Congratulations to Blue Mountains business Mountain Culture, who've won the No. 1 spot on the GABS Hottest 100 with their status quo pale ale. I recently had the pleasure of pulling a schooner of this delightful beer at Mountain Culture's new Emu Plains brewery. I'm not going to become a beer wordsmith to describe it, except to say that the New England pale ale was a great drink on a hot day.

This Blue Mountains business is an incredible success story. When it started in Katoomba in 2017, DJ McCready and wife, Harriet, had no idea how popular their brews would be. The brew pub, as they call it, only a couple of minutes walk from Katoomba Station, is an old heritage building where you can view the brewing process. A steady stream of people passionate about good-quality craft beer travel to the mountains or indulge in online purchases. It means their growth has been 400 per cent year on year. Their second location is an incredible one at the base of the mountains. I was fascinated to look out at the huge beer tanks where beer was fermenting.

While the expansion looks effortless from the outside, I know too well the hard work, the risk-taking and the sleeplessness that they will have experienced as entrepreneurs. It's the same risk that every small business takes when it starts, grows and sustains. I'm thrilled for their success and look forward to seeing what they do next.