Remember the Brut IPA? It was, for a shining moment, seemingly the hottest beer style in the country and then it went away. The brewer credited with the style is Kim Sturdavant and he is our guest on the show today. From its origins, to its evolution ,and eventual death we cover the life cycle of a style. What does the future hold for the style? Well, Sturdavant who is working at Pacifica Brewing does not currently have one on his board. So, that has to mean something. Sturdavant spoke to the sh...
Jul 22, 2020•48 min
This is a special bonus episode on the channel featuring the Drinks Adventures podcast. A note from host James Atkinson: " I drove west of Sydney to the Blue Mountains where I visited Mountain Culture Brewing Company, a new brewpub founded by husband and wife team DJ and Harriet McCready. American-born DJ McCready exploded onto the Australian brewing scene at the inaugural Craft Beer Awards, now known as The Indies, in 2014. At the time DJ was brewing with a little known start-up from Sydney's n...
Jul 18, 2020•23 min
If you are interested in the subject of beer, it’s likely that you’ve already heard of Pete Brown and have read his words. He is the author of nine books on not only beer but cider and food as well. His prose effortlessly brings readers along on journeys whether is walking through orchards, sitting at the PUB, or traversing oceans with IPA. His latest book, Craft: An Argument was written and published during the COVID-19 lockdown and has just been released. Brown joined the show via Zoom from Lo...
Jul 15, 2020•37 min
If you are a fan of this show, you are likely a fan of beer in general, and you have likely already heard of Averie Swanson. She's had one of the more storied careers in beer thus far. Going from a volunteer at Jester King in Austin to its head brewer in just four years but new challenges awaited her, and so she moved north to Chicago last year where she started Keeping Together , a brewery that is focusing on mixed culture, rustic, Belgian-inspired beers. We cover a lot of ground in this interv...
Jul 08, 2020•46 min
You might be surprised to hear what Chase Healey and his team were brewing up on a recent Wednesday morning when John Holl called down to the brewery. Healey founded American Solera as a wood project that would let time and microbes do their thing followed by some expert blending. But the beer industry has changed in the years since Healy opened up his location in Tulsa, Oklahoma and so the brewery has changed and adapted. This means a lot of pilsners, IPAs, and even some of the stouts that he w...
Jul 01, 2020•43 min
Since founding 2nd Shift Brewing in Missouri a decade ago, Libby and Steve Crider have been through a lot of growth, a full brewery move, and the start of their family. Throughout it all, Libby Crider has worked to become an engaged business owner without compromising personal beliefs. Like so many breweries in the country COVID-19 plunged the brewery into “chaos” but as summer begins, the brewery in St. Louis is looking to welcome back patrons and to keep fighting on. For more Drink Beer, Think...
Jun 24, 2020•37 min
With over 8,000 breweries in the country it can be easy to overlook the early pioneers, regardless of how big they are and how ubiquitous their beers are. So, when a bottle of Alaskan Amber showed up unexpectedly at host John Holl's house recently he wanted to catch up with the brewery's founders. From talking about the early days of sourcing ingredients for historical recipes to beers that they hoped would take off but did not, Geoff and Marcy Larson talk about their brewery, what brought them ...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 6 min
An introduction to craft beer by his brother and cousin led Marcus Baskerville to begin homebrewing and eventually start his own brewery. At Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio, he is making beers that inspire him and since opening has worked to change the city's beer culture. Over the last two weeks, as the country has reacted to the murder of George Floyd and the rekindling of the Black Lives Matter movement, Baskerville launched the Black is Beautiful Beer initiative. He released an imperi...
Jun 10, 2020•44 min
We're a few days late for Lager Appreciation Month , but are firm believers that well-crafted pilsners and lagers are deserving of attention no matter what the calendar says. For nearly a decade now Chris Enegren has been making lagers in the German tradition at a brewery that bares his family name. When Enegren Brewing launched in Southern California that area was, and still is, populated with hoppy IPA fans. Making a go of being a lager brewery was not easy, but a "laser-like focus" and a stro...
Jun 03, 2020•55 min
A note from host John Holl : The last time I was in Austin was 2015 and after a long few days of drinking beer, doing interviews, and generally getting my fill of the city, I intentionally carved out some hours on my last day there, before my flight home to visit with Jeffrey Stuffings of Jester King. I wanted to leave on a high note, and that visit did not disappoint. The brewery is the stuff of legend by many drinkers and was driven to heights of popularity thanks to the wild and spontaneous b...
May 27, 2020•52 min
A note from host John Holl "Because of my job I occasionally get some beer sent to the house for review. It’s a charmed life, really. More so when a beer stands out among the crowd and I can be transported by a sip to a place just beyond my current field of view. This happened over the weekend as I had a socially distanced driveway beer with some friends. After an afternoon of yard work I opened a can of Vega IPA from Ecliptic Brewing. John Harris founded the brewery six years ago after a career...
May 20, 2020•49 min
A few words from host John Holl: "Our guest this week is Sean Lawson of Lawson's Finest Liquids. There are some beers that just stand out among the others. It’s not all marketing, because those beers that are all flash and no substance don’t seem to last too long in the craft beer space. So the beers that can capture the imagination and get us standing in lines, or having friends mule some back home, are ones that usually have some oomph behind them. It’s not easy and there aren’t many of these ...
May 13, 2020•51 min
Spring is a time of growth, change, and an opportunity to get back into nature. Because of COVID-19 related restrictions, it might be tough to get fully out to nature, but for those with yards and local parks or forests, there's a chance to plant gardens of our own or get out and see the budding plants and trees. From host John Holl : "We moved into a new house last year and I have a proper yard for the first time in a long time, so I’ve been thinking a lot about planting. I’m going to start out...
May 06, 2020•46 min
A note from John Holl about this week's episode: "The weather is starting to change for the better here in the northeast and as I look out of the window of the home office I can see the leaves on the trees grow faster by the day, spilling out vibrant green. The neighbors have a bright pink flowering bush across the street, and the birds have returned to the feeder. While it’s been raining a lot, my thoughts have drifted to the first good day when I can sit outside and open a bottle of beer and j...
Apr 29, 2020•55 min
Ethan Tripp was a homebrewer before he went pro, but from an early point in his career he decided that he was going to take his time both with opening his own place (with friends, of course) and the beers he wanted to make. He wants to make deliberate beers that are rooted in tradition but also isn’t afraid of trying new things or using different ingredients to see how they develop. Time seems to move slowly here at Fermentery Form and that’s by design. Tripp has had to learn patience, and that’...
Apr 22, 2020•46 min
A note from host John Holl: I’ve been sitting on this interview for a few months now. It features Pete Slosberg, the co-founder of Pete’s Wicked, a brewery and brand that helped shape the course of craft beer as we know it today. In an industry that would become known for a lot of big personalities and members of the first name club, Pete was a trailblazer. His Pete’s Wicked Brand was on the radio, in advertisements and thanks to beer recipes that delivered on flavor as well as lifestyle, he led...
Apr 15, 2020•40 min
The interview for this week's episode was recorded only about a month ago, but it was a simpler time. At the regular table at the (now temporarily closed) Blind Tiger Ale House in New York City host John Holl sat down with two brewers and owners of breweries specializing in gluten free beer. Karen Hertz, the owner of Holidaily Brewing Company in Colorado was in the city for a women in beer event hosted by the Brewers Association. Holidaily is a dedicated gluten free brewery that has been working...
Apr 08, 2020•50 min
If this episode of This Week in Rauchbier sounds a little different this week it is because we’re not at our normal smokey studio inside of Dovetail Brewing in Chicago. The Coronavirus has us all spread out and bunkered down. Hagan and Bill are off this week, rooting through their beer cellars no doubt looking for some ruby hued ashy delights. But that’s not going to stop us from having a bang up of a show. Bart Watson of the Brewers Association will be joining us to talk about the smoked beer s...
Apr 01, 2020•35 min
In an effort to bring some normalcy to this crazy world and to give you a respite from all of the COVID-19 news, we're bringing back the regular format of the show. This week is a conversation with Preston Theony and Luke Wortendyke of Wren House Brewing recorded in early February in Phoenix. Theony is a co-founder and head brewer and Wortendyke is the lead brewer and, as you'll hear, making beers with a local focus is a big thing at the brewery. They care about finding the terroir of Arizona an...
Mar 25, 2020•36 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
What was the beer scene like in Los Angeles when Ting Su opened up Eagle Rock Brewery with her husband and father-in-law a decade ago? She describes it as non-existent and an uphill climb to get customers to try small batch beer made-in house. Like so many others, they found that the success came through education and that has been a key hallmark to the brewery’s growth and expansion. By breaking down beer flavors, explaining ingredients, and giving patrons – especially women – a place to come a...
Mar 11, 2020•51 min
What is a brewery made of? What's in its soul? For many breweries in the United States, the answer seems to be hops. That's an understandable response given the rise of the craft beer movement on the backs of lupulin. At Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine, the brewmaster, Jason Perkins, believes in yeast. That makes sense given the brewery's growth and popularity on the back of its White Ale. That beer has become an American classic, serving as a gateway for many into craft beer. In this conver...
Mar 04, 2020•33 min
Collaboration beers are a fun exercise. They usually allow two breweries to get out of their comfort zones and try to create something that will create a buzz among drinkers. Two of the world’s better known breweries got together more than two years ago to start talking about a collaboration and the result has just been released. It’s called Vibrant P’Ocean , a 4.7% ABV blended sour ale created by Rodenbach, the famed Belgian brewer and blender, and Dogfish Head, a brewery that has long been at ...
Feb 26, 2020•41 min
If you've spent even just a casual amount of time on Beer Twitter, you’ve come across Jeremy Danner. He's the passionate, outspoken, and thoughtful guy with an unending amount of Kansas City pride, a great love of family, and a near-constant live stream of beer. He was the public face of Boulevard Brewing up until a few months ago when he was suddenly let go from the company. Now, people come and go from places all the time, but because he was such a visible part of that brewery in his role as a...
Feb 19, 2020•46 min
John Holl recently headed to Phoenix to check in on the beer scene. It was the 20th anniversary of the Arizona Strong Beer Festival and the 10th anniversary of Arizona Beer Week. The beer scene has really grown in the last several years but seems to be largely self contained with most brewers staying within the borders. Of course there are a few exceptions to that, including the now Anheuser-Busch InBev owned Four Peaks Brewing Co. For the beer lovers, the beer traders, and those who like to sta...
Feb 12, 2020•33 min
There's an awful lot of fun that can happen with brewing on a small batch system. And when you have the resources of one of the country’s biggest brewing companies behind you, the possibilities are limitless. That’s the situation this week’s guest enjoys. Megan Parisi has been with the Boston Beer Company for several years now, specifically working at the company’s Samuel Adams Boston brewery in Jamaica Plain. While heading up the small brewery there, she was able to experiment and do research a...
Feb 05, 2020•51 min
This week the show is back in Nashville with our guest Brandon Jones of Embrace the Funk. Jones is one of the more thoughtful brewers in the country. Maybe this is because he spent years working in newsrooms as a journalist. He has an ability to look at all angles of something, in this case beer, along with a clear and easy way of sharing information. That's just two of the reasons he is so respected as a wild and sour beer maker in the United States and beyond. In this interview, recorded at th...
Jan 29, 2020•48 min
Here's a note on this episode from host John Holl: "I love lagers, especially well made ones. I haven’t been shy about my bias for crisp, malt forward, slightly spicy hopped lagers and pilsners in the past and one of my favorite places to imbibe them is at the Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver. Tradition is the rule of the house at the brewery, just down the road from Coors Field . Ashleigh Carter and Bill Eye, the owners and brewers spent a career brewing the beers that other people wanted, so when...
Jan 22, 2020•51 min
When it opened a decade ago, Fremont Brewing was the sixth brewery in Seattle. The scene has changed tremendously since then and the brewery has grown from a small operation to one with over 100 employees producing around 55,000 barrels per year. What hasn’t changed, says owner Matt Lincecum, is a commitment to sustainability. Now, sustainability is a word that is used a lot in the brewing industry. People talk about their initiatives and best intentions for a greener planet, but it becomes hard...
Jan 15, 2020•48 min
Nashville is a great city for drinking, from the bars along Broadway to the clubs on Music Row. But the beer has not always been local. That has changed over the last 20 years, and while it was not the first, Yazoo Brewing was one of the city’s early craft breweries and been a force for positive beer change in the music city where long neck bottles of Bud reigned supreme. And of course that beer is still king, but there is choice like never before and Yazoo is a big part of that. This week's gue...
Jan 08, 2020•51 min
