Modern Brews and Beats Podcast

Tony is back with a Lyric Lookup segment after some time. But before we get there, we discuss our brews of the week (which are actually spirits this go round), and music from That Mexican OT and producer Black Milk. Speaking of spirits, if you haven't heard our interview with Delta Dirt Distillery , you should. 

On episode 238, we spoke with Brian Burton and Jerren Ross of Hop & Sting Brewing Company in Grapevine, TX. Listen for their newest brews for the holidays including a Baltic porter with sweet potatoes. On the beats tip, we discuss Moodymann , Ludacris, Moonchild , and Jonny Mullenax . Enjoy!

After discussing some great beer selections from Point Remove Brewing Company , Oak Cliff Brewing , Superior Bathhouse , and On Rotation , Tony shares his thoughts on the Verzuz battle with Cash Money Records and No Limit Records. In remembrance of Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers, Tony also shares his top five Limp Bizkit songs. Additional noteworthy releases discussed are from Lyric Jones and Pete...

KooTonyD is back in the mix with a new Late-ass Album Review segment in celebration of Gwen Stefani's birthday. Does her solo debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby ., still hold up in 2025? Tony's got thoughts. On the brews front, we discuss beers from HopLore Brewing and ODD Muse Brewing Company . 

Art, beer, creativity and inspiration are four words to sum up this episode of Modern Brews + Beats podcast.  Multi-disciplinary artist, C (pronounced "cee"), resides in Brooklyn, NY. His website, agtraphaus.com , is not only a place to share his art but also to create community with fellow artists and art collectors. Jerry and C met at the 2024 Afros & Audio Podcast Festival in Baltimore, Marylan...

On episode 234, we talk with Bryan Thomas, head brewer at Ivanhoe Ale Works in Denison, Texas. Bryan shares his experience as a cancer survivor, how he discovered his passion for brewing later in life, and how he helped renovate an early 20th-century theater into the space that Ivanhoe Ale Works is today. On the music front, we discuss the punk band Fire Sale , Laurence Guy , Carrtoons , and Lione...

On episode 231, our friend Jeff introduced us to the music and artistry of Boston-based artist Daniel Laurent aka DL. For episode 233, Jeff joins us in a conversation with DL. In addition to DL's music and filmwork, it's a fun discussion on regional hip-hop history and regional foods between Boston, Dallas, and Houston scenes. On the brew front, we discuss beverages from Down East Cider , Time & M...

Co-owners Sean Steeg and David Welsch of Juniata Brewing Company join us episode 232 on Modern Brews + Beats Podcast. We connected with their brewery at Barrel & Flow Festival as they're done past collaborations with Our Culture Brewing and Off The Wall Brewing . For this episode, we discussed Juniata's origin story and the Barrel & Flow collaboration beer they did with The Pennsoulvanians - a Cen...

Coffee is back on the docket for episode 231. Jeff returns to discuss a recent article by Perfect Daily Grind on the similarity between the growth and challenges of craft beer and specialty coffee. He learned about it from the creators of Roastguide , which is a new app like Untappd where users can rate their favorite coffees. In addition to our coffee talk, we discussed recent beverages from Coff...

For episode 230, brewer Tommy Miller of Rollertown Beerworks is back on the podcast to talk about the brewery's expansion in Frisco, Texas, (slated to open in October 2025) and share his thoughts about the IPA beer style. In fact, he was brewing at Rollertown while talking with us. Given Miller's background in the Dallas brewing scene (Deep Ellum, Noble Rey Brewing), we discuss the IBU wars of the...

Modern Brews + Beats Podcast began August 11, 2019. On episode 229, we celebrate our anniversary and interview Stefan King of  HopLore Brewing in Leesburg, IN. We've partnered with HopLore to make a collaboration beer for the 5th annual Barrel & Flow Festival in Pittsburgh, PA. Learn more about the beer and Stefan's experience in the restaurant industry before going into brewing.  For this episode...

Joe Krutz of Morrilton, Arkansas's Big Cuppa returns to the show to discuss how he's diversifying his coffee operations. In our Tasting Notes segment, Collin Zreet talks about his favorite pairings with Irish Stout-style beers. Speaking of beers, we're discussing New Belgium, New Glarus, Big Beach Brewing, and our upcoming collaboration with HopLore Brewing for Barrel & Flow . 

We're excited to welcome back Jon Renthrope, CEO of Cajun Fire Brewing Company in New Orleans, LA. In addition to his work with Cajun Fire, he is now the President of the Board of Directors for the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) . We discuss NB2A, Crafted for Action, exporting Cajun Fire product in Asia, and the latest developments for the East New Orleans Cultural Hub. For this episode...

Kuumba "Smitty" Smith of Smittox Brewing joins us to discuss Black Eyed Peas' 1998 debut album, Behind the Front . Smitty also shares about his collaborations currently at Oak Cliff Brewing , Balanced Rock Brewing , and False Idol as we prepare for his brewery's grand opening. In our Tasting Notes segment, Collin Zreet discusses flavors and pairings from three stouts - oatmeal, foriegn extra, and...

Tony comes with a new Top Five segment listing his favorite Biggie guest verses in celebration of what would've been The Notorious One's 53rd birthday. Plus, Collin Zreet provides food pairing suggestions for American Stout beers. Additional notes from the show: Jazzanova - In Between Live Mariah Carey celebrating 20 years of The Emancipation of Mimi Vicki Sometani & MAX RAD

Jeff is a Certified Cicerone based in the Dallas area, a hip-hop fan, and he's one of our "day one" supporters. On episode 223, he shares his experience with coffee classes from White Rock Coffee , and we discuss the sensory comparisons between beer and coffee. In this week's Tasting Notes segment, Collin Zreet shares delicious foods you can pair with American Porter beers. Additional conversation...

On episode #222 of Modern Brews + Beats, our special guest is B. Bass, CCO and Co-Founder of BVP Coffee Co. Find how this Texas A&M and Howard University alum is making a difference for HBCU students one bag of beans at a time. Plus, Collin Zreet joins us to talk about pairing notes for California Common beers.

New York-based jazz bassist, band leader, and educator Alex Tremblay joins us for episode 221. We discuss (and hear selections from) his latest recording, People and Places on La Reserve Records. Plus, Collin Zreet brings pairing suggestions for American Brown ales.

Tony brings a Late-Ass Album Review segment on Gil-Scott Heron's 1981 album, Reflections . Also, Jerry talks about his experience at Little Beer V in Duluth, GA, and Collin Zreet talks food pairing with American Amber Ale. We did have some garbles in the show due to connection issues. We tried to remove as much of that as possible and apologize for any interruption in your audio experience. Additi...

This week KooTonyD takes the interviewer seat to speak with Mike Williams of Wild Revival Craft Cocktails  in Denton, TX. Mike shares how he and business partner Andrew Martin  developed the concept of Wild Revival and what makes them unique in the Dallas / Ft. Worth bev-alc scene. Listen to find out where you can grab some cans locally as well as their distribution spots outside of Texas. For thi...

Episode 217 takes us to Autonomous Society Brewpub  in the historic Cedars neighborhood of Downtown Dallas. Jerry speaks with Assistant Brewer / Bartender / all-around-handy man Tom Graybael , and cellarman / marketing assistant Preston Grigsby .  Along with learning how they connected with brewpub owner and founder, Dean Weaver, we discuss the inspiration behind our draft-only IPA collaboration r...

In 2021, Jerry and Tony were featured on Joel Geier's podcast, Brewery Travels . Now, we're interviewing Joel about his new book, Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover's Journey .  Plus, Collin Zreet joins us for the Tasting Notes segment on the style, cream ale. Additional show links. Live Oak Brewing False Idol Brewing Point Remove Brewing 2025 Texas Craft Brewers Cup Winners Durand Bernarr BL...

Angi Thomas from Being Black in Craft  joins us to discuss Kendrick Lamar, CiderCon , and more. Also, Collin Zreet is back with another Tasting Notes segment about American Lager. More links below: Red Crow Brewing Diversey House Peticolas Brewing Company Hoppin Fort Worth

Tony is shining a light on the Houston-connected sights and sounds in the Netflix drama, Mo , starring Mo Amer. We're also discussing beers from False Idol Brewing  in North Richland Hills, and we debut the Tasting Notes segment with Fort Worth-based Advanced Cicerone Collin Zreet. Additional notes from this episode: Power and Prescience of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower Being Black In Craf...

Tony's bring his first Late Ass Album Review segment for the 2005 debut album from The Game, The Documentary. Plus, we introduce a new segment called Tasting Notes with Collin Zreet. DFW listeners may be familiar with that name as Zreet was one of the owners of Funky Picnic Brewery & Cafe in Fort Worth.  Additional links from this episode: Thomie Solomon Fox Symbol Brewing Celestial Beerworks Hopp...