Corn gets beat up in beer circles. That’s thanks to years of it being maligned by craft brewers who saw it as an adjunct ingredient that didn’t bring a lot to the conversation or messed with “purity.” Corn is dynamic. Flavorful. Impactful in a beer recipe and should be celebrated. That’s why in Indiana, a state known for corn production, there are rows and rows being grown annually by Caleb Michalke. He’s the owner, maltster, and farmer of Sugar Creek Malt Co. The farm come up in our conversatio...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Day Bracey wants to empower the Black community through the beer industry. This is a year-round goal and the podcaster , comedian, and festival organizer does that every day all day. But next week in Pittsburgh he is hosting the Barrel and Flow Festival and will be able to put the goal front and center. It’s the continuation of the Fresh Fest, which he founded with business partner and podcast co-host Ed Bailey and rebranded for a new year after some issues with the name and a chance in another ...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 1 min
If you were scrolling through beer-tinted social media this week, you likely saw the color purple. Martin House Brewing in Texas announced its latest beer: Grape Punch Pickle Beer. It's a riff off of their extremely popular Best Maid Pickle ale. Cody Martin co-founded the brewery with two friends nearly a decade ago, and as he explains on the show, had plans for a saison to be the company's flagship. That didn't work out. He’s an experimental brewer and is happy to try different ingredients in d...
Aug 25, 2021•59 min
Show notes from host John Holl: "Four years ago I was working on the Drink Beer, Think Beer book and needed some quiet time away. I decamped to my wife’s family house in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania. As I was pulling out of the grocery store, stocked with supplies, I saw a newly constructed building where an Arby’s had once stood, and through the windows it was clear fermenters were standing tall. Hopeful and intrigued I soon found out it was the soon-to-open Wallenpaupack Brewing Co. an...
Aug 18, 2021•49 min
Brewery owners will often say that running their business is like being on a roller coaster. Strap in as Kyle Kohlmorgen of Wellspent Brewing shares his experience. “It’s been short, and expensive, but fun at least. I made a TON of mistakes, and my business sense continues to be poor, so I'm glad Wellspent is in better hands, ownership-wise," he says. "When I was the "Brewer/Owner", I wasn't doing a great job at either. I'm happier as a brewer.” That’s this episode in a nutshell and Kohlmorgen d...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Show notes from John Holl: "By the time you’re hearing this, I’ll be at the Jersey Shore, unplugged and drinking cream ale. It’s a long-planned vacation but as I got ready for some days away I had a sense of senioritis kick in. I knew I needed to get a show done, but my brain was also mushy from deadlines and life. When an email from Ben Love popped up in my email, I knew I had found a solution. I’ve known Ben for years. I’ve been to the brewery he co-founded with Van Having several times, and e...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Over the last few weeks a few IPAs have popped up here at the home broadcast studio that all had the same label reading “Things We Don’t Say." It was soon revealed to be a collaboration beer between Eagle Park Brewing and the Hope for the Day Foundation that was offered to breweries around the world. It’s designed to talk about mental health in and around the beer space – and that includes the drinkers as well. You’ve heard of Hope for the Day on this show before, notably when Drew Fox of 18th S...
Jul 28, 2021•54 min
Show notes from John Holl: "If you’ve been listening for long enough, now and again I’ll ask for guest suggestions. Sometimes I get letters and usually those are good suggestions that lead to lively conversations. This is one of those shows. My friend Don Tse , the writer and pun aficionado, who has also been a guest on this show reached out recently to introduce Kolin Krokis. I’m glad he did. Kolin started out as a chemistry student who soon developed a fondness for beer and began a career in b...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Show notes from John Holl: As we’ve talked about on the show in the past, there are serious conversations and allegations happening in the beer industry, specifically, these days, around the treatment of women. Sadly, many of these stories are not new, but a lot of them have not been publicly talked about, until a few weeks ago when women started sharing their stories on social media. There’s been a lot of talk, hopefully a lot of listening, some changes, and work towards meaningful action. Laur...
Jul 14, 2021•57 min
Zack Adams was invited onto the podcast this week to talk about his Grodziskie, a 3.2% smoked ale that he brewed with help and guidance from Live Oak Brewing, and a beer that utilizes specialty smoked malt from a local farm. Before all that, however, we spend time talking about how his taproom has evolved and adapted since COVID-19 began. Adams, the owner and brewer of Fox Farm Brewery in Salem, Connecticut also fills us in on the brewery's spontaneous beer program and the developing house cultu...
Jul 07, 2021•56 min
Ryan Kilpatrick's Fiction Beer Company was part of the third wave of craft breweries that opened in the U.S coming up on a decade ago. He’ll tell the story of the brewery in a minute, but in my visits to his place in the past I’ve been struck with the comfortable feeling, the diverse tap list, and the general engagement of the staff. That usually comes from ownership, so in this podcast, recorded over zoom, we talk about how to retain employees, how they approach recipe development, and some of ...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr
Show notes from John Holl: "I’m really excited to have Latisha Cook on the show this week. I’ve had the occasion to talk with her in the past and her passion for beer, for sparking conversation, collaborations, and a drive for a more inclusive beer industry and community is infectious. We’ve talked about the need for diversity and diverse perspectives on the show before and Cook has been at the forefront of several initiatives for several years now. The latest way Beer Kulture is advancing oppor...
Jun 23, 2021•45 min
There is a lot happening with Joel Stickrod of Barrique Brewing & Blending these days. He's moved from a modest barrel-storage space into his own taproom in the heart of Nashville and is bringing his beer vision to the people. Originally the brewery was focused on wild ales, usually blended, often fruited, and those remain on offer. The new space has allowed him to branch out in to lagers and pub ales done in his style and he has plans on the horizon. In this conversation, recorded over the ...
Jun 16, 2021•55 min
Narragansett is a brewery that has been around since the late 1800s. It was a revered New England lager brand that, after prohibition went on the wain, and eventually closed down. It was revived about 15 years ago by a group of passionate investors, and has seen such tremendous growth since its rebirth that it is now in the top 30 of craft breweries in the United States. The growth was largely built on the backs of contract production brewing for lager, a coffee stout, shandies, and a few other ...
Jun 09, 2021•48 min
Any beer lover that has been to Seattle over the last three decades has likely stopped into The Pike Brewing Company . Near the iconic market of the same name, the brewery was founded by Charles and Rose Ann Finkel in 1989. Part brewery, part pub, part museum, this welcoming spot has worked tirelessly to deliver on quality and flavorful pints and pushing forward a local experience. Charles and Rose Ann helped shape the way beer is perceived herein the United states, starting with their import co...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 7 min
As mentioned briefly last week, Brienne Allen of Notch Brewing has been sharing stories of women in the beer industry. So far hundreds of women have come forward with stories of abuse, harassment, and worse by men in and around the brewing industry. Among the news and the announcement was a statement from Laura Dierks the founder of Interboro Spirits & Ales in Brooklyn, New York. In a signed note she said the brewery was postponing their upcoming Pils City festival because two breweries that...
May 26, 2021•42 min
Mike Patterson and Emily Vides are the couple behind of Small Change brewing in Massachusetts. The contract brewery turned three earlier this month and in the time it has been distributing beer it has gained a strong reputation for reliable and flavorful ales, including styles that are often overlooked, like milds. It's a story of a homebrewer who went pro, but also of collaboration, artistic expression, communication, music, and harmony. From navigating the pandemic and customer interaction ove...
May 19, 2021•53 min
Notes from host John Holl: "A few weeks ago I headed down to Asheville, North Carolina for a few days to help out with photography on a new book I’ve been working on. I didn’t have a lot of time for social or other visits, but I made it a point to make my first stop in the state at Zebulon Artisan Ales. Mike Karnowski is the man in and behind the brewery, it’s a small haven he started after a career brewing for others, and that started out running a homebrewing shop. Here at the brewery he does ...
May 12, 2021•51 min
This week on the show the head brewer, co-founder, and co-owner of Zillicoah Brewing in North Carolina talks about lagers, homebrewing and how the brewery survived COVID-19. John Parks talks about brewing the kind of beer he likes to drink, how the brewery fits into the greater Asheville brewing scene, and their transition into bottles. This episode was recorded on location. Briess Briess is the original craft maltster, and currently offers the broadest product line in the industry. Briess’ barl...
May 05, 2021•47 min
Should beer styles be date coded? What did Europeans of the 1800s really dress like? Is there an excellent whisky we should be drinking? This week host John Holl finished the first draft of a manuscript for his next book and his mental state is... fried. So, he called up two friends to help get back into the world. Em Sauter of Pints and Panels and Don Tse , a malt enthusiast, Zoom into the show for support, laughs, and to tackle the important questions in beer today. This episode is sponsored b...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Show notes from host John Holl: "There are some remarkable beers coming out of Fair Isle in Seattle, delightful farmhouse inspired ales that play heavy into culinary inspiration, time in wood or stainless, and a house culture that brings some wonderful characteristics to each beer. Andrew Pogue and Geoffrey Barker co-founded the brewery a few years ago and have worked to bring some of the niche beers that speak to them as drinkers, creators, and artists, to the local beer scene. Judging by the f...
Apr 21, 2021•58 min
From the time he started as a professional brewer Sean Burke has been on the brewing deck spearheading some of Portland Oregon’s best and exciting breweries, including The Commons and Von Ebert Brewing Co. He made headlines last summer when he announced that he was heading out to open his own brewery, in McMinnville, Oregon that would eventually become known as ForeLand Beer. It opened in the pandemic but Burke has used his experience to guide the business and his team. He sees a little bit of h...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Ryan Wibby has a passion for traditional lagers but also likes to play around in the space. Since launching Wibby Brewing Co. he has racked up medals, awards, and some top notch reviews. His vienna lager, for example, recently scored 100 points in a blind review panel from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Like so many small brewers he has worries but excitement about the future. He is always trying to find new ways to reach customers. From lagers with cacao nibs, to making shandies and seltzers, it is ...
Apr 07, 2021•44 min
Welcome to This Week in Rauchbier for April 1, 2021. Hagan and Bill of Dovetail Brewing in Chicago are off again this week, but joining John Holl is a bevy of rauchbier guests that will warm your hearts and soul, just like properly kilned malt. Lisa Allen of Heater Allen Brewing in Oregon is here to talk about all things rauchbier. Franziska Weyermann of Weyermann Specialty Malts tells us about the family business and what is on the horizon for smoked malt. Jack Hendler of Jack's Abby Craft Lage...
Apr 01, 2021•32 min
Show notes from host John Holl: Season eight of The Simpsons introduced us to Cecil Underdunk Terwilliger, the younger brother of Sideshow Bob. Our guest this week is Bill Oakley, who among many other things that we’ll tell you about, was the show runner for that season - as well as season 7 – of the long running animated series. So, it seemed fitting to have my younger, but taller, brother on the show. Especially since he is the one who first put Oakley on my radar. On Oakley's Instagram page -...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 10 min
His brewery survived the Great Recession and will do the same with the COVID-19 pandemic, and Paul Kavulak is constantly thinking of new ways to innovate, keep the business running smoothly, and finding the right people for the right jobs. In this episode of Drink Beer, Think Beer he shares stories from his homebrewing days, and the early days of the brewery that laid the foundation to what the company is today and can be in the future. It's a family affair, with his children in the brewhouse an...
Mar 24, 2021•48 min
Meet Davin and Kellan Bartosch the brothers behind Wise Acre Brewing Co. in Memphis. From talking about their high school beer hi-jinx to how a drive to find joy in education helped them start this fast-growing brewery. Family plays a big role in this brewery's direction and there are lessons to be learned on relying on those you love and trust. Wise Acre has helped define and grow Memphis' beer scene and now the brothers have their eye on expansion into new states, including Colorado. Pushing t...
Mar 17, 2021•50 min
Show notes from host John Holl: "Jennifer Talley is a brewer’s brewer. I can’t count the times over the years of covering beer that her name has come up, often in awe and always in excitement, when brewers talk about who they admire in the industry. Still, I never had the chance to interview her or have pints out in the world. When a press release from Firestone Walker arrived in my inbox this week promoting an IPA that Talley brewed with Matt Brynildson, I wanted to remedy that situation and sh...
Mar 10, 2021•55 min
Show notes from host John Holl: "I’m excited to have Max Shafer on the show today. In my line of work there are breweries that pop up from time to time, that make a serious impression in the glass and then, when you dig a little deeper, also have a cool story to tell. That’s Roadhouse Brewing for me these days. They brewery began popping up in tastings, on social media, and in my email over the last few years and the more I read about it, the more interested I became. Max is the head brewer ther...
Mar 03, 2021•52 min
Shyla Sheppard is our guest this week and she is the founder, president and co-founder of Bow and Arrow Brewing Co. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The brewery just celebrated its 5th anniversary under the same circumstances that we’ve all been under over the last year, but they had some fun with it. Rather than letting the pandemic get them down, they are adapting quick and planning for the future. Before Sheppard got into the beer industry she worked in finance, helping entrepreneurs establish loa...
Feb 24, 2021•51 min
