General News
4 December, 2019
Mac’s Hotel licensee’s new found fame
MORTLAKE publican Jodie Beck can lay claim to one of the best traits of a licensed publican – the perfect pour.
MORTLAKE publican Jodie Beck can lay claim to one of the best traits of a licensed publican – the perfect pour.
The Mac’s Hotel licensee, was recently crowned champion of Carlton United Breweries (CUB) perfect pour competition which is run for members of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA).
Mrs Beck, who has owned the business for the past two and a half years took out the event after winning a regional competition at Hamilton’s Commercial Hotel as part of the AHA’s ‘Pubs, Pots and Profits’ events.
Mrs Beck qualified for the grand final at the Hamilton event in February, before she attended another perfect pour night at Colac’s Austral Hotel in August, which was won by Cobden’s Thommo’s Hotel publican Heather Marshall.
The Colac event was part of Mrs Beck’s final preparations for the grand final which was held last week at CUB’s Brewhouse in Abbotsford.
In front of a crowd of 120 and a number of judges, she took on six other publicans in a quest to be crowned Victoria’s perfect pour champion.
The competitors had to pour one 285 millimetre pot to the best of the strict criteria set out by CUB regarding pouring techniques, presentation, customer interaction and product placement.
Mrs Beck was the third contestant to pour a pot, and although dealing with a different tap to her trustworthy Mortlake set-up, she managed to pull off a thrilling victory.
“It’s very exciting,” she said.
“It was very nerve-racking but we (as publicans) get lots of practice.
“It was very tight, I don’t know how they did (judged) it.
“But like I said, it was a very close competition and because we are all publicans and licensees we get plenty of practice.”
Mrs Beck’s victory has already done wonders for the promotion of her pub.
It was name dropped on 3AW radio’s Tony Leonard’s pub of the week segment on Neil Mitchell’s show, while customers have travelled from as far as Bairnsdale just to have a beer poured by the champion.
“Just getting our name out there has been good,” Mrs Beck said.
“It’s (the pub) certainly got a lot of exposure.”
Mrs Beck said she had been thrilled with the positive feedback and the local support regarding her win.
She said she planned to celebrate her triumph in March with a $5000 summer party courtesy of CUB that coincides with her 50th birthday.