Barley & Me

Host Ben Rice travels to San Diego, CA, to Karl Strauss Brewing's Pacific Beach location to sit down with Karl Strauss Brewing's brewmaster of research & development Paul Segura and Thorn Brewing's head brewer Doug Pominville Jr. and tasting room manager Jay Jones. We talk Collabapalooza 2019, their collab Countess Sparkula (a breakfast pastry stout made with Count Chocula and edible sparkles), th...

Host Ben Rice sits down with Andy Klein, owner and brewmaster at Monk's Cellar in Roseville, CA, as well as brewer Bryan Crass and sales rep Lewis McGeorge, to talk about their upcoming 5th anniversary (Friday, October 18/Saturday, October 19), including their collaboration beers with over TWENTY breweries. Once of those is Huntington Beach's Beachwood Brewing, and their owner/brewmaster Julian Sh...

Host Ben Rice travels to Davis, CA to talk to Sudwerk Brewing's co-owners Trent Yaczan and Ryan Fry, plus Davis-based comedian Bex Nava, about Sudwerk's upcoming 30th anniversary (the celebration is Saturday, October 26)! We discuss the transition from original ownership to their grandsons, maintaining your core identity while also keeping up with current craft beer trends, how to open and maintai...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA's Oak Park community to talk to brewer Geoff Scott of Oak Park Brewing Company and PR/marketing consultant Shane Barker. We talk about the re-invigoration of Oak Park, as well as the grand re-opening/reimagining of Oak Park Brewing Company, which has new ownership, new brewers, new chefs, but is trying to maintain and build on its ties to the Oak Park commun...

Host Ben Rice travels to SacYard Community Taphouse to meet with San Diego's original craft brewery Karl Strauss, via their Northern California sales reps Peter August & Jeff Broaddus, as well as beer marketer Emily Hutto of Rad Craft Beer. We chat about Karl Strauss Brewing's history in America's craft beer scene, how they've stayed relevent and even managed to expand their brand, as well as thei...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA, to speak with Urban Roots Brewing's Peter Hoey (brewer/owner) and Rob Archie (owner) and host of the Letter Talk Podcast Alyssa Cowan. We tackle the tough topics, like time management, adapting your business plan to your intended audience, learning from failures, and the mystery of Dippin' Dots. Plus! Which type of wrestling is real and which is fake, Rob's...

Host Ben Rice travels to Half Moon Bay, CA, to speak with Hop Dogma's owner and head brewer Dan Littlefield during their monthly Comedy Sharks comedy show, along with performing comedians Alex Love, Krista Fatka, and Phil Griffiths. We talk Hop Dogma's rocky transition to their new location, how Dan is leaving an impact on the world, running a proper bar show, a little bit of social commentary and...

Host Ben Rice travels to San Francisco, CA, to sit down with Jim Furman, owner of Black Hammer Brewing, to talk classic beer styles, their new beer garden Willkommen SF, and nuclear physics. You know, cuz beer! We also talk about pursuing your passion, Untappd's inconsistent reviews, and how to properly quit/obtain a job. Plus! Conspiracy theories, Area 51 before it was cool again, alien life, and...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sparks, NV, to sit down with Revision Brewing's owner Jeremy Warren and head brewer Jeb Taylor, as well as musician Andy Zuker of Thundervision, to talk Revision's meteoric rise in the craft beer landscape and what it means to be RENO AS FUCK. From Jeremy and Jeb's early homebrew dalliances, to Jeremy winning his biggest homebrewing prize, which led to his first profession...

Host Ben Rice travels to The Bash Festival's Sacramento stop to talk ska, punk, and beer with Arlo Grammatica of Durango, Colorado's Ska Brewing and Sacramento-based musician and rock journalist Aaron Carnes. We break down what is and is not ska (with samples provided by the sound techs of the festival!), Ska Brewing's 24 years in existence and how craft has changed, plus we chat about Aaron's upc...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA, to sit down with Bike Dog Brewing owner Sage Smith at their Broadway location, with guest Alejandro Farias of Mutts & Mugs Park Pub, which hopes to be the first dog park-pub hybrid in California very shortly. We talk pups, pints, and the politics of business ownership. Plus! Can art demand, consumer fickleness, childhood naivete, Kveik yeast, and the culina...

Host Ben Rice travels to Galt, CA, to talk to owner/brewer Ed Mason of River Rock Brewery, Galt's only brewery, and comedian Jason Sohm. We talk small-town living and expectations, bucking trends, and forging your own path, with or without support. We also discuss River Rock's upcoming third anniversary party (Saturday, June 8), their expansion over the years and their plans for the future, plus p...

We did it! Episode 100! Host Ben Rice goes big instead of going home, and visits THE California craft brewery, Chico's Sierra Nevada, to talk to brand manager Terence Sullivan and the first lady of craft beer, Judy Ashworth, owner of the historic Lyons Brewery Depot, one of the first craft beer bars in America, whose history is intimately tied to Sierra Nevada's history. We talk about craft beer's...

Host Ben Rice travels to Placerville, CA, to chat with Outbreak Brewing's owner and head brewer Tim Daniel, as well as Placerville Public House owner "Bossman" Al Griffen about all things craft beer. Tim discusses his beer background, from his lifelong friendship with a business partner, to his incredibly useful career in construction, to his ownership of a local home brew supply business, and how...

Ben Rice sits down with Angel Sepulveda (Flatland), Ashley Schafer (Sufferfest/Sierra Nevada), Alyssa Steger (Crooked Lane), and Rebecca Steele-Wilkie (Cuvee Marketing) of the Sacramento chapter of the Pink Boots Society to discuss Pink Boots, their collaboration beers and subsequent tap takeovers, entering the beer industry, and favorite starter beers. Plus we dig deep on ingredient selection, AB...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA, to talk to brewers John Anaya and George Murray of King Cong Brewing, and musician Dean Haakenson of Be Brave Bold Robot. We talk about bringing renewed vigor back to the Del Paso Boulevard community, the importance of community in beer, and some proprietary yeast strains that could help put King Cong on the map. We discuss old school vs new school brewing...

Host Ben Rice discusses the recent lawsuits filed against Sacramento, CA's Track 7 Brewing and Grand Rapids, Michigan's Founders Brewing, as well as the Great Lakes Brewing News "satire" and delves into the sadly-still existent racism, sexism, and homophobia in and around the beer industry. Recently, Barley & Me created a Google Form where parties can submit stories about these issues anonymously....

Host Ben Rice travels to El Dorado Hills to talk to Mike Mraz and Lauren Zehnder of Mraz Brewing Company, with guest Melissa McCann, a nationally recognized beer judge, to talk about Mraz's upcoming 6th anniversary (taking place Saturday, March 9, 2019). We dive into Mike's award-winning homebrews, and how that led him to opening his award-winning brewery. We figure out why he chose El Dorado Hill...

Host Ben Rice travels to NA Beer Aficionados headquarters in Carmichael, CA, to conduct his first phone interview ever, with Bill Shufelt, founder of Athletic Brewing, the first NA brewery and taprooms in America, and NA Beer Aficionados founders Danny & Katrina Le Sage. We talk about fighting the stigma of NA in the beer world, designing recipes that can appeal to craft enthusiasts and people loo...

Host Ben Rice attends the Art of Beer 2019 at McClellan Conference Center in Sacramento, CA. In three short interview segments, he sits down with Daniel Barnes, a beer writer for the Sacramento News and Review and host of the Dare Daniel Podcast. We talk movies, beer, eating competitions, and one-up-manship. Then in segment two, Ben sits down with friend of the podcast Johnny Flores of Serious Tal...

Host Ben Rice travels to Davis, CA, to talk to Joe Vida, co-owner and head brewer of Super Owl Brewing, and comedienne Cheryl "The Soccer Mom" Anderson. We talk about Joe's homebrewing roots and how they've influenced his transition to the commercial realm, as well as Cheryl's climb to success in the comedy world and her influence on our host's career in all respects, including how he eats his din...

Host Ben Rice travels to Fort Rock Brewing in Rancho Cordova, CA, to sit in on the judging at the 22nd Annual Queen of Beer homebrewing competition. He is joined by national beer jduges Tracy Bethune, Melissa McCann, and Cynthia Lee, as well as Fort Rock Brewing co-owner Heidi Wilder. We chat about the life and times of the beer judge, opening your own brewery, how the Internet and information ava...

Host Ben Rice travels to Drake's: The Barn in West Sacramento to bring together a rag tag team of podcasters to create the ultimate Holiday Podcast. Joining Ben on this adventure is CJ of The Friendship Podcast, Johnny Flores of Serious Talk, Seriously, and Delayna Fitzgerald, the event and community coordinator for Drake's: The Barn. In a world where three podcast hosts and a civilian try to make...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA, to speak with head brewer Chris Keeton and head chef Jason Azevedo of Alaro Brewing. We talk about Alaro's gold medal in IPA at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival, in just their third month of existence, honoring their brewery location's history, and the ideal BBQ sauce. Plus! how UC Davis is trying to save the malt world, old-school brewery sytem quirks...

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento's Bru Co Taproom to chat with owner Justin MacClanahan, compete in a modified version of Edward 40 Hands, and conduct unscripted man-on-the-street interviews with passersby over short rib tacos. We'll talk about business ownership, family, beer discovery, and social media promotions, while also talking to complete strangers about The Queen of Beer competition (D...