer, that was always going to be a challenge.

This week I'm joined by Dwayne from Build & Brew and Disco Dave as we reflect on taking on Dry July together as part of the Frothy Moco crew.

We chat about how our relationship with beer changed over the month, the hardest moments of giving up alcohol, the surprising quality of today's non alcoholic beers, and why sometimes it's never really about the beer, it's about what is happening around it.

Along the way we also dive into:

• How Dwayne got into homebrewing
• How Disco Dave became "Australia's Biggest Beer Fan"
• Dave's upcoming trip to Beervana
• The future of Frothy Moco and Movember
• The idea of brewing a charity beer

Whether you've completed Dry July, are curious about alcohol free beer, or simply enjoy a good conversation about pubs and community, this one's for you.

If you'd still like to support our Dry July fundraiser, the donation link is here:

https://www.dryjuly.com/teams/frothy-moe-co

🍺 Dwayne – @build_and_brew

🍺 Disco Dave - @discodavebeer

🍺 Frothy Moe Co Page - @frothymoeco

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

It is Dry July this month on Chat on Tap, we're putting the drinks aside for a cause that's become one of Australia's great fundraising success stories.

Adam Spencer is one of Australia's best known broadcasters, mathematicians, authors and comedians. But for nearly two decades, he's also been one of the driving forces behind Dry July.

What started with one text message has now helped raise more than $100 million for people affected by cancer.

Adam joins us to tell the story of how Dry July almost never happened, and why taking just one month off alcohol has become much bigger than simply giving up a drink.

In this episode:

• 📱 The text message that accidentally created Dry July
• 💰 How a $3,000 fundraising goal became a $100 million movement
• 🍺 What a month without alcohol teaches you about your relationship with drinking
• 🧠 Why rituals can be harder to break than the alcohol itself
• 🤖 Adam's thoughts on AI, education and the future of learning
• 🔢 Mind-blowing maths facts that'll completely change your perspective
• 🦢 A passionate detour into the Sydney Swans and why the club is so special

Along the way we discuss the famous "Golden Ticket", why Dry July has stood the test of time, and how a simple idea from three mates has gone on to support cancer patients and their families right around Australia.

Whether you're taking part in Dry July yourself, curious about your own drinking habits, or just enjoy a great conversation, this is one you won't want to miss.

Pubs. Pints. People.

🍺 Support Our Dry July Team

This year I'm taking on Dry July alongside The Frothy Moe Co, raising money for Australians affected by cancer.

If you'd like to support the cause, you can donate here:

https://www.dryjuly.com/teams/frothy-moe-co

Every dollar helps fund practical services that make life a little easier for cancer patients and their families—from transport and accommodation to better hospital facilities and wellbeing programs.

🍺 About Adam Spencer

Adam Spencer is an Australian broadcaster, comedian, author and one of the country's best-known communicators of mathematics and science. After spending years on Triple J and ABC Radio, Adam now speaks around the world on technology, artificial intelligence, space, mathematics and innovation.

He's also been an ambassador and passionate advocate for Dry July since its earliest days, helping grow the campaign into one of Australia's most successful annual fundraisers.

Follow Adam Spencer

🌐 Website: https://adamspencer.com.au
📰 Nerd News (Substack): https://adambspencer.substack.com
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adamspencerofficial
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamspencerofficial
🐦 X: https://x.com/adambspencer

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

Last week, Tim Allan from The Local explained why country pubs matter.

This week, he tells the stories that prove it.

In Part 2 of our conversation, Tim takes us across Australia through some of the most memorable pubs, characters and moments he's encountered while documenting regional pub culture.

We visit Birdsville, Betoota and Marble Bar, meet legendary locals, and hear stories that range from heartwarming to completely unbelievable.

In this episode:

• Tiny outback towns that explode to thousands of visitors for race weekends
• Pubs brought back to life after decades sitting empty
• Legendary regulars with their own seats at the bar
• A red-bellied black snake hiding in a pool table
• One unforgettable royal souvenir story involving Queen Elizabeth II
• The characters that make Australian pubs unlike anywhere else in the world

There are tales involving race meetings, outback pubs, a snake in a pool table, and perhaps the strangest royal souvenir ever collected.

If you've ever planned a road trip around a pub stop, this one's for you.

Pubs. Pints. People.

🍺 About Tim & The Local

Tim Allan is the founder of The Local, a storytelling platform dedicated to documenting Australia's country pubs, the publicans who run them, and the communities that keep them alive. What started as a passion project has grown into one of Australia's leading pub-focused media platforms, with millions of views across social media.

Follow The Local
🌐 Website: https://the-local.com.au
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/downatthelocal
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/downatthelocal
🎥 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@downatthelocal (or search "The Local")
✉️ Email: downatthelocal@gmail.com

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

Can a country pub save a town?

This week on Chat On Tap, I sit down with Tim Allan, founder of The Local, a platform dedicated to telling the stories of Australia's pubs, the publicans who run them, and the communities that keep them alive.

We chat about why country pubs are so much more than somewhere to grab a beer, the challenges they're facing, and the incredible characters Tim has met while travelling Australia documenting these iconic venues.

Whether you're passionate about pubs, regional Australia, great storytelling or simply love discovering unique places, this episode is for you.

🍺 In this episode:

• Why country pubs matter to local communities
• How The Local was created
• Travelling Australia in search of great pubs
• Preserving Australian pub culture
• Creating content around authentic stories
• The future of country hospitality

🍺 About Tim & The Local

Tim Allan is the founder of The Local, a storytelling platform dedicated to documenting Australia's country pubs, the publicans who run them, and the communities that keep them alive. What started as a passion project has grown into one of Australia's leading pub-focused media platforms, with millions of views across social media.

Follow The Local
🌐 Website: https://the-local.com.au
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/downatthelocal
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/downatthelocal
🎥 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@downatthelocal (or search "The Local")
✉️ Email: downatthelocal@gmail.com

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com

After promising it way back in Episode 10, we're finally pulling up a stool at Snitch's Bar.

Long-time mate and returning guest Michael Snitch joins me for a conversation fuelled by some of the strangest spirits in his collection, including Italian amaro, Brazilian aphrodisiac liqueur, Greek kumquat liqueur and Chinese baijiu.

We also talk about the evolution of Chat On Tap, why the show is changing direction ever so slightly. The vision has always been capturing the chat over a drink, and so we get into how that is going to look, while still maintaining some industry and beer chat and news.

There's also some big personal news! (I mean, the title probably already gave it away). Snitch reflects on becoming a father, balancing life, friendships and hobbies, and what it's really like when everything changes.

This is a relaxed conversation between mates over a drink and a glimpse into where Chat On Tap is heading next.

In this episode:

• The future of Chat On Tap
• Why we're introducing CHAT and TAP episodes
• Fatherhood and family life
• Snitch's Bar and home entertaining
• Weird spirits from around the world
• Sydney small bar culture
• Podcasts, content creation and community
• Balancing hobbies and growing up

Grab a drink and join us.

Support the show

Episode produced by: WHEN Studios
Follow: @WHEN.Studios,

Insta: @chatontap

Tiktok: @chat.on.tap

YouTube: @ontapchat

Got a Story?

Wanna help us Tap In to a great venue, deal, beer?

Interested in sponsorship?

email us!

Email: hello@chatontap.com

Host: David A. Lennon – @davidalennon
Website: chatontap.com