Barley & Me

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA to sit down with Alex Larrabee, co-owner and brewer at Big Stump Brewing Company, and comedian Dejan Tyler, to discuss beer creativity and other things. Dejan discusses his approach to comedy, which has led to the release of his first comedy album, "Get Rich or Diabetes," on Uproar Comedy, and the path Alex took to go from beer drinker to award-winning homeb...

Host Ben Rice travels to Eureka, CA, to speak with Lost Coast Brewery's head brewer Briar Bush and Savage Henry Comedy Festival participant Nando Molina. We chat about beer history, including Lost Coast's place in beer history as the first woman-owned and -operated craft brewery in America, as well as women's history in beer. We delve into Lost Coast's standout artwork and how they maintain their...

Host Ben Rice travels to the 2018 California Craft Beer Summit to conduct mini-episodes with brewers, vendors, and beer industry professionals. This is the 3rd of 3 episodes recorded during that trip. In Segment One, Ben chats with old friends Scott Williams of Moksa Brewing and Delayna Fitzgerald of Drake's at the Barn, to discuss brewery expansion, as Moksa plans to increase its production area...

Host Ben Rice travels to the California Craft Beer Summit 2018 to conduct short-form interviews with brewers and industry professionals. In the 2nd of 3 episodes from this event, there are two segments: the first with Alex Larrabee of Big Stump Brewing (Sacramento), Kelly Lohrmeyer of Yakima Chief Hops, and Tanner Davies of Country Malt Group, to talk about how hops, malt, water, and yeast come to...

Host Ben Rice travels to the 2018 California Craft Beer Summit to talk to beer industry near and far about themselves, their beer, and their specialties. This is the first of three episodes recorded there. The first segment features Meghan Peltz, the Sensory Manager at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. We dive into the quality control world of the craft beer industry, its importance, and how to separ...

Host Ben Rice travels to Rancho Cordova, CA, to meet with David Mathis of the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce, Strad Meadery's Dan Slort, and Fort Rock Brewing's Heidi Wilder, to discuss the upcoming Barrel District Experience event. Longtime listeners may have heard rumors of this upcoming project, celebrating the burgeoning beer, mead, and spirits community in Rancho Cordova. The grand openin...

Host Ben Rice travels to Rancho Cordova, CA, to speak Jason Williams, Duncan Alexander, and Jack Alexander of the newly-opened Burning Barrel Brewing. You may remember Jack and Duncan from episode 61, which was recorded during their planning and build-out phase. We now catch up with them 5 weeks after their grand opening, to compare and contrast their expections versus reality of brewery ownership...

Host Ben Rice travels to Rancho Cordova, CA, to sit down with Old Hangtown Beer Works's head brewer/owner Michael Frenn and sales director Tyler Getz, as well as beer blogger Amber Clemons of Hopular Culture. Together, we discuss the role classic beer styles play in the modern American craft beer world, and Michael discusses his humble beginnings as a teensie tiny nanobrewery. As we take a stroll...

Host Ben Rice travels to Placerville, CA, to sit down with Solid Ground Brewing's KC and Scott, with BJCP judge and professional brewer Ellen Sherrill in tow, to dig deep into the depths of start-up breweries. Celebrating 13 months in existence, but decades of experience in the beer and wine industry, KC and Scott openly discuss the reasons why they opened in Placerville instead of a metropolitan...

Host Ben Rice travels to Portland, Oregon, to drop in on Patrick Lawrence of Oregon Mead & Cider Company, with comedian, artist, podcaster, card game creator, and general creative Carolyn Main, to discuss the wonderful world of mead, a Barley & Me first! We talk the mead-creation process and how it compares to beer, cider, braggot, and more, plus the surprising ingredient that can cause cross-cont...

Host Ben Rice travels to Empress Tavern in Sacramento, CA, on behalf of the California Craft Brewer's Association, to talk with restauranteurs and brewers moments after they are picked to collaborate with each other on food and beer pairings for the upcoming California Craft Beer Summit (Sept 6-8). Ben talks to Leia Bailey, managing direction for the CCBA, about the Brewed for Food event and the C...

Host Ben Rice sits down with New Glory Brewing's head brewer Kyle Leddy and special guest comedian Becky Lynn, to talk about Kyle's latest beer endeavors. We are also joined by Kyle's wife Claire Leddy, as we discuss Kyle's birthday, New Glory's upcoming 5th Anniversary Sudsapalooza!, and commercial brewing vs home brewing. Plus we take a deep dive into Ben's bad travel planning, put the "fun" in...

Host Ben Rice travels to Final Gravity in Roseville, CA, for a very special episode with the Sacramento chapter of the Pink Boots Society during their tap takeover. Ben sits down with special guest Lindsey Nelson, co-owner of The Art of Beer, as well as four PBS members: Amy Mahoney, beer buyer at The Brass Tap (Rocklin, CA); Heidi Wilder, partner at Fort Rock Brewing (Rancho Cordova, CA); Teresa...

Host Ben Rice travels to Fountainhead Brewing in Sacramento, CA, to speak with brewer Daniel Moffatt and operations manager Mark Bojescu, with special guest Justin Chechourka, author of the recently-released Sacramento Beer Book. We discuss the random happenstance that occurred at Fountainhead that led him to penning the Sacramento Beer Book, the tribulations of the free market economy, as well as...

Host Ben Rice visits Empress Tavern to sit down with brewer Peter Hoey and owner Rob Archie of Urban Roots Brewing to discuss the upcoming opening of their brewery and smokehouse in Sacramento (set for May 19, 2018). We talk what to expect when you're expecting (to open a brewery), Rob's history in the restaurant world, Peter's brewing history, and the beers that made them the men they are today....

Host Ben Rice travels to San Francisco, CA, to sit down with Tobias Zollo, head brewer, and Marcus Englet, Sales Director, of Bayerische Staatsbraurei Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world, to discuss their new collaboration beer with Sierra Nevada, Braupakt! It's a beautiful blend of old and new world brews, with a bold citrus up front, with a classic Hefe finish. But we can't just discu...

Host Ben Rice travels to Portland, OR, to sit down with Van Havig and Ben Love of Gigantic Brewing, along with guest George Dimeo of beer distribution company Maletis Beverage, to talk about beer. And 80s SoCal Punk. And 90s London House. And why death metal is dumb, but awesome. Plus! Why greatest hits albums are vanity projects, brewer faces ending up on the bottles of other brewers' beers, what...

Host Ben Rice travels to Portland, Oregon, to sit down with Great Notion Brewing's Paul Reiter and comedian Nathan Hart. We talk about Great Notion's upcoming second location, their recent win at the Extreme Beer Festival, brewer James Dugan pops on to discuss beer names and lamps, plus we delve into the Portland comedy scene, the vibrant night life around Great Notion, food trucks, Philly cheeses...

Host Ben Rice travels to Claimstake Brewing to talk to Rancho Cordova city councilmember Donald Terry about two events on a very busy Claimstake calendar. On March 28, at 6pm, they will be hosting a St. Baldrick's event for the City of Rancho Cordova (and with Sacramento Beer Enthusiasts) with yours truly, Ben Rice, hosting. Also, on March 24 and 25, Claimstake will be celebrating their two-year a...

Host Ben Rice travels to Old Town Brewing (Portland, OR) to sit down with their social media manager Jordan Wilson and Portland-area comedian Alex Falcone. We talk about Old Town's recent victory over the City of Portland in a trademark dispute over their White Stag logo and the events that led to the suit. We also chat about why beer tap lists might change during the winter months, adult abductio...

Host Ben Rice travels to Portland, Oregon, to sit down with Coalition Brewing's Elan Walsky and Portland comedians Molly Smithson and Amanda Martin-Tully to discuss CBD-infused beers. While helping you learn how to mellow out over a pint of beer, we also delve into helpful hints on street drinking, drinking at work, proper keg stand etiquette, and a thorough breakdown of Jello Shots. Amongst these...

Host Ben Rice travels to Portland, OR, to sit down with brewer Conrad Andrus of Culmination Brewing. We talk Culmination's history, Conrad's first beer love - a barrel aged Scotch ale, which might be a Barley & Me first!, plus delicious, delicious tacos. We also discuss having an expansive tap list despite a tiny brewing area and how to get into the brewing industry. Enjoy! Don't forget about Zwic...

Host Ben Rice travels to Portland, OR, to sit down with Migration Brewing's owner Colin Patrick Rath to discuss their upcoming 8th anniversary (taking place Saturday, February 17, 2018, which is also during Zwickelmania, a crazy free beer event happening Portland-wide - get beer straight from the tanks at participating breweries), as well as the trials, tribulations, and successes of the past 8 ye...

Host Ben Rice re-visits Rocklin, CA's Moksa Brewing during their opening week. Brewers Derek Gallanosa and Cory Meyer and co-owner Scott Williams talk about the brewery's first week in business, the unforeseen issues in opening, and their hopes and dreams for the brewery moving forward. Follow Moksa Brewing @moksabrewing Follow Barley & Me @barleyandmepod Intro Music: "JamRoc" by Breez (@breezthea...

Host Ben Rice travels to Loomis, CA, to meet with Kenny Gowan, owner and head brewer of Loomis Basin Brewery, at the Loomis Basin Brewing Gastropub & Smokehouse, to discuss the beer business. Kenny and Ben delve deep on this episode, getting into Kenny's history as a restauranteur in San Diego and his family's ties to the beer and restaurant industry. We also talk about the overlooked business sid...