Driven by authenticity and a desire to forge a lasting legacy, Vale Brewing’s Head Brewer Jayson Smart is known for his award-winning beers but even more so for his passion for his craft.
This year at the Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider show the brewery scored a trophy for champion alternative grain/specialty beer for its Fox Hat Bearded Mongrel Barrel-Aged Stout.
Smart explained that Fox Hat Brewing is a wing under Vale that enables himself and the brewers to be creative and experimental.
No stranger to success at the awards, Smart reflected on the brewery’s consistent success during his tenure in McLaren Vale and the immense pride he feels for his work.
“We’ve got a lot of awards from this show in the seven years I’ve been here. This year was the third time we’ve won this category. The first time is amazing, but to repeat that, from year to year, it’s really just the acknowledgement of your work and a belief in yourself and your whole career.
“We previously won champion large brewery three times. To that award in South Australia, when Cooper’s and Pirate Life are the main rivals, was definitely a highlight too. Friends that work at Coopers acknowledged that we beat them and said to me ‘Where did you learn to brew beer?’ My response is I learned to make beer in the shed,” said Smart jokingly.
Reminiscing on developing an appreciation for beer, Smart told Beer & Brewer his early years on a farm is where it all began.
“I can remember being a young boy and seeing my dad with a beer bottle at the table. I knew that it was made out of barley because we were farmers. I developed this understanding or even appreciation for the fact that it was made of what we do for a living.”
In high school, he began experimenting with home brewing with friends, but it wasn’t until he moved to Adelaide to pursue a career in the live music, that he also discovered the endless possibilities.
“I read a book called How to Brew by John Palmer – like most home brewers do – I got instructions on how to brew, how to build the equipment and how to use it and it really become my obsession. I knew that I wanted to find a way into the industry and get away from the late nights I was doing in music industry.
Curiosity meets opportunity
In 2008, Smart happened to stumble upon a little-known brewery by the name of Brewboys in Adelaide’s Croydon Park.
“I hung around a lot, and then eventually I was the right-hand man for Co-founders Simon [Sellick] and Steven [Nelsen]. I came around often, asked questions, sat in on brew days and things like that,” he explained.
Showing his eagerness to learn and work hard, the founders took a chance on Smart who has been a commercial brewer ever since.
“I had already learned the science – I think that’s why I was hired. There was lots of people around trying to get into the industry, and I think they saw that I was well read for a home brewer.”
Reflecting on where he is now, Smart says his success always comes back to being authentic.
“What I realised along the way is that you can take all the exams and get qualifications but there is so much you won’t get taught as much as you need to learn it.”
Smart found his home at Vale Brewing in 2017 after Brewboys was sold to new owners and his role was made redundant. In the same year Vale was bought by Bickford’s, and a new position became available.
“For my first interview I was here for hours with the operations manager, and Jeff the Head Brewer. On the first day of the job, Jeff said ‘The beer is yours now, these are the recipes, these are the processes.’ I was handed everything and then left alone to make the beer my way. I felt very privileged. Other breweries of this size you wouldn’t expect that. We’re lean team here but we are making two million litres of beer a year and that’s no easy feat.”
Crafting quality
Although Vale brewing is a large-scale operation, Smart said looking back on his career so far and to the future of the brewery, his goal will continue to be delivering consistent, quality beer.
“The magic is in the beer not the shelf space it occupies, so to me, it’s about making ‘beer first’ decisions. That might not be chasing trends but rather celebrating authentic craftsmanship. We use the word craft beer. A craft is a product of a trade’s person and that’s exactly what our beers are. Beer consumers are very educated, and they can see through something that’s not genuine.
“I have a very long vision, because we have a legacy here and it’s evolving. I want to let that evolve naturally and innovatively. I want to double down on our strengths but not be afraid to look at every angle, trend, potential shelf space or consumer and work out what’s for us and what isn’t.”
