Tap the Craft Podcast - Craft Beer Education

Episode 63 finishes off 2016 with our Top 10 Beers of the year. We also get Top 5 lists from a few of our listeners around the country listing a bunch of great beers urging us to do a road trip. We briefly discuss an article about five cliches people need to stop using as well as an article reviewing the 2016 craft beer year in review. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes...

Put your parka on for Episode 62 with a winter warmer warning...we talk a lot about winter seasonal beers starting off with the BJCP style guidelines, followed by our tasting notes segment with Full Sail Brewing Wassail and reviewing an article from craftbeer.com with a number of beers to cozy up to this winter. Denny talks about his experience at the 5th Annual Payette Black Friday dark beer fest...

Happy Thanksgiving and we give you Episode 61 with an explanation and history of cask ales. We also discuss several beer industry news articles and a guide to pairing your Thanksgiving meal with beers. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in the next episode by picking up a bottle of the Full Sail Brewing Wassail winter warmer and tasting along with us. If you woul...

In Episode 60 we dive into the Trappist Dark Strong Ale with style guidelines as well as a tasting note segment with one of the commercial examples. We also talk about an Advent Beer Calendar box you can purchase in our Check it Out segment. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment by picking up a bottle of the Belgian Chimay Bleue (Grande Reserve) and tasting along wi...

There’s a new hop in town, and in Episode 59 we talk about the Idaho 7 hop, as well as the antiquated taxation of craft beer. Find out how much tax small breweries have to fork over in order to provide you with your awesome craft beer. We also discuss a number of news articles including the recent layoffs at Stone Brewing. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in ou...

In Episode 58 we bring you a ton of content from Ohio brewery tours, to Boise Hoptober Freshtivals, to Seattle Great Pumpkin Beer Festivals to Colorado Great American Beer Festivals...a lot of beer talk for sure! John talks about visiting a few Columbus, OH area breweries and Denny talks more fresh hop beer goodness. Find out what happened at the GPBF this year and we ask the question if there are...

It’s fresh hop beer season, so in Episode 57 we discuss what fresh hop is all about and provide some examples to try. Denny tells about his adventures in Bend, OR visiting Boneyard Beer and tasting some great beer in Eugene, OR with Hop Valley and Ninkasi Brewing. Find out how you can be entered into a contest and win some prizes. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segme...

We celebrate the American Stout in Episode 56 by discussing the American Stout style guidelines and doing our tasting notes with the Deschutes Obsidian Stout. We also discuss Denny’s experience using the Fizzics Home Draft System and answer a listener question concerning getting started in homebrewing. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment by picking up a bottle of...

It’s Episode 55 and we cover a variety of topics, you could say a bit of everything. Our listeners have been very active and provided a ton of feedback, as well as articles and questions. Find out if a beer changes its ingredients is it still ok to call it by the same name. As well as a few “whale” breweries John and Denny would like to visit one day. We tackle the illusion of brewery diversity in...

In Episode 54 we virtually travel to Koln, Germany to tackle the Kolsch style and discuss the style guidelines. Learn about this “controlled substance” as we explore the history as well. We finish off the style showcase with a tasting and we encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in this episode by picking up a bottle of the Ballast Point California Kolsch and tasting a...

It’s Episode 53, our first show of our third year and we bring you a few news articles covering a wide gamut of topics such as some questions brewer’s wish you would ask, four must try saisons this summer, more craft beer takeovers and a new beer historian job opening at the Smithsonian. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in the next episode by picking up a bottl...

It’s Episode 52 and we discuss the beers in the New Belgium 25th Anniversary Fat Tire & Friends CollaBEERation sample pack. We also answer a listener question concerning “whale” beers. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in this episode by picking up a bottle or can of the Arrogant Brewing Arrogant Bastard Ale and tasting along with us. If you would like to co...

In Episode 51 we discuss an article from Craftbeer.com website concerning single hop variety beers. We also answer a listener question concerning beer rules we would follow and discuss an article suggesting people who like IPA beers are psycho. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in the next episode by picking up a bottle or can of the Stone Brewing Arrogant Basta...

We dive into the history books in Episode 50 as we discuss the Gose style notes. This beer style has been resurrected from the grave and has been very popular of late. We also answer some listener questions concerning oxidation, specific gravity and nut brown ales. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in this episode by picking up a bottle or can of the Anderson Va...

In Episode 49 we explain the Reinheitsgebot and provide some background to this interesting beer purity law. We also discuss our American Craft Beer Week activities and some of the great beers we have tried. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in our next episode by picking up a bottle or can of the Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose and tasting along with us. If y...

In Episode 48 we have our Facebook administrator Kris McKenzie joining us to discuss his craft beer journey and some of our favorite beers and the beer we need to drink one day. Lots of great beer talk and fun, plus we were treated to a special look at some Florida beers. If you would like to contact the show you can reach the hosts through email at tapthecraft@gmail.com , or follow us on twitter...

In Episode 47 we overload you with American Pale Ale love with a style guideline overview as well as a tasting note segment with a classic Pale Ale. Don’t worry, we also cover a listener question concerning how to come up with home brew recipes and well as a news article about a “True Craft Beer” investment group. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in this episod...

Episode 46 visits the first ever Washington Beer Collaboration Festival and spills the beans on all the good beer it had to offer. Find out the 15 must try coffee beers and learn about John’s birthday weekend activities. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment in the next episode by picking up a bottle of the Deschutes Mirror Pond (Pale Ale) and tasting along with us....

Every new 21 year old needs some advice to follow while visiting drinking establishments...well in Episode 45 we go over the steps to making your first legal drinking experience safe and fun. We discuss a news article on how scaling Goose Island beers up to AB size brew system has affected the beers five years after the acquisition. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes seg...

In Episode 44 we uncover a few of the tips and tricks to fully utilize the power the Untappd Social Beer Application. We answer a listener question about the use and flavors of Brettanomyces in your beer and another question about what separates a Pale Ale from an IPA. Plus a couple news articles and our usual beer banter. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment for n...

Back from International travels, in Episode 43 Denny covers Israel’s craft beer scene and John talks about his adventures traveling around Washington state. We also answer a listener question about our favorite beer style and provide a few great red ale suggestions. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment for this episode by picking up a bottle or can of Big Sky Brewi...

Episode 42 dives into the recent marketing drive to change “Craft Beer” to “Indie Beer” to separate the breweries who have chosen to sell out to big beer. Find out how John and Denny feel about this movement. We also tackle a listener question concerning how to open a wax sealed bottle. We discuss an article listing the 10 most underrated breweries in America and another article pushing for drinki...

Tune into Episode 41 as we discuss our Super Bowl activities and the buzz around Peyton Manning’s marketing skills. We answer a listener question concerning the hype and availability of the Russian River Pliny the Younger triple IPA. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment by picking up a can or six of the Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale and tasting along with us. If...

Episode 40 brings you a home brewing topic discussing switching over from malt extract brewing to all grain brewing process. We also have a listener question asking about IPA saturation and an article with six appetizers made with beer that are fit for your Super Bowl party. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment by picking up a can or six of the Oskar Blues Old Chub...

It’s Episode 39 and we are striving to keep the show below an hour and a half for the new year...so we are coming to you with a couple listener questions, a couple craft beer articles and our listener participation tasting notes with the Widmer Omission IPA. We encourage you to participate in our listener tasting notes segment by picking up a bottle of the Widmer Omission IPA and tasting along wit...