Crafty double

Australia’s first female-owned brewery is a frothing success. Its founders, Danielle Allen and Jayne Lewis reveal how they turned a passion for beer into a flourishing business.

Interview by Patrick Boyle

There are two major schools of thought in beer brewing: European tradition and the New World. The former makes beer styles that have slaked thirst for centuries, while the latter school is characterised by the fresh hop profiles pioneered by the West Coast breweries of the United States. Australia and New Zealand have similar climates for cultivating hops as the US West Coast, and were well positioned when craft beer boomed at the turn of the century. Today, a punter in Melbourne or Sydney can drink a whole spectrum of local brews in most bars and restaurants. Cloudy New England IPAs, a salty-sour gose, barrel-aged stouts – chances are, any flavour you can imagine exists in beer form.

There are more than 500 independent breweries, brewpubs and contract brewers in Australia. Only one is owned solely by women: Two Birds Brewing Co, the brain-child of business partners Jayne Lewis and Danielle (Dani) Allen. The Spotswood brewery’s Golden Ale and Sunset Ale can be found on taps at establishments around Australia, and, increasingly, worldwide. They chatted to TalkTalk about beer, business and brand.

What brought each of you to the industry, and to start creating your own brews?

Dani: I had always wanted to start my own business, I just hadn’t had the lightbulb moment. But it all became clear over a beer. Jayne had been working as a brewer for almost 10 years and had some ideas about new beers that she wanted to share with the world and I had been working in product development and marketing. The idea struck us when we were holidaying in the US, after visiting lots of really cool brewpubs and small breweries. Our skills were complementary and it made total sense for us to team up and use our experience to start a brewing company together.

Jayne: Before beer, I was making wine in Margaret River, in Western Australia. I was in need of a change and on the hunt for a role that was city-based. In 2004, a brewer role came up at Little Creatures in Fremantle. I jumped at it. I found that brewing allows a lot more creativity than winemaking and I never looked back.

When Dani and I took our trip to the US, I was the Head Brewer at Mountain Goat Brewery and, while I loved my job, I wanted to be more involved in the whole process. Dani and I got chatting and decided that we should start our own brewery.

What is the first beer you tasted?

Dani: I started with the basics. Being a West Australian my first beers were Swan Lager, Carlton Draught and Emu Bitter. I distinctly remember trying Little Creatures Pale Ale, though, at their Fremantle brewery, and that was a game-changer.

Jayne: I remember drinking a lot of macro-lagers growing up and not being a fan. The beer that changed my mind was Coopers Sparkling. That was the beer that turned me into a beer drinker and put me on the path to owning my own brewery.

What’s some basic advice for transforming an idea into a functioning business?

Dani: The key things for us were trusting our instincts and backing ourselves, even when there were days of doubt or worry. If you’re confident in your idea and can explain it well, that’s a massive part of winning over other people.

Image: Jayne Lewis and Danielle Allen of Two Birds Brewing roost in their Spotswood brewery.