Given that BrewDog have started 2010 on something of a roll with the creation of the world's strongest beer, a brand spanking new eco brewery on the way and plenty of Equity for Punks shareholders to welcome into the fold, we thought it was time to do a little expansion and share some BrewDog love with the rest of the UK.

That's right, we're placing a foot soldier in Europe's business epicentre – no, not Fraserburgh – the Big Smoke! With the role of Regional Sale Manager for London up for grabs we decided to call on London local and Glasgow cheeky chappy MagicDave, aka The Cad, aka Tom Cadden to lend a helping hand.

We caught up with the man himself to get the low-down on everything beer themed on the cusp of his induction into the pack.

Starting from the very beginning and without sounding to much like Blind Date here – can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you come from?

Hello! Yes, I'm Tom Cadden, originally from Glasgow and have been living in London for the last wee while. I've been working in the pub industry for over six years and - believe it or not - it was actually Wetherspoons that got me into beer. At 'spoons it was a simple case of Deuchars being the cheapest thing to drink followed by an exploration of their guest beers. After this I started to review beers online and to date have reviewed around 6000. Aside from brews, I've got a cheeky penchant for techno, travelling and grub, but beer always seems to come first!

Tom checks out the Amarillo hops, i think he likes.

With a love for beer that would put even the most dedicated of Glasgow winos to shame, we're guessing the UK craft beer movement is also an interest of yours?

Definitely. The UK craft beer movement is something that I like to push as hard as I possibly can. As a barman I've always liked to challenge people's perceptions of craft beer as well as trying to get them to try new things. It's very rewarding and I love doing it.

You've not only become a familiar face on the craft beer circuit but also the BrewDog blog where people will recognise you as MagicDave. Some people have speculated you are the bastard love child of Paul Daniels – is there any truth in that?

The speculation is entirely true. No, no, the name is from away back at school when i set up my first e-mail address and is a cross between a card game called Magic and a nod to the League of Gentlemen. Sorry to put an end to the rumours folks!

Back to beer, can you remember the first time you experienced BrewDog?

I always like telling people this story! Basically, I was working at Blackfriars in Glasgow and I went to the trade session at Paisley Beer Festival. I had my rating pad out and was looking through the casks and noticed this strange cask that claimed to be an IPA at 6%. I shook my head and said, there's no way anyone would be as adventurous and break the tedious mould of IPAs being a 3.8% bitter. I got a half and i just smelt it and shouted "YES!" and promptly started raving about the stuff. A pair of fine gents then tapped me on the shoulder and said "do you like that?". It was James and Martin and i quickly found myself organising a delivery as BrewDog's first ever customer.

Some people have criticised BrewDog for having Bracken as their CEO. What do you say to people who question a dog's ability to manage an award-winning a Scottish microbrewery?

I say jealousy will get you nowhere.

Apart from pushing human and canine business relations, BrewDog and other craft brewers have made headway in changing the UK's perception of artisan beers. What else do you think needs to be done to shift more people's attention away from mass-produced, mainstream brands?

It's all about educating people. I spend a lot of time explaining beers to people and a five minute chat can really make people think differently about what they want to drink the next time they're in a bar or out shopping. People drink pale, mass produced lager because they don't know what else to drink; we need to break that trend.

Aside from trying to change perceptions and break boundaries what's your forecast for the craft beer industry over the next couple of years?

You can already see the impact that breweries like BrewDog are having and the ripples are showing more British breweries that you cannot survive by simply making bog standard beers. BrewDog and a handful of other breweries have started a movement that excites people and that's what it's all about for me. The bar has definitely been lifted.

BrewDog is a combination of an unconditional love for brewing and bucket loads of attitude. What's the punkiest thing you've as well as the geekiest; both in relation to beer?

Well the punkiest thing could be quite a few but the one that stands out is a particular night in Gothenberg. I was there for the Rate Beer European gathering in '06 and we brought along a bottle of whisky for the organiser, Rick. Anyway, a “few beers” turned into a pretty hazy night followed by waking up to find ourselves lying at the top of a hill with an empty bottle of whisky. Not my finest moment it has to be said.

The first ever dry hopped human?

As for being a beer geek. Well you know you're a geek when you find yourself in a classy restaurant but spend way more time trying to work out the rating of a new beer that's on the bar rather than trying to decide what you're going to eat!

Finally, can you tell us a bit more about what you're going to be doing at BrewDog and how you'll be putting the MagicDave stamp on it?

I'm going to be BrewDog's Regional Sales Manager for the Big Smoke as well as doing some product development, blogging and whatever else gets thrown at me in this week's induction. Those who know me will tell you how much I love to educate people with my beery knowledge so – if I can get away with saying it – I'm going to hit London with BrewDog beers like the angry fist of a Norse god!

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