BeoirFest: Let's Talk Beer

The American craft beer scene is pretty white and male. Only something like 4% of breweries are owned by minorities. This makes Mad River Brewing very unique. The brewery got its start 30 years ago at the beginnings of the craft beer revolution in California. But in 2019 it was bought by the Yurok tribe, making it perhaps the only tribally-owned brewery in the country. The mandate is for the brewe...

Velten Tiemann was born in Zambia but spent most of his career working in the wine industry in Germany and Australia. On returning to Zambia and realising he wanted to ferment something, Velten and his wife started Wild Dog. The decision was driven by the fast turnover, no waiting a year between projects. Since brewing that first 100-litre batch Wild Dog has grown and won many awards. Velten joine...

In St. Anthony on the Northern tip of Newfoundland, 3 friends decided to create a community focused brewery. Despite having no experience they opened their brewery and taproom at the end of the world in November 2019 - just in time to be shut down by Covid a few months later. Nevertheless they persevered and their taproom is a higlioght of the local community and they also sell their beers farther...

Ask anyone and 90% of the time you will be told that beer consists of malt, yeast, water, and hops. John Midgley of Cool Cousin Brewing in New York is brewing without malting, just using enzymes and grain. He says it uses less water and energy. Many cultures around the brew beer without malting and have done so for millenia. So in principle this is nothing new, though the exact method might be. Jo...

Kalao is a pan-African brewery based in Senegal. A small nano-brewery thinking big they have collaborated with brewers worldwide, most recently with Brooklyn Brewery. This chat with founder Raphael discussed their use of the grain fonio and its potential in beer across the world.

Zandoval Brewing are located in the heart of Argentina's wine country. Founder Sebastian Marano joined me for chat about the beer scene in Argentina, and the challenges of brewing beer in a market where wine is the daily drink.

Choctaw Beer was a unique American Frontier beer. Originally brewed by the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma it became a staple beer among the coal miners, known colloquially as "choc." Its core was basic beer but it also included snuff and poisonous berries. Professor Steve Sewell, Professor of History at the College of the Mainland in Texas will be talking about "Choc," it's orig...

John Hilliard retired to Japan after 33 years in Los Angeles. He and his wife then decided to set up Kameido Beer in the heart of Tokyo. John took a few minutes out of his busy day to tell me about the brewery and what brewing in Japan is like.

Van and Sumit Sharma are sons of fifth-generation Indian restaurateurs. Born in London with its large Indian community, they moved as children to Maine, where they were the only Indian children and Indian restaurants didn't exist. And of course there was no suitable beer to pair with the food either. In 2020 they set out to create an American brewed Indian Craft Beer that would pair with the f...

Keith Yager went from homebrewer to founding brewer at Huntsville Craft Brewery Yellowhammer, picking up the "Brewmaster of The Year" Award along the way. In 2022 he moved to Decatur Brewery Cross Eyed Owl (XEO). And just this week he has become the new owner along with his brewing duties. Join Keith for a chat about his brewing experiences and what he thinks the future holds for Alabama...

Dr. Wichit Saiklao is known as the Godfather of Thai Craft Brewing. He is the founder of Chit Beer, located on an island near Bangkok - and technically illegal. But he is also an army colonel who holds a doctorate in computer engineering and teaches at Thailand’s most prestigious military academy. Oh, he also founded one of Thailand's biggest logistics platforms. Chit as he is widely known not...

Erich Phillips was one of the pioneers of the Cambodian craft beer scene, founding Cerevisia Craft Beer in 2013. He's watched the Cambodian beer scene undergo dramatic changes and has built the brewery into one of the countries leading craft breweries. Join us for a chat about his experiences, the future of Cambodian craft beer and its place in the East Asian craft beer industry. Website: http...

Kenyan craft brewery, 254 Brewing was founded by Limerick man Eoin Flinn and opened its doors just as Covid hit. It has rapidly become one of the leading lights in the Kenyan craft beer scene. Learn how Eoin came to found the brewery, how it survived its turbulent early years, and what the beer scene in Kenya is like. Website: https://254brewing.com/

Aditya Challa wanted to open a Goa Craft Microbrewery, but the laws wouldn't allow it. So instead he opened the first Singapore craft brewery. Jungle Beer become an iconic Singapore craft beer brand that won top awards across Asia But when the laws in Goa changed he shipped that brewery over to Goa and opened Susegado to produce Goan Craft Beer. Join Adi for a chat about his experiences and a...

Kimchi is a fermented cabbage and very important in Korean culture. Nowadays home and commercial makers use glass or plastic pots for the fermentation. But the traditional method uses specialised clay pots called Onggi, and afficianados insist that the kimchi they produce is superior. Kim Soohwan from Georgia Institute of Technology investigated this and discovered what it is that makes the onggi...

Gareth Hunt founded Be Easy Brewing in 2016 in Aomori, Japan. He's seen he growth of the Japanese beer scene both as a brewer and also as host of the Japan Craft Beer Channe l on YouTube. He joined me for a chat about his experiences, "Gareth's Beer", the current beer scene in Japan, and what he thinks the future holds.

Luke Yardley of Hong Kong brewery Yardley Brothers joins me for a chat about setting up a craft brewery in Hong Kong and the challenges it brings. Yardley Brothers have won numerous awards since they were founded. They have a strong wild, sour and barrel-aged programs, all of which pose unique challenges in a place as crowded as Hong Kong. Yardley Brothers Website: https://www.yardleybrothers.hk/

Located in the vibrant beer culture of Margaret River, Beer Farm have a big environmentally-conscious brewery and bar. Marketing Manager Benny Joseph took the time to tell me the history of Beer Farm and how they relate to the beer, wine and tourist businesses that are so strong in that area of West Australia.

Getting together for a chat on our live beer webinar this week we have another three great brewers from Lithuania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Lithuanian Craft Brewery, Green Monster from Kaunas were one of the pioneers of the craft scene in Lithuania, and the first to brew many of the more popular international styles, including their flagship IPA. Hungarian craft brewery First Craft Beer was founded...

Jaime Zuluaga, founder of San José craft brewery The Costa Rica Beer Factory joins me to discuss the Costa Rica beer scene, online craft beer courses, the history of his Costa Rican craft brewery, and lots more. This was a really great and fun chat. I'd never met a brewer who'd never tasted beer before starting commercial brewing!

Sorghum is the traditional brewing grain in Africa. But sorghum beer is rarely found outside of the continent. Rwandan brewery Kweza joined together with Yakima Chief Hops to develop a hop mix that works exceptionally well with sorghum, giving craft brewers around the world the opportunity to experiment with the grain and with brewing sorghum beer. Kweza Craft Brewery founder Jessi Flynn and Luke...

We last spoke to juggler and comedian David Aiken back in November as he worked towards getting his microbrewery Checkerhead Brewing, open on Vancouver Island.  It's time for part 2 of our Birth Of A Brewery Series as we check back and see how things are going and if he's still on target for an April opening  Checkerhead is a small local brewery that he hopes will be come part of every V...

The Vancouver beer scene is well established and vibrant. One of the main breweries in the city is Parallel 49 who were founded 10 years ago. Founder and Head Brewer Graham With told me about the history of the brewery, what's ahead, and how he sees the beer scene in Vancouver. Contact Details parallel49brewing.com Facebook.com/parallel49brewing Instagram.com/parallel49brewing BeoirFest Contacts B...

Three brewers from Portugal, Sweden and Lithuania get together for a chat about beer and brewing in their countries. Brekeriet are the longest-established of the three brewers, having been founded in 2010 by 3 brewers. They are best known for their sour beers, so much so that they have to establish a new brand for their non-sour beers. Kuro Aparatura were established in Vilnius in 2018. They brew...

Paracaidista focus on styles that aren't too common in Mexico, styles such as Saisons, Brett, and more. This was a really interesting chat with the founder, Adrian Rodriguez-Montfort. QUICK NOTE: There were a few moments during this chat when Adrian's connection dropped out. It's not more than a few seconds so hopefully you'll stick with what is a very interesting look at the Mexican Beer scene wi...