Grit & Grain Podcast

It’s almost time for the annual Washington Brewers Festival . The annual gathering of over 70 local breweries is just a few weeks away, so we figured this was the perfect time to get our best buddy Shawna back on the mic.  When she’s not spending her days rizzing up King 5 Morning News hosts with facts about German goses or helping the American Homebrewers Association solidify their independ...

The annual Craft Brewers Conference wrapped up a few weeks ago. While the Grit & Grain team was busy holding the fort in Tacoma, our best buddy and favorite beer educator, Lyra Penoyer, was on the scene in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tasked with operating the WSET information booth, Lyra spent the event testing eager beer nerds on their off-flavor knowledge. In her spare time, she attended industry...

We’re back with our best buddy Tristan this week. The famed Northeast Tacoma-based Browns Point Homebrew Club has been extra busy, so we wanted to catch up with the former president. The homebrew club ventures out this weekend for their annual field trip on the brewery tour party bus, only to come back and plan one of the largest and most popular dark-beer-only homebrew competitions, Lights...

Just last week, the news dropped that Tacoma’s Narrows Brewing is opening a second taproom location next to our home base, Peaks & Pints ! This was the perfect time to get owner and brewer, Parker Rush, on the mic to tell his story and the story of his growing local beer business. From a humble beginning as a teenager homebrewing at The Station: U-Brew , to a stint with our buddies at Lo...

It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! And we thought it might be a perfect time to talk about everybody’s favorite hard-to-define beer style: Mexican lagers. Mexican Lagers have a complicated past and present, from a misunderstood history to an amalgamated style that can be tough to differentiate from other international lagers. We dive into what shapes Mexican lagers as a style, the beer culture...

Oh man, it’s a doozie of an episode! The absolute legend herself, Leslie Shore, joins us this week! Leslie has spent the last decade cementing herself as one of the most talented and creative brewers in the Pacific Northwest. She has worked at the helm of multiple highly regarded breweries in Seattle before stepping into the raw ingredients side as the brewery liaison for Cold Stream Malt ....

Few people in the beer industry share the type of vision Charlie Devereux is known for in our circles. Knowing beer is one thing, understanding people is what sets him apart. From cutting his teeth in Hood River in the 1990s, to co-founding two of the most successful and well-loved local breweries in the Pacific Northwest, to now managing sales for the outstanding Little Beast Brewing ; Charlie ha...

Tucked away in the small town of Gorst, Wash., lies a brewery that represents just about everything there is to love about the beer community: a true community space with outstanding food, world-class beer, and an inspiring origin story. Linda Sweet, owner and brewer at Deep Draft Brewing and quite possibly the most bad ass woman in the beer industry, joins us this week. After a long career in the...

Ron is back! And we figured it was a good time to let everyone know where he disappears to this time each year. The Tournament of Beers is Peaks & Pints ’ version of a March Madness bracket, but it is taken to the extreme. This year, the public nominated 64 of their favorite Northwest-style IPAs, and then Ron sorts them into a bracket featuring north and south regions in Washington and Oregon....

We’re so excited about this one! Ali Himmel-Smith and Jen Nicosia, the respective chair and co-chair for the Seattle chapter of the Pink Boots Society , join us this week. Pink Boots is a pillar institution in the beer world, fostering education and career advancement for women and non-binary members of the fermented beverages industry. Ali and Jen fill us in on their work organizing events, class...

Tacoma Beer Week is in the rearview mirror for now, so it’s a great time to recap some outstanding TBW events around the South Sound. Phaedra and Matt Week catch up on some events, beer collaborations, and non-profits supported during Beer Week. Our good buddy Paul, who attended 23 Tacoma Beer Week events, joined us in the second half. Listen to our favorite moments of the week and what you...

The Grit & Grain ramped up  Tacoma Beer Week 2025 over several episodes leading to its March 1 launch, including back-to-back episodes discussing our collaboration with Logan Brewing , No Bad Time Black IPA. For Part 2, we sat with Chris and Michael from Logan Brewing. Burien’s hidden gem brewery has been making waves in recent years, including awards for its fantastic black IPA. We discuss ho...

The Grit & Grain ramped up Tacoma Beer Week 2025 over several episodes leading up to its March 1 launch. Now, knee deep in glorious TBW festivities, we’re thrilled to offer back-to-back episodes discussing our collaboration with Logan Brewing , No Bad Time Black IPA. For Episode 134, we waited for Dusty Johnson to cycle across town before we sipped his Nitro Cold Brew together. Dusty, wh...

It’s Tacoma Beet Week , and we’re discussing another considerable collaboration. This week, Silver City Brewery Sales Executive Scott Davis and Head Brewer Ian Campbell, Communities for a Healthy Bay Executive Director Melissa Malott, and Communications Director Ayla Janukajtis joined us. These two organizations collaborated on a Tacoma Beer Week sour, “Gose with the Flow,”...

We are only a few weeks away from Tacoma Beer Week and figured it was the perfect time to highlight a significant collaboration beer being released during the week.  Local pop-punk powerhouse band Amber Pacific has teamed up with the world-famous Georgetown Brewing and brewed a brand-new beer to celebrate the release of their first album in 10 years. Guitar player Justin Westcott and Georgetown br...

Larrabee Lager Company is one of the newest and fastest-rising stars in the Washington beer world. Fresh off of multiple medal wins and being declared Small Brewery of the Year in 2024, co-owner and marketing guru Kate Milne stopped by this week to share the journey she and partner Sam Milne have taken to get here—from Pyramid to Kulshan to Brick West and finally Larrabee in Bellingham. Sam is a s...

It’s already that time of year again. … Mostly because Tacoma Beer Week has moved to March! This week, we welcome back Kyleigh Palmer and Gini Sommer, two long-time organizers of Tacoma Beer Week. They fill us in on the move from August to March, the four collaboration beers being brewed for this special week, and a preview of some of the planned amazing events. Crack a Tacoma Brew for...

If you caught our last episode, we did our best to cover all the craziness surrounding the beer industry right now — but we barely scratched the surface.  This week, we dive back into the most current beer news from Washington state and nationwide. We discuss the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s cancer warning, some updates on the status of the American Homebrewers Association, and why beer makes a g...

The media has been busy with doom and gloom stories about the craft beer industry lately — but how bad can it be? This week, with the help of our best buddy R.J. Adler, we discuss the latest craft beer news, the widespread opinions about the industry’s state, and, of course, our own thoughts on the beer world’s past, present, and future. Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Emai...

We all love pilsners, but there are so many versions of pilsner to choose from: West Coast pils, Italian pils, French pils, Czech pils.  How can you tell them apart?  What makes them different?  Who makes them?  We have your answers!  This week we dive into types of pilsners and where they originated —from classic Czech pilsners, to Tipopils, and more modern French and New Zealand varieties. Tune-...

Happy New Year you beautiful nerds! If you’re partaking in Dry January or just need a reason to try out some non-alcoholic options, the Grit & Grain has you covered this week. We are joined by Three Magnets Brewing Head Brewer Aaron Blonden, the brains behind the most exciting (and FIRST) N/A beer project in Washington state.  Titled “ Self Care ” the N/A line has exploded in popularity and in...

It’s pre-Christmas week and we have a doozy!  The famous Texas Dave and insanely skilled Ted O’Hanlan hung out this week to give us the scoop on their work at Seattle’s new sweetheart brewery, Here Today . Fresh off their many wins at Washington Beer Awards and SIP Magazine honors, they break down the brewery concepts origins, the invaluable help from industry titan Averie Swanson, and their artis...

It’s that time of year! This week, The Grit & Grain Podcast pulled a few of our favorite winter beers from this season so far and a few iconic examples from the past that you know and love.  Grab a can or bottle of your favorite toffee and spice-filled brown beer and get a little toasty with us while we answer some burning questions — like WTF is the difference between winter warmers and winte...

Whether you’re in the beginning stages of starting up a brewery, ready to expand your beer business with a new taproom location, or just a humble home brewer with a dream, we’re here to help you make smart financial decisions.  Joining us this week is our buddy Austin Patjens of Heritage Bank . When Austin isn’t fresh hop hunting (see Episode 119 ), he spends his days helping small businesses star...

It’s been a wild few weeks in the beer world around the Pacific Northwest:  Breweries closing, local beer brands changing hands, and a new family-owned distributor enters the chat with the purchase of a beloved local distribution company. So much news so little time! Plus, Matt takes us on a journey of his awkward hotel stay during Northbank Beer Week and catches us up on our F*@#-Up Story quota w...