Beer Me!

Liz Garibay, a historian that specializes in the history and culture of alcohol, founded the Chicago Brewseum . This is the first museum in the U.S. fully dedicated to beer. Garibay joins the show to talk about her background and how it lead to the opening of the museum, some Chicago beer history, and the upcoming Beer Culture Summit. This summit will be available virtually!    Register for the Be...

What started as an educational brew club for women to get excited about the beer industry led to the start of Mujeres Brew House .  Carmen Favela, Founder, Owner, and CEO of Mujeres Brew House in San Diego, joins the show this week to share the story of Mujeres. It just so happens that Friday, Oct 14th (Next week!), the Smithsonian Food History Weekend will conclude with "Last Call", an annual bee...

The online presence of any business is the welcome mat, usually the first interaction the guest has with the brand. For all breweries, this is an opportunity to shine. Aadam Soorma, Head of Marketing and Guest Experience for Trace Brewing in Pittsburgh, PA joins the show to talk about how impactful the digital space can be for a brewery. He covers what goes into content production and engagement,...

pFreim Family Brewers is nestled in Hood River, Oregon, a quintessential town where pFreim made pilsners a local favorite. Now, pFreim is expanding into new chapters. We talk with head brewer Campbell Morrissy to discuss the recent brewery expansion for pFriem, their new canning line, hop selections (tis the season!), and his research work at the Barley World Lab .   Campbell Morrissy is the Head...

If there is one thing to take away from this show, it's that sake is NOT a wine. This week, we begin to scratch the surface of this exciting beverage with John Fischer, a professor of wine, beverage, and hospitality management for The Culinary Institute of America , also, a Certified Sake Professional. We talk about how to buy sake, what to look for in sake service, how it's made, and the hopefull...

Before the pandemic, we had the opportunity to visit Maine Beer Co. in Freeport, Maine this time, the conversation was just as rich, but sadly, less beer. Anne Marisc, Maine Beer Co.'s Partnership + Communications Manager joins the show to talk about continued innovations (like the Black Barn Program), Quality Control, and the ever-shifting Maine beer scene. Take a listen and hopefully, you will b...

A passion for beer is started and maintained with education for both brewery employees and patrons. This week on the show, Chris Shields, the Director of Education at Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio, describes what built his education and training program and how he continues to grow it.    Shout outs: Beer Education, Cicerone, Cider Program

Throughout the world, people are researching every aspect of beer and brewing. This week, we get nerdy, but I assure you, it's fun! Harmonie Bettenhausen, Director of Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage , is one of those people meticulously researching craft beverages. She takes us through the research she’s worked on for her Ph. D., specifically how barley contributes to flavor....

Lone Tree Brewing Company in Lone Tree, Colorado celebrated their 10-year anniversary, late in 2021. President and Co-Founder John Winter, our guest this week, shares insights on building brewery longevity, business decisions over the years, and beer trends.

The topic of consistency in brewing has come up multiple times here on Beer Me, and one of the best tools for that is implementing some kind of brewing lab to ensure quality control. Our guest, Merritt Waldron, Quality Director of Baxter Brewing Co. and author of "Quality Labs for Small Brewers: Building a Foundation for Great Beer" takes us through some brewing lab basics. He covers why brewing l...

Over the past few weeks, we've had the opportunity to dig into some of the finer points of beer production. We get to continue our journey with Brent Manning, Co-Founder of Riverbend Malt House , which recently celebrated 10 years of operations. We dive into local malt production, sustainable practices, and a little malt production 101.  Shoutouts: Fonta Flora , #Riverbend10 film , New Belgium , S...

Breaking into a field and climbing the ladder is a challenge no matter what the endeavor. Brewing is no exception. Megan Seastedt, a brewer, consultant, trainer, and podcaster, joins the show this week. She takes us through her brewing transitions, from homebrewer to production manager and everything in between. We talk about the challenges and what she has learned along the way.    Shoutouts: Nor...

Countless new ready-to-drink beverages, seltzers, and other canned beverages are flooding the market. One of the newest, and currently only available in Western New York, is Norwhey . This is made from fermented yogurt whey, that would otherwise be waste. Co-founder, and Cornell University Professor, Sam Alcaine joins the show to talk about Norwhey and his journey through the world of fermented be...

Our Instagram feed has been peppered with delightful, educational beer comics, illustrating beer flavors, styles, or pairings. This week, the creator of these happy posts joins us on the show. Award-winning cartoonist, Em Sauter is our guest this week.  Em founded Pints and Panels to produce cute and visual beer education. Em tells us about the process of developing educational, fun, and often whi...

Beer is a product of agriculture. The grains and hops that are used in a beer recipe are very thoughtfully selected to create vastly different styles. Jeff O'Neil, the founder of Industrial Arts Brewing Company in the Hudson Valley, NY, joins the show. We talk through what goes into sourcing local malt and hops, how the local malt industry has improved in New York, and the shifting hop production...

Last weekend, the city of Auburn, NY hosted the first annual Brave Brews Fest . This was a three-day event to celebrate women in craft beverages organized by this week's guest, Dawn Schulz, co-founder of Prison City Brewing . We dive into the event, why it was important, how industry events like this help move women forward in beer, and how women can break into traditionally male-dominated roles w...

Beer Me likes to get nerdy, about cask beer, hops…but this week we are taking a deep dive into safety. The landscape of the beer industry is changing and will continue to evolve to be more inclusive. With this change, spaces that beer inhabits need to be safe (taprooms, breweries, bars). Amie Ward, a hospitality veteran, and Safe Bars trainer joins the show to talk about how to intervene in an uns...

How many times have you gone into a brewery and instantly liked it? Or enjoyed an afternoon in a taproom so much you forget the exact beers you tried (overindulging aside), you just know you had a great time? Any service-based establishment is striving to create a crafted experience for their guests. Frank Kuhns, co-owner of Settle Down Easy Brewing Co. joins the show to share how he has channeled...

Todd Boera, Co-Founder and Creative Director for Fonta Flora Brewery in North Carolina joins the show to discuss American Farmhouse Brewing. We discuss why this kind of brewery is significant and the different local ingredients Fonta Flora has incorporated into their beers, from pawpaws to local wood.  

Michael Williams, Lead Beer Educator for Great Lakes Brewing Co. joins the show to talk about all things porters, including the history, production, and food pairings. Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, OH produces a benchmark brew as far American Porters are concerned, with their Edmond Fitzgerald (aka. Fitz, Eddie Fitz). Pour a glass of your favorite roasty, toasty, dark brew, and tune in!

Here on Beer Me! we have a little end-of-year tradition to get some friends in the studio to talk about their favorite beers for the holiday season. We are reviving that tradition, little by little.  Today, we welcomed back to the show, Sam Nellis, Bar Director for All-Purpose and Red Hen in DC. We dive into holiday beer, non-alcoholic beers, cocktail traditions, and embracing all beverage prefere...

December 10th is National Lager Day! (We are embracing made-up holidays, especially when it involves lagers). Lisa Allen, Head Brewer of Heater Allen Brewing in McMinnville, OR joins the show to discuss everything that is lagers! Or course we get off track, but that's part of the charm. 

Hard seltzers are a rapidly growing market segment that is projected to grow even more in the coming years. Craft brewers are embracing the trend and the selection is never-ending. Thankfully, Eric McCrory, Sr. Manager of Product Education + Culinary at The Boston Beer Company, (and Advanced Cicerone) was willing to join the show this week to give a quick Hard Seltzer 101, specifically how it's ma...

All breweries have stories to tell, but how they tell them has developed drastically over the years. Jim McCune, co-founder of the Craft Beer Marketing Awards joins the show to talk about how beer marketing is constantly reinventing and pushing new boundaries. Beer can art alone is a prime example of that. He also shares insights into often overlooked ways a brewery can share their story. 

The Brewers Association (BA) faced the #metoo movement in craft beer head-on during September's Craft Brewers Conference. Many of the seminars, training sessions, and speakers focused on the evolution that needs to happen in craft beer. One of those voices, a very strong one, was Virginia Morrison, Esq. She is the co-founder, chief executive officer, and chief legal officer at Second Chance Beer C...