The HOP: A Craft Beer Podcast

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 7/8/2021 Despite the booming craft beer scene in America, macro beers from companies like Anheuser-Busch, MolsonCoors, Constellation and Heineken continue to dominate the market. This week, Stephen &...

American beer, like much of American culture, is a melting pot of history and identity, owing much to styles that originated in Germany, England, Belgium and elsewhere. This week, with the 4th of July just around the corner, The HOP visits 4 different locations, sampling a wide variety of drinks crafted in celebration of the red, white & blue! Gabe kicks things off at Citizen Cider, a Burlingt...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 2/18/2021 For craft beer drinkers in the state of Connecticut, New England Brewing Company has long been synonymous with quality, well-crafted and truly remarkable ales & lagers. Driven by a deep pas...

The HOP is bound for the Midwest this week, making our first ever visit to Oklahoma for a stop at Prairie Artisan Ales! Brothers Chase and Chris Healey founded the brand in 2012 on a mission to “delight customers with cool beers.” In fact, the word “cool” barely does justice to their lineup of fun, innovative, eye-catching and, (sometimes,) downright insane sour ales and imperial stouts. Stephen &...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 6/3/2021 On the heels of Memorial Day, it seemed like the perfect time for Stephen & Gabe to visit a popular New England brewery that happens to be veteran-owned. Steve Gagner conceived of the idea f...

School’s out and it’s time for a drink! This week, The HOP takes to the beach, ushering in the summer season with a jam-packed lineup of summer beers. The “summer ale” can be many things, and Stephen & Gabe are on a mission to find the perfect beer for beach day. Today’s episode features FOUR different breweries, each offering a unique take on the seasonal style. Gabe kicks things off at Harpo...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 11/5/2020 Home-brewer Rob Croxall established El Segundo Brewing in 2011, “leaving a cushy corporate job to risk it all on craft beer.” Today, what started as a garage operation is now producing over 400...

Stephen & Gabe are going Hollywood this week as The HOP is back in Tinseltown for a stop at Boomtown Brewery! When co-founders John Rankin & Sam Chawinga started brewing together in 2015, they had a vision of becoming the first brewery in Hollywood. This became impractical due to costs and logistical challenges, leading Boomtown to settle in Downtown Los Angeles. Landing in the arts distri...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 7/9/2020 This week, Stephen and Gabe visit a brewery in their own backyard. Alisa Bowens-Mercado founded New Haven, CT’s Rhythm Brewing Co. in 2018, looking to fulfill a need in the craft beer scene: Cle...

We’re doing things a bit differently this week on The HOP, abandoning beer for tequila in honor of Cinco de Mayo! Tequila serves as the base for some of the world’s most famous cocktails, most notably the margarita. With several varieties of standout tequilas in hand, Stephen & Gabe set off on a journey to unpack the margarita, its core recipe and a world of endless possibilities. From smoky m...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 4/8/2021 The boys are back together for a visit to Rogue Ales out of Portland, OR! Founded in 1988 by three former Nike executives, the company is widely recognized as one of the original American microb...

This week, The HOP is in Stephen’s backyard as the boys head to Paperback Brewing in Glendale, CA! Originally conceived of in 2013, Paperback was founded on the premise that “every beer tells a story.” The grand opening of their aircraft hangar brewery & taproom was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but by 2021 the company was finally able to  welcome the public. Today, Paperback h...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 8/6/2020 Stillwater Artisanal may not have a building, they may not have a home base, but they do have an extensive list of eccentric, creative and experimental beers that have garnered praise and accola...

This week, Stephen & Gabe stop off in Asheville, NC for a visit to Wicked Weed Brewing! Since opening as a brewpub in 2012, Wicked Weed has earned a reputation for pushing the craft beer envelope, offering a diverse, interesting lineup of brews that always deliver on flavor. Having grown substantially in the past decade, the company currently operates 4 taprooms in the Asheville area including...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 1/28/2021 We can almost guarantee you’ve never heard of Four City Brewing, but it’s a powerhouse young brewery that demands attention from craft beer lovers near and far. Founded in 2016 by Anthony Miner...

We may be a bit late to the game, but Stephen & Gabe weren’t going to let St. Paddy’s Day pass us by! It’s our annual Irish festival this week on a jam-packed episode that truly has it all. The boys kick things off with a shot of Irish whiskey, (as always,) thanks in part to a certain Irish UFC fighter that may or may not make an appearance. Then, Gabe heads the cider route while Stephen check...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 3/18/2021 In our 2nd annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, Stephen & Gabe return to the Emerald Isle to see what else the Republic has to offer! First, we’ll kick things off with a shot of Irish Whis...

When we stumbled upon Stolen Sun Brewing in Exton, PA, we thought it would be the perfect way to honor Philadelphia after a surefire Superbowl win. Clearly things didn’t turn out as planned, but this week Stephen & Gabe will drink about it anyway! Stolen Sun is a craft brewery & coffee roastery founded by Jonathan & Deirdre Zangwill in 2017. Driven by a passion for food engineering, th...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 2/6/2020 Cider drinkers! The moment has come. By listener request, Gabe and Stephen sample hard cider in several variations. Cider is an anomalous middle ground between beer and wine, and this episode wi...

This week, Stephen & Gabe head down the Eastern Seaboard for a stop at Revelry Brewing Company! While this little-known brewhouse may be unfamiliar to beer drinkers across the country, it has come to be known as one of the most popular options in the Charleston area. They also have the distinction of being the first South Carolina brewery ever to be featured on The HOP! In a jam-packed episode...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 6/24/2021 When Dave “Philly” Mack handed us beer outside a Wawa in Downtown Philadelphia, we weren’t sure what to expect. In an unprecedented move, The HOP is profiling a brewery in the startup phase wit...

This week, the boys return to middle America for a stop at New Holland Brewing! Having recently celebrated 25 years in the business, Brett VanderKamp’s once-fledgling operation has grown to become a leading innovator in the world of brewing and distilling. Since the sale of Bell’s to Kirin in 2021, New Holland has been recognized as the largest independent brewery in Michigan, boasting an ever-gro...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 4/15/2021 This week, we’re heading back down to the Garden State for one final stop on our New Jersey brewery tour! Husband & wife owners Denise & Leo founded Montclair Brewery in 2014, bringing...

This week, Stephen & Gabe are joined on the mics by a pair of industry veterans to discuss some exciting developments for the craft beer community. One of the great challenges for avid beer lovers is product availability. It can be nearly impossible to locate and purchase beers outside of your local distribution network, (trust us, we know!) Derek Correia, president of ReserveBar, hopes to off...

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week. Originally posted 2/20/2020 The boys head to Orange County, CA for some wacky beers on Round 8! The Bruery is a boutique, experimental operation that has been passionately crafting innovative concoctions since 2008. Speci...