Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

As the sojourn through the pacific northwest continues I’m thrilled to air this episode of the podcast recorded in Bellingham Washington at the Aslan Depot where head brewer Austin Umbinetti-Hutton joined me before a live audience on a wide ranging conversation about his career, the beers Aslan is making, the importance of community and creativity, and more. This Episode is Sponsored By: New Holla...

From Andy Crouch: "Denver holds a special place in my heart. I’ve watched as the local beer scene has grown and then exploded, with dozens and dozens of breweries cropping up in parts of town that didn’t even really exist, such as RiNo. Denver has long had a formidable beer scene but today it is one of the country’s best. And on this second episode of the Beer Travelers podcast , we’re going to ta...

In the 1920s when the practice was more common, Meghann Quinn’s ancestors followed the railroad west and wound up settling a farm in Washington’s Yakima Valley.    Following the repeal of Prohibition, they got into the hop industry and have ridden the wave since; supplying the larger brewers through the uninspired decades of large-scale American brewing, and into the boom days of today’s craft sur...

"I’ve been spending the last week or so in the Pacific Northwest and this is the first of several shows that I’ll be bringing you from Washington and Oregon. It kicks off at Chuckanut , the brewery founded by Mari and Will Kemper and recorded at their brewery in Burlington, Washington, south of Bellingham where they long operated a pub and restaurant. This production facility is largely dedicated...

"A few weeks ago I spent some time in Vermont, touring around breweries, catching up with old friends, and doing a little promotion for The Craft Brewery Cookbook – which is available now where books are sold.    At two of my stops I teamed up with Brad Ring, he’s a long-time friend and colleague and the publisher of Brew Your Own Magazine.  BYO has a long and storied history and is the best resou...

"A long, long time ago I lived, briefly, in Indiana working as a newspaper reporter. Working the late shift there weren’t a lot of drinking options for a post-shift beer. Thankfully there was a brewpub not far from the office that would stay open late and on most nights I’d find Dave Colt and Clay Robinson working on recipes and plotting their own brewery.    The brewery would become Sun King , an...

"The fire was fast moving and devastating, and even standing outside the rubble in the immediate aftermath Christian Weber knew that Common Roots would rebuild.    The brewery in upstate New York had become a community hub and the loss was devastating, not only for the customers, for Weber’s family – which founded and built the brewery – but also the employees who relied on the company.    So from...

"I met Travis Zeilstra more than a dozen years ago, at the first SAVOR event in Washington D.C. he was pouring beers for the brewery he worked for at the time and we struck up a conversation about beer and food – natural given the event – that stuck with me for quite some time.    He’s done his turns in kitchens and preparing menus and thinking about the ways flavors interact and can delight. Now,...

On the first episode of the Brewer to Brewer podcast Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey interviews Marcus Baskerville of Weathered Souls Brewing.    Eventually the conversation turns to Black is Beautiful , the global collaboration that Baskerville and the brewery spearheaded. To date more than 1,200 breweries in 22 countries have brewed and released the beer which aims to “raise awareness for the inj...

Gary Glass was entrenched in the world of homebrewing. What began as a hobby soon turned to a career, where he spent 20 years at the Brewers Association, including a long stint as the director of the American Homebrewing Association.    When COVID-19 struck and the Brewers Association laid off a significant portion of its staff, Gary was included in that group and pondered what he would do next. H...

Welcome to the first episode of the new All About Beer podcast. In this premiere episode, co-hosts Em Sauter and Don Tse examine the Cold IPA with Kevin Davey, of Wayfinder Beer , who is credited with creating the style. From the specs and flavor, process and debunking myths, this show will explain and examine every facet of craft beer’s newest style. Subscribe to the All About Beer Podcast wherev...

"I spent a few days in Georgia earlier this month, visiting breweries that had long been on my list but current global events kept me away. Chief among the breweries was New Realm , an impressive outfit that was founded by a trio of brewing professionals with long careers in beer.    On the brewing side is Mitch Steele. He’s one of those first name club brewers who has spent his tenure creating in...

"It can be hard to come up with new ideas for beer books, so sometimes taking inspiration from another concept – like lists – just makes sense. This is not a bad thing and in the case of Eoghan Walsh’s new book A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects it is a very good thing.    This is especially true since he does not talk about beers specifically (with a few exceptions) since that concept has b...

" I’ve had the good pleasure of knowing today’s guest for a while now, although this is only the third time we’ve hung out in person. Todd DiMatteo is the owner and brewer here at Good Word Brewing and Public House in Duluth, GA and has been turning out some of the more flavorful, interesting, and low abv beers that I’ve had in a while.    He has a long career in beer and hospitality, including a...

Andrew Witchey is the founder and brewer of Dancing Gnome in Pittsburgh and opened up his new taproom early for a conversation over Kölsch about how the city has evolved beer-wise and where it’s heading. Then he talks about his appreciation of lagers, his dislike of sours, and how he created a new space that reflects the beers and the brewery’s personality. This Episode is sponsored by: Cigar City...

"Pete Brown is a an award winning writer and  author whose curiosity has led him deep into the history of food and drink and along the way he has uncovered forgotten stories, helped shape the understanding of beer, and enchanted readers though his ability to convey a keen sense of place and voice.    His latest book was just released. It’s called Clubland: How the Working Men’s Club Shaped Britain...

"I’ve known Nate Schweber going on 20 years now, we’ve been colleagues, friends, and even co-authors. I can say without a doubt that he is one of the hardest working reporters I’ve ever met, he has a keen eye for detail, enjoys a good drink, and knows how to rock with the best of them.    He’s a raconteur, with endless curiosity and compassion, and great passion. My life is better because I know h...

"It's no secret I love a well made lager. One of the great benefits of this current brewing age is the number of small producers that are creating high quality pilsners and lagers. Goldfinger Brewing , located in a western Chicago suburb is one of them.    Thomas Beckmann, the co-founder and brewer is my guest this week. He has all the credentials one would want from a proper lager brewer. He has...

Show notes from host John Holl "In a sign that the world is adapting to the pandemic, beer weeks are back and last week Asheville, North Carolina one of the great beer cities in America celebrated all of its breweries and producers. I was fortunate to spend a day in the city capped off by a visit to Highland Brewing , which was founded in 1994 by Oscar Wong. Today the brewery is led by his daughte...

Birds Fly South calls itself a “progressively old school urban farmhouse” brewery. It might sound like several contradictions until you start talking with Shawn and Lindsay Johnson, the co-founders, and suddenly this Greenville, South Carolina brewery starts to make sense.    The origin story might sound familiar. Shawn was a beer fan who tried a lot of different styles and visited breweries durin...

In a testament to how quickly the beer industry can change, it’s hard to imagine even just a few years ago that a panel like this would be taking place. But as the beer industry matures, there is a tilt towards health and wellness, the rise of non-alcoholic beer in the craft space can not be ignored.    It shouldn’t be ignored.    What you are about to hear was held in a seminar room at the 2022 C...

Last week, word got out that Patrick Rue, the founder of The Bruery in Orange County California, and more recently the founder and operator of Erosion Wines in Napa had acquired a 50 percent stake in Moonlight Brewery , a beloved northern California brewery founded 30 years ago by Brian Hunt.    Moonlight is known for its beers like Death & Taxes and Reality Czech and had been half owned by La...

"They say that beer brings people together, and that was certainly evident last week in Minneapolis as much of the brewing world gathered for the Craft Brewers Conference and it seems that at some point or another everyone made the trip to Fair State Brewing Cooperative.    I was among them, and had the chance to sit down with co-founders Niko Tonks and Evan Sallee.    From the beginning, as the b...

Much of the professional brewing world is focused on Minnesota this week as the annual Craft Brewers Conference is happening, along with the World  Beer Cup competition. I thought it would be a good to check in with a brewer in the state – or at least one connected with the state.  Minnesota beer laws are wonky which has led to creative solutions. Austin Jevne the Owner & Head Brewer of Humble...

"Em Sauter is a cartoonist and visual beer educator who delights readers daily on her website Pints and Panels . She’s worked in breweries and been an advocate for good good beer.    This week she has a new book out – her second – called Hooray for Craft Beer! An Illustrated Guide to Beer , published by Brewers Publications. It’s available where books are sold and you should go buy it.    She take...