The Spark Team
Julian Sanders
Julian studied Engineering and Commerce (BEng B Comm) at Monash University in Melbourne. An unofficial part of the Engineering syllabus is BEER. The drinking, the brewing, occasionally even the colouring green. Julian then did his time in the UK absorbing their real ale culture while doing some practical engineering by day, then came back to Australia, all the while studying craft beer. He became a beer judge and helped at various beer events so it was only natural that he combine his two passions to become a brewery and distillery design engineer.
Julian finds himself spending a lot of time on making sure things are just right: they work well, they fit well in the space, they are easy to clean. This lead him to design the SPARK K500 (internationally patented) 500L nano brewery for pubs, clubs, cafes and maybe even your garage.
Julian says: "My favorite beer is Saison Dupont because its has such a simple recipe but such a complex and drinkable bottle conditioned fermentation character. I like beers that result from process as much as ingredients - all the great beers of Europe and America result from highly developed specific processes on their brewery. I'm always impressed by the drinkability of the big West Coast adjunct brewed IPA that result from careful dry hopping and late hopping techniques. I'd love to build more brewing systems to allow that and would love to see more of that kind of work in Australia."
Helen Coker
Helen looks after accounts and marketing.
In her student years she brewed some Coopers cans that everyone politely deemed to be ‘really very nice’, as well as some less well received meads and one truly disastrous cider. At some point it became clear that consumption rather than production was the correct path for her.
Helen comes from a background of analytic tasting, she spent one year working in a laboratory after completing her BA/BSc, which forced her to acknowledge that her side job in wine was much more fun. Since then she has worked with some of her favourite wines (Burgundy and German riesling) in London. Here in Australia it's all about the beer and when Spark needed someone to do a little bit of everything, she was the obvious choice.
Favourite beer: a nice midnight IPA using galaxy, fresh and fruity, looks black with just a hint of ash on the palate. Otherwise tbh whatever has the lowest ABV on the tap list. I always love the idea of an XPA, but because it’s so intense I only ever manage to drink half a pot.
Caleb Hogan
Caleb is our installation expert and all around handy man to talk to. He knows a lot about what it takes to brew a good beer.
Caleb has long had an interest in good beer and brewing. The home brewing bug struck at an early age and he has been brewing ever since. After a BFA and and a few years spent building a house for his mother Caleb eventually combined a lot of his interests with a job as project manager at Spark.
Caleb says: "My favourite beers tend to be very dry and/or have a prominent fermentation character. Stand out beer to date is Girardin Black Label Gueuze. It is very drinkable and has complexity and elegance that allows it to cater for all occasions. It is refreshing and quenches a thirst, lively enough for a celebration, goes well with food and is complex and interesting enough to savour every sip and keep you occupied for hours!"
John Ricciotti
John is Spark’s Technical Sales Manager and is the first person you’ll speak to at Spark.
John holds a BA in Applied Biology and is a diploma qualified brewer with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. John has worked for one of Australia’ largest brewers as well as small craft producers. He is also a qualified cook and spent many years working in hospitality. John is infatuated with brewing, breweries and beer and spends most of his day chatting to clients about just that!
He brings his experience to the team to listen to your plans and help you determine the equipment you need to deliver your brewery plan.
