Our old friend and honorary Beer Busters, Kevin Keller joins us this episode to catch us up on the progress of Prototype Brewery and Meadery , specifically the upcoming Prototype Brewery Invitational 2022 , that was originally slated to happed in 2020, but then COVID. The fest, featuring 45+ breweries, will be held Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Early Entry at 12:00 PM, General Admission at 1:00 PM) at the Zembo Shrine in Harrisburg, PA. If you’re around, grab some tickets and...
Apr 15, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Perennial podcast pontificator Ethan Buckman, proprietor of Pennsylvania’s own Stickman Brews , joins us this episode to…well, here are his own words: “I’ve got a lot to say and I’m hoping you will let me once again take this lovely thing you have made and co-opt it entirely for my own.” Those lots of things to say were about lagers, including addressing some comments made on our past lager-centric episodes. This one gets pretty deep in the weeds on the technical aspects of brewing, Ethan and St...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 33 min
This episode we chat with Colin Gerner, President and Co-Founder of StacheStrong , a nonprofit that was born from brotherly love after Colin’s brother, GJ Gerner, underwent his first brain cancer surgery for Glioblastoma. Sadly, GJ lost his battle with this horrible disease in 2019 at the age of 30. #BrewStacheStrong is a collaboration beer project, open to any breweries that wish to participate, to help raise funds that go to directly to cancer research. Along with Colin, we are joined by Stach...
Mar 18, 2022•1 hr 32 min
Joining us this episode is Chris Kuriga, Owner and Head Brewer at the rural and laid-back Therapy Brewing in Mill Creek Township, Pennsylvania. We chat about the unique location of this outdoorsy brewery, located on a sprawling 200 acres, the challenges in finding your way there, and the more-than-worth-it rewards you’ll enjoy when you do. We also talk about the history of Therapy and get a little nerdy about well water and water chemistry. All this and more, plus a round of What Band Made This ...
Mar 04, 2022•1 hr 42 min
We’re joined this episode by General Manager/Head Brewer, Patrick Steffens and Marketing and Events Manager, Natalie Femia, from Lost Barrel Brewing in Middleburg, Virginia. The brewery opened in December 2020 and shares a property with an operational horse farm. Lost Barrel produces a variety of beers and hard seltzers, serves an elevated pub grub menu, hosts a variety of events including regular charity fundraisers, and has an on-site boutique fashion shop called Found. We chat about all that ...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 56 min
Several of the ladies of New Trail Brewing in Williamsport, PA, join us this episode, including Assistant Brewer Cloey Hertwig, Packaging Tech Bethany McDonald, Office Manager Morgan Tramontana, and Regional Sales Representative Helana Zimmerman. Plus, past guest and Director of Brewing Operations, Mike LaRosa. We get to know a little bit about each of these amazing women and how they became part of New Trail, as well as some of the latest happenings at one of Pennsylvania’s most sought-after br...
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr 41 min
After chatting about this brewery in a few recent episodes, we sit down with Lauren Hughes, Head Brewer at Necromancer Brewing in Pittsburgh. We discuss the inspiration behind the brewery, opening during COVID, their mission to revive forgotten beer styles, Lauren’s journey to the brewery, and more. In Happy Fun Time, we play a round of There’s Weird in My Beer. And we drink a few tasty bevs, but it was a Monday so not too many. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rati...
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 38 min
Kim Collins, Owner and Head Brewer at Guardian Brewing Company in Saugatuck, Michigan, joins us this episode. Guardian is a 100% LGBTQ-owned, women-owned, & brewer-owned brewery, Located just two miles from Lake Michigan. Kim is also currently a Board Member on the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Board and is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. We discuss all of this and more, including getting to know more about the amazing town of Saugatuck. In Happy Fun Time,...
Jan 08, 2022•1 hr 27 min
Joining us this episode is Adam Bey, Co-Owner of 412 Brewery in Pittsburgh and member of the Pittsburgh Brewery and Diversity Council . We discuss the history of 412 Brewery, how Adam and others came to take over ownership of the brewery from the founders, the Diversity Council origins and the very important work they do. Do you know what a Canadian Destroyer is? Well, we learned all about that and a whole lot more when Adam revealed that he has been a professional wrestler for many years. This ...
Dec 24, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Co-Founder and CEO of Trace Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, PA joins us this episode to talk about the young brewery, his personal journey to founding Trace, how they are taking action to promote diversity in the beer world, and much more. A large chunk of our conversation centered around Trace Brewing’s Vocational Program , which offers six month paid internships at the brewery to candidates from underrepresented communities and those who would otherwise encounter steep barriers to entry into th...
Dec 10, 2021•1 hr 39 min
In an episode that plays fast and loose with time, continuity, and word tenses, Steph and Wayne were joined by Tara Nurin, a writer who primarily covers lifestyle trends with a focus on craft beer, alcohol and culinary tourism and their impact on economic development, and author of the recently published, A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and CEOs – while Dan was galivanting around Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Since we’re no strangers to podc...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 42 min
Due to circumstances beyond our control, our scheduled guest for this episode could not join us. So, it’s just the three of us this time. It’s been a while. We take some time to continue our conversation on the state of equality in the craft beer industry, focusing on resources and actions. Those aforementioned circumstances beyond our control were ongoing staffing shortages in the brewing industry (and the larger service industry in general). We take the opportunity to discuss this issue as wel...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 18 min
This episode we’re joined by our friend/cool beer guy/podcast patron Brian Mills. We talk about the ongoing discussions of sexual harassment and assault in the beer industry. After an overview of where things stand, including the controversy surrounding the Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen, we move on to discussing how to affect real change in the beer world. Then, we move on to less serious conversation about world travels and beer stories, among many other random topics. In Happy Fun Time...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 47 min
After a short hiatus, we're back! And this time we're joined by the new crew at Chatty Monks Brewing in West Reading, PA - Devi Jagadesan (owner), Ryan Berkis (marketing), and briefly John Stemler (brewmaster and beverage consultant). We chatted about the challenges of taking ownership of a brewery during the pandemic, changes and future plans for the brewery, and Ryan taught us old folks about TikTok. #dontgetstemlered Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and re...
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 19 min
We’re joined this episode by Rob Getz, brewer at Devil’s Eye Brewing in Dillsburg, PA, who Dan (somewhat drunkenly) met at a Renaissance Faire beer fest. We discuss that story, Rob’s unusual path to brewing at Devil’s Eye, his shady beer hand-off with Steph at an abandoned hotel, and much more. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a round of Bad Beer Reviews, a game all about beer reviews that are not good. All while we sampled an array of Devil’s Eye brews. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do!...
Sep 03, 2021•1 hr 38 min
This episode was recorded on site at the Brews and Bands for Bart Beer Festival at Tattered Flag Brewery and Stillworks in Middletown, PA. This event was organized to raise money for the family of Bartley Kaminski, a huge figure in the beer world who sadly lost his battle with cancer recently. We invited a long list of friends to sit down and chat, catch up, and raise a glass to an amazing human being. Enjoy, and we hope you'll raise a glass too.
Aug 20, 2021•3 hr 6 min
This episode we are joined by Betsy Lay, Owner and Head Brewer, and her wife, Alison Wisneski, Director of Marketing for Lady Justice Brewing Company in Aurora, Colorado. Lady Justice is a not for profit (though not legally a non-profit, something we discuss) and community supported brewery whose mission is to brew great beer to make the world a better place. The Latina-founded, queer and woman-owned operation dedicates time, space, and money to nonprofits and community partners that support and...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 36 min
Shortly after the recording of this episode, Bartly Kaminski lost his battle with cancer. Our thoughts and love are with his family, his many, many friends, and the countless lives he touched. The Brews and Bands for Bart Festival will go on as planned, to honor his memory and celebrate the joy that Bart brought into the world.
Jul 24, 2021•2 hr 2 min
We’re joined this episode by our longtime friend and frequent podcast guest, Ethan Buckman from Stickman Brews. We chat about what’s new with Stickman, Ethan’s new venture, False Bottom Spirits , and a number of other things of varying degrees of randomness. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of the rarely-seen Brewery or Forgery, in which Dan, Steph, and Ethan compete to see who can spot the fake brewery names among the real. Also, we drank some Stickman beers. On a more serious note, this...
Jul 02, 2021•2 hr 5 min
This episode is an audio recording from our virtual event, A Love Letter to Lagers, held on June 8th, 2021, as part of Philly Beer Week . Our guests for this happy hour panel were Jack Hendler, Co-Owner and Brewer at Jack’s Abby in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Ashleigh Carter, Co-Owner and Brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, Colorado, breweries known for producing amazing, award-winning lagers. We talk all things lager, from the technical, to the historical, and why it’s just so good. Plu...
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr 24 min
Just in time for Philly Beer Week 2021, we catch up with Executive Director of Philly Loves Beer (the organization behind beer week), Christina Dowd. At the start of the show, we address the ongoing wave of reports of sexism and harassment in the beer industry. The outpouring of stories was sparked by an Instagram post by Brienne Allan, production manager at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts – and has sadly reached into all corners of the industry, including Philly Loves Beer. Lightening the...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 16 min
This episode is a Beer Busters first, dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic beer. Joining us is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hairless Dog Brewing , Jeff Hollander. The Minneapolis based production brewery produces exclusively alcohol-free beer. And it’s for real. Most “NA” beers are brewed traditionally – alcohol and all – and then have the booze removed, leaving a product that can legally be up to 0.5% ABV. Hairless Dog, however, has developed a process in which alcohol is never introduced at all, i...
May 14, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Joining us this episode are Tom Baker, longtime owner of Earth Bread + Brewery , and now founder of Bar Hygge in Philadelphia, along with Duffy Lonergan, brewer for Bar Hygge’s on-site Brewery Techne. We talk about Tom’s long and storied history in the world of beer, Duffy’s (less long and storied) background and what brought him to Brewery Techne, and a whole lot of other various and occasionally random things. And, this episode’s Happy Fun Time Game is Libation or Fabrication: Pandemic Edition...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr 51 min
This episode we share some brews with our longtime friend, Dain Shirey, from St. Boniface Craft Brewing in Ephrata, PA. This year the brewery celebrated its 10th anniversary, so we took a trip down memory lane and discussed the history of St. Boniface as well as our long association with the brewery (including the birth of “no squids were harmed”). Starting with the founding of the business in 2011, all the way up to opening a full-service restaurant amid the pandemic last year. We also talk abo...
Apr 16, 2021•2 hr 20 min
Joining us this episode is Laura Lacy, Co-Owner (along with her husband Todd) of Attic Brewing in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Open just over a year, Attic proudly serves a wide array of beer styles, offering limited delivery service within the city. We talk about opening a brewery just before the pandemic hit, how Laura and Todd ended up in Philadelphia and why they wanted to open a brewery, how they are giving back to the community, and much more. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a ro...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 30 min
This episode features audio from our recent live virtual happy hour segment as part of the 2021 Philadelphia Grain and Malt Symposium . We were joined by our friend Nate Kresge, Founder of Harrisburg-based media production company, GK Visual in a panel discussion along with a lineup of people from the brewing industry including, Dan Hershberg from Workhorse Brewing , Dain Shirey from St. Boniface Brewing , and Tom Baker from Earth Bread + Brewery . Our discussion centers on the creative solution...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 30 min
Moo-Duck Brewery in Elizabethtown and Pour Man’s Brewing in Ephrata are longtime friends of the podcast and longtime friends of each other, regularly collaborating and brewing at each others’ facilities. Mike Brubaker from Moo-Duck and Ryan Foltz, Sam Son, and Mike King from Pour Man’s join us this episode to chat about their collaborations, new developments at each brewery, continuing to navigate the post-COVID world, and more. In Happy Fun Time, we play a round of Bad Beer Reviews – a game abo...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 51 min
Welcome to a slapdash, socially distant installment of our annual Valentine’s Day-ish tradition of a beer and food pairing session with Greg Orth, founder of Craft Tastings, LLC . Since we were unable to proceed in our normal fashion – gathered around the pool table in the Beer Busters basement with whiskey , popcorn , surprises , bacon , grilled cheese , or lots of chocolate – this time around we tried a free-for-all quarantine pairing. With various beers from our beer fridges and snacks from o...
Feb 19, 2021•2 hr 12 min
For the first time since the before times, we catch up with our good friends from Mad Chef in Lancaster, PA. Joining us this episode are Co-Owners Francisco “The Real Slim Cheffy” Ramirez, Greg “Just Greg” Kendig, and Brewer Pim “Dutch” Harmsen. We talk new beers and old favorites, the effects of COVID on the business, and a very exciting update on the future at Mad Chef. There is also a not unsurprising amount of tomfoolery, as Francisco, the Mad Chef himself, exudes irresistible joy everywhere...
Feb 05, 2021•2 hr 5 min
This episode we are joined by Kaitlin McCall, Co-Owner of McCall Collective Brewing , and her brother-in-law and Brewer, Matt McCall. Allentown’s first fully female owned brewery, McCall Collective opened in August of 2020. We discuss what lead the McCall’s (along with Co-Owner, and Kaitlin’s husband, Chris) to open a brewery, Matt’s brewing history, the pressures and changes necessitated by open among the COVID pandemic, and more. Dan does some news (remember that?), reporting on the winners of...
Jan 22, 2021•1 hr 55 min
