The HOP: A Craft Beer Podcast

In honor of the "Tom Brady" Buccaneers, we’re paying our first visit to the great state of Florida! Cigar City Brewing is Tampa’s go-to spot for tropical ales & lagers. Founder Joey Redner released his first 465-gallon batch of Maduro Brown Ale in 2009 on a mission to share the history and culture of Florida with the world. In just over a decade, the operation has grown to produce more than 18...

As snow falls in the Northeast, Stephen & Gabe dream of warmer weather and pay a visit to sunny San Diego! Since its opening in 1995, AleSmith Brewing has set a gold standard for excellence. CEO Peter Zien’s mastery of style and flavor earned them the title of “Small Brewery of the Year” at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival. Now working on an 80bbl system, AleSmith has garnered numerous ac...

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 Minervino, Roger Apollon Jr. & Jeff Gattens, this 7bbl shop is working to define the unique profile of New Jersey craft beer. In a new edition of our “Taproom Special” segment, Stephen & Gabe stop by the...

“Yes, they’re all sour!” This week, Stephen & Gabe return to one of the best beer states in the country, visiting a brewery focused exclusively on sour beers. Hermit Thrush Brewery is one of America’s preeminent destinations for funky, sour, Belgian-style ales. Coming from the woods of Vermont, their beers are uniquely local -- crafted, flavored and soured with a specifically “New England'' te...

Threes Brewing has been a dominant force on the New York craft beer scene since opening in 2014. Now operating four locations in and around Brooklyn, the company aims to balance simplicity and complexity with a focus on lagers, hop-forward American ales and mixed culture beers. Their list of accolades includes numerous awards at the New York State Craft Beer Competition, and Bon Appétit called the...

In the first episode of 2021, Stephen & Gabe kick off the year with a visit to Night Shift Brewing in Everett, MA. Founded by a trio of home-brewing friends in 2012, the company has quickly garnered an impressive reputation in the New England craft beer scene. Still 100% independent, the Night Shift team has managed to build a groundbreaking distribution business while expanding their talents...

As 2020 (finally) draws to a close, Stephen & Gabe ring in the new year by reflecting on highlights from the first year of episodes. Since launching the show in January, we’ve sampled beer from 76 breweries across 14 U.S. states and 5 different countries! In a jam-packed episode, we’ll revisit two standout breweries from the past to dig a little deeper and see what else they have to offer. We’...

It’s the holiday season and Stephen & Gabe are feeling festive! A Christmas Ale can be many things, as proven by this week’s lineup of holiday offerings from across the USA. First up, we’ll head back to San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing to sample a beer that’s been a holiday favorite since 1975. Then we’ll return to Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing for an amber ale with a spicy twist. Finally, we’...

Full disclosure: We wanted to muscle through Bud Light’s Ugly Sweater Seltzer pack but 2020 had other plans for us. A last minute pivot turns out to be a blessing in disguise as Stephen & Gabe find themselves at Newburgh Brewing Company! Settled in the heart of NY’s Hudson Valley, Newburgh honors the rich, extensive history of brewing in the region. Since opening the company nearly a decade ag...

To celebrate our 50th episode, we take a trip up to Franklin, MA for a visit to 67 Degrees Brewing! Originally from Haiti, owner Olivier Edouard opened the brewery this past January on a mission to “stretch the creativity of craft beer and rediscover classic beer styles.” Things are going well in spite of the pandemic, and today this family-run microbrewery boasts a surprisingly diverse lineup of...

Stephen & Gabe kick off December with a full sampling of Harpoon’s Dunkin’ Dozen! Released this past fall, the Dunkin’ Dozen features a trio of brand new, Dunkin’-inspired beers joining the fan-favorite Coffee Porter and marks the first time beer has been infused with actual Dunkin’ donuts. It’s a unique, seasonal drinking experience that Business Insider calls “predictably weird.” This is a j...

In a very special Thanksgiving episode, Stephen & Gabe journey through several takes on the Black is Beautiful beer initiative! Created this summer by San Antonio’s Weathered Souls Brewing Company, Black is Beautiful has quickly exploded into a global movement raising awareness for racial injustice. With the base recipe and label design freely available online, breweries are encouraged to part...

This week, the boys take a trip down the Pacific Coast for a look at two mainstays on the San Diego craft beer scene! Stephen takes us to Pizza Port Brewing, a family-owned pizzeria that has quickly blossomed into a mini craft beer empire with 5 locations in the SD area. Meanwhile, Gabe samples several beers from Second Chance, an award-winning brewhouse focused on seizing opportunity and embracin...

This week, Stephen & Gabe head up to the Hudson Valley for a hoppy round of beers from Industrial Arts Brewing Company. Founded by Ithaca Beer Co.’s Jeff O’Neil in 2016, Industrial Arts embraces the interplay between art and science, creation and innovation. With a commitment to local ingredients, quality product and sustainability from the farm to the glass, this growing operation represents...

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 400bbls per month, having gained quite a reputation for an incredibly fresh, hop-forward beer lineup. Stephen & Gabe stop in for a round of brews highlighting the increasing creativity & stylistic diver...

On a very special, very spooky episode, the boys celebrate Halloween with a vast lineup of pumpkin beers! Pumpkin is an extremely polarizing ingredient, drawing either passionate love or extreme disgust from beer enthusiasts with seemingly no in-between. Stephen & Gabe examine the surprising versatility of pumpkin across various beer styles and flavor profiles. From sweet to bitter, lager to a...

This week, Stephen & Gabe head to the bottom of the subway map for a journey around the great borough of Brooklyn, an area with an extensive brewing history dating back to the 1800s. The beer scene exploded after the opening of Brooklyn Brewery in the 1980s, so much so that today there are nearly 3 dozen craft breweries registered in Brooklyn alone. First up, Gabe spearheads another edition of...

As Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close, we’re marking the occasion with a selection of craft imports from several Spanish-speaking countries. Craft beer continues to boom internationally, with talented artisans using local ingredients to push the boundaries of flavor and creativity. From a German-style lager bursting with tropical citrus to a decadent imperial stout kicked up with Mexican chi...

Opening Los Angeles Ale Works in 2017, founder Kristofor “Kip” Barnes set out to create a neighborhood brewery offering diverse, well-balanced beers to please any palate. As the first brewery in Hawthorne, CA, the operation quickly gained popularity and became a favorite watering hole for SpaceX employees working around the corner. Today, they offer everything from traditional German, English and...

This week, we’re back in the Nutmeg State to sample a round of purr-fect IPAs! Fat Orange Cat is a small, farmhouse brewery out of East Hampton, CT. Mike Klucznik and Sheila Mullen run the small-batch, experimental “test kitchen” from their barn while working with Twelve Percent Beer Project to distribute their most popular brews. They’ve developed quite a reputation, both for their quality New En...

Prost! Don your lederhosen and grab a pint with Stephen & Gabe in a special Oktoberfest celebration! The iconic festival draws around 6,000,000 people to Munich annually at the end of September. Though in-person festivities are canceled this year, we can still mark the end of summer with classic, German beer styles. This week, the boys start off with a pair of authentic, Munich-brewed Oktoberf...

This week, we take a trip up to the Boston area to visit a young, homegrown brewery that’s doing everything right. Crue Brew Brewery has been family owned and operated since its inception in 2015. After more than two years of contract brewing, husband and wife Kevin & Tammy Merritt borrowed from the equity in their house to open a brick & mortar location. Incredibly, this makes them one of...

Stephen & Gabe head back up to the Green Mountain State for a look at Upper Pass Brewing Company, a small operation founded by a pair of homebrewers in 2015. The company released their first beer in September of that year as part of the Tunbridge World’s Fair. They’ve established themselves as power players in the Vermont brew scene, having developed quite a following around their stellar juic...

This week, Stephen & Gabe take a trip down the CT shoreline for a visit to 30 Mile Brewing Co. A lesser-known “hidden gem” of the CT beer scene, the microbrewery was founded by a pair of friends in 2015. They continue to operate on an intimate 5-barrel system with a focus on locally sourced ingredients, diversity of styles and, above all, drinkability. Featured beers: Kievets Hoek Belgian Trip...

This week, the boys head back to the great state of Massachusetts to profile a young brewery with a unique business model. Loophole Brewing was born out of a desire to lessen the financial strain and barrier to entry for New England’s upcoming craft brewers. Their three-pronged approach to business allows them to brew their own beers, offer an extensive contract brewing service and, (most exciting...