Liquid Liner Notes

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-eight of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I have Benno Nelson, co-founder of Chicago based non-alcoholic cocktail company Five Corners Beverage. Five Corners Beverage is a family owned Chicago based non-alcoholic cocktail company that celebrates the five senses of taste, and five corners of the globe. We chat about what it takes to start a beverage company, including...

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-seven of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode Miles Bonny returns to talk about his new album Sound Awareness. Mile’s new album is entirely self-produced. We talk about the work process and inspiration behind the first three singles. We also talk about what’s next in his life as he moves abroad from Taos, New Mexico to Tasmania, Australia. You can find Miles on Instagram...

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-six of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Dylan Melvin, one of the founders of My Dear Friends Wine. Dylan is the director of adult beverage for Foxtrot Market, and one of the partners of is/was brewing which is where I first met him. After spending much of the shutdown in environments conducive to bagged wine he became fond of the format. Going so far as t...

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-five of Liquid Liner Notes! This weeks episode is with Doug Veliky - @BeerAficionado on Instagram/TikTok, creator of Beer Crunchers, and now partner of BrightBev. Doug is one of the leading voices in the craft beverage industry focusing on economics and business strategy. He’s also one of the most prolific voices in the industry’s social media world. Recently he announc...

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-four of Liquid Liner Notes! This week’s episode is a little different! I sat down with Marty Scott, the barrel manager of Revolution Brewing. We tasted through and chatted about Revolution’s October 2025 Deep Woods releases which include: Deth’s Tar, Café Deth, Vanilla Deth, and Cocoa Vanilla Deth. Coming off of a bronze medal at the Beer World Cup, we discuss Rev's...

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-three of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Ray Stout, the executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewer’s Guild. The Guild is a non-profit trade union representing Illinois’ craft brewers since 1997. Ray (@JustRayIV) has been the executive director since November 2021. First we get to know Ray’s professional background before his time at the Guild. Then...

🎙️Welcome to episode twenty-two of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Miles Bonny - multi-instrumentalist, producer, and community activist. A great conversation with an inspiring artist and human. We discuss his familial roots in music, his journey as an artist from college in Lawrence, Kansas, to Kansas City, world wide tours, and now in Taos, New Mexico where he calls home. We talk...

🎙️Welcome to Episode Twenty-One of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Emily McGill, the lead singer, guitarist, and mastermind behind the psych-rock/dream-pop music project Milou Moon (@MilouMoon_). Our chat starts with how she became interested in music and what her early inspirations were. Then we talk about starting music school at Chicago’s School of Rock, and traveling parts of t...

🎙️Welcome to Episode Twenty of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Eric Hobbs (@EriclHobbs), Co-Founder and CEO of Blind Corner Brewery (@BlindCornerBeer) in Naperville, Illinois. We start with Eric's professional background in the brewing industry. He began right out of college as a sales rep for a distribution company, and then moved to Joseph Huber/Berghoff Brewery as an Illinoi...

🎙️Welcome to episode nineteen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Adam Vavrick (@Adam. Vavrick), the Corporate Buyer and Business Development Manager for Beer on the Wall (@WeHaveGreatBeerEH). We start with how he became interested in craft beer, eventually working at Sam’s Wines & Spirits and then @BinnysBev after the purchase. We discuss being the beer manager at one of the larges...

🎙️Welcome to episode eighteen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Michelle Foik (@Foiker), co-owner of Eris Brewery and Cider House (@ErisChicago). We start with Michelle’s early entry into the hospitality industry. Holding a host of different roles with Goose Island, Revolution, and Virtue Cider. Roles that include sales, general manager, marketing, and events. Next we talk about t...

🎙️Welcome to episode seventeen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Tony Assimos, owner of Tone Deaf Records, located in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood. We chat about Tony growing up in California and how that impacted his love of music. Then we talk about him deciding to open a record store, and the process of doing that, including stock, location, and marketing. Next we chat a...

🎙️Welcome to episode sixteen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Trevor Rose-Hamblin, co-owner and head brewer of Old Irving Brewing Company. We chat about Trevor's start in the restaurant business, building his was up to GM of the famed Moto restaurant with one of his mentors Homaro Cantu. We talk about his beginnings as a home brewer, and how that evolved into the OIB concept. The...

🎙️Welcome to episode fifteen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Charolette Converse, the hospitality and events manager for Solemn Oath and Hidden Hand Brewing. We chat about Charolette’s time in the industry at three different breweries, and the roles she held. We talk about the importance of education for staff, as well as curating an experience in order to separate yourself in t...

🎙️Welcome to episode fourteen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Tab-One, emcee, producer, and one-fifth of hip-hop group Kooley High. A great conversation with one of my favorite emcees allowing the opportunity to get to know him on a personal level and chat about what inspires and drives him to make music. First we talk about how he got into music and eventually met the fellow me...

🎙️Welcome to episode thirteen of Liquid Liner Notes! On this episode I chat with Marty Scott barrel program manager of Revolution Brewing, Chicago’s largest independently owned craft brewery, and founder of Barrelponix, a consulting firm on all things wood aging. I talk to Marty about how he became interested in craft beer and got his start at Revolution. Then we talk about the history and growth...

Episode 12 - Mike DeMalpartida & Ian Swanson - Sundial Brewing & Blending On this episode I chat with Mike DeMalpartida & Ian Swanson, two of the three co-founders of Sundial Brewing & Blending. We chat about going from home brewing to opening their own brewery, focused on farmhouse ales. From designing the taproom to the mentors they leaned on along the way. We discuss their inspirations and phil...

Episode 11 - Tim Gormley - Visuals Wine, Ceremony of Seasons, and Burial Beer Company On this episode I chat with Tim Gormley, co-founder of several Asheville, NC based companies in the beverage and music world, including Visuals Wine, Ceremony of Seasons, and Burial Beer. Tim and I talk about how he got into craft beer and his journey which lead him to Asheville as a co-founder of Burial Beer Co....

Episode 10 - Naaman Gambill of The Hive Supply On this episode I chat with Naaman Gambill, one of the founders and managing partners of The Hive Supply. A Chicago area bee keeping supply store, resource, and apiary manager company. I talk to Naaman about growing up in Indiana on a hobbyist farm where he developed a passion for bee keeping. We then talk about his journey from school teaching to ope...

Episode 9 - Charlie Davis & Katie Morgan of Right Bee Cider On this episode I chat with Charlie Davis and Katie Morgan, the founders of Right Bee Cider. The first cidery in Chicago. I talk about Charlie starting his career in craft beer and how a gesture of making cider for his eventual wife would set set a path of opening a business. We chat about the journey of starting from the ground up as...

Episode 8 - Little Miss Ann On this episode I chat with Ann Torralba, a family music singer songwriter from Chicago, Illinois, that goes by the stage name Little Miss Ann. We discuss how she was drawn to music at a young age, eventually making it her full time job. We also discuss her career as a teacher, how she utilized music in her classroom, and now works with educators across the country on h...

Episode 7 - Mike Schallau - Is/Was Brewing On this episode I chat with Mike Schallau, head brewer and co-owner of Is/Was Brewing in Chicago, IL. We discuss how he got into craft beer, his time at Pipeworks Brewing, and starting his own brewery. I nerd out about saisons and pick Mike's brain about his inspirations, philosophies, and processes. We also talk about him co-hosting The Beer Temple P...

Episode 6 - Cecil Thomas - aka C-DUB - Vinyl Collector and Sound Selector On this episode I chat with Cecil Thomas who goes by his sound selector name C-Dub. We talk about how he got into music and record collecting, the vinyl community in Chicago, his inspiration from Jamaican sound selectors, his work with Palestinian Radio station Radio Alhara, his time as a Peace Corps volunteer, and his love...

Episode 5 - Dylan Kloska - Vines & Vinyl On this episode I chat with Dylan Kloska, owner of Vines & Vinyl, a plant, records, and goods store in Brookfield, Illinois. We discuss how he got the business idea and taking a pop-up business plan to a brick and mortar. We discuss finding the perfect location and becoming a creative hub for the city of Brookfield. Check out Vines & Vinyl on In...

Episode 4 - Ian Penrose - Midwest Area Sales Manager for Seattle Cider Company and Founder of Doom Movement Yoga On this episode we talk about Ian’s career in the craft beverage industry, and making the transition in sales of craft beer to cider. Then we talk about his journey into yoga and starting Doom Movement, a yoga class with a doom metal soundtrack. Just a note that since recording this epi...