Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

In Pub for All Seasons: A Yearlong Journey in Search of the Perfect British Local (Headline, 2024) Adrian Tierney-Jones  deftly unpacks what makes these locations so special, while also sharing details of his own life. The result is a page and calendar turner that helps reveal how different times of year bring out different experiences. It will inspire readers to get out of the traditional comfort zones and experience the Pub in all kinds of weather.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Adrian Tierney-Jones

Sponsors: All About Beer, Denver Rare Beer Tasting

Tags: Britian, Drinking, Bars, Pubs, Travel

There is no shortage of excellent places to drink in New York City, and on this episode, we're talking with Karla and James Murray, the photographers behind a new book Great Bars of New York City: 30 of Manhattan’s Favorite Storied Drinking Establishments (Prestel). 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Karla Murray and James Murray

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: New York, Drinking, Bars, Photography

Author Josh Noel talks about his new book Malort: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit. It's a story of stubbornness and luck, determination, underground appreciation, and mainstream popularity. The wormwood liquor is easy to hate but should be wonderfully appreciated. It is a uniquely Chicago story, and there is no one better than Noel to tell the story.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Josh Noel

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Chicago, Malort, Bars, Drinking

Photo by John Holl

There’s some really fun beers happening inside of a small Rhode Island brewery. This week, it’s a conversation with Cheyne Tessier of Origin Beer Project about low abv beers, art, and establishing a home base.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Cheyne Tessier 

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Rhode Island, ABV, Lager, IPA, Hop Water, Business

Photo by John Holl

A conversation recorded in Providence, Rhode Island with longtime brewmaster John Mallett, formerly of Bells Brewery who is currently happily retired. It’s a chat about brewery safety, building recipes, and insight from a career that impacted so many. 

Last week I was in Rhode Island to help judge the inaugural Rhode Worthy Beer Cup. It was happening along side the state brewer’s guild conference. John Mallett, the long-time Bells Brewery brewer and production manager was giving the keynote. He’s an Ocean State Native, and was kind enough to take some time to cross the road after his talk and sit down with me for a conversation at the newly opened Buttonwoods Brewery location. 

If you don’t know Mallett, maybe you’ve been living under a rock. 

In addition to his work at Bells, which spanned more than 20 years, helping develop and shepherd many of the brands beloved beers to market, he’s also the author of Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse (released by the Brewers Publications in  2014).

He served on many boards and technical committees, including the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, Brewers Association, Hop Quality Group – of which he was a founder -  and American Malting Barley Association.

Mallett retired a few years ago but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything left to share or teach. He is passionate about brewery safety, and finding ways to bring creativy, knowledge, and passion to an industry that he has loved for so long.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: John Mallett

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Rhode Island, Bells, Safety, Hop Quality Group

Photo by John Holl

It’s a conversation about both history and modern beer with Alan Pugsley, the long-time brewery consultant who helped launch so many beers in the early days of the craft movement and more recently has gotten into the gluten-free beer space. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Alan Pugsley

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Maine, Brewing, Gluten-free

Photo by Dave Delsonno 

As it continues to do important work, reach milestones, and look towards the future, the National Black Brewers Association has put out a report detailing its accomplishments. Kevin Asato, the executive director is here for a conversation.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Kevin Asato

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Brewing, Associations, Membership, Growth, NB2A

Photo by NB2A.ORG

Shaun O'Sullivan of 21st Amendment Brewery interviews Chuck Silva of Silva Brewing on this bonus episode of Brewer to Brewer.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Firsd Tea
Firsd Tea is a proud sponsor of the Brewer to Brewer podcast. Firsd Tea has been working with brewers on a wide range of teas and botanicals in popular and successful beers. Firsd Tea combines flexible order sizes with the experience you need to create innovative and successful craft brews. They get you the most direct-to-farm tea selection so you are working with flavorful and consistent products. You can find out more about Firsd Tea’s collaborations with brewers and tea ingredients by visiting firsdtea.com or email [email protected]

• Host: Shaun O'Sullivan
• Guest: Chuck Silva
• Sponsor: Firsd Tea, All About Beer
• Tags: Brewing, IPA, California, Ingredients

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Hip Hop Intro 06 by TaigaSoundProd
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9533-hip-hop-intro-06
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod

A few weeks back Dave Haydysch of Lone Rider Beer began posting shots of himself on social media in the hospital after being admitted for breathing problems. It turns out it was exposure to malt dust that landed him there.  He’s been part of the North Carolina Craft Beer Industry since 2010 when he got his start at Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC. In 2016 Dave was brought on to develop and lead brewing operations at Mason Jar Lager Company. 

He is now leading brewing ops at Lonerider Brewing in Raleigh and co-brewing with the team at Fortnight Brewing in Cary. Dave is an active member of the NC Brewers Guild and sits on the Education Committee for the Guild. On this episode he walks us through his career and the last several scary weeks.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Dave Haydysch

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Brewing, Safety, Malt, Brewing

Photo by John Holl 

Lew Bryson is on the show this week. He’s a long-time writer in the beer and whisky space, a voice of reason, and honestly just a force of good and positivity in an otherwise dreary world.

I’ve been fortunate to call  Bryson a friend for the better part of 20 years now. As a writer starting off in the beer space he was one of a few that was generous with his time, advice, and expertise. That’s not a unique to me experience. Lew has helped so many better understand drinks and culture. 

He’s kind and intelligent with the kind of resume that can only come with being among the very best. He was managing editor of Whisky Advocate magazine for 20 years. He is the author of Tasting Whiskey, and Whiskey Master Class, and writes a column for Craft Spirits Magazine. 

His work has appeared in countless publications, including a long stint in All About Beer.  Bryson is a Kentucky Colonel, and a member of The Order of The Writ, an honorary association of the bourbon industry.  He lives in central Pennsylvania, which is the topic of his podcast, “Seen Through A Glass." – a show you should tune into regularly. 

A few months back we were approached by Rich Colli of Varga Bar to do an event for Philly Beer Week. It was great fun, pouring and talking about whisky and beer. Before all that we sat down at Victory Brewing in Philly, to talk about writing, careers, home bars, and more. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Lew Bryson

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Whisky, Home Bars, Books

Photo by John Holl 

Don Tse takes over hosting duties on this episode recorded live at Forever Lager. He talks with a trio of brewers about decoction mashing. This is a fun, entertaining, and engaging listen.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: Don Tse

Guests: Zach Adams of Fox Farm, Eric Larkin of Cohesion Brewing, and Shawn Cooper of Halfway Crooks

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Brewing, Malt, Mashing, Decoction

Photo by John Holl 

This week is a conversation recorded at Notch Brewing, during the Forever Lager Festival. In a moment you’ll hear from the brewers Wild East Brewing, Working Draft, and Dovetail, a bunch of cool brewers doing cool things.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Jenny Pfafflin of Dovetail Brewery, Clinton Lohman of Working Draft Beer Co., and Brett Taylor of Wild East Brewing.

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Brewing, Rice, Hazy IPA, Festival

Photo by Andy Crouch

This is the second of several shows recorded live during Forever Lager, a festival held by Notch Brewing in Brighton, Massachusetts. Guest host Andy Crouch takes a deep dive into the culture of brewing in New England with a trio of respected, and well-known brewers: Tod Mott of Tributary Brewing, Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing, and Paul Sayler of Zero Gravity Brewing.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: Andy Crouch

Guests: Tod Mott of Tributary Brewing, Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing, and Paul Sayler of Zero Gravity Brewing

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Brewing, Pilsner, Hazy IPA, Festival

Photo by John Holl

A panel discussion on lagers recorded at the Forever Lager '24 Festival at Notch Brewing.
Featuring Khris Johnson of Green Bench Brewing, Ben Howe of Otherlands Brewing, and Tom Clark of Berwick Brewing.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Khris Johnson, Tom Clark, Ben Howe

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Lager, Brewing, Pilsner, Hazy IPA, Festival

Photo by Andy Crouch

An episode of Camp Rauchbier recorded at Wallenpaupack Brewing Co. with head brewer Logan Ackerley.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Logan Ackerley

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Rauchbier, Poconos, Brewing, Lager

Photo by John Holl

We’re talking about beer education this week with the two new owners of Cicerone Jason Pratt and Dan Imdieke. From where it was, how to avoid misinformation, and how to get everyday drinkers involved, they will share their insight and plans for the organization.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Jason Pratt and Dan Imdieke

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Education, History, Brewing, Cicerone

Photo courtesy of Cicerone

If you listen to this show regularly, you’ve likely heard me talk about some of our other podcasts, like Brewer to Brewer and the All About Beer podcasts. If you search All About Beer on your favorite podcast platform, you’ll find them.  You should also go to AllAboutBeer.com and read some of our recent articles, including an interview with a Massachusetts brewer, making beers through grief, and a hot take on hazy IPA from Andy Crouch. 

This week, I’m glad to bring you an episode of the All About Beer podcast with Em Sauter and Don Tse on how the 2024 hop crops are shaping up. That’s coming up next, and I’ll be back with an original episode of this show next week. In the meantime, to support our work in the beer space, please go visit patreon.com/allaboutbeer.  We mean it when we say a few bucks go a long way, and there is an option for breweries and industry-affiliated companies to get involved.

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Right now around the world, the hops industry is in two modes: In the Northern Hemisphere, the hop farmers are prepping the poles for twine, making sure the bines that start to grow are the perfect plant to make the arduous climb up, and are preparing the farm for the busy season ahead.

While in the Southern Hemisphere, harvest has been over for weeks, so the hop farmers are composting, cleaning the kilns, and are taking a well deserved break. On this episode we talk to two hop farmers, Eric Desmarais of CLS Farms in Yakima, Washington and Andrew Sutherland, hop farmer at Oast House Farms in Upper Moutere, New Zealand about what they are currently doing around their farms and the differences seasonality makes.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Estrella Galicia
Estrella Galicia is an independent, family-owned brewery  in northwest Spain, founded in 1906.

Estrella Galicia Cerveza Especial is a world class lager, brewed using the finest Spanish malts, locally  cultivated Galician hops and the best brewing practices, in a state-of-the-art facility in La Coruña . Recognized around the world for quality and exceptional character. Estrella Galicia is “A beer like no other.”

• Hosts:  Don Tse and Em Sauter
• Guests: Eric Desmarais and Andrew Sutherland
• Sponsors: Estrella Galicia, All About Beer
• Tags: Hops, Yakima Valley, New Zealand, Farming

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

This is the second episode recorded live before an audience at Funk Fest, the great event put on by Embrace the Funk and Yazoo Brewing in Nashville, Tennessee. Tomme Arthur of the Lost Abbey talks about the evolution of sours and funky, of tradition and exploration. 

Host: John Holl

Guest: Tomme Arthur

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Travel, Funk Fest, Sour, Brettanomyces, Wild, Recipes

Photo by Brandon Jones

This is another episode recorded live before an audience, this time at Funk Fest, the great event put on by Embrace the Funk and Yazoo Brewing in Nashville, Tennessee. Phil Wymore of Perennial Artisan Ales joins the show for a conversation about stouts, barrels, condiments, and whiskey.

Phil Wymore is the Co-Founder of Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, MO, established in 2011.  Prior to opening Perennial, Phil spent time in Chicago as the Cellar Manager of Goose Island, the Head Brewer of Half Acre, and attended the Siebel Institute.  In 2021, he started Passenger Foods, a one-person operation that makes chili crisp.  In 2023, he co-founded Common Ritual, an independent bottler that discovers extraordinary whiskies produced by underrepresented distilleries.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Phil Wymore

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Travel, Funk Fest, Stout, Barrels, History, St. Louis, Goose Island, Whiskey

Photo by Brandon Jones

This the third of three episodes that was recorded during the Little Beer IV festival hosted by Good Word Brewing and Duluth, Georgia.  This panel features a trio of brewers who talk with All About Beer Podcast Co-Host and noted author Don Tse about how malt is the most important ingredients for little beers. From heritage grains, to stalwarts, a look at how grains bring out flavor in small beers and why it should be better appreciated.

• Host: Don Tse 
• Guests: Amanda Cardinali, Ryan Ziarko, Brett Schweigert
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Travel, Little Beers, Malt, Culture
• Photo by John Holl 

This the second of three episodes that was recorded during the Little Beer IV festival hosted by Good Word Brewing and Duluth, Georgia.  This panel features a trio of cask beer experts who talk with All About Beer Publisher Andy Crouch about the very best of the process. 

• Host: Andy Crouch
• Guests: Steve Hamburg, Todd DiMatteo, Neil Callaghan
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Travel, Little Beers, Ales, Cask Ale, Culture
• Photo by John Holl 

This episode is kicking off a trio of shows that was recorded at the just concluded Little Beer IV festival hosted by Good Word Brewing and the city of Duluth, Georgia.  This panel, which was presented live during the fest, features a trio of brewers all talking about the process, culture, and general greatness of low abv ales and lagers. Guests include: Zach Adams of Fox Farm Brewery, John Branding of Wheatland Spring + Brewery, and Todd Boera of Fonta Flora.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Visit the Wonkas of tea beer at booth 2390. Firsd Tea has teas and botanicals to create new colors, flavors, and textures to craft beer and hard teas. Firsd Tea even has beer and cocktail recipes with popping boba. Step into pure imagination at booth 2390 at the Vegas CBC or email [email protected].

Malteurop Malting Company is North American proud with premium grains from field to flavor. Their selections include Base, Specialty and Distillers malt varieties. Stop by their Booth #2143 at the Craft Brewers Conference in Vegas!

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Zach Adams, John Branding, Todd Boera
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Travel, Little Beers, Ales, Brewing, Culture
• Photo by John Holl 

Las Vegas will be the focal point for many brewers in the coming weeks as the Brewers Association hosts its annual Craft Brewers Conference, World Beer Cup, and Brewers Expo. For those traveling to sin city – either as brewing professionals or curious drinkers – this episode will offer up all the tips to make the most out of your drinking time on and off the strip.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Visit the Wonkas of tea beer at booth 2390. Firsd Tea has teas and botanicals to create new colors, flavors, and textures to craft beer and hard teas. Firsd Tea even has beer and cocktail recipes with popping boba. Step into pure imagination at booth 2390 at the Vegas CBC or email [email protected].

Malteurop Malting Company is North American proud with premium grains from field to flavor. Their selections include Base, Specialty and Distillers malt varieties. Stop by their Booth #2143 at the Craft Brewers Conference in Vegas!

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Wyndee Forrest, David Pascual, and Dan Pixley
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Travel, Casinos, Beer, Las Vegas, Dining
• Photo art by Canva

Jack Hendler and Joe Connolly discuss their new book Modern Lager Beer: Techniques, Processes, and Recipes.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Jack Hendler and Joe Connolly
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Lager, Tradition, Fermentation, Germany, Landbier
• Photo by Brewers Publications

Welcome to This Week in Rauchbier for April 1, 2024.
 

Our Rauchbier spotlight is trained on Caleb Michalke of Sugar Creek Malt in Indiana. He's working to bring rauchmalt of distinction of discerning brewers and distillers. 

Then Rick Lyke, our rauchbier sherpa and the founder of the Pints for Prostates Campaign, shares his inspirational journey into smoked beer and offers his unparalleled insight and advice to breweries regarding smoked beer. 

Then Bart Watson of the Brewers Association joins us to share the latest growth and success of Rauchbier in the marketplace. 

Enjoy these audio smoky delights. 

Thanks to Hagen and Bill for the inspiration to do this show. Hear the genesis of This Week in Rauchbier on episode 5 of Drink Beer, Think Beer.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Caleb Michalke, Rick Lyke, and Bart Watson.
• Tags: beer, craft beer, rauchbier, smoke, April Fool's Day

Music for this episode:
NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On this episode it's a deep dive on what goes in to making a great IPA. Steve Parker of New York’s Fiden’s Brewery joins the show.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Steve Parker
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: New York, West Coast IPA, Mosaic Hops, Mouthfeel 
• Photo by John Holl

How do beers evolve over time? And how does patience, curiosity, trust, and creativity work to the benefit of bother brewery and brewer? Wayne Wambles, the (now former) long-time brewmaster of Cigar City, is here to talk about his career, a return to homebrewing, and how specialty ingredients work best when added to a solid beer base.

Wambles has started a brewery consulting service and can be reached at [email protected] .
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Wayne Wambles
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Florida, Stout, IPA, Homebrewing, Consulting, Creativity 
• Photo courtesy of Wayne Wambles via Facebook.

It's beer and weather together on this episode of the podcast as Boston CBS Meterologist Eric Fisher joins the show.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Eric Fisher 
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Weather, Treehouse, Blizzard, Travel, Boston, Eclipse 

It’s a bit of a departure on the show this week as we’re talking about spirits with long-time beverage writer Aaron Goldfarb. He has a new book out: Dusty Booze: In Search of Vintage Spirits.

Goldfarb has been a journalist for over a decade, frequently writing on the subjects of cocktails and drinking culture for such publications as the New York Times, Esquire, Playboy, PUNCH, and VinePair, and has had features written about his career in the New York Times, Forbes, and the Boston Globe. His previous books include Hacking Whiskey, named a finalist for Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards Best New Book, and Gather Around Cocktails. In 2020, Tales of the Cocktail named Goldfarb the Best Cocktail & Spirit Writer for the year. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, daughter, son, cat, and a lot of bottles of booze.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Aaron Goldfarb
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Booze, Books, California, Tequila, Bourbon, Cocktails 

It’s a trip to the Ocean State and a conversation with Morgan Snyder, the head brewer and co-founder of Buttonwoods Brewery. From world-class small-batch lagers, to an expansion, and the wonder of saison, this episode covers it all and more.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Morgan Snyder
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Saison, Rhode Island, Growth, Cocktails 

Homebrewing has been a source of passionate online chatter over the last week after the American Homebrewers Association announced it would put its annual Homebrew Con on “hiatus” in favor of smaller events and demonstrations located within the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

Julia Herz, the executive director of the AHA is here, to explain the change. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Julia Herz
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Homebrewing, Conference, Festival, Denver

There’s a lot to love about beer. And that can be tough to remember at times. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, we've asked three enthusiastic folks - Aaron MJ Gore, Annette May, and Tom M. - to come on and share what makes their heart flutter when it comes to lager and ale.
 
For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Aaron MJ Gore, Annette, May, Tom M.
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Cask, Love, Education
• Cover art: AI image created by Canva. 

There are some trends worth paying attention to these days around the beer space. One of them is THC seltzers. They are popping up on menus in certain states alongside IPA and lager.

THC Seltzers are taking off. On this show last year Scott Selix of Lua and Climbing Kites talked about his brewery's entry into the space. Their beverage is being contracted out of Minnesota’s Fair State Cooperative Brewery, which also has its own line of seltzers. The brewer putting in the work to make and develop these is Joe Wells. 

Wells has been in the craft beer industry for over a decade, from California to Canada and the last five years at Fair State where he serves as Head Brewer. 

On this episode he talks about how these THC seltzers are made, how they came about in the first place, and what the market is doing in response to their availability. 

 
For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

The Best of Craft Beer Awards

Attention brewers: registration is now open for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded. In addition to traditional styles, new this year is the smoothie sour style category, and the collaboration competition. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Joe Wells
• Sponsors: Best of Craft Beer Awards, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Seltzer, THC, CBD, Hemp, Business, Growth

A conversation with Chris Shields, the Director of Education at Rhinegeist Brewery.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

The Best of Craft Beer Awards

Attention brewers: registration is now open for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded. In addition to traditional styles, new this year is the smoothie sour style category, and the collaboration competition. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Chris Shields
• Sponsors: Best of Craft Beer Awards, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Education, Food, Ohio, Hospitality, Business, Growth

There’s a lot happening inside the walls of Cleveland, Ohio’s Noble Beast Brewing. All of it is good. On this episode it’s a conversation with owners Shaun Yasaki and James Redford about food, hospitality, creativity, and tradition.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

The Best of Craft Beer Awards

Attention brewers: registration is now open for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded. In addition to traditional styles, new this year is the smoothie sour style category, and the collaboration competition. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Shaun Yasaki and James Redford
• Sponsors: Best of Craft Beer Awards, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Bars, Food, Ohio, Hospitality, Lager, Rauchbier, Flanders Red

There are some iconic beer bars in America, and on the Mt. Rushmore is Hopleaf, the venerable Chicago institution. Michael Roper, its long-time publican, who recently announced his retirement is on this episode.
 

Late last year  Roper, who founded the Hopleaf in Chicago in 1992 announced that he’d be retiring from the bar. He’ll stay involved in various ways, as you’ll hear shortly, but the day to day is now the responsibility of others. His retirement came on the occasion of his 70th birthday, we recorded this a week after. It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Hopleaf in terms of beer bars in America. 

Located in the city’s Andersonville neighborhood it has been the place for a well curated and uncompromising beer list and an equally thoughtful food menu. Roper will walk us through the history of the bar and thoughts for the future of hospitality, and along the way gives us a reason to strive for better bar experiences. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

The Best of Craft Beer Awards

Attention brewers: registration is now open for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded. In addition to traditional styles, new this year is the smoothie sour style category, and the collaboration competition. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Michael Roper
• Sponsors: Best of Craft Beer Awards, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Bars, History, Chicago, Hospitality

This episode features a conversation with the legendary Teri Fahrendorf, the long-time brewmaster and founder of Pink Boots Society. She’s here for a wide ranging conversation about her career, brewery safety, recipe development, creativity, and forging a path in the beer industry.

After a storied career in beer, Fahrendorf recently entered a working retirement. She’s helmed breweries, judged competitions around the world, and founded the Pink Boots Society, which she later ran for nearly a decade. She’s been a safety advocate, outspoken critic, historian, and sounding board in her more than 30 year career.

After countless brew days and then a turn selling raw ingredients, she’s focused today on her art, crafting pottery from her studio in the pacific northwest. It’s another creative outlet for this one-time computer programmer who forged a career through determination and will when the craft brewing industry was still in its infancy. 

She joined the show in early January 2024 to share some stories and insights, more of which can be found on her her blog and website terifahrendorf.com

Fahrendorf isn’t leaving beer completely – she says she still plans to judge competitions and stay involved in various other ways, but for the first time since the 1980s bee is not her primary job focus. This seems like a good time for an introspective. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

The Best of Craft Beer Awards

Attention brewers: registration is now open for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded. In addition to traditional styles, new this year is the smoothie sour style category, and the collaboration competition. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Teri Fahrendorf
• Sponsors: Best of Craft Beer Awards, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Bars, History, Education, Pink Boots

Lets ease into the new year with a panel discussion from some of my other All About Beer podcast hosts and colleagues. We’ll discuss thoughts and trends for 2024, and have some fun reminiscing on 2023 along the way. 

Today on the show I’m joined by some of the voices and bylines you’ve come to expect from All About Beer. It’s not quite our holiday office party, but it’s a chance for us to get together for a good time and to talk about what we’ve experienced on the job and what might be on the horizon. 

For this episode I’m joined by Andy Crouch, the publisher of All About Beer, Don Tse better known as the Don of Beer, and Em Sauter, better known as Pints and Panels. Together they co-host the bi-weekly All About Beer Podcast. Plus, Sarah Jane Curran, the host of Beer Me! Radio, who joined our podcast group in 2023. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

The Best of Craft Beer Awards

Attention brewers: registration is now open for the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Now in its 10th year, this is a BJCP sanctioned event judged by fellow brewers, professional judges, and industry leaders. Judged in Oregon, it’s the third largest professional brewing competition in North America and is a chance to have your hard work evaluated and rewarded.

In addition to traditional styles, new this year is the smoothie sour style category, and the collaboration competition. Learn more and register your beers through January 31, 2024 by visiting www.BestofCraftBeerAwards.com/register

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Andy Crouch, Em Sauter, Don Tse, Sarah Jane Curran
• Sponsors: Best of Craft Beer Awards, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Bars, Draft Beer, Conversations, Hospitality, Resolutions

Beer bars play an important role in delivering a world class experience while offering a curated list that can surprise, delight, or just be a comfort. This is our annual episode where we check in on the state of beer bars with thoughtful publicans. 

So, What is the state of beer bars in America in 2023? Two bar owners, Jeff Bruning and Devin Cox, share their experiences and insights. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Jeff Bruning and Devin Cox
• Sponsors: ProBrewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Restaurants, Beer, Bars, Draft Beer, Conversations, Hospitality

It’s our annual end of the year wrap up with writers from around the globe who cover the beer industry. You’ll hear from Matt Kirkegaard, Christopher Shepard, Brandon Hernandez, and Melissa Cole. Listen in as these venerable journalists discuss the trends of 2023, give analysis on the news, and offer insight that impacts all beer drinkers. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Matt Kirkegaard, Christopher Shepard, Brandon Hernandez, and Melissa Cole
• Sponsors: ProBrewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Festivals, Beer, Hops, History, Conversations, Non-alcoholic beer 

This is our second annual show dedicated to homebrewing. Drew Beechum and Denny Conn are here to talk about what’s happening with the hobby, to answer a listener question, and to spread some holiday cheer.
 

Conn and Beechum are longtime homebrewers and noted personalities in the space. They are the co-authors of Simple Home Brewing and Experimental Homebrewing, which is also the name of the podcast they co-host.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Drew Beechum and Denny Conn
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Homebrewing, Cans, Hops, History, Festivals, Conventions 

Last week, Westbound & Down Brewing announced that it had acquired two breweries, Aspen Brewing and Capitol Creek Brewery’s brewpub, both in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. 

The deal, says Jake Gardner the Director of Brewing Operations at Westbound & Down Brewing Company, is part of a plan the brewery has been eyeing for a while. There was a desire to expand in a meaningful way, while still staying true to the brewing ethos that has guided Westbound and Down since it opened in 2015. 

We’ll talk business and the growth projections, and how Aspen’s 7,000 barrel capacity, and Capitol Creek Brewery’s brewpub will blend with the existing infrastructure. 

But we’re also going to talk about IPA, barrel-aged beer, and how the brewery wants to be great at all that it does. 

That goal squares with Gardner’s background. He started professionally brewing at Breckenridge Brewery in 2011 before transitioning to Hogshead Brewery where he worked his way up to head brewer in 2013. While working at Hogshead he connected with three mug club members who ended up becoming partners in opening Westbound & Down Brewing. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Jake Gardner
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Colorado, Craft, Restaurant, Growth, IPA, Barrels

From consumer preferences, to growing a company, I’m excited to have David Moore and Andy Joynt of Big Grove Brewing on the show this week. As the brewery expands through Iowa and is eyeing other states, we will talk about flavors and creativity, and finding ways to stay nimble in a challenging industry.

Joynt has been the director of beer for Big Grove Brewery for 7 years and became an owner in 2020. He is responsible for all beer that is made at Big Groves five different operations that includes two production facilities as well as three smaller taproom breweries. Under his leadership Big Grove has become the number one top selling craft beer in Iowa surpassing Blue Moon and Leinenkugels. Big Grove has also captured multiple awards including World Beer Cup, GABF, and US Open Beer. 

Moore spent the first six years at Big Grove as the chief operations officer and became an owner in 2020. He recently moved to chief growth officer where he will oversee the company’s advancement in new markets for taprooms, distribution, as well as all new business divisions. He is also the CEO and owner of Climbing Kites, Iowa first and top selling THC infused beverage company. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Andy Joynt and David Moore
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Iowa, Craft, Restaurant, Growth, Flavor, Hospitality

Sam Masotto of Bonn Place Brewing in Pennsylvania is here for a conversation about hospitality, food, and fun. It’s a special episode, recorded at the brewery in front of an enthusiastic crowd. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Sam Masotto
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Pennsylvania, Craft, Mild, Sandwiches, Saison, Flavor, Hospitality

From creating a thoughtful space that puts beer and food front and center, to one of the newest frontiers in adult beverages: THC and CBD, Scott Selix of Lua Brewing is here to talk about his growing brewery and the evolution of hospitality.  He is Co-Founder of Lua Brewing in Des Moines as well as Lua’s sister company, Climbing Kites, a THC Sparkling Water brand. He also runs HYFR Hospitality, a hospitality company based in Des Moines, which just opened a new restaurant. Either/Or, where this episode was recorded. Scott was the President of the Iowa Brewers Guild from 2019-2023. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Scott Selix
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Iowa, Craft, Lager, IPA, THC, Flavor, Hospitality

Today it’s a visit to Des Moines, Iowa for a lively conversation with two of the state’s leading brewers, the guild director, and historian Maureen Ogle.

Last week I was in Iowa to speak and spend time at the state’s guild annual conference. It had been several years since I was there and I wanted to get a better handle on what is happening in the state – and it’s a lot. 

What is happening there is important to the industry as a whole, and worth a listen. 

My guests are:

Dave Morgan is a small town Iowa native, that attended and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Business Administration in 1998. After graduation, he jumped into the hospitality industry, opening and operating multiple food and beverage locations before transitioning into the craft brewery scene in 2012. He leads the team at SingleSpeed Brewing Co, operating 3 locations (Brewery+TapRoom), all located within the state of Iowa and has been a member of Iowa Brewers Guild Board since 2020, currently holding down the incredibly important / do the least position of Vice President. 

Noreen Otto is a Wisconsin native who relocated to Iowa to attend college and law school. After graduation, she worked in a number of political roles. She then spent 7 years focused on state and federal policy for Hy-Vee, Inc. as Vice President Government Relations. Her work focused on retail business issues. Noreen also served at the Chief Administrative Officer for specialty cheese maker, Maytag Dairy Farms before joining the Iowa Brewers Guild as the Executive Director in fall of 2021. She lives with her husband and two sons in Newton, where she sits on the Jasper Community Foundation and library board. Noreen can be found making cheeseboards when she isn’t trying to understand Minecraft.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a Finance degree in 2009, R.J. Tursi spent time with relatives in southern Italy, working at their winery and learning what it means to be passionate about your work and craft.  In 2012, R.J. and his parents, Bob & Amy Tursi

opened Exile Brewing.  Over the past 11 years R.J. has guided Exile through the relatively easy growth of the 2010s, earned his Advanced Cicerone Certification, and is currently helping Exile navigate the more tumultuous waters of the 2020s.

and 

Maureen Ogle is an historian and the author of Ambitious Brew: A History of American Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Dave Morgan, RJ Tursi, Noreen Otto, Maureen Ogle
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Iowa, Craft, History, IPA, Lager, Flavor

This week, I’m delighted to be joined by Diane Flynt, the author of the recently published Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South. This is a story of history, diversity, and the future.

For those who say social media is a bad thing, I get it. But occasionally it can provide gems. For example, last week I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw Sean Lilly Wilson, the founder of North Carolina’s Fullsteam Brewery post about a new book he was reading: Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South. 

I was immediately intrigued and reached out to the author, Diane Flynt, to come on the show. 

She and her husband Chuck live in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, where she is an apple grower and cidermaker. She says above all else she is an insatiable learner, which led to the concept and writing of this book. 

Flynt is a multiple-time James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional and founded Foggy Ridge Cider in 1997 after leaving her corporate career and produced cider until 2018. 

There aren’t nearly enough books on apples in the world, especially engaging and well thought out ones, but this book stands among the top, in my mind and based on what I’ve read, for not only the rich history and passion it provides, but also the personal narrative weaved throughout, and the easy to understand approach, which helps put the subject in our hands. 

Press materials provided in advance give this description: Flynt "shows how southern apples, ranging from northern varieties that found fame on southern soil to hyper-local apples grown by a single family, have a history beyond the region, from Queen Victoria's court to the Oregon Trail. 

Flynt also tells us the darker side of the story, detailing how apples were entwined with slavery and the theft of Indigenous land. She relates the ways southerners lost their rich apple culture in less than the lifetime of a tree and offers a tentatively hopeful future."

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Diane Flynt
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Cider, Apples, History, South, Agriculture, Flavor

There is a lot of uncertainty in the American beer industry these days, especially among the smaller breweries. In what is both a cautionary tale and one of optimism, Sean O’Keefe of Pontoon Brewing in Georgia is here today to talk about how his brewery was forced to close and to furlough employees.

Earlier this month the brewery put up a social media post announcing that it needed to close. This was necessary, owners said because one of it’s main distributors had not paid them for beer delivered. O'Keefe has not publicly identified the distributor, citing on-going litigation as the reason. 

The brewery has been a vibrant part of the Georgia Beer scene for years now, focusing on big boozy imperial stouts and messing around with adjuncts. It’s also making more mainstream beers that can appeal to a wider audience.  It hasn’t always been easy, but the brewery has grown, and O’Keefe is candid about what has been happening behind the scenes to get to this point, and how fragile it can all be. 

Right now the brewery is looking for investors and looking for a path forward. There seems to be a lot of announcements these days about breweries closing and it puts a spotlight on all of the facets that go into running a successful business, and how even one piece out of sync can hurt the whole brewery. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Sean O'Keefe
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Business, Bills, Stouts, Georgia,

“I’ve known Nate Schweber going on 20 years now, we’ve been colleagues, friends, and even co-authors. I can say without a doubt that he is one of the hardest working reporters I’ve ever met, he has a keen eye for detail, enjoys a good drink, and knows how to rock with the best of them. 

He’s a raconteur, with endless curiosity and compassion, and great passion. My life is better because I know him. 

His chords are familiar to listeners of this show as it has opened up every episode since we started, and was even part of the old After Two Beers show I did for All About Beer. We’ve been to breweries and crime scenes together, we’ve had adventures and even wrote a book together – Indiana Breweries – which was released in 2011 and has since gone on to sell tens of copies. 

He lives in Brooklyn these days, but he grew up in Missoula, Montana and has always had a passion for outdoor reporting. A previous book, Fly Fishing Yellowstone is a must for any angler looking for the story of trout in the historic park, not just the fish but tales of the streams and its history. 

His latest book tells a remarkable story about conservation, activism, and journalism, with belts of sold drinking thrown in here and again. It’s called This America of Ours: Bernard and Avis DeVoto and the Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild.

It was published on July 5, 2022 and the paperback is out now. It has also the book won the High Plains Book Award, and received the first place book award from the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

The book tells the story of a husband and wife team that took on special interests and politicians like Joe McCarthy and worked to protect land that should have been protected, and along the way, they strike up a friendship with a woman who would alter the course of cooking in America. 

It’s suspenseful, meticulously researched, frightening with bits of levity, and historically important with mirrors to today. It is one of the most engaging books I’ve read in a long time, and I’m not just saying all of this because he showed up at my house with a bottle of gin. 

But, of course, that’s where we start.”

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Nate Schweber
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Nature, Travel, Parks, History, Gin

If you’ve been paying attention to the beer social medias lately, you might have noticed a photo of a Colorado-brewed amber ale making the rounds. It’s called Re-Tired and it’s a clear homage to the original recipe of New Belgium’s Fat Tire. This beer, however, is made by Crooked Stave. Chad Yakobson, the brewery’s founder and brewmaster is here for a conversation.

He founded Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project 13 years ago and originally it focused around Brettanomyces.  As his official bio points out that his brewing master’s thesis was on Brettanomyces and its use in the brewing industry. 

“Wanting to spread the wealth of knowledge, Chad published his research as an open-source website to provide a greater understanding of Brettanomyces yeasts for brewers. Focused on strain-specific fermentations and the major compounds produced during pure culture anaerobic fermentation in wort, the application of these yeasts has proliferated throughout the brewing industry.”

Wild Wild Brett, where I’ll begin the conversation, was a research and development series that really helped drinkers of the time better understand the yeast. But, a changing beer world has it backburnered today. 

Still, everything old can be new again, including amber ales. When New Belgium announced it was fundimentally changing its famed fat tire from an amber ale to more of a golden one, many folks were heartbroken, even if they hadn’t purchased the beer for some time. Chad walks me through how this homage came to be, and how he never thought Crooked Stave would ever make an Amber ale. 

A lot has happened in thirteen years and Chad weaves the story of Crooked Stave and the larger beer industry through the lens of Colorado. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Chad Yakobson
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, IPA, Wild, Sour Ales, Colorado, Brettanomyces, Fat Tire 

This week, I’m excited to be joined by Tim Ogden of Deviant Libations in Florida, for a conversation that revolves around inclusivity in the beer space, and creating a taproom that reflects personality and passion. 

This is the last of the shows I recorded during the Florida Brewers Guld Conference this past summer, and I was grateful to meet and spend time with Tim Ogden. 

Ogden started home brewing in the late 90s and after moving to Florida at a time when craft beer was far less accessible, and they became an avid homebrewer out of necessity.  

It soon became apparent that working in the industry would be a dream come true.  They started out at Hops, a brewpub chain, and moved on from there in 2009 to help grow with Cigar City Brewing.   

In 2008 after receiving a scholarship for the concise brewing course at Siebel Institute granted by the Florida Brewers Guild, Ogden served two terms on the guild Board of Directors. 

Tim is known for adjunct sweet stouts, fruity IPAs, crispy clean lagers and not-so-tart sour ale, and has a passion for constant reinvention and blurring of the boundaries between styles.  Tim leverages creativity and personality to navigate the space between traditional beer and things a little less common to create beverages that are unique and fun, while still accessible to a wide array of people, and is intent on creating a space of radical inclusivity where all are not only accepted but genuinely feel welcome.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Tim Ogden
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, IPA, Florida, Sour Ales, Taproom, Diversity

This is a malt centric episode at the intersection of brewer curiosity. In a moment I’ll be talking with Chris Cates of Little Animals Brewing, Brent Manning of Riverbend Malt House, and Andrew Zinn of Leveller Brewing.

A year ago,  Cates visited Belgium and came back inspired. After visiting through some of the worlds best breweries, drinking classic and carefully crafted saison, he wanted to make a beer that not only paid homage to those beers but to also impart a sense of place from Eastern Tennessee. 

After trying a few recipes that didn’t yield the results he wanted, Cates reached out to Riverbend Malt House in neighboring North Carolina to help him create a pilsner malt that would mimic those from Belgium. 

The idea, he said was to a local malt “tailored for diastatic and mixed fermentations, with higher protein and beta-glucans and built in minerality and buffering capacity.”

Riverbend achieved this by creating a water profile that was rich in minerals that was used during the malting process.  Manning of Riverbend says the results yielded a malt that resists ph drop slightly better than usual, and allows for additional laxtic acid and potential ester precursors. 

We’ll weave the whole story from start to finisih as Cates and Manning join the show with Andrew Zinn of Leveller Brewing, who has also been brewing with the malt. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Shopify
Shopify’s already taken the cash register online, helping millions sell billions around the world. But did you know that Shopify can do the same thing at your retail store? Give your point-of-sale system a serious upgrade, with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/drinkbeer and take your retail business to the next level today.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Chris Cates, Andrew Zinn, Brent Manning
• Sponsors: Shopify, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Malt, Belgium, Water, Science, Pilsner, Saison, Tennessee, North Carolina

This episode will specifically be talking about self-harm experiences and prevention. 

Guests Jon Lane of O.H.S.O brewing in Arizona and Russ Klisch of the Lakefront Brewery in Wisconson discuss the beer initiative around 9-8-8, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This episode will specifically be talking about self-harm experiences and prevention. Lane has lost family and friends to suicide, and, as you’ll hear, even had ideations himself. He credits the volunteer he spoke with after dialing 988 for saving his life. 

Not everyone knows about the number and the service and Lane wanted to raise awareness and to shine light on the importance of mental health and saving lives. The 9-8-8 beer initiative helps breakdown barriers and bring suicide prevention to the forefront of conversations. Lakefront Brewery released its beer, Save A Weiss, earlier in September. 

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Lifeline. Additionally, in the United States you can visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of services. Individual countries also have their own resources. 

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Jon Lane and Russ Klisch 
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Weather, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, Recipes

Out to Washington this week for an update on the 2023 Hop Crop and to hear how the timing of the harvest impacts flavor and aroma. Eric Desmarais and Alexandra Nowell of CLS Farm in Yakima is here to share their insight. 

Mid-September means the hop harvest is in full swing in the Pacific Northewest, and to get insight on what is happening with the harvest I’m so pleased to be joined by Eric Desmarais, the 4th generation owner of CLS Farms in Yakima and Alexandra Nowell the technical brewing advisor to the farm. 

They’ve been busy taking stock of all that’s happening amid the acres and running sensory and talking with brewers. They’ve also been looking at the calendar and taking stock on the aromas and flavors that the hops present when they are picked. 

It’s something that gets a good amount of attention these days. 

Earlier this year they hosted a seminar titled "Finding the Edges: The Intersection of Art and Science Hop Picking Windows," and were joined by Tom Nielsen of Sierra Nevada, and Stephanie Conn of VGF Farms. 

The seminar explored the diversity of hop aromas that can develop based on when a variety is harvested and in this conversation they will share details on that and what they have additionally learned this season. 

How does harvest time impact the flavor of the hops? One example that CLS found that harvesting El Dorado towards the end of September brings out its tropical and candy aromas whereas early harvested El Dorado has more citrus and melon character. 

 It’s a fascinating subject and science.

India pale ale is the style that built craft beer.  With bold, hoppy flavors, it was distinctive and different and tantalized tastebuds of craft beer drinkers.

IPA is a historic style, but historic doesn’t mean static.  Yes, there are many modern interpretations of IPA, but even historic IPA evolved over time, in response to tastes, wars, taxation and many other factors that drive beer makers and beer drinkers.

Guests:

Ron Pattinson
Ron Pattinson is a British beer writer and historian who lives in Amsterdam. He has wasted the last two decades of his twilight years researching and obsessing over many beer-related topics.On his Shut up About Barclay Perkins blog, he writes in excruciating detail about beer history, mostly of British beer styles, with excursions across the Channel into German Austrian, Dutch and Scandinavian beer history. The books he has authored on beer history are almost innumerable. They are mostly significant for their single-word titles, such as "Porter!", "Mild!" and "Bitter!" and their enormous page count. His published works include a book on brewing historic beers called "The Home Brewer's Guide to Vintage Beer" and the definitive work on Scottish beer and brewing, the snappily-titled "Scotland! vol. 2". The few copies of his books to be sold mostly reside in brewers' offices. He is married and the father of two sons in their twenties, neither of whom have yet bothered to move out, despite numerous hints.

Mike Karnowski
Mike Karnowski is the owner/brewer at Zebulon Artisan Ales in Weaverville that he rubs with his wife Gabrielle. He is the author of Homebrew: Beyond The Basics, home brewer since 1986, historical beer enthusiast.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Estrella Galicia
Estrella Galicia is an independent, family-owned brewery  in northwest Spain, founded in 1906.

Estrella Galicia Cerveza Especial is a world class lager, brewed using the finest Spanish malts, locally  cultivated Galician hops and the best brewing practices, in a state-of-the-art facility in A Coruna. Recognized around the world for quality and exceptional character. Estrella Galicia is “A beer like no other.”

Yakima Valley Hops
Looking for an easy hop sourcing experience? Yakima Valley Hops offers the finest quality hops from right here in our Valley and premium growing regions around the world. Get the hops you need when you need them, with ultra-fast shipping and awesome customer service. With a full line of liquid hop products and all your favorite varieties, no contracts are needed to brew with the best. Shop now at YakimaValleyHops.com.

• Hosts: Don Tse and Em Sauter
• Guests: Ron Pattinson, Mike Karnowski
• Sponsors: Estrella Galicia, Yakima Valley Hops, All About Beer
• Tags: Brewing, IPA, History, Hops

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

During the Florida Brewers Guild Conference a few weeks ago I had the chance to meet a lot of dedicated professionals and folks working to bring deeper meaning to beer. 

One such person is Ami Parrino the Laboratory Manager at Florida Avenue Brewing Company. At the brewery she combines her expertise as a microbiologist and Advanced Cicerone to ensure the production of top-quality beers and elevate the overall beer experience for consumers. 

She is a beer judge and is Siebel Institute sensory trained. Ami offers classes on beer and food pairing and works with local breweries to curate their menu pairing options.  And she is in the process of writing a book on beer and food pairing culture around the world.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Ami Parrino
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, Florida, Sensory, Pairings, Food, Beer Weeks, Pink Boots

A special live audience episode of the podcast co-hosted by John Holl and Andy Crouch.

Recorded on location at Jack's Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts.
 

With special guests: Jennifer Glanville Love of Boston Beer, Sam Hendler of Jack's Abby Brewing, and Adam Romanow of Castle Island Brewing.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Hosts: John Holl and Andy Crouch
• Guests: Jennifer Glanville Love, Sam Hendler, Adam Romanow
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, Massachusetts, Lager, Seasonal, Oktoberfest, Legislation

Strap in, because we’re going on a ride, deep into flavor, our senses and what Randy Mosher calls “Your Tasting Brain.”

No matter how long you have been around beer, thinking about beer, drinking beer, listening about or talking about beer, there is always something new to learn. 

This is especially true when around Randy Mosher. He’s the celebrated writer behind classic books like Tasting Beer, and a talented brewer and recipe developer. 

Last month he was in Orlando, giving the keynote address at the Florida Guild Conference, a stellar event put on by now former director Sean Nordquist. Over the course of 90 minutes, Mosher walked attendees through the sensory systems. 

He sat down with me afterwards for a conversation that picked up on that talk, and the info he plans to put into his forthcoming book:  Your Tasting Brain: How it Works and How to Use it

Taste, smell and mouthfeel represent fully half of our sensory systems, but we barely notice them most of the time, he says.  

Using the simple act of tasting to slice through the new science, this book – which he hopes will publish next year -  brings the science to life and illuminates just how complex, finely tuned and superbly functional these senses are. 

School is in session. Professor Mosher is ready to teach. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Randy Mosher
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, Florida, Tasting, Recipes, Sensory, Aroma

A lot of breweries talk about sustainability and environmental practices, but few are as committed as Florida’s First Magnitude. This week on the show it’s a conversation with Christine and John Denny, the founders of the brewery.

Located in Gainesville, Florida they are the Southeast’s first carbon-neutral brewery through a partnership with We Are Neutral, and they have donated a lot of money to and encourage research into the Florida Springs Institute. 

In the brewhouse they are working to reduce waste and to find ways to be more efficient. There are charitable works they brewery touts and they are striving to remain a relevent community hub. 

As for the beers, they are pretty darn good, including one that I enjoyed during the show: Drift, a session brown ale. What’s a session brown? Keep listening. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Christine and John Denny
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, Florida, Water, Sustainability, English Mild

Last Week Jack’s Abby, the Massachusetts-based lager brewery announced that it would soon be releasing a collaboration with Weihenstephan, the venerable German brewery. 

It’s called Fest Of Both Worlds and it’s brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts along with Sterling and Adeena hops, and fermented with TUM 34/70, which Weihenstephan shared for this beer.

At nearly 1,000 years old Weihenstephan is a brewery of legend around the world and through a commitment to technical brewing and education has helped countless brewers and drinkers better understand beer. 

This collaboration with Jack’s Abby is only the third time Weihenstephan has collaborated with an American brewer. The beer will be available later this month in Massachusetts and New York. 

My guests are Jack Hendler Co-Founder of Jack’s Abby and Matthias Ebner, the Global Brand Ambassador Weihenstephan. They are here to talk about the collaboration, and so much more. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Matthias Ebner, Jack Hendler
• Sponsors: All About Beer, , Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, History, Non-alcoholic, travel, festbier 

We’re tasting all the time when it comes to beer and our drinking experiences. But there is always a chance to become better, to go deeper and layer in more thought. Mandy Naglich, is the author of the new book “How To Taste” and she is here to guide us.

There are several books that exist that help us understand our brains and senses when it comes to tasting. Now, there is a new one to add to your shelf. 

How to taste: a guide to discovering flavor and savoring life by Mandy Naglich was released a few weeks ago and is a fun, conversational, and thought provoking book that is worthy of your time and attention. 

Mandy Naglich is an Advanced Cicerone, Certified Taster, and journalist. As a Certified Cider Professional and after completing all levels of WSET Spirits Mandy began to teach both consumers and professionals about flavor and service across the beverage alcohol category. Her wildly popular tasting classes sell out around the city and virtually. Mandy uses her experience tasting and studying beverages to report for outlets like Vice, Taste of Home, VinePair, and Wine Enthusiast. Her fans also follow her adventures around the world on her popular blog @drinkswithmandy. 

This new book goes beyond just beer and that is to our benefit. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Yakima Valley Hops
Looking for an easy hop sourcing experience? Yakima Valley Hops offers the finest quality hops from right here in our Valley and premium growing regions around the world. Get the hops you need when you need them, with ultra-fast shipping and awesome customer service. With a full line of liquid hop products and all your favorite varieties, no contracts are needed to brew with the best. Shop now at YakimaValleyHops.com.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Mandy Naglich 
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Yakima Valley Hops, Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, History, tasting, travel, cheese, 

Perspective is important when it comes to enjoying beer and understanding the industry. This episode features a panel comprised of directors of three state brewing guilds.

It’s amazing how much has changed in the beer industry in 10 years. We’ve seen the rise of the Hazy IPA all while the the number of operating breweries exploded. Trends have come and gone and mergers and closures dot the landscape.

Perspective helps us appreciate where we are and where we can go by examining where we’ve been. 

Today, three state brewer guild directors: Rob Fullmer of Arizona, Mary MacDonald of Ohio, and Paul Leone of New York are here for a chat about what is happening in their states and what it means for beer in general. 

All three are celebrating a decade on the job, and with that time comes, yes, perspective. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Yakima Valley Hops
Looking for an easy hop sourcing experience? Yakima Valley Hops offers the finest quality hops from right here in our Valley and premium growing regions around the world. Get the hops you need when you need them, with ultra-fast shipping and awesome customer service. With a full line of liquid hop products and all your favorite varieties, no contracts are needed to brew with the best. Shop now at YakimaValleyHops.com.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
If you plan to be in Colorado in a few weeks for the Great American Beer Festival you need to check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. It happens on September 22nd and brings together 64 of America's best craft breweries all for a great cause -- the Pints for Prostates campaign. The beer list is incredible, packed with rare, exotic and vintage beers you won't find anywhere else. These are legendary beers the breweries hold back just for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This is a bucket list event for both beer fans and brewers. You can get a look at the beer list and find more information at pintsforprostates.org. All-inclusive tickets are $200 and include unlimited beer samples, a great buffet lunch, t-shirt, tasting glass and program. Money raised goes to the fight against prostate cancer including a free health screening before the event, a simple blood test that checks for common health issues that might just save your life. That's the Denver Rare Beer Tasting -- Drinking Beer and Saving Lives.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Marcy McDonald, Paul Leone, Rob Fullmer
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Yakima Valley Hops, Pints for Prostates
• Tags: Beer, History, Mental Health, Festivals, Travel

What’s it like being an organic brewery in 2023? Harder than you might think, but getting a little better. My guest is Sandy Boss Febbo of Minnesota’s Bang Brewery and she’ll explain. 

I love hearing about breweries that are not trying to be everything to every one. The ones that were founded with a sense of purpose and continue to stick with it. Headed into the craft brewers conference in 2022 in Minneapolis, I heard about Bang Brewing, just over the river in St. Paul. It's an all organic brewery, with a low profile, robust local following, and a strong sense of identity. 

Sandy Boss Febbo is the co-owner and co-brewer of Bang Brewing, with her husband Jay. The brewery opened in 2013 after the pair spent a fair amount of time homebrewing and honing recipes. A decade later the brewery is still committed to the original plan: to produce lagers and ale with only sustainably farmed, all-organic ingredients. 

The brewery is located in a custom built pre-fabricated grain bin that also houses the taproom. The grounds feature rain gardens, a prairie beer garden, and is dotted with the unwavering focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability. Sandy and Jay are founders of the Organic Brewers Alliance, members of the NRDC’s Brewers For Clean Water Campaign, Partner Member of the Artisan Grain Collaborative, and Patagonia Provisions Partner Brewer.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Yakima Valley Hops
Looking for an easy hop sourcing experience? Yakima Valley Hops offers the finest quality hops from right here in our Valley and premium growing regions around the world. Get the hops you need when you need them, with ultra-fast shipping and awesome customer service. With a full line of liquid hop products and all your favorite varieties, no contracts are needed to brew with the best. Shop now at YakimaValleyHops.com.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Sandy Boss Febbo
• Sponsors: All About Beer, Yakima Valley Hops
• Tags: Beer, Minnesota, Grain, Sustainability, Kernza, Process, Farming, History

The recent news about Anchor Brewing pulling back it’s distribution to just California and discontinuing Our Special Ale, it’s Christmas offering, had me thinking about the brewery’s place in history and its impact.

Scott Ungermann, the former brewmaster of Anchor is here to talk about all that and more.

A few weeks ago Dave Infante, of the excellent Fingers Newsletter broke the news that broke hearts: Anchor Brewing, the venerable San Francisco Brewery, the makers of Steam Beer, and now owned by Sapporo, were pulling back its distribution to focus solely on California – already its biggest market – and would be discontinuing it’s annual Christmas tradition beer: Our Special Ale. 

“Our Special Ale has always been a bizarre beer,” wrote my colleague Andy Crouch on All About Beer. “It was never particularly popular but it had tradition, pedigree, history and therefore loomed large in American craft beer.”

It’s a loss and in an eulogy of sorts, Scott Ungermann, who was the brewmaster and VP of Production of Anchor from 2014 until 2020 is here to talk about his relationship with the brewery and that particular beer. 

Anchor has always been part of his beer DNA. A tour of the brewery when he was in college inspired a homebrewing hobby, which led to a degree from University of California Davis, and then a long career with Anheuser-Busch, including a stretch at it’s Newark NJ facility, before a chance conversation and a long simmering desire brought him to the top beer job at Anchor.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Scott Ungermann
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, California, Anchor, Lager, Christmas, Process, IPA, History

We’re talking about food science, quality control, and the relationship to beer with Eric Tennant, the founder and master brewer of Virginia’s Benchtop Brewing. 

Occasionally beer gets sent to the home office here and on the afternoons when the schedule is clear and I’m in the mood for some refreshment, I open a few and let my mind wonder. 

A recent box from Benchtop brewing in Virginia got my taste buds and mind working over time in the best possible way, so I asked Eric Tennant the founder of the brewery to come on the show. 

He’s  Native of North Carolina and NC State Alumni with a Bachelors Degree in Food Science. 

After 15 years experience in the food and beverage industry as an R&D Scientist where he created a US Patented process for a major food manufacturer.

During those years working as a food scientist he was also focusing on quality control, process improvements, and consumer insights fields.

When he left the food industry he was able to apply his technical skill and knowledge to producing delicious, innovative, and many times, culinary inspired beers.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Eric Tennant
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Virginia, Science, Lager, Creativity, Process

Ryan Sentz is here this week to talk about how he and his brother bought back Funky Buddha, the Florida Brewery they sold to Constellation Brands six years ago. 

There’s an interesting trend happening in beer these days. Small breweries that had sold to larger brewing companies are regaining their independence. The founders of Three Weavers in California re-purchased the brewery from Fireman Capital. 21st Amendment Brewery ended it’s agreement with Brooklyn Brewery. And in the last month we’ve seen Appalachian Mountain Breweryfounders purchase the brewery back from Anheuser-Busch InBev and Florida’s Funky Buddha going independent after a purchase from Constellation Brands. 

Ryan Sentz, a co-founder of the brewery is my guest this week and he talks me through the early days of the brewery, the decision to sell in the first place and what life and business was like under Constellation. 

Constellation made a push into the craft space a few years ago with the splashy and billion dollar purchase of Ballast Point followed by Funky Buddha. The acquisition did not go as planned and after some devaluations Constellation sold Ballast Point to Kings and Convicts. 

At that point, Sentz, who stayed on with Funky Buddha, knew that the brewery he founded could be next. He and his brother KC decided to make the move to re-acquire their brewery. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Ryan Sentz
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, History, Business, Homebrewing, Creativity, Florida

A note from John Holl: 
"This week I’m pleased to share with you a recent episode of the Brewer to Brewer Podcast, which runs on the All About Beer channel.  Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment interviews Mitch Steele of New Realm Brewing. The duo discuss Steele’s career and he shares insight into his time working for Anheuser-Busch at the dawn of craft beer and the movements made to address and combat the upstarts. It’s a fascinating look into business and history and I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I did."

Averie Swanson of Keeping Together is on the show this week in a conversation recorded last month at Funk Fest in Nashville, TN. We’re talking about saison, building a new brewery, and the creative process.

Swanson is one of the most talented and thoughtful brewers in the U.S. today and her career path is well known. Going from a volunteer at Jester King in Austin to its head brewer in just four years before leaving several years ago to start a new venture called Keeping Together. Originally operating out of Chicago it was focused on mixed culture, rustic, Belgian-inspired beers. 

Now, she and her partner Pat Fahey have purchased a property in New Mexico and plans to open a brewery and tasting room. Over the last year she has been thinking about  new iterations of her beer, specialty ingredients, becoming part of a new community, and the experiences that come with new beginnings and space. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Averie Swanson
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, History, Ingredients, Travel, Saison, Creativity 

This week the show is  back in Nashville for the second of three conversations recorded before a crowd at Funk Fest, the amazing event hosted by Yzoo Brewing and Embrace the Funk. Mr. Garrett Oliver the Brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery is the guest.

As any good beer fan knows, he is the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer. He has been brewing craft beer since 1989 and is a veteran of over 1000 beer dinners and tastings in 16 countries. An original board member of Slow Food USA, he later went on to become a Councilor of Slow Food International.

In 2014 Garrett was the recipient of the James Beard Award as the country's top drinks professional.  In 2020 he founded the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF), a 501(c)(3) grant-making non-profit organization that funds scholarships for technical education in the brewing and distilling fields for people of color. In 2022, Garrett was "enthroned" by the Knights of The Brewer's Fork of Belgium, descendants of the ancient brewer's guild. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Garrett Oliver
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, History, Ingredients, Travel, Michael Jackson

This is a special edition of This Week in Rauchbier as we celebrate Memorial Day Weekend 2023 with a visit to Camp Rauchbier.

Recorded at Barrique Brewing and Blending in Nashville, Tennessee before a live and enthusiastic audience John Holl is joined by Spencer Longhurst in the co-host chair. Guests include Jack Hendler of Jack's Abby Craft Lagers and Khristopher Johnson of Green Bench Brewery.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Hosts: John Holl and Spencer Longhurst
• Guests: Jack Hendler, Khristopher Johnson
• Tags: beer, craft beer, rauchbier, smoke, Memorial Day, Nashville

Music for this episode:
NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A lively conversation over two beers with Vinnie Cilurzo recorded before a crowd at the 2023 Funk Fest in Nashville.

Cilurzo talks about the relationship between wine and beer, dialing in acidity, and surprises and delights with pours of four-day-old Pliny the Elder.

As one of the leading voices in hop-forward beers and proper barrel-aging he offers unparreled insights into what goes into making world class beer.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Vinnie Cilurzo
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Wine, IPA, California, Acidity, Styles

This week on the show I’m glad to have Mary and Brian Rooney of BKS Artisan Ales in Brookside, Missouri. They are here to talk about consumer preferences, tinkering with styles, near endless choice, and the regionality of brewing.

A few weeks ago I had the chance to meet and chat with them. They were pouring as part of the Little Beer Festival and we had a lot of fun batting around ideas while I learned about their brewing philosophy and approach to hospitality. 

They opened BKS in 2017 and the name comes from the commonly used abbreviation of the brookside neighborhood of Kansas City where the brewery is located. 

Mary runs the front of the house and Brian works in the brewery. And despite what brewery’s full name, he’s also creating a multitude of lagers through the Pivo Project. We’ll get into that… and more. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Brian and Mary Rooney
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Missouri, IPA, Customers, Lagers, Styles

A lot of the focus in beer today focuses on the now. There is a wealth of history that exists and on the show today I’m talking with Clint Lanier, the author of “Ted Mack and America's First Black Owned Brewery: The Rise and Fall of Peoples Beer.”

There are some excellent history books about beer that exist in the world. Most will focus on broad categories, but there are some that do a deep dive into a single topic or person that really give us a sense of time, place, and purpose. 

There are often lessons to be learned about where beer is today. 

One such book is “Ted Mack and America's First Black Owned Brewery: The Rise and Fall of Peoples Beer.” 

This is from the blurb: 

After all, it couldn’t be more challenging than his experience in organizing buses to the March on Washington or picketing segregated schools in Milwaukee.

This is the story of Mack’s purchase of Peoples Brewing Company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Though he had carefully planned for the historic acquisition, he underestimated the subtle bigotry of Middle America, the corruption of the beer industry, and the failures of the federal government that plagued his ownership. Mack’s ownership of Peoples Brewing is an inspirational story of Black entrepreneurship, innovation and pride at a time when America was at an important racial justice crossroads.

The author is Clint Lanier. He’s is an assistant professor of English at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. His writing about travel, history, food and drink has appeared in the Huffington Post, Eater, and Fodors.

 
For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Clinton R. Lanier, PhD
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Wisconsin, History, Taverns, Business, Books

The Craft Brewers Conference is an annual event that brings brewers from around the world into a selected city for a few days of education, equipment buying, and camaraderie. 

Brewers have also been using the occasion to get together in advance to create and then release collaboration beers. One of the most ambitious – at least from what I’ve experienced in recent years – will be released on May 1 by Embrace the Funk, the wild and wooded side of Yazoo Brewing. 

Brandon Jones, the brewer behind ETF called his friends – Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River, Jason Perkins of Allagash, Jeffrey Stuffings of Jester King and Khristopher Johnson of Green Bench Brewing and they all agreed to lend their time, talent, and inspiration to the beer. 

Then Jones got Jeff Mello of Bootleg Biology involved on the yeast side and Matt Albrecht of River Drive Cooperage to sort out the wood. 

Everyone – minus Jason Perkins of Allagash – was able to jump into the zoom studios earlier this month to talk about the beer, how it all came together, and the spirt of collaboration among brewers and in the beer industry.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Brandon Jones, Vinnie Cilurzo, Jeffrey Stuffings, Khristopher Johnson, Jeff Mello, Matt Albrecht
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Malt, Collaboration, Yeast, Farming, Hops

It’s a love of lagers episode from four brewers that have fully embraced the traditions to the style and are working to have modern conversations in the space. You’ll hear from Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Bagby Beer, Heater Allen, and Cohesion Brewing.

It was a beautiful weather day in Duluth, Georgia last weekend as Good Word Brewing put on its third Little Beer Festival. Todd DiMatteo, who you’ve heard on this show, hosted a celebration of low ABV lagers and ales from top-notch brewers from around the country.
 

The brewery has already set the date for Little Beer IV: Saturday April 13, 2024. It’s a perfect setting and a charming town just outside of Atlanta and if you’re serious about great beer and the people who make it, be sure to be there next year.
 
 
It’s not just beer drinking at this fest but also some education. Under the shade of a large tree in the middle of the green John Holl was able to sit down with four brewers of note to talk about their love of lagers and the steps they are taking to create delicious beers.
 
 
The panel includes:
 

Lisa Allen of Heater Allen and Gold Dot Beer in Oregon,


Jeff Bagby of Bagby Beer in California;

Ashleigh Carter of Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver Colorado,

and


Eric Larkin of Cohesion Brewing in Denver. 
 
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Lisa Allen, Jeff Bagby, Ashleigh Carter, Eric Larkin
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Malt, History, Tradition, Farming, Hops

Is craft lager having a moment? It’s certainly gained popularity on taproom menus around the country and is showing us the diversity of styles and flavors that can be enjoyed in this category. But where does craft malt fit into these styles that are so driven by the flavors and functionality of malt? 

This a special episode, recorded on location at the Craft Malt Conference that was recently held in Portland, Maine. It brings together three brewers from the Northeast to discuss their lager programs and how, when, and why they choose to use or not use craft malts in the development of their beer recipes.

Guests are Sean Towers from The Seed: A Living Beer Project, Michael Fava of Sacred Profane Brewery, and Justin Slotnick from Schilling Beer Co. Stay tuned until the end for great insight from Daniel Carey of New Glarus brewing.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Michael Fava, Sean Towers, Justin Slotnick
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Malt, History, Tradition, Farming, Hops

2023 is looking to be an interesting year for legacy brewers in the U.S. We’re seeing closures and contractions, and changes to beloved brands. 

Of course, the most noted right now is that New Belgium announced that it completely reformulated Fat Tire, turning it something that bears no resemblance to the amber ale that raised and delighted a generation. 

The changes, or “remastered” version of Boston Lager that Samuel Adams announced earlier this year are not as drastic, but are important and do have an impact on what is poured into the glass. 

It’s impossible to imagine the modern American beer landscape without Boston Lager. When the Boston Beer company launched in 1984 Jim Koch and co-founder Rhonda Kallman were hand selling samples to accounts all over the city. 

The beer, based in part on a historic Koch family recipe and further developed by Joseph Owades, a brewing scientist who is credited as the inventor of light beer, was seen as an alternative to the macro offerings of the early 1980s. 

The beer won early accolades at the Great American Beer Festival in both the consumer preference polls and the formal judging. Top honors gave it bragging rights as “best beer in America,” something the brewery still uses in the beer’s marketing nearly 40 years later. 

Boston Beer has grown. Brands like Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Twisted Tea, Truly Hard Seltzer, and Dogfish Head are now all part of the company. Samuel Adams has released hundreds of beers, some that landed well with consumers, and others that faded quickly. 

Boston Lager endured. On draft, in bottles and cans, and in every variety pack the brewery releases, the familiar lager is ever present. But as consumer preferences change, and technologies advance, and as brewers strive for a better version of their vision, the beer has evolved. 

Koch shares insight on how hop harvest helped evolve the beer, and how historic brewing processes are being used to help the lager taste smoother. If it’s been a while since you last had a Boston Lager, now is a good time to give it a fresh try.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Jim Koch
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, History, Judging, Boston, Samuel Adams, Hops, Malt

Welcome to This Week in Rauchbier for April 1, 2023.
 

Our Brewers Roundtable goes deep into the smoke with Spencer Longhurst of Barrique Brewing & Blending, Logan Ackerley of Wallenpaupack Brewing, and Will Gomez of The Brew Bridge.
 

Then Bart Watson of the Brewers Association joins us to share the latest growth and success of Rauchbier in the marketplace. 

Enjoy these audio smoky delights. 

Thanks to Hagen and Bill for the inspiration to do this show. Hear the genesis of This Week in Rauchbier on episode 5 of Drink Beer, Think Beer.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Spencer Longhurst, Will Gomez, Logan Ackerley, and Bart Watson.
• Tags: beer, craft beer, rauchbier, smoke, April Fool's Day

Music for this episode:
NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It’s off to Montana this week for a chat with the owner and brewer of Meadowlark where we get into the importance of craft malt, a fondness for Scottish-style ales, and brewing with mushrooms.

Meadowlark has been on my radar for a while now, but it wasn’t until owner Travis Peterson sent some beer to the home office that I was able to give the full line up a go. 

Travis tells me that he’s long had a dream of helping people experience the beauty of food and beer pairings. Neither food nor beer has to be complicated or contrived, he says,. It’s all about the experience and opening your mind to all the possibilities beer can create.

Travis graduated from Gonzaga University as a civil engineer and pursued a career working on bridge projects in both California and Washington following graduation. But in those years while visiting breweries he could not shake the desire to one day open his own. And that’s where Meadowlark, in Billings, MT came into focus. 

On the show he’s joined by Brewing Director Tim Schnars. You’ll hear his voice first. 

He’s been brewing professionally since 2006, when there were less than two thousand breweries in the United States and joined Meadowlark in 2013 Before brewing, Tim received post-secondary certification in advertising and design and pursued a career in animation.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Travis Peterson & Tim Schnars
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Texas, Foraging, Ingredients, Small Batch, The Land

A decade ago Zach Page and Nick Bonadies met as homebrewers who volunteered to help launch Trillium Brewing Company.

Zach, who handles a lot of the brewing responsibilities, moved to maine and worked at Lone Pine Brewing Company where he facilitated their expansion. 

Nick, who now does a lot of marketing, naming, and other managerial responsibilities, stayed in Massachusetts for a while where coordinated Trillium's expansion projects. 

Eventually they got back together professionally and brought their wives Melissa and Katie into the fold, with the four of them opening Belleflower Brewing in 2021. 

Nick and Zach sat down with me last week in their taproom – sharing a mic- to talk art and surprises, family balance, and being part of a larger community. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• GuestS: Zach Page and Nick Bonadies
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Maine, Art, Ingredients, Small Batch, Lager, IPA

Wisconsin is one of those places that lives in the imaginations of Americans largely in the form of caricature. Full of cheese curd eating, beer loving, Harley riders, the state rarely gets the respect it deserves. 

In reality, Wisconsin is all of those things and so much more. I grew up 90 minutes south of Milwaukee but it might as well have been a totally different country. Chicago is Midwestern in the way that non-alcoholic beer is beer, in name only.  

Wisconsin, on the other hand, is pure Midwest. From Friday night fish frys to the homey environs of supper clubs and a relatively laid back sense of community and good spiritedness, Wisconsin is the heart of the Midwest for me.

So today I’m excited that in the latest episode of Beer Travelers we’re making our way to one of the great overlooked gems in the American craft beer scene: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

To help lead us through this town’s glorious and storied beer scene we have two fantastic local guides. Chris Drosner is a long-time beer writer and editor covering Wisconsin and Milwaukee specifically. He’s written the Beer Baron column for the Wisconsin State Journal, the daily newspaper in the capital city of Madison. And it’s through this column that I first got to know Chris and his take on the Madtown and greater Wisconsin beer scenes. More recently, Chris moved to Milwaukee, where he is now the executive editor of Milwaukee Magazine. 

Joining Chris to help us on our tour of Brew City this week is Bobby Tanzillo, the senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com, where he writes about beer, whiskey, history, and architecture. He’s the author of a half dozen history books, including several about beer and its history in Milwaukee. And he’s a great resource for all the beer happenings in the city.

While Chris and Bobby compete for scoops on the latest beer news in Milwaukee, it’s clear they have a deep respect for one another and they are the perfect pair to help us navigate this jewel on Lake Michigan.

For original articles or to read the vast archives or to check out All About Beer.  follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

• Host: Andy Crouch
• Guests: Chris Drosner, Bobby Tanzillo
• Sponsor: All About Beer
• Tags: Milwaukee, Wisconsin beer

Spring is almost here which means that plans will start to come back to live in the colder parts of the country. Foraging has always been a part of beer and on this episode we’ll hear from a Texas brewer who is making the most of what is growing around the brewery.

Trevor Nearburg is the founder of Beerburg Brewing in the Texas Hill Country

After his brother started homebrewing, Nearburg got roped in and together they decided to quit their jobs and become brewers.

Both took jobs stacking cases and scrubbing floors at Real Ale Brewing, one of the 50 largest breweries in the US at the time and the second largest in Texas. They both quickly moved up, and after a year of working various jobs in the packaging hall Nearburg made a significant jump to become the Head Brewer of Uncle Billy's, a local brewpub and his brother got into management at Real Ale.  

Trevor grew Uncle Billy's from a 600 bbl/yr taproom into producing 3,000 bbl/yr and distributing all over Texas. He also helped open the latest iteration of the Celis Brewery. 

Eventually he became fascinated with brewing with local ingredients and wanted to create a brewery devoted to this and the idea for Beerburg slowly started forming.

The plans came together and he opened Beerburg in late January of 2020.

After a rough few years he is back to devoting time into wildcrafting beers with native ingredients and local yeast strains. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Trevor Nearburg
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Texas, Foraging, Ingredients, Small Batch, The Land

For the last several months the All About Beer podcast has been producing great episodes on a single topic that matter to beer drinkers.  Hosts Don Tse and Em Sauter have great expert guests that bring unparalleled insight into all aspects of beer. 

This episode tackles the importance of clean draft lines. Even if you’re a casual drinker this is still important and fascinating. 

You can hear regular episodes of the All About Beer podcast, as well as Brewer to Brewer and Beer Traveler by searching All About Beer on your podcast platform of choice. 

If you believe in quality journalism and content I hope you’ll give our patreon a look: patreon.com/all about beer or you can learn more about advertising on the shows by emailing info @ all about beer dot com.

 Drink Beer, Think Beer will be back next week with all new episodes, but for now please enjoy the All About Beer Podcast with Em Sauter and Don Tse. 

 
--

There’s nothing more important in the beer world that’s also super misunderstood and unappreciated than clean draft lines- a dirty draft line can sully a person’s relationship with a brewery or bar and can also have legal implications as well.

Our Guest: Neil Witte is one of the foremost draft beer experts in the beer business. He’s spent 20 of his 23 years in the business working in draft quality, first for Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City and now with his own company, Craft Quality Solutions. He co-authored the Draught Beer Quality Manual (DBQM), widely considered to be the most authoritative draft beer reference guide in the beer business today. He continues the work on this living document to this day as a member of the Brewers Association Draught Quality Subcommittee.

For original articles or to read the vast archives check out All About Beer.  Follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

• Hosts: Em Sauter and Don Tse
• Guest: Neil Witte
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Brewing, Beer, Draft, Cleaning, Safety, Flavor, Bars, Stadiums

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

Devon Kreps,  the owner of 7venth Sun Brewery, has a degree in Fermentation Science from Oregon State University and gained experience at Anheuser-Busch's research pilot facility in St. Louis. She was also the Production Manager at Sweetwater Brewing during its expansion from 25,000 to 60,000 barrels.

In 2012, she opened the first 7venth Sun Brewery location in Dunedin, which features 10 taps and outdoor seating. This location, the brewery says, is now treated as a pilot facility, focusing on producing Saisons, Belgian beers, Brett IPAs, Hazy IPAs, and "fun" lagers. The Tampa location, which opened in 2017 in a former VFW roller skating rink, is a larger production plant with a tasting room and outdoor beer garden.

7venth Sun Brewery has created a pair of seltzers called Pink Tax and Blue Tax. They are identical recipes except for the color- and the price. 

According to the brewery, The Pink Tax refers to the practice of charging higher prices for goods and services marketed to women. Razors, for example, can be up to 66% more expensive for women than for men, despite being the same product. This practice is seen as a form of gender discrimination, as it disproportionately affects women and non-binary individuals.

In a switch: The Blue Tax seltzer is priced higher than the Pink Tax seltzer, and 100% of the additional cost, as well as proceeds from both seltzers will be donated to the Pink Boots Society. 

Kreps explains how all this came about and also talks about Tampa Beer Week and the growing of a business.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Devon Kreps
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Seltzer, Tampa, Festivals, Hangovers, Lager

Hop lovers, put your attention to Maryland where this month brewers and growers there released a beer with a hop that is native to the state and unlike anything else found elsewhere. The brewer and researcher behind it are here to share the story. 

Last week in Maryland state officials, brewers, growers, and enthusiasts gathered at the Milkhouse Brewery to taste some beers that have recently been brewed with the Monocacy hop. 

As you’ll hear from Tom Barse at Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm and Bryan Butler at the University of Maryland Extension,  this hop has been in plain sight for forty years and because of a farmer with an appreciation for the plant, as well as it being strategically located on the farm it was able to grow and thrive until it was eventually tested.

Now it's available for brewing and tasting.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Tom Barse & Bryan Butler
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Maryland, Hops, Agriculture, History, Ale

There is a lot of focus on football this week in America as the Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday. To get excited about the game and the cities involved I’ve asked on three leading experts from Philly, Kansas City, and Phoenix/Glendale. 

An eighteen year veteran of the craft brewing industry, Jeremy Danner is the digital marketing manager and a brand ambassador for 4 Hands Brewing Company. Prior to his current position, Danner worked in brewing, cellar, packaging, management and marketing roles at 75th Street Brewery, the Power Plant Restaurant & Brewery and Boulevard Brewing Company. He’s contributed to brewing, R&D, branding, marketing and media, helping breweries connect to consumers through his love of craft beer. He’s also got a half decent Twitter following.

Rob Fulmer is the Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. 

Bryan Kolesar is a reporter and author based in Pennsylvania. He’s the founder of the Brew Lounge Blog, the author of Beer Lover’s Mid-altantic, and has worked for both the Mid-Atlantic Brewing News and the Ale Street News.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Bryan Kolesar, Rob Fulmer, Jeremy Danner
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Football, Food, Travel, Baseball, Rocky

Trevor Rose-Hamblin, the co-founder and head brewer of Old Irving Brewing Chicago is here to talk about barrels, food, and the importance of mental health.

Last month in New Hampshire, Trevor Rose-Hamblin, the co-founder and head brewer of  Old Irving Brewing in Chicago stood before a packed ballroom in Manchester New Hampshire. 

He was there to deliver the keynote at the state’s annual craft brewers conference and he was there to talk about his own life experiences and to urge everyone in the room to think about mental health and ways to help people from causing self harm. 

It was an impactful speech, and one that he references in this conversation several times as he talks about how Old Irving Came to be, a life in kitchens, and how critically important it is to be listening, watching, and always working to keep people safe and working towards a better headspace. 

This was recorded the day before his talk and before that part of the conversation we briefly talk about Chicago and it's love of barrel-aged beers. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Trevor Rose-Hamblin of Old Irving Brewing
• Sponsors: All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Barrels, Kitchens, History, Brewpub, Mental Health, Chicago 

Earlier this week I was in Manchester, New Hampshire for the state’s brewers guild conference and I had a chance to sample my way through a lot of what the state is currently producing.  This was especially true during my conversation with Devin Bush of Wild Bloom Beer. 

He’s the Head Brewer & Co-Founder - along with his wife Beth Ibitz =  of the Littleton, NH brewery which recently opened a taproom with a focus on Saisons, Belgians, and Lagers. 

He’s a graduate of the BrewLab at the University of Sunderland, has certification from the International Guild of Brewers and Distillers, and brewing for Bridge Road Brewers in Australia among other breweries across Europe and the US. He was also awarded the inaugural NH Brewer of the Year in 2020 and also serves on the NHBA Education Committee. 

What is clear from the conversation – where he opened several beers along the way – he has a passion for local ingredients – actual local ingredients.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Athletic Brewing Co.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company – America’s leading non-alcoholic craft brewer. Give Dry a Try this January with Athletic Brewing’s near beers. NEW Athletic customers can receive 20% off their FIRST order of TWO 6-packs or more when they visit athleticbrewing.com and use the code AAB20 at checkout by March 31, 2023.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Devin Bush
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Rauchbier, History, Local Ingredients, Malt, Saison 

From a marketing beginning to eventual homebrewing and then a professional career that had him working for one of the best-known German brewers to small outfits where his creativity could flourish, Charlie Cole has been dedicated to craft. 

When the opportunity came along to get involved with Blue Cat, an Illinois brewing institution going back to the 1990s, he jumped at the chance. 

He’s a believer in tradition and forward momentum, of honoring location and history but not settling for the status quo. 

For almost two years now he’s been working to keep the brewery and restaurant moving in a positive way but a series of factors – including many that are familiar to other brewery owners – have made it a tough road to walk. 

At the end of 2022 he had to close, something he hopes is temporary. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Athletic Brewing Co.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company – America’s leading non-alcoholic craft brewer. Give Dry a Try this January with Athletic Brewing’s near beers. NEW Athletic customers can receive 20% off their FIRST order of TWO 6-packs or more when they visit athleticbrewing.com and use the code AAB20 at checkout by March 31, 2023.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Charlie Cole
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Cucumber, History, Illinois, Restaurant, Labor 

Scores of Americans have grown up with Kelsey Grammer on their TV sets and on the silver screen screen, through his roles on Cheers and Frasier, as the voice of Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons and Stinky Pete in Toy Story II. 

He’s done a lot with his professional life. He's starred in countless stage shows, authored books, and dabbled in music.

Now, in addition to all that he owns a beer company. It’s called Faith American and it’s based out of upstate New York, where he owns a home. The brand was started in 2019 but was put on pause at the start of Covid-19.  It’s been recently revived. 

The property that he hopes to one day open a tap room comes up a lot in this conversation as the thrust behind the beer ideas, but for now the beers are being made at Frog Alley, a Schenectady New York brewery helmed by brewer Rich Michaels. 

The three beers in the Faith American lineup – two IPAs and an Ale – currently have distribution through New York and New Jersey. 

As you’ll hear he’s supporting the beer through appearances, often at local bars, the kind of cozy places where regulars have their reserved seats, the kind of bars where… well you know.

Beer and celebrity is interesting and there have been a lot of well-known and boldface names that have gotten into the alcohol business. George Clooney selling tequila. Ryan Reynolds selling gin. There are celebrities that have vineyards, some in name only and others who work the land. 

There has not been too much in the way of beer. There are some examples, but it’s largely been barren on the celebrity supported and owner front. 

Grammer, as you’ll hear, is all in and he’s added personal touches to the brand that bring more to the beers than just his extensive acting resume. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Athletic Brewing Co.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company – America’s leading non-alcoholic craft brewer. Give Dry a Try this January with Athletic Brewing’s near beers. NEW Athletic customers can receive 20% off their FIRST order of TWO 6-packs or more when they visit athleticbrewing.com and use the code AAB20 at checkout by March 31, 2023.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Kelsey Grammer
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, New York, IPA, History, America 

What does this year hold for beer? Likely a lot of uncertainty for the industry, but increased choice for the consumer. 

For the first show of 2023 I’m glad to be joined by three of my colleagues, the hosts of other shows from All About Beer, and just good friends. 

Andy Crouch is the publisher and my fellow co-owner of All About Beer and he hosts the monthly Beer Travelers podcast. 

Em Sauter is the author of Pints and Panels, has written several books which are available where fine products are sold and is the co-host of the All About Beer podcast which airs every two weeks. Don Tse is also the co-host of the All About Beer podcast, he’s the Don of Beer on twitter, Instagram, facebook and wherever puns are found. 

Listen in as we discuss eisbock, travel, and Lisa's kickass party.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Athletic Brewing Co.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company – America’s leading non-alcoholic craft brewer. Give Dry a Try this January with Athletic Brewing’s near beers. NEW Athletic customers can receive 20% off their FIRST order of TWO 6-packs or more when they visit athleticbrewing.com and use the code AAB20 at checkout by March 31, 2023.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Andy Crouch, Em Sauter, Don Tse
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Travel, Cans, Lisa's Party

2022 offered more chances to get back out into the world. The beer bars across the country, that is to say, the ones dedicated to well selected lists and impeccable service are a necessary part of the beer landscape. 

Like taprooms and restaurants they are also facing hardships amid labor shortages and rising costs. 

We are grateful to have three well respected publicans on the show this year to talk about their experiences and to give us the state of beer bars in 2022. 

- Suzanne Schalow of Craft Beer Cellar

- Christopher Quinn of the Craft Beer Temple

- Roger Baylor of Pints and Union and Common Haus Hall

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Roger Baylor, Christopher Quinn, Suzanne Schalow
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Workforce, Bars, Bottle Shops, Customer Experience, Boston, Chicago, Indiana

It's the fun time of year where we recap all that happened in beer, look forward a bit, and generally spread merriment.

This year the expert panel includes: Melissa Cole, Matt Kirkegaard, Carla Lauter, and Chris Shepard. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Melissa Cole, Matt Kirkegaard, Carla Lauter, and Chris Shepard
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, , Hazy IPA, St. Homebrewing, Dragons, Growth, Closures

"I’ve known Jonathan Moxey since long before I was on the beer writing beat. We were in a group of beer enthusiasts that met in and around new York city at least 15 years ago. Moxey was a homebrewer at the time. He was more than that, of course, but I first knew him as a homebrewer and a damn good one at that. 

There would be parties and gatherings and bombers would be passed around and all of us, young ‘uns would talk about how beer could save the world – or at least make our worlds better. 

Strangely enough a lot of folks in that group have gone on to work in and around beer, including opening their own breweries. 

Moxey and his wife left New York for Missouri where he got a job at Schlafly, and then Perennial and now he’s at Rockwell Beer Co. as the head brewer. 

He’s making tasty beer with soul, and it’s always a pleasure when I get a can. 

He’s also an insightful and thoughtful guy. I saw him in person at the great American beer festival and over liters at Bierstadt Lagerhaus he got me thinking about beer in ways I hadn’t in a long time. 

So Moxey is here this week to share some of those thoughts and to keep the interest in beer flowing."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Jonathan Moxey
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Rauchbier, Hazy IPA, St. Louis, Amber Ale, Party, Homebrewing

"Over the summer I spent a delightful evening at Switchback, the venerable Vermont Brewery and got to talking with Gretchen Langfeldt over beers and during a tour of the brewery. At the time I was bummed that I didn’t have my mobile recording kit with me. She’s here this week via zoom for the show and I couldn’t be happier. 

After graduating Notre Dame with an engineering degree she started working at Switchback one day a week and then eventually full time. 

Today she’s the engineer and brand marketing leader for the brewery. 

We’ll talk about engineering, and marketing, plus beer and employee ownership, and yes true believers we’ll also get into Rauchbier. But I started off by asking about the physical building and the equipment inside. As you’ll hear it’s truly a special place worth many visits."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Gretchen Langfeldt
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Rauchbier, Hazy IPA, Vermont, Ale

We’re headed into that time of year where people tend to reflect, take stock and then look forward. On this episode I wanted to catch up with the homebrewing sphere since it continues to drive and inspire a lot of what happens in professional beer. 

For this panel I’m honored to have three guests who have been making their beer for a long time, are active in their communities, and are constantly doing outreach and education to help everyone interested in the hobby. 

Annie Johnson is a well-known research & development brewer with extensive experience in the food & beverage and consumer goods industries, and as a software development/IT specialist in state government.   Annie has been brewing for over 24 years, is a recognized National Beer Judge and Brewmaster. 

She most recently won the prestigious Glen Hay Falconer Foundation's Scholarship for Engineering & Brewing to the American Brewers Guild and graduated November, 2020. She is on the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee, is a PinkBoots Chapter coLead and on the board of the Harriett Baskerville Incubation Project. She makes her home in Seattle, WA and Sacramento, CA. 

Denny Conn and Drew Beechum are longtime homebrewers and noted personalities in the space. They are the co-authors of Simple Home Brewing and Experimental Homebrewing, which is also the name of the podcast they co-host. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Jack's Abby
Founded in 2011 by three brothers, Jack, Eric, and Sam Hendler, Jack’s Abby has become a mainstay of the craft brewing scene in the Northeast and nationwide.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Annie Johnson, Denny Conn, and Drew Beechum. 
• Sponsors: Jack's Abby, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Homebrewing, Hops, , Technology, Craft

What is the best beer style for your Thanksgiving table? How should you approach pairing good beer with good food? What is a recipe that everyone should try?

Chef Jessie Massie of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Chef Josh Tomson of The Lodge at Woodloch share their culinary thoughts all things beer and food to make the holidays merry and bright.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Jessie Massie and Josh Tomson
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Lager, Hazy IPA, Food, Thanksgiving, Pairing

"A few months ago I was visiting Industrial Arts, a brewery in New York’s Hudson valley to record a few episodes of Steal This Beer.

Jeff O’Neil, the brewery’s founder and brewmaster, was walking us through his impressive 100 hectolitre system and sharing a sneak peak of some non-alcoholic beers he was working on. 

This week those beverages are hitting the marketplace so it seemed fitting to have him on this show to talk about the evolution and process. 

And we’ll get to that, but first we’ll go into that brewery system and he’ll illustrate how it has been constructed to benefit his IPAs, which are some of the very best being made in America right now, and how that even extends into the fields. 

He’s a member of the hop quality group, and spent time in Germany this year around harvest, and shares his observations and insights from walking those farms. 

Jeff, as you’ll hear, is a thoughtful brewer. His career has spanned more than 20 years and he worked at a number of breweries on both coasts before opening Industrial Arts six years ago. 

From where it was at the start to where it is now is impressive to hear and before we got started with the recording he said he doesn’t spend too much time brewing these days, but rather stands on the brew deck and points and tells stories. 

And that’s where we start, with an extended index finger and this tale of modern engineering."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Jeff O'Neil
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Non-Alcoholic, Hops, Germany, Technology, Craft

"Last month I was in Toronto as a judge for the inaugural Canada Beer Cup. Over the course of three very very long days I was seated across from Matt Tweedy, the co-founder and brewing director of Tooth and Nail Brewing in Ottawa. 

By the lunch break on the first day I knew he needed to be on the show. Aside from having a great palate and brewing insight, he’s a thoughtful guy who genuinely cares about the beers he's making and the overall direction of brewing not only in Canada but globally. 

Before opening the doors of his brewpub he learned from some of the very best on the planet including stints at Cantillon, Fullers, and The Lost Abbey. Those experiences continue to shape his beer today and help with the overall education and flavor experience that patrons get every time they open one of his beers or step into the bar."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business.  Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Matt Tweedy
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Recipes, Awards, Canada, Taproom, Food

There are some posts that have a longer shelf life on the internet than others. Bits of wisdom or doses of reality that resonate when you first read them and then continue to make sense long after should they pop up again. 

Such is the case with a post that Alyssa Hoberer put up in late 2019 urging people to not open a brewery, unless they had put in the work and knew the risks. 

A lot has happened in the last two years, obviously, but that post – and I’ll read more about it in the show – popped up in my facebook feed last week and still rang true. 

Hoberer has also posted more bits of wisdom as well as a look inside the brew house at Jagged Mountain in Denver where she is the head brewer. 

It’s a wide ranging conversation that talks about beer’s evolution, making strong seltzers, social media, and more. But we start with education and how the Great American Beer Festival can be more than fun, it can also be an exchanging of ideas. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

New Holland Brewing
Dragon's Milk began as a single barrel experiment over 20 years ago at New Holland Brewing Company and has since grown to become the best-selling American-made stout. Aged in bourbon barrels, rich notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and vanilla make for a deliciously smooth and drinkable brew. Whether it's sitting by a bonfire or binging the latest season of Game of Thrones, share a legend with Dragon's Milk today. Learn more and find Dragon's Milk near you at dragonsmilk.com.

Les Bon
A celebration of saison, mixed fermentation beer, ciders, natural wine and oysters. Brewers from around the country will descend on Duluth, Georgia on November 5, 2022 from 1pm to 5pm on the town green. All proceeds go to further the mission of Oyster South supporting aquaculture in the southeast. Tickets are $85 and include unlimited beer samples, coffee, oysters, and a bbq plate. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Alyssa Hoberer 
• Sponsors: New Holland Brewery, Les Bon, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, IPA, Recipes, Awards, Colorado, Taproom, Seltzer

"Earlier this year at the Great American Beer Festival the awards in the beer categories were handed out followed by awards to breweries of the year, as dictated by size. This is based on a metric of barrels produced annually as well as medals won in the competition. 

For the 251 to 500 barrel capacity brewery, The Big Friendly, a relatively new brewery in Oklahoma City took home the award. 

Curious about the brewery and its name I called up co-founders and owners brothers Joe and Will Quinlin to talk about their brewing evolution, creating a memorable and welcome space, the changes in Oklahoma that has allowed it to become a beer destination and just what goes into making award winning recipes. "

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

New Holland Brewing
Dragon's Milk began as a single barrel experiment over 20 years ago at New Holland Brewing Company and has since grown to become the best-selling American-made stout. Aged in bourbon barrels, rich notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and vanilla make for a deliciously smooth and drinkable brew. Whether it's sitting by a bonfire or binging the latest season of Game of Thrones, share a legend with Dragon's Milk today. Learn more and find Dragon's Milk near you at dragonsmilk.com.

Les Bon
A celebration of saison, mixed fermentation beer, ciders, natural wine and oysters. Brewers from around the country will descend on Duluth, Georgia on November 5, 2022 from 1pm to 5pm on the town green. All proceeds go to further the mission of Oyster South supporting aquaculture in the southeast. Tickets are $85 and include unlimited beer samples, coffee, oysters, and a bbq plate. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Joe and Will Quinlin
• Sponsors: New Holland Brewery, Les Bon, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Saison, Recipes, Awards, Oklahoma, Taproom

When it comes to beer education, Randy Mosher has schooled countless drinkers on the art and science of tasting beer. 

He is a writer and creative consultant, the author of five books on beer and brewing, and provides training and lectures around the world. Mosher is a teacher at the Siebel Institute, has a background in design and advertising, and frequently consults on new product development and branding for breweries and specialty food and beverage companies. Based in Chicago, he is currently a minority partner in two Chicago-area breweries.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Athletic Brewing Company
Athletic Brewing Company’s award-winning, craft, non-alcoholic beers are fit for all times. Down time, work time, game time, even gym time. Pick a time and grab an Athletic, because it’s about time you could enjoy a great-tasting brew, any time you want. Even right now. Head to athleticbrewing.com and get some fresh brews delivered. New customers can even get 20% off with code AllAboutBeer20 and free shipping on two 6-packs or more.

For original articles or to read the vast archives or to check out All About Beer.  follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

• Hosts: Em Sauter and Don Tse
• Guest: Randy Mosher
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing Co.
• Tags: Brewing, Tasting, Sensory, Flavors, Hops, Books

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

This is the last, for now, of the shows recorded on location from the Pacific Northwest. It was recorded at Von Ebert Brewing’s Glendoveer location, on the far edges of Portland, Oregon and situated on a golf course. 

Von Ebert is a brewery that has been crushing it since the start. Making great IPAs and Lagers as well as boasting a terrific blending program – in fact we discuss some of those beers on this show to illustrate ingredients and process. 

A brewery with a diverse portfolio that executes on the highest of levels always has something to explore, and prior to the show Jeff Alworth, the writer, author, and podcast host, had been driving me around Oregon and trying to dissect Von Ebert. 

Since it was such a conundrum, I invited him to co-host this episode. 

Happily it goes off the rails at points. 

Our guests keep us on track and they are:

Sam Pecoraro, the Head Brewer who has been brewing around Portland for 11 years at various breweries, including Burnside Brewing, The Commons Brewery and Breakside Brewery before joining Von Ebert at their inception in 2018.  As Head Brewer, Sam leads the Pearl District and Glendoveer Brewing teams in all quests related to IPA variants, German-inspired lagers and mixed culture beers. 

And Jason Hansen, the Lead Brewer and Blender who Started homebrewing right after college, and ended up getting a job at Seven Bridges Organic Homebrew Supply  in Santa Cruz, CA. before moving to  Sante Adairius Rustic Ales where he eventually became head brewer. He was then Lead Fermentationist at Garden Path Fermentation in Burlington, before joining Von Ebert in 2018. 

It’s a crowded table that grows a bit more when we’re joined later in the show by Madeleine McCarthy, who was then a brewer at Von Ebert but has since started working at 10 Barrel Brewing. 

There is a lot to unpack on this rollicking show recorded just off the practice green at the course with a an audience putting a dent into the lager taps.

-John Holl

This episode is sponsored by:

Jack's Abby Brewing

Guatemala, the land of eternal spring, rich agriculture, and affinity for fantastic food and coffee. Craft beer is a fledgling movement in the country, but it’s being led by our friends from El Zapote Brewing. Our conversation with them inspired us to create a unique coffee golden lager with imported beans from Finca Retana family farm in Antigua, Guatemala. We believe this beer will have a true taste of the country and we hope you enjoy this unique lager inspired by culture, colors, and conversation.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Hosts: John Holl and Jeff Alworth
• Guests: Sam Pecoraro, Jason Hansen, Madeleine McCarthy
• Sponsors: Jack's Abby, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Hops, Recipes, Growth, Oregon, IPA, Lager, Mixed Fermentation

As the sojourn through the pacific northwest continues I’m thrilled to air this episode of the podcast recorded in Bellingham Washington at the Aslan Depot where head brewer Austin Umbinetti-Hutton joined me before a live audience on a wide ranging conversation about his career, the beers Aslan is making, the importance of community and creativity, and more.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

New Holland Brewing
Dragon's Milk began as a single barrel experiment over 20 years ago at New Holland Brewing Company and has since grown to become the best-selling American-made stout. Aged in bourbon barrels, rich notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and vanilla make for a deliciously smooth and drinkable brew. Whether it's sitting by a bonfire or binging the latest season of Game of Thrones, share a legend with Dragon's Milk today. Learn more and find Dragon's Milk near you at dragonsmilk.com.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Austin Umbinetti-Hutton
• Sponsors: New Holland Brewery, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Hops, Recipes, Growth, Washington, IPA, Lager, Hop Water

From Andy Crouch:

"Denver holds a special place in my heart. I’ve watched as the local beer scene has grown and then exploded, with dozens and dozens of breweries cropping up in parts of town that didn’t even really exist, such as RiNo. Denver has long had a formidable beer scene but today it is one of the country’s best. And on this second episode of the Beer Travelers podcast, we’re going to talk with two local experts, Tristan Chan of PorchDrinking and Jonathan Shikes of the Denver Post. These two are as knowledgeable as they come and as we’ll hear, they are full of advice for planning your visit to the Mile High City. 

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for my personal favorite suggestion for Denver. Hint: it’s the perfect place for a nightcap or to end your trip."

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Pub Culture Beercations
Stop living vicariously through other people's social media posts and get out and make some memories of your own! Join Pub Culture Beercations for one of our upcoming tours and start exploring the world one pint at a time with us. Visit PubCultureBeercations.com for more information.

For original articles or to read the vast archives or to check out All About Beer.  follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

• Host: Andy Crouch
• Guests: Tristan Chan and Jonathan Shikes
• Sponsor: Pub Culture Beercations
• Tags: Denver beer, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Avery Brewing

In the 1920s when the practice was more common, Meghann Quinn’s ancestors followed the railroad west and wound up settling a farm in Washington’s Yakima Valley. 

Following the repeal of Prohibition, they got into the hop industry and have ridden the wave since; supplying the larger brewers through the uninspired decades of large-scale American brewing, and into the boom days of today’s craft surge. 

Seeing the success of hops in the larger market coupled with an interest in homebrewing Quinn, her husband Kevin, and her brothers launched Bale Breaker brewing on the property in 2013. 

Kevin Quinn is my guest today. 

How close is the brewery to the field? It takes less than five minutes to get from the bine to the kettle, he says. 

It’s more than hops here as well. 

There’s an apple orchard on the nearly 3,000-acre farm, along with fields of Hungarian Wax Peppers, some hemp, and 2021 marked the third barley harvest. Last year they processed more than 200,000 pounds of barley, some of which went into Bale Breaker beers as well. 

There is a real sense of pride that comes with growing ingredients where they are used and it’s clear from the steady stream of visitors that come through during this season and year round, that drinkers and other brewers feel the same. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

New Holland Brewing
Dragon's Milk began as a single barrel experiment over 20 years ago at New Holland Brewing Company and has since grown to become the best-selling American-made stout. Aged in bourbon barrels, rich notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and vanilla make for a deliciously smooth and drinkable brew. Whether it's sitting by a bonfire or binging the latest season of Game of Thrones, share a legend with Dragon's Milk today. Learn more and find Dragon's Milk near you at dragonsmilk.com.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
Heading to Colorado for GABF? You should check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on October 7th. It's an incredible afternoon of beer passion featuring America's top craft breweries pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. This is truly a bucket list event for a great cause where you get to try beers you won't find elsewhere, and meet the men and women who brewed them. More information at pintsforprostates.org.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Kevin Quinn
• Sponsors: New Holland Brewery, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Hops, Recipes, Growth, Washington, IPA, Lager

"I’ve been spending the last week or so in the Pacific Northwest and this is the first of several shows that I’ll be bringing you from Washington and Oregon.

It kicks off at Chuckanut, the brewery founded by Mari and Will Kemper and recorded at their brewery in Burlington, Washington, south of Bellingham where they long operated a pub and restaurant. This production facility is largely dedicated to lager, with a few ales thrown for good measure, but mostly lagers. 

They’ll expand upon what brought them to this town, across from the airport in a minute and expansion plans for what is lovingly referred to as South Nut. 

And we’ll talk about the intersection of clean and wild beers with their brewery neighbors Ron Extract and Amber Watts who run Garden Path Fermentation, a temple for all things drinkable from beers to wine, mead, and more. 

While it may seem, at first glance, little to connect them aside from the larger beer industry, there are actually strong ties."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

New Holland Brewing
Dragon's Milk began as a single barrel experiment over 20 years ago at New Holland Brewing Company and has since grown to become the best-selling American-made stout. Aged in bourbon barrels, rich notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and vanilla make for a deliciously smooth and drinkable brew. Whether it's sitting by a bonfire or binging the latest season of Game of Thrones, share a legend with Dragon's Milk today. Learn more and find Dragon's Milk near you at dragonsmilk.com.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
Heading to Colorado for GABF? You should check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on October 7th. It's an incredible afternoon of beer passion featuring America's top craft breweries pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. This is truly a bucket list event for a great cause where you get to try beers you won't find elsewhere, and meet the men and women who brewed them. More information at pintsforprostates.org.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Mari Kemper, Will Kemper, Ron Extract, Amber Watts
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Homebrewing, Recipes, Growth, Washington, Wild, Lager

"A few weeks ago I spent some time in Vermont, touring around breweries, catching up with old friends, and doing a little promotion for The Craft Brewery Cookbook – which is available now where books are sold. 

At two of my stops I teamed up with Brad Ring, he’s a long-time friend and colleague and the publisher of Brew Your Own Magazine. 

BYO has a long and storied history and is the best resource for anyone looking to get into homebrewing or looking to add on knowledge. 

I’m not just saying this because I host a monthly podcast for BYO about nano brewing, or because I’ve written for the magazine over the years. It’s true because it is smart and detailed a publication run by dedicated homebrewers who appreciate history and where things are headed. 

Much like professional brewing, homebrewing has evolved and Ring and his team constantly keep their finger on the pulse. In keeping up with the times BYO has recently released an updated version of the Big Book Of Homebrewing. You can find it where good books are sold and on the BYO website. 

I sat down with Ring in his office, just before a book signing. He opened some cans of a Lawson’s finest liquid pale ale and we talked about the new book and homebrewing in general."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Harpoon Brewery
Did you know that Harpoon IPA is New England’s Original IPA?

Brewed in Boston and Vermont for decades by their Employee Owners.

Hoppy, crisp, perfectly balanced.

Harpoon IPA: New England’s Original IPA.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
Heading to Colorado for GABF? You should check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on October 7th. It's an incredible afternoon of beer passion featuring America's top craft breweries pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. This is truly a bucket list event for a great cause where you get to try beers you won't find elsewhere, and meet the men and women who brewed them. More information at pintsforprostates.org.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Brad Ring
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Homebrewing, Recipes, Growth, Vermont

"A long, long time ago I lived, briefly, in Indiana working as a newspaper reporter. Working the late shift there weren’t a lot of drinking options for a post-shift beer. Thankfully there was a brewpub not far from the office that would stay open late and on most nights I’d find Dave Colt and Clay Robinson working on recipes and plotting their own brewery. 

The brewery would become Sun King, and is one of the largest in Indiana with a growing footprint, multiple locations, and a commitment to quality and irreverence that is unrivaled. It’s been fun to watch the brewery grow and rack up awards, and as I was thinking about this week’s show, I noticed a can of Cherry Busey, the brewery’s Flander’s Red ale on my desk.

So calling up Dave Colt and Andrew Hood, who runs the barrel program, seemed like a smart move. 

From talking about how the program has grown, to new avenues the brewery has explored – including a spot in Florida, it’s a wide ranging and fun romp through Central Indiana and beyond."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Harpoon Brewery
Did you know that Harpoon IPA is New England’s Original IPA?

Brewed in Boston and Vermont for decades by their Employee Owners.

Hoppy, crisp, perfectly balanced.

Harpoon IPA: New England’s Original IPA.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
Heading to Colorado for GABF? You should check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on October 7th. It's an incredible afternoon of beer passion featuring America's top craft breweries pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. This is truly a bucket list event for a great cause where you get to try beers you won't find elsewhere, and meet the men and women who brewed them. More information at pintsforprostates.org.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Dave Colt, Andrew Hood
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Barrels, Recipes, Growth, Indiana, Florida, Cream Ale, Flander's Red

"The fire was fast moving and devastating, and even standing outside the rubble in the immediate aftermath Christian Weber knew that Common Roots would rebuild. 

The brewery in upstate New York had become a community hub and the loss was devastating, not only for the customers, for Weber’s family – which founded and built the brewery – but also the employees who relied on the company. 

So from day one Weber said they would be supported and the brewery would be back. 

Last week I had the chance to sit in that rebuilt brewery, now with an expanded taproom and restaurant, and to see the plans for additional growth just across the street. It’s a remarkable journey for this brewery – which is centered in the Adirondacks - but available in 10 states.

Weber talks us through it all."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Harpoon Brewery
Did you know that Harpoon IPA is New England’s Original IPA?

Brewed in Boston and Vermont for decades by their Employee Owners.

Hoppy, crisp, perfectly balanced.

Harpoon IPA: New England’s Original IPA.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
Heading to Colorado for GABF? You should check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on October 7th. It's an incredible afternoon of beer passion featuring America's top craft breweries pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. This is truly a bucket list event for a great cause where you get to try beers you won't find elsewhere, and meet the men and women who brewed them. More information at pintsforprostates.org.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Christian Weber
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Kitchen, Recipes, Growth, IPA, New York

"I met Travis Zeilstra more than a dozen years ago, at the first SAVOR event in Washington D.C. he was pouring beers for the brewery he worked for at the time and we struck up a conversation about beer and food – natural given the event – that stuck with me for quite some time. 

He’s done his turns in kitchens and preparing menus and thinking about the ways flavors interact and can delight. Now, as the head brewer of By All Means Brew Lab in Billings, Montana he can think about how the beers interact with the food offerings, and how he wants the beers to present after turns with various ingredients and in wood. 

Ever thoughtful and passionate, there’s a lot to dive into, so let’s do just that."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Harpoon Brewery
Did you know that Harpoon IPA is New England’s Original IPA?

Brewed in Boston and Vermont for decades by their Employee Owners.

Hoppy, crisp, perfectly balanced.

Harpoon IPA: New England’s Original IPA.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting
Heading to Colorado for GABF? You should check out the Denver Rare Beer Tasting on October 7th. It's an incredible afternoon of beer passion featuring America's top craft breweries pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign. This is truly a bucket list event for a great cause where you get to try beers you won't find elsewhere, and meet the men and women who brewed them. More information at pintsforprostates.org.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Travis Zeilstra
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery, Denver Rare Beer Tasting, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, ProBrewer, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Kitchen, Recipes, Wood, IPA, Montana

On the first episode of the Brewer to Brewer podcast Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey interviews Marcus Baskerville of Weathered Souls Brewing. 

Eventually the conversation turns to Black is Beautiful, the global collaboration that Baskerville and the brewery spearheaded. To date more than 1,200 breweries in 22 countries have brewed and released the beer which aims to “raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily and raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged.” 

Much has been said and chronicled about the beer and its history but Arthur wanted to go a little deeper and do a fresh check in. Hear their full conversation on the Brewer to Brewer podcast. 

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Firsd Tea
Firsd Tea is a proud sponsor of the Brewer to Brewer podcast. They have been working with brewers on a wide range of ingredients in delicious beers. Firsd Tea combines the flexibility of order sizes with the experience you need to create innovative and successful tea beers. They get you the most direct-from-farm tea selection so you are working with flavorful and consistent products. You can find out more about Firsd Tea’s collaborations with brewers and tea ingredients by visiting blog.firsdtea.com.

For original articles or to read the vast archives or to check out All About Beer.  follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

• Host: Tomme Arthur
• Guest: Marcus Baskerville
• Sponsor: Firsd Tea
• Tags: Brewing, Black is Beautiful, Collaboration, Travel

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Hip Hop Intro 06 by TaigaSoundProd
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9533-hip-hop-intro-06
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod

Gary Glass was entrenched in the world of homebrewing. What began as a hobby soon turned to a career, where he spent 20 years at the Brewers Association, including a long stint as the director of the American Homebrewing Association. 

When COVID-19 struck and the Brewers Association laid off a significant portion of its staff, Gary was included in that group and pondered what he would do next. He wanted to stay involved in the brewing industry and thought about doing sales, but an opportunity presented itself at Lefthand Brewing, the venerable Colorado brewery that has cornered the craft market on nitro stout. 

It wasn’t far from his house and Gary was able to begin as a brewer, his first professional job in beer, where he’s spent the last nearly two years proving himself, working hard, and learning processes. 

Earlier this summer that work was rewarded as he was named head brewer. 

From starting off on malt extract to now running logistics on hundreds of barrels at a time, it’s been quite the journey, and we’ll start at the beginning. 

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Harpoon Brewery
Did you know that Harpoon IPA is New England’s Original IPA?

Brewed in Boston and Vermont for decades by their Employee Owners.

Hoppy, crisp, perfectly balanced.

Harpoon IPA: New England’s Original IPA.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Gary Glass
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery., The Craft Brewery Cookbook, ProBrewer, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Homebrewing, Stout, Tripel, Recipes, Colorado, Brewers Association, Nitro

Welcome to the first episode of the new All About Beer podcast. In this premiere episode, co-hosts Em Sauter and Don Tse examine the Cold IPA with Kevin Davey, of Wayfinder Beer, who is credited with creating the style. From the specs and flavor, process and debunking myths, this show will explain and examine every facet of craft beer’s newest style.

Subscribe to the All About Beer Podcast wherever you get your podcasts and please leave us a review. We appreciate your support.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Athletic Brewing Company
Athletic Brewing Company’s award-winning, craft, non-alcoholic beers are fit for all times. Down time, work time, game time, even gym time. Pick a time and grab an Athletic, because it’s about time you could enjoy a great-tasting brew, any time you want. Even right now. Head to athleticbrewing.com and get some fresh brews delivered. New customers can even get 20% off with code AllAboutBeer20 and free shipping on two 6-packs or more.

For original articles or to read the vast archives or to check out All About Beer.  follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

• Hosts: Em Sauter and Don Tse
• Guest: Kevin Davey of Wayfinder Beer
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing Co.
• Tags: Cold IPA, Oregon, Lager, Hops, Brewing

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

"I spent a few days in Georgia earlier this month, visiting breweries that had long been on my list but current global events kept me away. Chief among the breweries was New Realm, an impressive outfit that was founded by a trio of brewing professionals with long careers in beer. 

On the brewing side is Mitch Steele. He’s one of those first name club brewers who has spent his tenure creating intriguing and classic recipes, pushing the boundaries of hops, and working to bringing forgotten or shaddowed styles into the light. 

At New Realm he is overseeing several breweries and a distiller, including the main location where we sat at the bar on a recent afternoon drinking lager and IPA. It’s a wide ranging conversation that eventually turned to Stone Brewing, where he spent a decade as the brewmaster. That brewery recently sold to Sapporo Brewery, a move that shocked and saddened a lot of beer fans. 

Although he’s not there anymore and hasn’t been for some time, Stone is part of his history and Mitch shares some thoughts."

- John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored By
Harpoon Brewery
Did you know that Harpoon IPA is New England’s Original IPA?

Brewed in Boston and Vermont for decades by their Employee Owners.

Hoppy, crisp, perfectly balanced.

Harpoon IPA: New England’s Original IPA.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Mitch Steele
• Sponsors: Harpoon Brewery., The Craft Brewery Cookbook, ProBrewer, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Brewing, Hops, IPA, Lager, Recipes, History, Stone Brewing, Georgia

"It can be hard to come up with new ideas for beer books, so sometimes taking inspiration from another concept – like lists – just makes sense. This is not a bad thing and in the case of Eoghan Walsh’s new book A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects it is a very good thing. 

This is especially true since he does not talk about beers specifically (with a few exceptions) since that concept has been done over and over again. There are tangible objects that have helped shape drinking in Brussels over the century and by carefully curating a tight list Walsh is able to weave together a longer story. 

This is no surprise as Walsh, who is an award-winning writer, and the editor of Brussels Beer City has worked over the years to tell stories beyond beer."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Athletic Brewing Company
Athletic Brewing Company’s award-winning, craft, non-alcoholic beers are fit for all times. Down time, work time, game time, even gym time. Pick a time and grab an Athletic, because it’s about time you could enjoy a great-tasting brew, any time you want. Even right now. Head to athleticbrewing.com and get some fresh brews delivered. New customers can even get 20% off with code AllAboutBeer20 and free shipping on two 6-packs or more.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Eoghan Walsh
• Sponsors: Athletic Brewing Co., The Craft Brewery Cookbook, ProBrewer, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Books, Brussels, History, Lambic, Coolship

"I’ve had the good pleasure of knowing today’s guest for a while now, although this is only the third time we’ve hung out in person. Todd DiMatteo is the owner and brewer here at Good Word Brewing and Public House in Duluth, GA and has been turning out some of the more flavorful, interesting, and low abv beers that I’ve had in a while. 

He has a long career in beer and hospitality, including a long term at the Brick Store Pub, an Atlanta institution, the influence of that bar can be felt in his beers today, with nods to traditional styles and an appreciation for well-established international beer regions. 

On this episode he talks about the brewer's ego, making beers that make him happy and foster a good drinking experience, and his huge love of carbonation."

-John Holl

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Cigar City Brewing has taken inspiration from beyond the cosmos for Cosmic Crown, a golden-hued Strong Golden Ale, and added Galaxy hops to impart passionfruit and peach qualities to its profile of ripe fruit and light peppery spice. Assertive aromas of pineapple, bubblegum, dried flowers, and a hint of black pepper greet the nose. Overripe banana, red apple, and lime leaf esters play on the palate, while poundcake-like malt, pepper-like spiciness, and herbaceous bitterness play supporting roles. Learn more at CigarCityBrewing.com 

Stomp Stickers
Stomp is a proud member of the brewers association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code BEEREDGE15 for 15% off your first order. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Todd DiMatteo
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, Stomp Stickers, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, ProBrewer, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Malt, ABV, Carbonation, Georgia, Food, Brewing

Andrew Witchey is the founder and brewer of Dancing Gnome in Pittsburgh and opened up his new taproom early for a conversation over Kölsch about how the city has evolved beer-wise and where it’s heading.

Then he talks about his appreciation of lagers, his dislike of sours, and how he created a new space that reflects the beers and the brewery’s personality.

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Cigar City Brewing has taken inspiration from beyond the cosmos for Cosmic Crown, a golden-hued Strong Golden Ale, and added Galaxy hops to impart passionfruit and peach qualities to its profile of ripe fruit and light peppery spice. Assertive aromas of pineapple, bubblegum, dried flowers, and a hint of black pepper greet the nose. Overripe banana, red apple, and lime leaf esters play on the palate, while poundcake-like malt, pepper-like spiciness, and herbaceous bitterness play supporting roles. Learn more at CigarCityBrewing.com 

Stomp Stickers
Stomp is a proud member of the brewers association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code BEEREDGE15 for 15% off your first order. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Andrew Witchey
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, Stomp Stickers, The Craft Brewery Cookbook, ProBrewer, All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Pittsburgh, Lager, Sours, Business, Taprooms, IPA, Hops, Tradition

"Pete Brown is a an award winning writer and  author whose curiosity has led him deep into the history of food and drink and along the way he has uncovered forgotten stories, helped shape the understanding of beer, and enchanted readers though his ability to convey a keen sense of place and voice. 

His latest book was just released. It’s called Clubland: How the Working Men’s Club Shaped Britain. He charts the clubs early beginnings, booming popularity, influence on popular culture, and eventual decline. 

In the pages, reads some promo copy, Pete 'explores the clubs’ role in defining masculinity, community and class identity for generations of men in Britain’s industrial towns. They were, at their best, a vehicle for social mobility and self-improvement, run as cooperatives for working people by working people: an informal, community-owned pre-cursor to the Welfare State.'

The we transition to another book: World’s Greatest Beers: 250 Beers from Pilsen to Portland, which will be published by CAMRA Books in August. Pete is the chief writer on the book that includes entries from other well known writers in the beer space, including the host of this podcast. We'll talk about how to build out such a list, the eventual flack that will be flung, and what goes into enjoying a great beer aside from taste."

-John Holl

This Episode is sponsored by:

Jack's Abby Brewing
Argentina is a lively land of agriculture, food and fun. For us, those are the ingredients for a great beer culture. In talking to our friends Andres and Alberto, we covered a range of topics from climate, to crops to Asado-Argentinian BBQ parties. This inspired us to create a new lager using Malbec grape must that would pair perfectly with the social occasion and the food. We hope you enjoy this unique lager inspired by culture and conversation.

Stomp Stickers
Stomp is a proud member of the brewers association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code BEEREDGE15 for 15% off your first order. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Pete Brown
• Sponsors: Jack's Abby, Stomp Stickers, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Clubs, Work, Economics, Books, History, CAMRA

"I’ve known Nate Schweber going on 20 years now, we’ve been colleagues, friends, and even co-authors. I can say without a doubt that he is one of the hardest working reporters I’ve ever met, he has a keen eye for detail, enjoys a good drink, and knows how to rock with the best of them. 

He’s a raconteur, with endless curiosity and compassion, and great passion. My life is better because I know him. 

His chords are familiar to listeners of this show as it has opened up every episode since we started, and was even part of the old After Two Beers show I did for All About Beer. We’ve been to breweries and crime scenes together, we’ve had adventures and even wrote a book together – Indiana Breweries – which was released in 2011 and has since gone on to sell tens of copies. 

He lives in Brooklyn these days, but he grew up in Missoula, Montana and has always had a passion for outdoor reporting. A previous book, Fly Fishing Yellowstone is a must for any angler looking for the story of trout in the historic park, not just the fish but tales of the streams and its history. 

His latest book tells a remarkable story about conservation, activism, and journalism, with belts of sold drinking thrown in here and again. It’s called This America of Ours: Bernard and Avis DeVoto and the Forgotten Fight to Save the Wild.

It will be published on July 5, 2022 and I can’t say this enough: pre-order a copy now. 

It tells the story of a husband and wife team that took on special interests and politicians like Joe McCarthy and worked to protect land that should have been protected, and along the way, they strike up a friendship with a woman who would alter the course of cooking in America. 

It’s suspenseful, meticulously researched, frightening with bits of levity, and historically important with mirrors to today. It is one of the most engaging books I’ve read in a long time, and I’m not just saying all of this because he showed up at my house with a bottle of gin. 

But, of course, that’s where we start."

-John Holl

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Jai Low IPA. Vibrant aromas of nectarine, orange zest, and lime leaf greet the nose, melding seamlessly with peach-like esters and a light, bready malt aroma. Citrus flavors of clementine and tangerine dance on the palate with a snappy bitterness, with bread crust-like malt, and sparkling carbonation providing balance to this moderate-bodied IPA. Learn more at CigarCityBrewing.com 

Stomp Stickers
Stomp is a proud member of the brewers association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code BEEREDGE15 for 15% off your first order. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Nate Schweber
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, Stomp Stickers, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Gin, Politics, National Parks, Conservation, History, Travel

"It's no secret I love a well made lager. One of the great benefits of this current brewing age is the number of small producers that are creating high quality pilsners and lagers. Goldfinger Brewing, located in a western Chicago suburb is one of them. 

Thomas Beckmann, the co-founder and brewer is my guest this week. He has all the credentials one would want from a proper lager brewer. He has his Master Brewer’s diploma through the World Brewing Academy in Chicago and Munich, and built Goldfinger to the specs he wanted, including a decoction brewhouse, aeration, horizontal lager tanks and natural carbonation.

There is also some family history involved here as well. Markus Goldfinger, a brewer – and equipment manufacturer - who lived in the 19th century in Poland and sold across Europe is Tom's ancestor. 

Today’s Goldfinger has three core offerings and a host of rotating seasonals, we’ll talk about it all along with process, and service. 

I’ve been hearing about Goldfinger from several of you listeners for a while now, including Aaron Peterson who says “ His brewery has achieved 'please just take all of our money' status in our household, and his Maibock was one of the best beers I have had in a very long time.”

Then Ashleigh Carter of Bierstadt Lagerhaus suggested having Tom on, so clearly the time had come. 

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Jai Low IPA. Vibrant aromas of nectarine, orange zest, and lime leaf greet the nose, melding seamlessly with peach-like esters and a light, bready malt aroma. Citrus flavors of clementine and tangerine dance on the palate with a snappy bitterness, with bread crust-like malt, and sparkling carbonation providing balance to this moderate-bodied IPA. Lear more at CigarCityBrewing.com 

Stomp Stickers
Stomp is a proud member of the brewers association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code BEEREDGE15 for 15% off your first order. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Thomas Beckmann
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, Stomp Stickers, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ownership, Family, Lager, Travel, Equipment, Illinois

Show notes from host John Holl

"In a sign that the world is adapting to the pandemic, beer weeks are back and last week Asheville, North Carolina one of the great beer cities in America celebrated all of its breweries and producers.

I was fortunate to spend a day in the city capped off by a visit to Highland Brewing, which was founded in 1994 by Oscar Wong. Today the brewery is led by his daughter Leah Wong Ashburn.

Highland put in the hard work and laid the groundwork for the scene to come and today continues to make flavorful beers and welcome visitors to their expansive taproom and grounds that now feature a volleyball court. 

This discussion was held in the brewery’s barrel room, which opened during the pandemic and hasn’t seen much use. But on this night where pints of Gaelic ale flowed and a crowd gathered to snack on bites from a local food truck, we could forget about the worries of the world for a few minutes and just enjoy some camaraderie.

I’m joined in hosting duties by Jon Page, he’s my long-time friend, the former managing editor of All About Beer and the photographer for The Craft Brewery Cookbook – which is on sale now – where books are sold. 

This event was billed as a book signing, but I was more eager to hear from Leah and Oscar about the brewery, it’s legacy and future, and the family dynamics. 

We were using hand held mics and as happens sometimes people moved them back and forth, bear with us."

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Have you met Florida Man? It’s a modern Double IPA with a tropical expression from its blend of American hops, including Citra, Azacca, El Dorado, and Mandarina Bavarian, and is balanced by delicate peach esters from a unique Double IPA yeast and a dash of Canadian honey malt. Learn more about the hero of the sunshine by visiting CigarCityBrewing.com 

Stomp Stickers
Stomp is a proud member of the brewers association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code BEEREDGE15 for 15% off your first order. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Oscar Wong, Leah Wong Ashburn, Jon Page
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, Stomp Stickers, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ownership, Family, Volleyball, Amber Ale, Watering holes, North Carolina

Birds Fly South calls itself a “progressively old school urban farmhouse” brewery. It might sound like several contradictions until you start talking with Shawn and Lindsay Johnson, the co-founders, and suddenly this Greenville, South Carolina brewery starts to make sense. 

 
The origin story might sound familiar. Shawn was a beer fan who tried a lot of different styles and visited breweries during his time in the Coast Guard. At the time they were stationed on Kodiak Island, Alaska where early sunsets meant more times for hobbies. Lindsay got him a homebrew kit for Father’s Day one year and the rest… well, you know. 

The moved to Florida and Shawn started working with Bob Sylvester of Saint Somewhere, and a deep appreciation for saison and farmhouse ales flourished. A move to the D.C area had Shawn helping to open Fair Winds Brewing Co. in Virginia at that point the idea to have their own place had cemented and needed to come a reality. 

Birds Fly South opened in 2016. 

In this episode we’ll talk about the brewing process and recipe development with Shawn and front of the house and the taproom with Lindsay all while going deeper into what the brewery wants to be and how it plans to get there.

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Have you met Florida Man? It’s a modern Double IPA with a tropical expression from its blend of American hops, including Citra, Azacca, El Dorado, and Mandarina Bavarian, and is balanced by delicate peach esters from a unique Double IPA yeast and a dash of Canadian honey malt. Learn more about the hero of the sunshine by visiting CigarCityBrewing.com 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Lindsay and Shawn Johnson of Birds Fly South
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ownership, Florida, Saison, Innovation, Bottles, Growth, South Carolina

In a testament to how quickly the beer industry can change, it’s hard to imagine even just a few years ago that a panel like this would be taking place. But as the beer industry matures, there is a tilt towards health and wellness, the rise of non-alcoholic beer in the craft space can not be ignored. 

It shouldn’t be ignored. 

What you are about to hear was held in a seminar room at the 2022 Craft Brewers Conference in Minneapolis. 

This is an expert panel that is pushing the boundaries of non-alcoholic beer in taste, innovation, and positive public perception. 

So you’ll hear from:

· Garrett Oliver the brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery, the author of The Brewmaster’s Table, and the Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Companion to Beer. 

· Bill Shufelt the co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Co. 

And

· Keith Villa Brewmaster and Co-Founder at Ceria Beverages Company

This audio was captured by  Erik Eidem who had a microphone and camera set up in the seminar room. So while there aren’t individual mics, it will hopefully give you the sensation that you were in the room with everyone else. 

This Episode is sponsored by:

Pro Brewer
Earlier this year Beer Edge starting working with ProBrewer that to bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business. 

 Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry. 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Garrett Oliver, Bill Shufelt, Keith Villa
• Sponsors: Pro Brewer, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ownership, Non-alcoholic, marijuana, Innovation, education

Last week, word got out that Patrick Rue, the founder of The Bruery in Orange County California, and more recently the founder and operator of Erosion Wines in Napa had acquired a 50 percent stake in Moonlight Brewery, a beloved northern California brewery founded 30 years ago by Brian Hunt. 

Moonlight is known for its beers like Death & Taxes and Reality Czech and had been half owned by Lagunitas via Heineken for the past six years. 

I first learned of the news via Beer by BART, a great site run by Gail Ann Williams and Steve Shapiro. If you’re not already following them on social media, rectify that quickly. 

A subsequent press release release from the brewery noted that “Patrick will serve in an advisory capacity and will direct an oak barrel-aging beer program that enhances the integrity and heritage of Moonlight.” 

It continued by saying that under the Heineken co-ownership Moonlight "packaging shifted from exclusively draft to additionally offering beers in cans, and both production and distribution have grown all while keeping sales limited to Northern California. 

The new ownership strengthens Moonlight’s dedication to remaining locally owned. This will allow for patient growth, greater availability of its coveted beers to its fans and wholesale partners, while maintaining the deliciousness and highest quality for which Moonlight is so well known.”

Press release aside, in this episode we hear from the owners directly.

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Check out Fancy Papers from Cigar City Brewing. With aromas of freshly cut grass and tangerine along with white wine grape and bread-like aromas, this Hazy IPA has flavors of guava, melon, and lime leaf. Brewed with Strata, Sabro, and Idaho 7 hops to draw in lovers of fruit-forward Hazy IPAs, get some today where you buy beer and learn more at cigar city brewing. com Learn more at Cigar City Brewing.com 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Brian Hunt and Patrick Rue of Moonlight Brewing
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ownership, California, Collaboration, Innovation, Wine

"They say that beer brings people together, and that was certainly evident last week in Minneapolis as much of the brewing world gathered for the Craft Brewers Conference and it seems that at some point or another everyone made the trip to Fair State Brewing Cooperative. 

I was among them, and had the chance to sit down with co-founders Niko Tonks and Evan Sallee. 

From the beginning, as the brewery name suggests, the pair along with other co-founder Matt Hauck, wanted consumers to be involved with the business. Not just funding, but with meaningful feedback. 

Fitting that their plan came together at Black Star, another brewery co-op in Austin, and when the doors opened here in 2014 they became the first in Minnesota to follow the model and only the third in the nation. 

Now with more than 2,000 members the brewery is hitting a stride. It has been shaped by the pandemic, of course, but the time of COVID has helped Evan and Niko dial in the business, focus more deeply on recipes and really think about the future. 

We recorded this in the taproom over a pitcher of pilsner and get into many aspects of the business, and the emerging interest in non-alcoholic beers, including one they had on their taproom menu and that I thoroughly enjoyed."

-John Holl

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Check out Fancy Papers from Cigar City Brewing. With aromas of freshly cut grass and tangerine along with white wine grape and bread-like aromas, this Hazy IPA has flavors of guava, melon, and lime leaf. Brewed with Strata, Sabro, and Idaho 7 hops to draw in lovers of fruit-forward Hazy IPAs, get some today where you buy beer and learn more at cigar city brewing. com Learn more at Cigar City Brewing.com 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Niko Tonks and Evan Sallee of Fair State Brewing Cooperative
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ingredients, Pilsner, Collaboration, Innovation, Non-alcoholic beer

Much of the professional brewing world is focused on Minnesota this week as the annual Craft Brewers Conference is happening, along with the World  Beer Cup competition. I thought it would be a good to check in with a brewer in the state – or at least one connected with the state. 

Minnesota beer laws are wonky which has led to creative solutions. Austin Jevne the Owner & Head Brewer of Humble Forager, which is contract brewed in Wisconsin as well as Minneapolis, will explain how the brand developed out of an existing brewpub in Rochester, Minnesota. 

From finding local ingredients on his travels that inspire new beers, to scaling up from small batches to large ones while not sacrificing flavor or ethos, Austin takes us through his creative process on brewing that now extends to hard seltzer. 

He’s also big on collaborations and gives us a curtain raiser on one that is being brewed this week with Other Half Brewery. 

Austin sees beer as an adventure and wants every recipe to reflect that sense.And if you’re still brewing small and curious about finding your own local ingredients he has tips for that as well.  

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Jai Alai IPA is a bold, citrusy and balanced India Pale Ale that involves six different hop varietals used generously in a 7.5% ABV beer. Look for notes of orange peel, clementine, and light caramel to share the story and sunshine of Florida with beer lovers across the globe. Learn more at Cigar City Brewing.com 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and visit All About Beer. 

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Austin Jevne of Humble Forager
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  All About Beer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Ingredients, Distribution, Collaboration, Hard Seltzer

"Em Sauter is a cartoonist and visual beer educator who delights readers daily on her website Pints and Panels. She’s worked in breweries and been an advocate for good good beer. 

This week she has a new book out – her second – called Hooray for Craft Beer! An Illustrated Guide to Beer, published by Brewers Publications. It’s available where books are sold and you should go buy it. 

She takes us readers on a journey through beer history and styles and does so in an engaging way in a book that can be read straight through or just picked up for a few minutes here and there. 

While the style of the book and her work might be whimsical, the material is serious and factually accurate. She works hard to make sure what we’re reading in the book not only serves entertainment purposes but also can be used as a study guide or learning tool. 

We’ll talk about that, as well as her beer and life pairings, and we’ll meander around the beer world, as we often do when we get together." 

-John Holl

This Episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing Co.
Jai Alai IPA is a bold, citrusy and balanced India Pale Ale that involves six different hop varietals used generously in a 7.5% ABV beer. Look for notes of orange peel, clementine, and light caramel to share the story and sunshine of Florida with beer lovers across the globe. Learn more at Cigar City Brewing.com 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Em Sauter
• Sponsors: Cigar City Brewing, The Craft Brewery Cookbook,  and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Books, Education, Baseball, Belgium, Life

Show notes from John Holl:

"As I’ve mentioned, I’m always on the lookout for new-to-me breweries, especially ones that are bucking the normal trends. Todd DiMatteo of Good Word put Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery on my radar, and I’m thankful. 

I’m talking with John and Bonnie Branding, the couple behind the brewery that sits on 30 acres of farmland, about an hour west of Washington, D.C. There they are growing their own grains, including some that haven’t seen the light of day in beer in quite some time. They have herbs and produce that go into the beers, honey for fermenting and flavor, at least three distinct yeast strains all harvested from the land. 

The Brandings say the brewery has been a long time in the making. It opened in 2019 and they are Farming for Fermentation. Working with research facilities and other local farms to source all they need and to push the idea of local agriculture in every pint. 

They spoke to me from the brewery. Here’s our conversation."

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Bonnie and John Branding
• Sponsors: The Craft Brewery Cookbook and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Mixed Fermentation, Lagers, Virginia, Festivals, Grain, Water, Hops

"Lagers continue to get the love in the craft beer space and this week I’m glad to have Dana Henion on the show. She is the co-founder, co-owner and brewer at Van Henion Brewing, a new operation that opened in a brewery space that was previously occupied by Boneyard Brewing in Bend, Oregon. 

She runs the brewery with her husband Mark and long time friend and colleague John Van Duzer. Together they say it’s a combined 65+ years of brewing experience at some of the state’s better known breweries. 

This includes Oakshire, Deschutes, Ninkasi, and the aforementioned Boneyard. 

Similar to just about everyone else, the last two years have been difficult, but ultimately the pandemic, which led to Boneyard merging with Deschutes and the availability of their production space led to the trio being able to chase their dream and open their own spot. 

They say it’ll be a lager brewery, and started brewing and distributing earlier this year, but Henion also says they will introduce other beers from time to time, following a model of balancing consumer demands and wants along with brewer passions. 

From building out a taproom and seeing the warning signs of burnout, to how the brewing community has evolved but still seems tight-knit, we cover a lot in a short period of time."

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Dana Henion 
• Sponsors: The Craft Brewery Cookbook and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Mixed Fermentation, Lagers, Oregon, Festivals, IPA

By now, you might be familiar with Troy Casey and his beer career. After graduating from the University of California at Davis he took a job with the company then known as MillerCoors, working in their Colorado brewery in the A.C. Coors division. It was a research and development facility where they would test out various recipes, noodle around with new ones and see if anything stuck that could eventually be scaled up to the big production brewery. 

It's a brewer’s dream. Great equipment, access to ingredients, and some of the smartest beer science minds at arm’s length. It also allowed for some creative license. While there he got the idea to brew a lambic-style ale and assembled it, barrels it and let it sit, testing it compulsively, until it was ready. 

It lit a fire in him and soon enough he and his wife Emily decided to open their own brewery where he could embrace sour and wood, play with fruits and let the style of beer that had captured his heart thrive and grow. 

The response was immediate with fans coming from around the country to visit the brewery in Western Colorado and lining up by the hundreds at beer festivals. 

As you’ll hear, the brewery has since grown and new styles have joined the mix, but there is still a twinkle in his voice when he talks about the style that started this part of his career. 

This Episode is sponsored by:

World Beer Awards
I’m honored to serve as a co-chair of judges for the U.S. portion this year and we’re bringing experienced, fair-minded, and engaged judges to Washington D.C. later on this summer to blind taste beers and to hand out medals. The World Beer Awards ensures that each beer is judged both rigorously and fairly to give it its best chance in the competition. If you’re a professional brewer, Learn more about the competition and categories and sign up to enter at WorldBeerAwards.com.  

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Troy Casey
• Sponsors: World Beer Awards and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Sour, Wood, Climate Change, Festivals, Fruit

On this episode of This Week in Rauchbier special co-host Erik Lehto talks about home brewing rauchbier and the smoke beer scene in Sweden. Then we're joined by Bill Cherry, the founder and brewmaster of Switchback Brewing in Vermont who shares stories and the inspiration behind the brewery's Flynn on Fire Series. As always, Bart Watson of the Brewers Association joins the show to talk about the smoked beer stats we all look forward to each week. Finally, we have a brewers roundtable to talk about alternative smoked beverages including NA beer and seltzer. Adrian Beck-Oliver and Simon Burhoe of Kit NA Brewing in Portland, Maine are joined by brewery consultant Ethan Cox. 

Enjoy these audio smoky delights. 

Thanks to Hagen and Bill for the inspiration to do this show. Hear the genesis of This Week in Rauchbier on episode 5 of Drink Beer, Think Beer.

Music for this episode:
NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Hosts: John Holl and Erik Lehto
• Guests: Bill Cherry, Adrian Beck-Oliver, Simon Burhoe, Ethan Cox, and Bart Watson.
• Tags: beer, craft beer, rauchbier, smoke, April Fool's Day

It’s great fun to have Mirella Amato on the show this week. I’ve had the good pleasure of knowing her for years and have enjoyed her writings and keen insight into the proper way to pair beer and food. 

Amato is a Master Cicerone, as well as a Doemens Bier Sommelier. She the also the author of Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer…Even More, which is available where books are sold. 

Recently the sensory and craft beer consultant launched a new online course through her website, Beerology. It’s called Mastering Beer and Food Pairing, and on this episode we talk about the course along with opera, current trends and tastes, and finding the right beer to match a mood.

This Episode is sponsored by:

World Beer Awards
I’m honored to serve as a co-chair of judges for the U.S. portion this year and we’re bringing experienced, fair-minded, and engaged judges to Washington D.C. later on this summer to blind taste beers and to hand out medals. The World Beer Awards ensures that each beer is judged both rigorously and fairly to give it its best chance in the competition. If you’re a professional brewer, Learn more about the competition and categories and sign up to enter at WorldBeerAwards.com.  Early bird discount rates are available through April 1, 2022.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Mirella Amato
• Sponsors: World Beer Awards and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Food, IPA, Hazy IPA, Kettle Sours, Pairings, Opera

I’m excited to have Sam Tierney on the show this week. He’s been running Firestone Walker’s Propagator in Los Angeles for the six years it’s been open and has unique insight on creating small batches that could one day be scaled, experimenting with ingredients, and finding the sweet spot for drinkers. 

He’s a passionate brewer who takes the role seriously and is constantly trying to find ways to improve upon techniques and processes. 

 
As the brewery location nears another anniversary he reflects on how hops have evolved in beer and what it takes to stay fresh but not lose sight of history and tradition.
 

This Episode is sponsored by:

Jack's Abby
The first stop of 2022 in our Lagers of the World series takes us to Akureyri, Iceland. Our conversations with Einstök Beer led us to brew a Jóla Bock, which is a popular Christmas beer that lives up to the exceptional Christmas spirit in the country. Of course we're a little late for Christmas, but Bocks are still a wildly popular style this time of year and we can't wait for you to try Destination: Iceland

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Sam Tierney
• Sponsors: Jack's Abby and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, IPA, California, Tradition, Hops, History, Recipe Development

Show notes from host John Holl

"A few weeks ago I was in Rochester judging the New York State Beer Competition and on the last day of judging, my pal Lew Bryson walked into the room wearing a shirt that asked: "Got Milktubes?"

It was from Human Robot, a Philadelphia brewery that has leaned in hard on its love of lagers.

When the brewery opened two years ago in the site of the former St. Benjamin brewing, it didn’t get the full splash that it deserved due to the pandemic, but it has slowly built a local and vocal fanbase that stop by for beers and are quick to bend the ear of any beer enthusiast that will listen. 

Growth is coming quickly to this brewery, as you’ll hear from Head Brewer Andrew Foss. We spoke after the company opened its second location and Foss will be heading up brewing at both, focusing on lagers, kettle sours, and juicy IPAs."

This Episode is sponsored by:

NZ Hops
NZ Hops, the co-operative of Master Hop Growers are a passionate collective of farms dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Leading the charge in sustainable farm practices, some NZ Hops farms have over five generations of knowledge that inform their composting program, used by growers to promote healthy regenerative growth of hops year upon year. This creates high quality soil, a critical component of healthy growing conditions. At NZ Hops, they feel that sustainability is not only being a steward for the land, but for our future.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Andrew Foss
• Sponsors: NZ Hops, ProBrewer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Barrel, New York, Tradition, Patience, History, Recipe Development

Show notes from John Holl: 

"If you’ve been listening to this show as well as Steal This Beer over the last few weeks there’s been a focus in and around the Rochester, New York area breweries. 

Rochester is of course well known for Genesee Beer, but over the last decade has emerged as a craft beer destination, fueled by small breweries who are paying careful attention to recipes, integrating into the local fabric through art and music, and giving chefs a chance to shine in the kitchens. 

Among the many bright spots of the city’s beer scene is Strangebird. 

It opened in January 2021 inside a sprawling yet solid building that once held a food co-op and immediately impresses with its well designed taproom, barrel aging space, and impactful kitchen. 

Micah Krichinsky is a founder and brewer. He’s a student of biochemistry and microbiology and a graduate of the Master Brewer’s Program at the University of California at Davis. His career before Rochester had him at Capitol City Brewing in Washington, D.C. and then later at at Dogfish Head in Delaware, where he spent five years. 

Eric Salazar is the brewery’s Director of Wood Aged Beers. His career started back in the 1990s at New Belgium Brewing Co. where, as you’ll hear, he learned to work with barrels and to trust and respect microbes. 

Both of the brewers found their way to Rochester by way of their significant others, and are not only putting down family roots in the city but also long-term plans for the brewery and fostering the local beer scene. 

They spoke with me from the bar where they were happily popping bottles, and I started off by asking about lessons learned from working at older breweries and the benefit of having nearly full careers before starting something of their own."

This Episode is sponsored by:

Stomp Stickers
Stomp Stickers is a proud member of the Brewers Association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code CRAFTBEER15 for 15% off your first order.

NZ Hops
NZ Hops, the co-operative of Master Hop Growers are a passionate collective of farms dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Leading the charge in sustainable farm practices, some NZ Hops farms have over five generations of knowledge that inform their composting program, used by growers to promote healthy regenerative growth of hops year upon year. This creates high quality soil, a critical component of healthy growing conditions. At NZ Hops, they feel that sustainability is not only being a steward for the land, but for our future.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Micah Krichinsky & Eric Salazar 
• Sponsors: NZ Hops, Stomp Stickers, ProBrewer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Barrel, New York, Tradition, Patience, History, Recipe Development

Show notes from host John Holl:

"When you think about Great Lakes Brewing, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter likely comes to mind. It’s the flagship beer of a brewery that has helped shape craft beer in America and fostered the career of many in the industry. There's more to the Cleveland, Ohio than that one flagship and the brewery has been working to adapt to changing palates and trends. 

For insight on what's been happening at the brewery and what is on the horizon, I’m joined this week by Mark Hunger the brewmaster And Michael Williams, the brand coordinator who works in the brewery’s marketing department. 

We’re talking about history and the future, recipe development, flavors, and shifting consumer tastes. I start off by asking Mark, who has been around since almost the beginning, about his title and how to came about." 

This Episode is sponsored by:

Stomp Stickers
Stomp Stickers is a proud member of the Brewers Association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code CRAFTBEER15 for 15% off your first order.

NZ Hops
NZ Hops, the co-operative of Master Hop Growers are a passionate collective of farms dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Leading the charge in sustainable farm practices, some NZ Hops farms have over five generations of knowledge that inform their composting program, used by growers to promote healthy regenerative growth of hops year upon year. This creates high quality soil, a critical component of healthy growing conditions. At NZ Hops, they feel that sustainability is not only being a steward for the land, but for our future.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guests: Mark Hunger & Michael Williams
• Sponsors: NZ Hops, Stomp Stickers, ProBrewer and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Porter, Pubs, Ohio, Tradition, Holidays, IPA, Lager

Brewers tend to get excited when Jeff Bagby is around. As one of the most awarded brewers in the country and a staunch voice for classic styles and  well balanced beers, he extolls pleasures of creating lagers and ales that lend to a good time. 

After a career that saw him on the brew decks of noted breweries like Stone and Pizza Port, where he was the director of brewing operations, he and his wife opened up Bagby Beer Co. in 2014 in a 8,500 square foot location that is not only home to the brewery but a restaurant, with plenty of areas suited for both meals and long evenings tucked into pints. 

In an interview years ago said that when the brewery opened it didn’t even have an IPA on tap, focusing instead on lagers and other ales. Hoppy beers have come into the mix, but he’s still focused on session beers, drinkability, and keeping traditions alive. 

As he explains on this episode the pandemic has been brutal to the business. There’s no sugar coating it. From government restrictions and unfulfilled promises, to customer interactions, staffing shortages, rising costs of labor and goods, and the day-to-day worry that comes from owning a small business, he’s been knocked around. A lot. 

Bagby walks us through it all and doesn't hold back. 

This Episode is sponsored by:

Stomp Stickers
Stomp Stickers is a proud member of the Brewers Association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code CRAFTBEER15 for 15% off your first order.

NZ Hops
NZ Hops, the co-operative of Master Hop Growers are a passionate collective of farms dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Leading the charge in sustainable farm practices, some NZ Hops farms have over five generations of knowledge that inform their composting program, used by growers to promote healthy regenerative growth of hops year upon year. This creates high quality soil, a critical component of healthy growing conditions. At NZ Hops, they feel that sustainability is not only being a steward for the land, but for our future.

Athletic Brewing Co.
Athletic Brewing Company’s innovative process allows them to brew great-tasting

craft beer without the alcohol. From IPAs to stouts to golden ales and more, they offer a full selection of beers starting at only 50 calories. Now you can keep your head clear and enjoy the refreshing taste of beer anytime, anywhere. Place an order today at

athleticbrewing.com and get free shipping on two six packs or more. New customers

can also get 10% off their entire order with code BeerEdge10. Limit one per customer.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Jeff Bagby
• Sponsors:   NZ Hops, Stomp Stickers Athletic Brewing, and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Lager, Labor, California, Festivals, COVID-19