The Committee
Clare - Secretary
Clare is the Quality Assurance Manager at Gage Roads Brewing in Western Australia. Originally from the UK, Clare’s love of beer started with traditional British cask ale but now encompasses all different varieties from across the globe.
Clare has worked in Quality Assurance for 18 years with lots of different types of products including sauces, yoghurts, quiches, pies and jalapenos. Prior to joining Gage Roads, she worked for PepsiCo’s snack division The Smith’s Snackfood Company for 8 years.
She specialises in the creation and implementation of quality and food safety programs including sensory programs, sampling and testing regimes and HACCP but her core focus is leading continuous improvement projects and activities.
Working in brewing has finally allowed Clare to combine a personal passion with her job, she still can’t believe she gets paid to drink beer!
Greg - Logistics Manager
Greg has had a long career as a scientist, initially obtaining a science degree in Chemistry in 1974, then gaining further qualifications in research and wine science since then. He has worked in education, for a multinational energy company, and for the past 23 years as Managing Director and proprietor of the company he founded – Vintessential Laboratories.
Vintessential was born out of Greg’s trips to France as a fledgling winemaker, where he was inspired to create regional laboratories in Australia, bringing a local source of testing, science and advice for those making fermented beverages.
With his keen interest in beer and all things fermented, he looks forward to further assisting the Craft Beer community by continuing his involvement with BIRA.
Thomas - Reports Manager
After completing a degree in Science which included doing some research into yeast genetics during wine fermentation, Thomas decided to pursue his real passion: beer.
He spent a few years working in the bowels of CUB Abbotsford which included running sensory and measuring flavour stability before escaping to Stone & Wood. At Stone & Wood, his role is a blend of routine quality control, overseeing the sensory and implementing quality assurance initiatives like BIRA.
Outsidw of beer, he enjoys travelling, reading and cycling when looking after two young children permits it.
Dan (vb) - Treasurer / Technical officer
Daniel has always brewed beer on home kits since his younger years and had been a passionate supporter of draft beer dispense changing the Petersham Bowling over from 4-tap venue beers to a 13-tap craft beer bowling club. In a previous life was Operations Manager for Asia Pacific of an IT Company and took a gamble for passion to join the team at Young Henrys where he worked in Brewing and Distilling then later became Head of Quality.
Daniel has studied at Siebel Institute of technology joint with white labs in San Diego and at VLB in Berlin focusing on Quality and Brewing Microbiology.
Daniel is now Technical Manager - Asia Pacific for Lallemand Brewing and sits on the IBA Quality Committee for the Independent Brewers Association. Daniel is also the Vice President of Petersham Bowling Club and Treasurer & Technical Officer – (BIRA) Brewing Interlaboratory Reference Analytes. In his spare time, Daniel is contributing to the TAFE certificate III in Microbrewing course content delivered through TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus and dons the black lab coat as a part time teacher of the course.
Jon Seltin - Chair
Jon is Head Brewer of Brick Lane Brewing, an independent brewery in Melbourne Australia producing beers and ciders for a range on Brick Lane and partner brands.
Prior to Brick Lane, Jon was Head Brewer at Hawkers Beer and Bright Brewery. Sensing the need for a ‘lightweight’ proficiency testing scheme for the growing number of breweries in Australia, Jon proposed the formation of BIRA in 2017 at the Australian craft brewers conference, and was excited to see the support the proposal had from industry.
He’s since presented on the BIRA and the scheme’s results at the 2018 IBD Asia Pacific convention in Wellington, and looks forward to helping grow membership and promote proficiency testing in breweries in the region.
