When we talk about the evolution of breweries into "beverage companies," that conversation has been dominated by some of the largest corporations in the world. MillerCoors literally changed its name at the start of this year to Molson Coors Beverage Company to reflect its evolving business model and the shifting attitudes and preferences of today's drinkers. Anheuser-Busch InBev sells across beverage categories—both alcoholic and non—and even craft conglomerates like CANarchy or Artisanal Brewin...
Mar 07, 2020•58 min
This is GBH Out Loud, and I'm Ashley Rodriguez. Today, you'll hear Mark Spence read the third entry of his blog, Beer is Offal, called "Scarlet & Cream" published on Good Beer Hunting on November 21, 2019. Something happens to you when you leave home. You might not notice it when you're gone, but you definitely notice it when you come back. This is a story about that moment—when you realize you're just a hair off from the folks around you, suddenly sitting in how alien you feel compared to y...
Mar 05, 2020•9 min
This episode's interview was conducted at BRUS, a brewpub and restaurant in Copenhagen's trendy Nørrebro district. It's owned by the itinerant brewing company To Øl, which is perhaps best known for its unusual recipes, pun-based beer names, and often-inscrutable labels. That approach has kept the brewery growing for 10 years. The flexibility of nomadic brewing allows them to respond quickly to trends, and has helped To Øl become one of the darlings of the "cuckoo" brewing movement. Which makes t...
Feb 29, 2020•42 min
I probably sit with our blog, Beer is Offal , more than anything I interact with on Good Beer Hunting. Not only is it something we produce totally in house—all the artwork comes through us and it's written by a member of the GBH team, Mark Spence—but it's also the only series we've captured entirely on audio. Mark has read every single one of his blog entries on our Out Loud series, where we record our favorite stories for our audience, and there's a reason for that—Beer is Offal is special. Bee...
Feb 28, 2020•30 min
As many of you know, we're in the midst of Uppers & Downers week here in Chicago , celebrating more than five years of our coffee and beer culture collaboration between myself, Michael Kiser, and world barista champion Stephen Morrissey. This year's festival promises to be our best yet, with about 25 different coffee beer collaborations, a dozen different roasters pulling their best espresso shots from all over the country and showcasing the breadth of their lineup beyond espresso. So yes, y...
Feb 23, 2020•1 hr
I first met Breandán Kearney in 2015, when he swept the board at the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards. I, like quite a few people in the room, had no idea who he was at the time, but I only had to read a few of his articles to see what a brilliant writer he is. And you'd have to be brilliant to tackle the article we talk about in today's podcast. Breandán Kearney's latest piece for Good Beer Hunting is titled, "Flying With Clipped Wings — West Kerry Brewery, County Kerry, Ireland." It tells ...
Feb 20, 2020•39 min
What does it mean to be a "master"? More important: what does it take to actually feel that way? In this episode, we're talking with the 19th Master Cicerone in the world, Joe Vogelbacher. Joe is the CEO and co-founder of Charlotte, North Carolina's Sugar Creek Brewing Company, and in 2019, he was the only person to pass what is arguably the hardest educational test in beer. His rank of Master Cicerone is the equivalent of wine's Master Sommelier—he's studied practically every aspect of beer and...
Feb 15, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Welcome to another Fervent Few episode of the Good Beer Hunting podcast where myself, Jim Plachy, and GBH's strategic director, Michael Kiser, catch up. We'll talk about the topics and discussions that took place in our membership community in the last couple weeks. Our 500 or so subscribers are scattered all over the world. Sometimes we meet up with them when we're on the road, or they hang out with each other, but it all comes together in our community forum on Slack. If you value the content ...
Feb 13, 2020•48 min
About a month ago, an annual tradition took place: the announcement of the new Master Cicerones. It's an exciting and heartbreaking time for many folks who put in months and even years of studying and training to pass one of the most difficult, esoteric, and unpredictable certification exams in all of food and beverage. Another part of that annual tradition, at least in the past couple years, is the ensuing debate on #beertwitter about the value of the certification, and the relevance of the thi...
Feb 08, 2020•1 hr 15 min
At a time when hard seltzers are the hottest beverage alcohol around—and spirits are slowly chipping away at servings once strongly held by beer—what's a brewery to do? Businesses across the country have spent the past two years diversifying what used to be beer-only portfolios to best address the changing attitudes and tastes of drinkers. That's recently led to a wave of American breweries entering an emerging space of RTDs—or "ready-to-drink" beverages. If you're a regular at a grocery store l...
Feb 06, 2020•34 min
Welcome to Mother of Invention—a special series of the GBH Podcast made in partnership with Guinness devoted to innovation in the brewing world, both historical and contemporary. In this series, we ask the question: if necessity is the mother of invention, what is the necessity that's driving people to solve a problem, meet a challenge, or explore a new opportunity—and what are they doing about it? This series started in collaboration with Guinness, an underwriter for GBH for three years running...
Feb 01, 2020•32 min
Welcome to Mother of Invention—a special series of the GBH Podcast made in partnership with Guinness devoted to innovation in the brewing world, both historical and contemporary. In this series, we ask the question: if necessity is the mother of invention, what is the necessity that's driving people to solve a problem, meet a challenge, or explore a new opportunity—and what are they doing about it? This series started in collaboration with Guinness, an underwriter for GBH for three years running...
Feb 01, 2020•41 min
Welcome to Mother of Invention—a special series of the GBH Podcast made in partnership with Guinness devoted to innovation in the brewing world, both historical and contemporary. In this series, we ask the question: if necessity is the mother of invention, what is the necessity that's driving people to solve a problem, meet a challenge, or explore a new opportunity—and what are they doing about it? This series started in collaboration with Guinness, an underwriter for GBH for three years running...
Feb 01, 2020•36 min
Welcome to Mother of Invention—a special series of the GBH Podcast made in partnership with Guinness devoted to innovation in the brewing world, both historical and contemporary. In this series, we ask the question: if necessity is the mother of invention, what is the necessity that's driving people to solve a problem, meet a challenge, or explore a new opportunity—and what are they doing about it? This series started in collaboration with Guinness, an underwriter for GBH for three years running...
Feb 01, 2020•39 min
If you're a beer fan, the world of cannabis probably intersects with your world in the most casual of ways. You might enjoy both occasionally, or even in a single sitting. You might be attracted to IPAs that exhibit some of your favorite cannabis characteristics—"dank" and "sticky" describe both in equal measure these days. You might float back and forth effortlessly between these two categories of recreational drugs. But if you work in the beer industry, the conversation couldn't be more differ...
Jan 25, 2020•59 min
2019 was a big year for us at GBH. We published more stories than ever before, our writers took home dozens of awards, and we broke our own record for the number of visits to our site. It was truly a banner year. One of the reasons for that is Claire Bullen, our editor-in-chief. Perhaps we didn't give this occasion enough fanfare—I know I certainly would have participated in a ticker-tape parade to celebrate, but this is our time to do so. Claire took over the role of editor in June, but has bee...
Jan 23, 2020•31 min
My guest today has been in beer sales for the best part of a decade and seen how fickle and complicated the trade can be. Edwin Methu's first job was at the infamous London Fields Brewery, an early innovator in the scene that slowly disintegrated due to the criminal dealings of its owner. Bouncing back from that he was part of a Camden Town Brewery sales team overseeing huge growth, before becoming a sales rep for Sierra Nevada at a time when local craft was forcing U.S. imports into decline. It...
Jan 18, 2020•58 min
Today on GBH Out Loud, you'll hear Besha Rodell read her House Culture story called " The Pub, the Farm, and the Forest — A Return to Narnia, " published on November 14, 2019. Our House Culture series goes beyond beer—it's a place where we can share stories of critical engagement, and ask readers to look closely at the parts of life that make it worth drinking. In one of our most recent House Culture pieces, we asked Besha, who is a food and culture writer (she currently works for the New York T...
Jan 16, 2020•12 min
City Beer Store isn't a store. Well, it is, but in 2020 it has evolved far beyond that narrow description. It's a beer and natural wine bar, a restaurant, a gathering space, a patio hangout on nice days, and yeah, sure, a bottle shop too. It's many things all at once, and the store's mascot, a platypus, represents that duality of the business. Over the last decade or so, City Beer has joined the ranks of America's great beer bars. And that wasn't without a lot of hustle on the part of the owners...
Jan 11, 2020•56 min
This is GBH Out Loud, and I'm Ashley Rodriguez. Today you'll hear Michael Kiser read " Goodbye to Goose Island's Clybourn Pub for a Season, and Forever ," published on GoodBeerHunting.com on January 9, 2017. Stories about bars and pubs usually focus on the patrons—the folks who rely on their regular spots for connection, a sense of place, or simply as a go-to destination where they can grab a drink with friends. But this article is different. It's a snapshot of the last moments of Goose Island's...
Jan 09, 2020•8 min
Hey! Did you hear we hired someone new? We're all excited to welcome Kate Bernot to the Good Beer Hunting team. She's taking over as the lead at Sightlines, our news channel (don't worry, Bryan Roth is still around, working on new projects and definitely making charts). Kate brings years of experience to the team, which she put to good use pretty much from the moment she started. On day one of Kate's new job with GBH, it was announced that Ballast Point Brewing Company would be sold to Kings &am...
Jan 07, 2020•26 min
One of the stories that I think often gets lost in 2019 craft beer is the experience of the brewpub brewer. All the noise—for better and worse—tends to come from packaging breweries, can releases, distribution, growth and expansion into new markets, and massive international invitationals. Most of that is not relevant to a brewpub brewer who's focused on things like their local market, foot traffic, keeping serving tanks turning over, and serving restaurant guests a great beer. Brewpubs are, in ...
Jan 04, 2020•52 min
Today, you'll hear Mark Spence read the third entry of his blog, Beer is Offal, called " Squeeze, Never Pull ," published on Good Beer Hunting on October 31, 2019. This article is evocative—but not for the reason you might think. The subject matter—hunting and eating animals—is heavy, but the way Mark approaches it intentionally leaves the reader in a kind of gray area. Many of us might feel uncomfortable seeing an animal be killed, but deal with the cognitive dissonance of consuming meat. Mark ...
Dec 31, 2019•9 min
Opening a bottle shop is many beer drinkers' ultimate dream. After all, it's hard to argue with a work day spent surrounded by delicious beers and excitable people, where passion and knowledge for a product can carry you through. Stock it and they will come. Of course, if it were really that easy, we'd all be doing it. The beer industry is in a state of constant flux, and it seems that the retailer at the end of the chain is usually the first to suffer the consequences. The downfall of the Briti...
Dec 28, 2019•51 min
Welcome to another Fervent Few episode of the Good Beer Hunting podcast where myself, Jim Plachy, and GBH's strategic director, Michael Kiser, catch up. We'll talk about the topics and discussions that took place in our membership community in the last couple weeks. Our 500 or so subscribers are scattered all over the world. Sometimes we meet up with them when we're on the road, or they hang out with each other, but it all comes together in our community forum on Slack. If you value the content ...
Dec 24, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Today's conversation is one of the hardest—and most edifying—that I've been lucky to have. It reaches that level of dialogue and storytelling that I think, on occasion, puts the GBH podcast on the level of oral history. It has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with the quality of people who we're lucky enough to have share their stories on this platform. And each guest of this caliber serves as a sort of searchlight to others who might find their way here next. Jonny Coffman has bee...
Dec 21, 2019•1 hr 39 min
Here's an odd thing that enthusiasts don't always focus on when talking about beer, or wine, or spirits, or whichever hard seltzer brand we happen to be enjoying in the moment: they're vehicles for alcohol. There may be tasting notes scribbled down or spoken aloud, and we may stop to reflect on what we just sipped, but the pure, biological impact isn't always discussed when we're quaffing something intoxicating. The moment you take your first sip, that ethanol-infused liquid is altering your bod...
Dec 19, 2019•32 min
This is GBH Out Loud, and I'm Ashley Rodriguez. Today, you'll hear Bryan Roth, editor of our news section, Sightlines, read an article from our Unrated series called "If You're Not First, You're Last — Why Michelob Ultra is the Most Important American Beer Since Bud Light," published on Good Beer Hunting on October 17, 2018. This article is is one of the most popular, and still most polarizing, pieces we've ever published on our website. And a lot of that has to do with the subject, Michelob Ult...
Dec 17, 2019•19 min
One of my favorite aspects of hosting the chats you hear on the Good Beer Hunting podcast is the real-time accumulation of stories and insight from industry professionals. On a very basic level, many of these conversations become a time capsule: we're capturing the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of those living in and changing the beer industry. It's the personal side of what makes beer special. In this episode, we're traveling to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to visit Sam Victory, brewer and ...
Dec 14, 2019•51 min
Witches are having a moment in the current cultural zeitgeist. It's impossible to ignore. And, as Beth Demmon mentions, the resurgence of witchcraft and wizardry have a sort of nostalgic feel that appeals to us older millennials. Beth is a freelance writer, and published her first piece for Good Beer Hunting called, "Witch (Craft) Beer — How a New Wave of Brewers are Incorporating Magic into Beer," as part of our Mother of Invention series with Guinness. In the article, Beth talks about modern-d...
Dec 12, 2019•26 min
