Mountain Goat Beer

I’d like to introduce you to Hayden. The H-Bomb, H, Haydcore, Aitchey, little baby Hayden. Haydcore is a 6ft 5, shaved headed teddy bear who happens to brew beer here at Goat. But I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about Hayden the Renaissance Man not Hayden the brewer. 

The finely woven thread that makes up the rich tapestry of H is as complex as it is varied: he’s an ex-’Elite Junior Athlete’, impact vocalist, cook, family man, model, whisky enthusiast and puppet fanatic. He thinks as deeply about things as his beloved Barry Hall doesn’t.

Haydcore was, in his words, an ‘Elite Junior Athlete’ at school. He trained with the Colingwood development squad as a mobile ruckman who could run all day. Unfortunately for him (and all of us football fans) he was cruelled by injury and became just another injury prone big man. But we often like to sit around the mash tun during run-off and reminisce while he flips through old photos like the one of him running through the banner on his 50th game for the Bundoora Bunnies, or wielding the willow, front foot forward, perfectly balanced, cover-driving for four. He had it all.

He’s the impact vocalist in the Mountain Goat band - which is yet to hold a rehearsal or play a single song in anger (hell, we don’t even have a name), but his stage presence will be undeniable, believe me.

He bakes lemon tart for us all. He’s perfected,  then re-perfected salt and pepper squid. He’s modelled on this very website, drinks beer, then whisky - in that order - and can speak at length and lucidly about both.

He throws his hands in the air in exasperation when none of us have heard of his favourite French puppet master (puppeteer?), sorry I’ve forgotten his name again.

And all this is merely the jumping off point for every single brew, each keg filled and each bottle capped when H is involved. You can just taste it can’t you?