Beer In Front

It’s FoBAB season! Trevor Rose-Hamblin from Old Irving Brewing and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild joins me to preview the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers and talk about what makes this Chicago tradition special. We get into the time, work, and risk behind barrel-aged beer, why balance matters, and why you should explore beyond the big stouts. Trevor also shares details about the new Gre...

Episode 323: Is Draft Beer Really Better? Does beer taste better on tap, or do we just love the experience of drinking at a brewery or neighborhood bar? This week on Beer In Front, I explore the draft-versus-can-versus-bottle debate and why freshness, storage, clean tap lines, and clean glassware can matter more than the package. From the protection cans offer to the things that can go wrong betwe...

Water makes up most of what’s in your beer, but it rarely gets the same attention as malt, hops, or yeast. This week on Beer In Front, we look at how water has shaped some of the world’s classic beer styles from the soft water of Pilsen to the sulfate-rich water of Burton-on-Trent, and how today’s brewers adjust water chemistry to create everything from crisp lagers to juicy hazy IPAs. Then I visi...

From an Orange Door to Oktoberfest: The Sketchbook Brewing Story Sketchbook Brewing began with a group of Evanston homebrewers and an orange door tucked away in an alley. This week, Dave visits Sketchbook’s Skokie taproom to talk with co-founder Cesar Marron about how that small, community-supported brewery grew into two locations. Cesar shares the story of winning the Samuel Adams LongShot compet...

Alaskan Brewing at 40: A Conversation with Geoff and Marcy Larson Most breweries never reach ten years, Alaskan Brewing Company has made it to forty. In this episode, I sit down with founders Geoff and Marcy Larson to discuss how a homebrewing idea became one of America’s pioneering craft breweries. They share the story of launching in Juneau in 1986 with 88 local investors, creating Alaskan Amber...

It’s Craft Malt Month, and on this episode of Beer In Front, we’re getting back to one of beer’s most important ingredients: malt. I’m joined by Jeff Bloem of Murphy And Rude, Virginia’s first dedicated commercial specialty malt house. Jeff’s path into malt wasn’t exactly traditional. He came from the corporate consulting world and started experimenting with malting in his basement before eventual...

Take Better Beer Photos With Your Phone Ever take a picture of a great-looking beer only to check your phone and think… that looked a lot better in person? This week on Beer In Front, I’m talking with professional photographer Casey Fatchett, host of The Nerdy Photographer Podcast, about how to take better photos of your beer and food without hauling around a bag full of professional camera equipm...

Lone Star Beer: The Story of Two San Antonio Breweries This week on Beer In Front, we’re heading to Texas to talk about one of America’s great regional beer brands: Lone Star Beer. You know the red star. You know the slogan, “The National Beer of Texas.” But did you know the history of Lone Star actually involves two completely different San Antonio breweries? My guest is Jeremy Banas, author of t...

The Ashtray, Kishwaukee Brewing & Phase Three Comes to Chicago This week on Beer In Front, we’re looking at something that used to be as much a part of the American bar as the beer taps themselves: the ashtray. For decades, brewery-branded ashtrays sat on bars across the country. Then smoking bans arrived, the ashtrays disappeared, and the neighborhood bar changed with them. We’ll look back at...

The new and improved Beer In Front is here! This week, Dave introduces a refreshed format featuring new recurring segments, neighborhood tavern spotlights, classic beer advertising history, and, of course, plenty of great beer reviews. On This Episode A look at the new direction for the podcast and what's changing. Thanks to listeners for the overwhelming response to the recent Chicago tavern epis...

Beer In Front Podcast – Episode Show Notes Last Call for the Neighborhood Tavern (Part 2) with Dave Infante Neighborhood taverns have long been more than places to grab a beer—they've served as gathering spots, community centers, and the heart of countless neighborhoods. But are they becoming an endangered institution? In Part 2 of this special conversation, Dave Zalatoris sits down with award-win...

Episode 313: The Last Call for America's Neighborhood Tavern What happened to the neighborhood tavern? Once the heart of nearly every American neighborhood, the corner bar was more than just a place to grab a beer. It was a hiring hall, a union meeting place, a community center, a second living room, and sometimes the place where lifelong friendships, and lifelong arguments began. In this episode...

Beer In Front Podcast – Tang: The Drink That Rode the Space Race Everyone knows Tang was "the drink of the astronauts"...except that's not actually how the story began. This week, Beer In Front takes a detour from beer to explore one of the greatest marketing success stories of the 20th century. Long before astronauts carried it into orbit, Tang was a struggling powdered breakfast drink sitting on...

Beer In Front – Episode 310 Show Notes This week on Beer In Front, we're mixing things up with a conversation that isn't about beer...at least not at first. Dave welcomes Nicole Bentler, founder of Pocono Mountain Farms, to talk about one of the beverage world's most intriguing newcomers: maple water. Nicole explains how this naturally hydrating drink is harvested straight from maple trees before...

Chicago Brewing History of the 1990s with Andrew Mason Chicago's craft beer scene didn't happen overnight. This week, Dave sits down with longtime brewer Andrew Mason to discuss his new Kickstarter project, Chicago Brewing History: The '90s, an ambitious documentary series preserving the stories, people, and breweries that built Chicago's modern beer culture. Andrew shares his own journey through...

Beer In Front – Episode 309 Homebrew Con Returns, Riverbend Malt & The Brew Depot Homebrew Con is back, and this week I'm talking with two people who are helping shape the future of homebrewing. After a quick update on my recent elbow surgery (and an apology to anyone I may have unintentionally offended while under anesthesia), I share a few stories from the beer world before diving into conve...

This week, Dave chats with Kim Vavrick from  Revolution Brewing about everything happening this summer at Chicago's largest independent brewery. First up is Fundraiser Friday on June 26th, benefiting the Brave Space Alliance. Kim explains how the program works, why supporting local organizations is important to Revolution, and how beer lovers can help simply by enjoying a draft beer. The conversat...

What happens when millions of people simply stop wanting that second beer? In this episode of Beer In Front, I take a deep dive into the rapidly growing world of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound—and explore how these drugs are reshaping the food and beverage industry. While most coverage focuses on weight loss, the bigger story may be changing consumer behavior. Re...

This week on Beer In Front, I sit down with Israel Dominguez, President of Merican Light Beer, to talk about building a modern lager brand with old-school appeal. After nearly a decade at Anheuser-Busch, Israel took what he learned from one of the biggest beer companies in the world and launched a brand focused on authenticity, community, and a simple mission: make a great American light lager. In...

Dave is back with a Memorial Day weekend episode featuring beer news, craft beer chatter, and a wild conversation with Devon Douglas, the man attempting to convince Jason Kelce to run with the bulls in Pamplona by drinking a Garage Beer every single day until the event. Dave also checks in with updates on his elbow recovery, birthday week plans, and dives into some of the latest stories from aroun...

In episode 304 of Beer In Front, Dave heads to Washington State for a conversation with Emrys Beer & Mead Works founder Thomas Croskrey. The discussion dives deep into the world of mead, historical brewing traditions, local sourcing, and how Emrys is blending beer, mead, and elevated pub food into one unique destination. Dave also reviews a new Korean-style lager from Hopewell Brewing Company...

This week on the Beer In Front podcast, Dave celebrates both Illinois Craft Beer Week and American Craft Beer Week with a packed episode full of beer news, local brewery updates, playoff beer gimmicks, a killer lager from Goldfinger Brewing Company, and finally… a long-awaited review of the legendary Zima. Plus, a quick detour into punk rock with thoughts on the new album from Social Distortion. I...

If you didn't catch the livestream last week, here is the audio part of the Midwest Beer Show. I along with Rod J talked about how beer has changed since 2020. We spoke to people from The Brewers Association, Hop Butcher, and WildEdge Brewing Collective!  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beer-in-front--5704447/support . Beer Media Group

🍺 Episode Summary Dave is back for Episode 301 with a conversation that might just change how you think about non-alcoholic beer. This week’s guest is Tate Huffard, founder of Best Day Brewing—a company proving that NA beer doesn’t have to feel like a compromise. From the evolution of drinking habits to the explosion of the NA category, Tate breaks down how Best Day is creating beers that stand o...

🎉 300 Episodes In Dave looks back on six years behind the mic and the evolution of the show Early beer memories: Vienna lagers, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, and Dovetail Brewing From COVID-era rants to today’s more balanced format Listener feedback welcome as the show continues to evolve 🍔 Chicago Beer & Food Stop Visit to Hop Butcher for a charity collab event Smashburgers from “Biker Dude” s...