Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

Gone are the days when a brewery could turn a wire spool on its side, buy some cheap chairs, install some taps and flip on the Taproom Open sign. Today's beer drinkers have become more choosy about where they spend their beer dollar and breweries are finding they have to actually provide an experience to draw customers in. That might mean trivia nights or live music. Breweries have had to navigate...

The Great American Beer festival is this weekend in Denver and for the first time in a long time, it has a new location. That’s just one of many changes coming to the venerable gathering. Tristan Chan, formerly of PorchDrinking, is in the host seat this week. He's joined by Shawnee Adelson the Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild and Jonathan Shikes of the Denver Post. They talk about...

On the weekend that Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich the real fun was happening in Brooklyn. Eckhart Beer celebrated its one year anniversary and held a proper celebration of lager. John Holl was there and hosted a panel that covers all the fun of the season, what it means to brew lager in New York City in 2026, and ways to make the most out of hospitality.   Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcas...

As Western North Carolina marks two years since Hurricane Helene, we have a guest episode from On the Blue Ridge , a podcast by former All About Beer Managing Editor Jon Page. He recently sat down with Chris and Jessica Whaley of Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort, a town of fewer than 1,000 people about 25 miles east of Asheville, just off Interstate 40. The brewery was severely damaged by the storm...

A conversation with Shelley and Eric Desmarais of CLS Farms in Moxee, Washington about the 2026 hop harvest and what life is like for families during the regions busiest time of the year. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is Sponsored by: Sier...

 Back in Yakima for a second week and visiting another brewery. This time it’s Bale Breaker, the famed Washington brewery with its very own hop fields. Don Tse is again in the host seat and sitting down with brewmaster Kevin "Smitty" Smith.  Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering...

This episode was recorded in Yakima, Washington where the 2026 hop harvest is just getting under way. Lots of brewers and beer fans will be making their way through this city for selection and to taste fresh hop ales, and nearly everyone will come through Single Hill Brewery for pints.  Zach Turner the Head Brewer and general manager of Single Hill joins guest host Don Tse for a conversation. Visi...

A conversation with Jeff Erway of La Cumbre Brewing on quality, not folding to trends, and being true to the brewer's core mission. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is Sponsored by: Berkeley Yeast Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale st...

Beer is soaked into the fabric of American history. There are important and timeless brands that have become a part of communities and can tell the story of a place and a people.  The importance of Lone Star extends well beyond Texas and author Jeremy Banas captures the people, recipes, and essence of this iconic brand in this well-researched book. He shares the story of this iconic brewery in his...

On this episode, you'll hear the remarkable story of Bass Pale Ale. This story begins at the dawn of the industrial age, and charts Bass’s rise as one of the first global brewing brands. Over the course of two centuries, its pale ales evolved to meet the times, and today we know Bass as one of Britain’s classic cask ales—a beer enjoying a current renaissance among the country’s pubs.   In many way...

Day Bracey, the co-founder of the Barrel and Flow Festival is here to talk about the evolution of the community minded gathering. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is Sponsored by: John I. Haas When every pound of hops matters, brewers need pr...

Great Lakes Brewing Co. recently turned 38-years-old and the Cleveland, Ohio brewery continues to innovate and grow. CEO Chris Brown sits down for a conversation about taking on macrobeer, getting into THC, and the juggernaut that is Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent...

This is a somber episode as we celebrate the life of Alan Sprints, the founder of Hair of the Dog brewery who died last weekend at age 66. The cause was bladder cancer. His family posted the following obituary:  Alan was born on September 7, 1959, in Culver City, California, to the late Lila Entis and Martin Sprints. In 1988, following his passion for the culinary arts, Alan relocated to Portland,...

A bonus episode of the All About Beer podcast that goes deep on innovation in the beer space. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is Sponsored by: John I. Haas When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder in the brewh...

A conversation with Nick Smith of South Africa's Soul Barrel Brewing . Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is Sponsored by: John I. Haas When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder in the brewhouse. LupoMAX® was engi...

How are breweries making decisions based on data? Brewing is still very hands on and it’s also artistic and creative, but there are benefits to using tech to help the process and get insight into how to run things efficiently.  To examine this a bit more, John Holl is joined by Dustin Jeffers the VP of Producer Product at Next Glass, the parent company of brands like Ekos, Ollie, Untappd, and Hop...

Andy Crouch interviews Dan Kenary, the co-founder of Harpoon Brewery, on the company's 40th Anniversary. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is Sponsored by: John I. Haas When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder i...

Andy Crouch hosts a special episode of the podcast recorded live from Notch Brewing's Forever Lager '26 Festival. The panel includes Brittney Barrie of Barrie Haus Brewing, Tom Beckmann of Goldfinger Brewing, and Todd DiMatteo of Good Word Brewing. Together they answer the question "How Do Brewers Overcome the 'Lager is Cheap' Messaging."   Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read origina...

A panel conversation recorded during Notch Brewing’s Forever Lager '26 festival. A smart group of brewing professionals got together and answered the question: How do you stay relevant in a copycat craft brewery world? Guests include: Kaitlyn LeLoup, Jason Bullen, Morgan Snyder, Amanda Cardinali.   Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming eve...

As the summer season heats up, Jason Ufema of Shy Bear Brewing joins the podcast to talk about how he is embracing outdoor space, an active kitchen, and brewing beers that bring people in for a good time.   Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events. Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry. This Episode is...

During the recent craft brewers conference All About Beer set up at Human Robot for a suite of podcasts. I was happy to get together with Brandon Jones, the long-time brewer and creator of Embrace the Funk.  It’s a conversation that goes into the evolution of extreme beers to nuanced, complex brews. As Jones has begun to note the shift of consumer preferences, he sees a move away from hazy IPAs to...

Mild is one of the oldest continuous beer styles in the English speaking world, it was the working class pint, the beer that fueled industrial England, pulled from cask and corner pubs, consumed in volume by people who needed something honest, drinkable and affordable at the end of a long shift. At its peak in the early 20th century, mild accounted for the majority of beer sold in Britain. It wasn...

There was a time when "adjunct" meant "cheap beer." One of America's largest breweries even paid millions of dollars to run television commercials during the Super Bowl accusing another of America's largest breweries of using worse adjuncts than they themselves used. Oh, what a world! But for craft breweries, an ingredient is an ingredient. What if adjuncts added flavor?  What if adjuncts actually...

From side pull to beer engine, the perfect pour makes all the difference to how you enjoy a beer.  The pub isn't just the place you drink the beer.  Great pubs know that pouring a perfect pint is the final step in the beer making process. The right glass, clean and kept at the right temperature, combined with the right faucet in skilled hands is the difference between a good beer and the perfect b...

Let’s talk about hop sensory. Last week the craft brewers conference was held in Philadelphia and brewers from around the world worked to better understand processes, ingredients, and recipe development. One thing brewers and therefore drinkers can always benefit from is hop sensory. There’s no argument that hops bring great depth of flavor and aroma to beer, but aside from some top notes that man...