A few months ago, The Crafty Pint caught up with two guys who were in the initial stages of embarking on what they hoped would become a beer-themed TV show for Channel 31. Dan Hanna and Mark Iscaro had just started filming the first scenes for the pilot of Craft Beer Crusaders. Today, they’ve finished filming a number of episodes, have signed a deal with the community television channel and will start screening their first 13 episodes on April 30.
With so much filming – and so much progress – having been made since we first joined them for a beer at 2 Brothers, we thought we should catch up with them again to find out how they’ve got to where they are and what viewers can expect when the show rolls around. You can read our Q&A with them and check out a couple of 60-second teasers below too.
Which breweries have you been to so far?
Mark: So far we have filmed at Black Heart Brewery, True South, 2 Brothers, Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula Brewery, Hickinbotham, Coldstream, Hargreaves Hill, Buckleys, Temple, Cavalier, Southern Bay, Two Birds, Forrest, Prickly Moses and Odyssey Tavern.
Have you only been to breweries?
Mark: We have been to The Alehouse Project and are looking to film at Odyssey tavern as well as a dinner/beer event at Rose Diner and potentially a beer bread bake off at MoVida Bakery. There are a few other things happening that we are keeping under wraps at the moment. Suffice to say we will be filming at GABS this year on the Friday afternoon/evening session.
How has the production side of things gone? Mark: It’s been a bit of a learning curve. The more we film the better we are getting at working out what we need at each venue we visit. We are also getting better at the editing side of things. Dan and I have brought in a guy who films business videos and edits them as a living – Mark Ramet of Small Business Videos – he is now a partner in the program. We’ve recently set up a new business for the production side of things called Froth ‘n’ Bubble Productions.
What did the people at Channel 31 have to say about the program?
Mark: They were very impressed and are looking forward to airing the show. Here’s some of their response:
“The program was exceptionally filmed, produced and edited. I applaud you in your commitment to the pilot episode. The opening credits are slick, fun and create an uplifting vibe to introduce the program. There is hardly anything to fault in the program and we are confident that this program will be a ratings-hit on the station!
“The pilot has a strong narrative that takes us on a educational and entertaining journey and the chemistry between the two hosts is apparent and engaging.”
See latest extended clip at bottom of article
Plans for the future?
Dan: The plan is for to show to be wildly successful, and convince everyone in Victoria to drink better beer. Or do a season two, whichever comes first. The ultimate goal is to take it global, but let’s worry about Victoria for now.
Mark: Our plans for the future are rather grand. We would love to film other states, of course, and do a similar thing where we get the public to vote for beers from each brewery. However, we would also love to do a series in the US, Italy and the UK. Dan also has a grand idea of us going to the one brewery in Northern Korea as perhaps a two-hour CBC special.
Where have you had the most fun filming and which beers have tickled your palate the most?
Dan: For me, the most surprising beer was from Hickinbotham. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from a winery doing beer, but I was blown away by the quality. The Hix Summer Ale was perfect that hot afternoon! We’ve all been blown away by the cooperation and support from everyone we’ve visited. From opening their brewhouses on their days off and changing brewing schedules to suit filming, it seems the craft brewers of Victoria are the most accommodating people on earth! We haven’t had a bad day filming; it’s been a blast.
Mark: We had the most fun in my opinion filming the episode that covered the Yarra Valley and the Peninsula. The reason for this was that we filmed all six venues in one day and there were some great bloopers that came from that day’s filming as well as some interesting discussions held in the car as we travelled some 400km in the day to complete the filming.
The one that tickled my palate the most was the filming we did at True South where Mauro, the head chef, put together five meals to go with five beers.. The food was amazing and after filming finished we were spoilt with more beer and food and left the venue rather full and a bit drunk. They were amazing hosts.
The other venue I enjoyed immensely was Temple and being able to sit with Ron and Renata and talk beer with them both. Ron is a passionate man and it was good to sit and listen to his thoughts on the world of craft beer and where he sees Temple heading in the future.
The series will air every Tuesday night for 13 weeks starting on April 30 at 9pm. Find it on Analog Channel 31 and Digital Channel 44
