Consuming the Craft

Leah Howard wears a lot of hats. She is the President of the Distillers Association of North Carolina (DANC), a mutual benefit corporation that strives to promote the common business and regulatory interests of businesses in the North Carolina craft distilling industry. She also serves as the CEO of Cultivated Cocktails, a distillery dedicated to creating joy and bringing people together over qual...

If you think non-alcoholics are easy to make and have no future in the market, think again. John Lyda—full-time instructor at and stalwart of A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast and meadmaker extraordinaire—foresees that, as the industry innovates, non-alcoholic liquor will become as popular as their alcoholic counterparts. The industry, John says, will start to explore more flavo...

John Lyda is the master of all-things-brewing. He is a full-time faculty member and instructor at CBI where he shares his wealth of knowledge and experience on brewing, distilling, and fermentation with his students.   John joins me for today’s Booze Clues Special - his favorite type of spirit - tequila. We share our “o-pinas” on tequila and scotch and discuss some of the best-tasting tequila and...

Dan McConnell is the owner of McConnell Farms , a family-owned farm based in Henderson County, North Carolina. Since its establishment in the 1940s, McConnell Farms has grown and produced a wide variety of crops and livestock. Today, the farm primarily focuses on growing row crops such as strawberries, blackberries, and corn as well as fruit trees. Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture wit...

This week on Consuming the Craft, John joins me to scratch the ‘beer-y itch’ and discuss all things related to lite beer. We dive deep into the history of lite beer and share who really invented the golden elixir. We discuss the process of reducing calories in beer, why lite beer was originally created, and the characteristics of the best-selling beer in the world. We also share our most and least...

It’s a sad time in the brewing industry. Bill (William) Coors, an executive at Coors Brewing Company, recently passed away at the age of 102. So, as John Lyda and I tip our glasses to remember the great Bill Coors, we share our thoughts on proper beer filtration methods and brewing styles.   John joins me to discuss “lazy brewing” and the brilliant marketing strategy behind the New England Style I...

Greg Hill is a Certified Cicerone and the Production Director at Urban Orchard Cider , a family-owned and operated craft cider producer based in Asheville, NC. Since it’s launch in 2015 at the Craft Beer Rising event, the company has gained multiple awards and recognition including taking First Place as the Best Place to Drink Cider in America in 2017 by Food & Wine Magazine. In addition to cr...

Ian McHarg is the Herald of Hops; the Leader of Lupulin at Country Malt Group . With over 100 years of combined brewery and brewing experience as well as 11 warehouses across North America, the group is committed to providing a wide range of quality ingredients and excellent service throughout the craft beverage industry.   Ian joins me today to discuss the State of Brew-Union and share his analys...

Beau Evers is the Account Manager at Crosby Hops Farms . Founded in 1900 by Albert and Mary Crosby, Crosby Hops is the leading grower, manufacturer, and processor of top-quality hops. The family farm consists of 160 acres of rich soil in Willamette Valley, Oregon. They are certified Salmon-Safe growers and Certified B Corp suppliers with an unwavering commitment to quality, sustainability, innovat...

Chris Reedy is the Director of Food, Beverage, and Natural Products at NC BioNetwork . NC BioNetwork offers educational and lab resources, courses, and training programs that impact the economic and workforce development within the biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and life sciences industries across North Carolina. Chris is responsible for providing leadership and administrative oversight for stat...

Max Fann is the Co-Owner and Chairman of Inbox Beverage and a Brewing and Fermentation Program alumni of A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. After completing the program, Max when on to become a brewer and Wood Cellarman at Wicked Weed Brewery, where he eventually became the Lead Pub Brewer and Research & Brand Development Brewer. With his knowledge from the Craft Beverage In...

After graduating with a degree in Environmental Design in Architecture from North Carolina State University, Palmer Fox found himself in an early-life crisis. He always had a knack for entrepreneurship when he was young, and spending his life in front of a drafting board didn’t sound so appealing. So, after some soul-searching in Asheville—and falling in love with the mountains—Palmer found himsel...

As a young man, Kevin Sondey followed The Grateful Dead's rock band to learn about music and himself. The Grateful Dead not only provided him with great music—but also introduced him to craft brews. Kevin is a stalwart of the craft beverage industry, having worked in several market niches, from distilling and brewing to kombucha and ginger beer; as the Production Manager of Ginger's Revenge, Kevin...

Sara Stender Delaney came to the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast at A-B Tech with a vision—an idea she wanted to morph and mold into something new: draft tea. A working mother in Asheville, Sara wanted more fun, healthy, nonalcoholic options in the Beer City. Since then, she has put her skills, passion, and determination into creating Sarilla, an award-winning nonalcoholic beverage in ca...

John Lyda is a full-time faculty member at AB Tech and is the thumb that grasps the educational hammer in our Brewing, Distillation, and Fermentation program. It’s the first two-year accredited degree in the country that gives students an Associate’s of Applied Science in Distillation and Fermentation. After working at The Highland Brewing Co. for over 20 years, John took his passion and applied i...

How much beer do you need to entertain a room full of friends and family? How many kegs would you need to throw your next get-together or party? While the answer to these questions relies on many different factors, the short answer is…it depends.   How big is the keg?   This week, I discuss how to determine the number of beer kegs you will need to throw your next party or get-together. I explain w...

I often take on the task of trying exotic spirits, weird and wonderful flavors of craft beer, and new products in the beverage industry. You may be familiar with wheat bourbon, but perhaps less so with wheat whiskey. Today, I try a Kentucky straight wheat whiskey, which is underserved in our industry. In today’s Booze Bits, I sample Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey and see how wheat changes the fla...

What does it take to become a great mazer? Or brewmaster? Or winemaker? John Lyda—full-time instructor at A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast and meadmaker extraordinaire—says that the key is playing around with the different flavors your raw materials can give you. He’s brought a bottle of mead he found all the way from Denmark to demonstrate what he means.   In this Booze Bits e...

When Lauren Turpin was in high school, she always thought about opening a sports bar or beer place, though she wasn’t sure where the interest came from. She later graduated from Babson College and worked in corporate America. But, while completing a Master’s in Information Science at UNC Chapel Hill, Lauren became interested in wine. She was inspired to write a business plan for an urban winery an...

Greg Hill has a deep passion for learning. Greg—the Head Cider Maker and Production Director at the Urban Orchard Co. in Asheville—is one of the first graduating cohorts of A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute program. He completed a Master’s in Education and Training and is currently working on a Ph. D. in Education and Training. A lifelong learner, Greg believes that standardizing education and t...

Pop quiz: the shape of a drinking glass can affect the flavor and aroma of liquor—fact or fiction? John Lyda and I put this question to the test. The brewmaster extraordinaire, John Lyda, is the former Sr. Vice President of Highland Brewing Co. and current full-time instructor at A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. He is highly regarded in Asheville for introducing the community...

The man of the hour, John Lyda, is an instructor at A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. Before joining the program’s faculty, John served as Senior VP and Brewmaster at Highland Brewing Co. But after more than two decades of working with the company, John—who was pivotal in laying the foundations of the Beer City—thought it was time to pass along his knowledge to the next generat...

While Russ Karasch has been a cooper for over 32 years, he has been in the wood industry for more than five decades. Alongside his daughter, Heidi Korb, Russ founded Black Swan Cooperage in 2009. Thanks to the support of their family, friends, and community, Black Swan Cooperage has grown to a global brand recognized for its high-quality cooperage products and innovations. Russ joins us today to d...

Mike Roberts used to hate beer while he was in university. It wasn’t until he had a taste of pilsner during a visit to Prague that he had an epiphany: the drink tasted phenomenal, and Mike knew he fell in love. Fast forward to today, and Mike serves as the Craft Solutions Facilitator at Cru Brewing Systems and boasts 15 years of brewing experience. Before joining Cru Brewing Systems, Mike worked w...

Max Fann is the Co-owner and Chairman of Inbox Beverage, a company making innovations in the industry by building and distributing breweries, wineries, and distilleries in shipping containers. Max is an alumnus of A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. After graduating from the Fermentation program, Max went on to work as a brewer at Wicked Weed Brewing—eventually becoming its Resea...