Richard Robb is a Lion ‘Brand Ambassor’. Sounds like a great job and it’s one that takes him to Northcote Tavern on a regular basis. A Cantabrian, he moved to Auckland seven years ago and has been with Lion for 17 years, a company he describes as ‘a fantastic company to be a part of’. Aidan Bennett caught up for a chat with Richard at the Northcote Tavern in mid-September, keen to find out what being a Brand Ambassor is all about.

AIDAN BENNETT: What are your first memories of going to the Northcote Tavern.
RR: I had heard great things from my colleagues for years before my first visit about five years ago for a quiet pint out on the grass, epic spot.

AB: How often do you try to pop in for a visit, drink or a meal?
RR: I travel a lot but I try and get in at least once a fortnight for some lunch. The Guinness here is top notch and I’m working on getting my name on the Guinness 1759 Club board.

AB: Sounds like a great job, but what does a Beer Ambassador do?
RR: Part of my role is looking after Guinness Trade Quality, visiting our Guinness bars and helping them serve the best quality pint they can. Also our Lion Ambassador team run training programmes for bars, restaurants and retail stores, sometimes for small groups and other times for groups of 100-plus people. We want to help our customers and their staff be more confident talking about beer, and hopefully give their customers a better beer experience. You’ll find me at festivals, beer dinners, tastings, and beer and food matching events. It’s a pretty exciting time to be involved in the beer industry, and a privilege to do this for a living.

AB: What is your favourite tipple (drink) when you visit the Tavern?
RR: Guinness. Little Creatures Pale Ale is delicious, but it’s hard to beat a properly poured pint of Guinness Draught. You get rich, roasted flavours from the Irish barley, silky smooth texture and a nice dry finish. It’s a beautiful thing.

AB: The Tavern has a reputation for great pub food as well, do you have something on the menu that’s a favourite?
RR: The lamb shank is a go to, or the specials board, but I’ve got to plug the Steak and Guinness pie. The food here always delivers.

AB: What is it that you enjoy about the Northcote Tavern?
RR: This building is such an icon, it’s so well looked after and has some old school charm. Plus I always know I’ll get a good pint here, the team have a really impressive focus on the quality of the beer they sell.

AB: Are the All Blacks going to win the World Cup?
RR: Yes, they are looking good to get the job done but we’re going to see some tough games. There’s plenty of Crusaders in the squad and they know how to win when it comes to big games, haha!

AB: Where will you be watching the final?
RR: Probably at home with some mates and a Steinlager Classic.

AB: Complete the following: If I wasn’t a beer ambassador I would be…
RR: … somewhere exotic riding my mountain bike.