Here's a piece of advice: find someone who talks about you the way Theresa McCulla talks about Charlie Papazian’s brewing spoon. As the curator for the American Brewing History Initiative at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, McCulla spends her time trying to capture modern American brewing history and manifesting it for the viewing public to experience and learn from. Yes, McCulla is a beer historian but she’s already heard all of your jokes. She’s got the greatest job i...
Sep 24, 2020•44 min
Garrett Oliver has been on a bit of a media blitz in recent months following his announcement of the formation of the Michael Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling . The foundation, as you will hear, will fund technical education and career advancement opportunities for black, indigenous, and people of color in the brewing and distilling industries. Oliver is obviously well-known as the long-time Brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery . And in that role he has seen the beer industry change a...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Writer Dave Infante spent nearly a decade cranking out articles on a wide range of topics for Thrillist, from the best Snapchat filters to why he only packs dirty clothes when he’s traveling. He also wrote a lot about craft beer. For his work on this latter topic, Infante won two James beard awards. He’s not an inside baseball craft beer writer. He’s not a fan boy or a zealot. Instead, he’s a self-trained reporter, a teller of colorful and poignant stories. He has a keen eye for an interesting s...
Aug 24, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Julia Herz has been a passionate advocate for American craft brewers for nearly two decades. In her role as craft beer program director for the Brewers Association , Herz helped build public appreciation for craft beer all while helping to promote the interest of member breweries. She wrote a book on tasting beer, gave dozens of keynote addresses at conferences, and countless interviews to the media. Perhaps more than anyone else at the organization, Herz was the public face of the BA and by ext...
Aug 11, 2020•51 min
Andy Crouch reads an essay on the importance of quality and independent beer journalism and the responsibility to ask people in power the tough questions. Then Beer Edge co-founder John Holl joins Andy for a chat about the state of the beer industry, the likely long term impacts of COVID-19, a rage of IP theft cases recently, and why we welcome seasonal creep when it comes to Oktoberfest beers. For more information on the Beer Edge Podcast , or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Pro...
Jul 30, 2020•34 min
With his signature long hair, faded trucker hat, and baby face, Ben Howe could easily pass for a newbie assistant brewer, which is what he once was. You could also be forgiven for carding him before serving him a drink. Despite his youthful appearance, Ben has a long history of brewing experience under his belt. He has brewed with some of the world’s best, cutting his teeth under Will Meyers at Cambridge Brewing Company before opening his own short lived place, Enlightenment Ales. His brewing tr...
Jul 20, 2020•1 hr 1 min
As brewers work to figure out how to survive until a time when their operations can return to full business, the trade organization that represents them is also feeling the pain. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the Brewers Association represents more than 5600 US breweries and nearly 50,000 homebrewers, the allied trade, beer wholesalers, retailers, and other individuals. Its mission is to promote and protect American craft brewers, their beers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts. And the pers...
Jul 13, 2020•58 min
Hard core craft beer fans like to talk about the first names club in craft beer. The reference often applies to so-called rock star brewers who have become relatively famous among a sub set of craft beer enthusiasts. These names include Jim, Sam, Garrett, Tomme, and Vinnie among others. The list is almost always male, reflecting the long term tilt of focus in this largely male dominated beer industry. And that’s unfortunate. Because looking a little closer reveals a strong contingent of women wh...
Jun 26, 2020•43 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, Andy Crouch speaks with Greg Avola , the co-founder of Untappd , the leading beer ratings app. Founded in 2010, Untappd jettisoned any pretenses about beer and simply presented users with a location based social networking service that allowed them to check in beers and share them with friends. Untappd’s early focus on an app instead of a flashy website presaged the dominance of cell phone based beer ratings in a way that its competitors never fully embr...
Jun 19, 2020•51 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, Andy Crouch speaks with Khris Johnson , the head brewer and co-founder of Green Bench Brewing in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Crouch first visited Green Bench shortly after they opened and he has made it back just about every year since then. The brewery produces a wide range of styles, ranging from totally classic to creatively innovative. And the space is just inviting. The star of the show is a multi use beer garden that welcomes the community to get to...
Jun 12, 2020•55 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, Andy Crouch speaks with Evan Sallee , the co-founder and CEO of Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Evan has seen first hand the after effects of the killing of George Floyd on the city. It has also caused him to further explore his company’s own lack of diversity as you will hear. It was an engaging and thoughtful conversation and Evan is honest in admitting the areas that need improving. He discusses what Fair State is doing to en...
Jun 05, 2020•46 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, Andy Crouch speaks with Josh Noel of the Chicago Tribune . Crouch grew up in and around Chicago and spent much of his youth reading the Trib. These days, things are tough for the hometown paper. It’s a subject Josh will discuss and you should certainly follow his Twitter account, at hopnotes , for more info. Josh is the author of the acclaimed Barrel Aged Stout and Selling Out , about the rise of Goose Island and eventual sale to Anhueser-Busch, and is o...
May 29, 2020•35 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, Andy Crouch speaks with J Nikol Jackson-Beckham. Dr. J, as she is known, is a former college professor, having very recently transitioned to a career as an equity and inclusion strategist. She founded Craft Beer For All , her platform that works to provide consulting services and training to individuals and organizations in the craft brewing industry. She is also the first Diversity Ambassador for the Brewers Association and the executive director of Cra...
May 22, 2020•43 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, Andy Crouch speaks with Chris Lohring , the founder of Notch Brewing Company in Salem, Massachusetts. Chris is one of my favorite people to talk to about beer. He’s been in the industry long enough to develop strong opinions but with the knowledge to back them up, all without becoming too jaded. He remains a passionate advocate for beer, including for his beloved lager and session beers. His passion for beer, community, and music is reflected in his fant...
May 15, 2020•38 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, we speak with New Glarus Brewing Company co-founder Deb Carey about how when and where breweries should use their voices, about being true to herself, and the politics of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Glarus has long been a model brewery that many others seek to emulate. One of the largest craft breweries in the country, New Glarus hails from a small town but casts a big shadow over the American beer scene. All this while only distributing its excellent lin...
May 08, 2020•37 min
On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, we speak with Bissell Brothers co-founder Peter Bissell about how COVID-19 has impacted the brewery and his lobster restaurant in Portland, Maine. Pete admits to being blind-sided by the pandemic news, as someone who does not closely follow the news. When the government forced his restaurant to close and limited public access to his brewery’s popular tap room, the company immediately pivoted to facilitating a contactless home delivery model that covers m...
Apr 28, 2020•50 min
Carl arrived in China for the first time in 2004, having just graduated from college in Alabama. He originally was going to teach English in Wuhan, the city where the COVID-19 virus is suspected of starting, but he then moved to teach English to business executives in a nearby town. After teaching, Carl returned to the states and got a masters degree in international political economy and learned Mandarin. He moved back to China in 2008, right before the Olympics, and quickly got married to his ...
Apr 17, 2020•45 min
Adam Robbings started making moves at his brewery, Reuben’s Brews, well before Washington State started putting restrictions in place. His previous careers helped get some things in perspective and moving before the world came crashing down. Like every other brewery, his business has been impacted. But listening to him, in this conversation recorded on Thursday morning, just after the latest unemployment numbers came out, co-host John Holl was struck by how just a little bit of planning and a wh...
Apr 10, 2020•27 min
It has been another week in the world of beer. Fast paced, changing every day, but yet starting to settle into a routine, the new normal. About a week ago, Congress passed and the president signed into law an unprecedented $2 trillion COVID-19 response and relief package. Almost immediately, small business owners, including bars, breweries, and others began to debate its merits. There has been fierce debate over some of the small business loan provisions, including the Paycheck Protection Progra...
Apr 03, 2020•45 min
The hardships and challenges continue to mount for beer industry professionals. As lockdowns become more stringent, it's harder for breweries to get beer to their customers. Some states, like New Jersey, gave breweries the opportunity to deliver beer direct to consumers, only to take the privilege away days later. On this episode of the Beer Edge podcast, we examine the fluid nature of change in these unprecedented times. As business plans are being rewritten by the day and long-term plans remai...
Mar 27, 2020•17 min
It has been another week of ups and downs in the world of beer. Bars, restaurants, and tap rooms remain near entirely disrupted. They’re mostly closed to the public or trying to cobble together to go or delivery options. And while Washington debates how to handle the current crisis and what relief to offer small business owners, laid off employees continue to struggle. While thousands of small breweries are struggling to stay afloat, a small number of larger breweries are actually poised to main...
Mar 25, 2020•19 min
Across the country, disruption reigns. It’s the stuff of Hollywood movies, a global virus pandemic. Bartenders, servers, barbacks, dishwashers, along with hundreds of other professions had no choice but to report to work in order to provide for their families. Now even that option is gone. Hundreds of thousands of people if not more have been laid off. The service sector is decimated. Bars and restaurants have stripped down to the very bare minimum staff necessary to provide basic services to pe...
Mar 20, 2020•42 min
Unless you live under a rock and this podcast is the only way you get your news, you know that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic for the COVID-19 virus. Seems like not too long ago there were memes about Corona bottles wearing surgical masks and now we’re being asked to isolate at home. It’s a real threat that has come to our states and towns and it’s having a huge impact on the brewing industry. Breweries are being shut down and prohibited from operating their taprooms. Some are offering...
Mar 18, 2020•43 min
