Beer Busters

It's summertime and that means Beer Busters heads "down the shore" to return to Cape May Brewing Company in beautiful Cape May, New Jersey. Returning to the show is long-time friend and podcast veteran, Mark Graves, now serving as Packaging Manager for the brewery. Joining Mark is new-comer and Cape May Head of Innovation, Brian Hink. We catch up with what's been happening at Cape May since our la...

Our podcast heads back to our hometown to check out Saucony Creek Brewing's soon-to-open new location in the beautifully restored historic Franklin Street Train Station in Reading, PA. Joining us were friend-of-the-show and Saucony Founder/Owner Kirby Powell and Head Brewer Nick Micio. Also, stepping up to the mics later in the evening were Sales Rep Jeff Fulmer, Executive Chef Martha Cavarretta,...

Our friends at Hop Hedz Gear put together an insane music and extreme sports event so intense it could only be contained in an airport hangar at Capital City Airport in New Cumberland, PA. Featuring live performances by some of the nation's top BMX bike stunt riders from BMX Trickstars , and local skateboarding teams, along with food, booze, and an amazing lineup of music acts, this was a party on...

Another Harrisburg Beer Week has come and gone, and that means another Little Big Beer Fest! For the fifth year running, we return as podcasters-in-residence for this incredible jewel in the HBG Beer Week crown that features a limited array of high-ABV beers. As usual, our guests include a roster of longtime friends of the show with a few new faces sprinkled in. Beer Busters would not be what it i...

In this episode we hit up Schaylor Brewing Company in Shillington, PA to chat with Co-Owners Joe and Lucan. Opened in early 2018, Schaylor proudly "brews outside the lines," featuring a range of unique brews from fruited sours to stouts infused with breakfast cereal. We chatted about the brewery's history, philosophy, upcoming plans and more. In the news Dan reported on the closure of two Ballast...

We hunker down back in the Beer Busters Podcast Basement to welcome owner of Broken Chair Brewery in West Reading, Todd Bray. Todd chats with us about the inspiration and story behind the young brewery, the advantages of being in West Reading, some interesting tidbits about the building the brewery inhabits, and more. Plus, we finally get a chance to try some of the gluten-free beers from Holidail...

This time around we are on location at Pour Man's Brewing in Ephrata, PA. We sat down with the trio of owners, Ryan, James and Sam to chat about the story behind the young brewery, the flexibility in experimentation as well as the trials and tribulations that come with a very small batch operation, and much, much more. No news this time around, as this episode was recorded waaay before its release...

Every once and a while on the podcast we get to talk about a liquid other than beer. Whether it's cider or kombucha or even soda, it can be a nice change of pace. This time, we got to learn a whole lot about coffee. We set up our brand new mixer (eternal thanks to our patrons ) at Stolen Sun Craft Brewing & Roasting Company in Exton, PA. Don't worry, we did drink and chat about a lot of their grea...

It's been a long-time coming. We finally make it out to record at one of Pennsylvania's oldest and best known craft breweries, Stoudts Brewing Company in Adamstown. With founder, brewer and pioneer Carol Stoudt, along with Event Coordinator and master-of-breads-and-cheese, Elizabeth Stoudt, we talked about the long and storied history of this landmark establishment. We also discussed the importanc...

In this episode we sit down with Lost Tavern Brewing Co-Owner and Head Brewer Anthony Gangi, Co-Owner and Head of Marketing Kenny Rampolla, and Assistant Brewer Derek Lutz, at the brewery in Hellertown, PA. We discuss the company's history and exciting expansion and growth plans, as well as their partnership with local businesses, musical talents, and more. Plus, Dan and Wayne hop on the phone to...

Our annual Valentine's Day tradition continues for the sixth year running, as we hang in the Beer Busters Podcast Basement with Greg and Mike from Craft Tastings , a company that specializes in unique beer pairing events. This year, the fantastic flavor duo treated us to an array of popcorn pairings from a cool new shop in Lancaster called the Pop'd Shop – that specializes in all things that "pop"...

In this unusual episode, we returned to Root Down Brewing in Phoenixville, PA for a rotating panel of guest from three breweries that share a unique friendship. Root Down owner Mike Hamara returned to the mic along with brewer Steve Bischoff. Founder of Tired Hands in Ardmore, Jean Broillet joined us next, followed by Sean, Dylan and Kevin from East Branch in Downingtown. Over a lineup of brews fr...

This episode we travelled down a dark alley to the hidden gem tucked away in West Kensington, Philadelphia that is Fermentery Form .  With Ethan Tripp, founder, brewer and blender, we talked about Form's unique position as a "blendery" – the beer is brewed at other local breweries, than aged and blended (and served) at the taproom. We talked about the business' history and growth, including being...

After five years and 140 episodes , we finally catch up with our old friend Steve Armstrong, at his current home at Pottstown United Brewing . We reminisce on old times, discuss the road from Armstrong Ales to PUB, get to know this awesome new digs, and much more. In the news, Dan reports on a new beer made by Kellogg's from reject Cornflakes, CANarchy's acquisition of Lexington Ave Brewery, and S...

It's that time of year again for our favorite hometown beer fest: Brewphoria at Canal Street Pub in Reading, PA. This intimate local beer fest is one of our longest-running traditions on Beer Busters, and is always a great time. Though this is the second Brewphoria that was without founder and former Canal Street Bar Manager Dusty, we got a chance to catch up with Dann Steffans, who has stepped in...

We venture out of our comfort zone in this first ever episode devoted entirely to cider. Joined by Co-Owner and Head Cidermaker, Joe Getz, we set up shop at Kurant Cider in Philadelphia. It was an amazing learning experience for all of us as we talked about the cider making process, history, and of course the story and goings-on of Kurant. Dan reported on some news, including companies getting on...

First off, STEPH IS BACK! Our crew is complete once again as we hit up the First Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Brewers Fest at the Reading Liederkranz German Club in our hometown. This unique beer fest featured home brews from three area homebrew clubs: Bruclear Homebrew Club, Berks Homebrew Club and Lancaster Brewers – alongside commercial beers from area breweries. There was live music and awesome G...

You knew it was only a matter of time before we came back to Evil Genius to get our podcast on. The impetus for our visit to the fine establishment in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philly this time was to discuss the brewery's commitment to sustainability and use of 100% wind power through Inspire . Once we got that covered, and without Steph to keep us in line, we pretty much just had an awesome h...

Suburban Brewing is a young brewery – open only about eight months – in the small town of Honey Brook, PA. We sat down with co-founders Eric Yost, a long-time chef and restauranteur, and Corey Ross, brewmaster and home brew shop proprietor, to chat about the paths that led them to opening a brewery, the ups and downs of brewing on a small scale, the local community, and more. Also in this episode,...

We again made the trek to our state's capital to hit up the Millworks , part restaurant, part art gallery/studio, and – most importantly – part brewery, in Midtown Harrisburg. Brewer Jeff Musselman joined us to discuss exciting upcoming plans and events (including expansion to a second location), the story behind the brewery and amazing beers, and more. In the news, Dan reported on a new beer from...

Fore our mini-milestone 150th episode we returned to Mad Chef Craft Brewing in East Petersburg, PA and brought along an entourage of our patrons. Returning to the podcast were co-owners Francisco Ramirez and Greg Kendig, and making their debut were brewer Sean Raney and manager Tom Shuler. Over samples of every single beer on tap (that's 15, if you're keeping score), we chatted about Mad Chef's re...

Our podcast took a trip down the shore for Labor Day weekend to stop in at Ship Bottom Brewery in Beach Haven, NJ. Robert Zarko, returning to the podcast after appearing at the AC Beer and Music Fest this year, sat down with Head Brewer Jake Stablein to chat about the trials and triumphs of this (almost) beach front operation. Plus, an interview with one of the next generation of Yuenglings at Ame...

This episode we paid a visit to the still-under-construction Workhorse Brewing in King of Prussia to chat with founder and owner Dan Hershberg. Dan is a man with big ideas and an ambitious plan for this rather enormous new brewery. The project is set to include a variety of amenities and events, a solid distribution plan, an eye toward future expansion, and is already pumping out quality beer – th...

Our traveling podcast of wonders finds itself at another Philly brewery this episode, Urban Village Brewing at Schmidt's Plaza in Northern Liberties. Joining us are Owner and Head Brewer Dave Goldman and Assistant Brewer Christian Ruggeri. We talked about the brewery's inception and build, canning, events, the food, inklings of future expansion, cinnamon stick advocacy, and much more. In the news,...

We kick it root down on this episode at Root Down Brewing in the burgeoning beer mecca of Phoenixville, PA, with co-owner and brewer Mike Hamara. In the awesome and impressively sized tap room, we discuss the brewery's aesthetic, recent expansion of distribution into Philadelphia, various events hosted in the space, and much more. In the news, Dan reported on Constellation Brands' acquisition of F...