Episoder
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There is a certain level of magic behind beer, in the fermentation alone. Those little yeasty cells are working hard to convert sugar to alcohol and CO2, but what else? Disco parties?
Courtney Iseman, a Brookyn-based beer journalist, has recently published a zine: "Beer Tarot: Pulling Cards, Pouring Beer, & Discovering Self." She suggests adding a little mysticism, a little magic to the consumption side of beer; through Tarot.
In this episode of Beer Me, she explains that while the practice of Tarot has been around for centuries, it has become more popular in recent years. Tarot has risen since the pandemic, "not as much as sourdough" Iseman jokes. People seek more introspective moments and creative outlets, and tarot answers both needs.
To be clear, tarot is less about predicting the future and more about setting an intention, for example, "getting a vibe for the day", Iseman explains. (like bones or no bones, RIP Noodle).
In her zine, Iseman dives into the history of Tarot and where it's surfacing in beer. For example, EJ Nunns & Max Sherman at Trve Brewing in Denver have designed a custom tarot deck. (it's stunning).
What's in the cards? Maybe they suggest you try a new beer or branch out. Or they might suggest to stick to your favorite. Check out this zine for more details!
Shoutouts: Trve Brewing, Brasserie l'Ermitage, Joanne Love, Noodle and the No Bones Day
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The mix of wonderful and hilarious people one meets in the beer world is a marvel. There is no better time to celebrate those friends than Thanksgiving, or a few weeks after.
Beer Me welcomes back to the show Carl Crafts, Sam Nellis, and Grant Vaught. We all met working at Birch & Barley/Churchkey in DC and all have gone off into various directions - but still mostly in beverage.
It is a tradition on Beer Me to gather once a year to answer the burning question: "What will you be drinking on Thanksgiving"?
While exploring as many tangents as possible.
While this isn't hard-hitting beer news (is it ever?), or complex topics rooted in education, it IS fun.
Grab a beer, laugh, and enjoy some turkey!
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"What are your hopes and dreams for the American Craft Beer Industry as a whole?" This impossibly hard-to-answer question was asked of three beer industry veterans during a live show, in the rain, during their first hour of the Snallygaster Beer Festival.
Beer Me Radio returned to our "recorded live" roots for one special show during Snallygaster beer festival in Washington, DC, in a podcast tent, in the rain. It was incredibly fun.
Our host, Sarah Jane Curran, had the opportunity to interview Josh Schlesinger (Head of Sales and distribution for Bissell Brothers Brewing Company), Matt Monahan (Founder/CEO of Other Half Brewing Co), and Blake Tyers (Senior Director of Curiosity Creature Comforts). What do these three have in common? All of their respective breweries will be celebrating ten years opened throughout 2024. And with that significant anniversary coming up, why not reflect on the future? In the middle of a beer festival.
All of these breweries have been massive contributors to the industry, in their products, and how they engage with the industry and their communities, and they will continue to grow.
"It's exciting to be rounding out ten years" -Blake shared. At the time of recording (10/14/23) Creature Comforts was a mere two weeks away from opening its newest location in LA
Matt shared the news that Other Half is planning the opening of their 8th location in Chicago
As they all reflected on the collective decade of success Josh added: "I think everyone on this panel has had a pretty sweet ride for the past 10 years"
The conversation ranged from what changes they wanted to see in the industry as a whole (more diversity being the main theme), to what styles would be compelling. There was also a discussion about responding to trends, specifically non-alcoholic beer. Matt explained, "Don't want to ignore growth opportunities, but also (you) need to make sure that what you're doing already is working."
Was this topic overly ambitious for a live recording at a festival? For sure. But was it worth the ask? 100%
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Successful collaborations are a hallmark of the brewing industry. There are countless examples of collaborations between breweries, brewers with restaurants, and even brewers with bands. The result of these collaborations is the beer, which is formed through many (MANY!) decisions that lead to the desired result (hopefully).
As Beer Me Radio relishes in its "cheese era", the newest episode builds on a few recent episodes surrounding cheese and beer. Megan Vaughan, Founder/Owner of Vaughan Cheese in Chesapeake, MD recently joined the show to share about the process of beer-washed cheese (Listen HERE). She mentioned Vaughan Cheese recently worked with Joe Puttlitz, Founder/Owner of Greenspring Brewing Co. in Calvert County, MD to create a beer specifically for the cheese shop. The goal is to eventually make a beer-washed cheese specifically for the shop using this beer.
Both Joe and Megan joined the show to share the finite details of the collaboration and what decisions Joe made during the brewing process to sculpt the perfect brew.
Megan requested a beer that was low ABV, had little to no bitterness, and flavors that could pair with hundreds of varieties of cheeses. Joe took all of this into consideration and in the first sample, he presented, nailed it. Megan explained "It felt like magic to me...I couldn't think of anything to change"
In a way, it was magic....and science, and art.
Joe explains the malt, yeast, and hop considerations. He talks through the decision process on how to treat the water, and how that would reflect on the final product. This episode allows the listener to take a step into the mind of the brewer.
Another successful brewing collaboration on the books!
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"It was just a day of horse racing" explains Andreas Krenmair, Beer Author and Historian and most recent guest on Beer Me, as he describes the first Oktoberfest.
Austrian-based Andreas has done significant research on the Vienna Lager style and Austrian and German beer & brewing history. Most recently he joined the Beer Me podcast to begin to scratch the surface of Oktoberfest history.
He explains how a city-wide celebration of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen where the main attraction was a horse race has grown into the massive celebration of Oktoberfest.
This year, the 188th Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich, Germany September 16th and ended on October 3rd. A celebration that draws numbers in the millions with additional celebrations worldwide. (Check out this recent episode to see how Jack's Abby celebrated).
The progression is fascinating to look back on, from the different attractions throughout the year to the actual beer served. Andreas guides the listeners through his studies in the evolution of the world-famous celebration.
A detailed map from 1843 shows the 22 publicans that served beer from Munich and the surrounding towns. These include some well-known producers, including "HackerbrÀu, PschorrbrÀu, LöwenbrÀu... MaderbrÀu, KnorrbrÀu, Oberkandler, Unterkandler, SinglspielerbrÀu" explains Andreas.
Andreas also explains how the regulations on which beer can be served shifted throughout the years. Oktoberfestbier has even achieved PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) status in the EU.
With 188 years of celebrations, Andreas was only able to scratch the surface of Oktoberfest history, but a worthy topic to tap into! Prost!
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Jack's Abby Craft Lagers opened in 2011 in Framingham, MA by three brothers: Jack, Eric, and Sam Hendler. They set out to only produce lagers, in a world of IPAs, and have stayed true to that vision.
Rob Day, the VP of Marketing for Jack's Abby, described how Jack Hendler studied brewing in Germany and continues his education in German brewing with an annual trip to traditional and modern brewing facilities in Germany, on this week's episode of Beer Me.
Every year, this lager brewhouse celebrates Oktoberfest (the season we are in RIGHT NOW!) with traditions of tapping gravity kegs, stein hoisting, and a keg toss. This year, they have outdone themselves, with the release of a festbier, a collaboration with Weihenstephan called "Fest of Both Worlds".
Rob explains "(Jack's Abby) is only the 3rd brewery in the U.S to do a collaboration" The other two being Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. In this episode, he describes the collaboration process and what went into the beer.
Oktoberfest is a special time for beer, as Rob describes it "beer's moment", there is no other beverage celebrated during this time. Let's hoist a stein to "one of the world's most affordable luxuries!"
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Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
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When boiled down (pun intended) beer is an agricultural product, as is chocolate. This is one of the many similarities between the craft beer and chocolate worlds. Chocolate is produced from the seeds of a fruit that grows on a tropical plant. As with beer, chocolate is also a fermented product, and much like beer, there is craft production and mass production.
David Nilsen, beer writer, and educator sat down with Sarah Jane Curran, host of Beer Me! to discuss pairing beer and chocolate, inspired by these parallels.
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After our last episode, talking beer and cheese pairings with Anne Becerra, we needed more cheese. As one does. And there are so many parallels between beer and cheese, both in the production and storytelling possibilities.
This week we welcome to the show, Megan Vaughan, cheese expert and owner of Vaughan Cheese in North Beach, Maryland to discuss beer-washed cheese. Megan breaks down the cheese-making and aging process that involves washing cheese with beer and how that impacts the cheese during the aging as well as the final product.
She also answers Sarah Jane's burning cheese questions:
- What is the cheddering process?
- Is there cheese terroir?
- Can you wash goat cheese?
- Should you always eat the cheese rind?
Magan also shares why it is so important to support American Artisan Cheesemakers, for many of the same reasons we support American Craft Brewers.
Shoutouts:
The Culinary Institute of America, Eleven Madison Park, Jasper Hill Farms, Virtue Hard Cider, Chapel's Country Creamery, 16 Mile Brewing Company, Firefly Farm
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Almost as ubiquitous as a beer and pretzel, there is the classic pairing of beer with cheese. This pairing is also an excellent gateway into the beer world for those just starting on their beer journey, so we decided to do an episode dedicated to beer and cheese.
We welcome Anne Becerra (Cicerone, Speaker, Consultant: annelikesbeer.com) back to the show to talk through her process of pairing beer with cheese. While there are always the classic three C's for pairing beer with food (Compliment, Contrast, Cut), her approach is more organic.
She guides us through her method of dissecting the flavors of a beer and how those flavors could act as additional ingredients to the cheese experience. The process is very approachable and easy to follow.
In June Anne lead a seminar with cheese expert, Laura Werlin at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, where they paired seven classic European beer styles with some stunning cheese. This was the first time beer was featured as one of the seminar options. Anne explains her thought process for selecting these styles for attendees who are more wine drinkers and the feedback she got from them.
We of course go down a few rabbit holes... drink more Doppelbock! But it wouldn't be Beer Me without at least one or two diversions.
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Homebrewing has been a topic of discussion many times here on Beer Me, but we haven't had many opportunities to dive into what it looks like to transition from hobbyist to professional. While it is a path that requires tenacity, there are certainly rewarding moments along the way.
This week, we welcome to the show Jason Bell, Founder of Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton, Colorado. He takes us through his path in kitchens, restaurants, beverage sales, and finally opening a brewery.
His brewing path started with homebrew, and he describes how his mindset needed to shift from homebrewer to commercial brewer and what that entailed. He shares the challenges he constantly considers with brewing consistency, distribution, ensuring staff wellbeing, and brewing for the guest.
The road to opening a brewery is often condensed into a quick blurb on a website, "engineer turned brewer", but the story is usually more complicated - and more exciting.
Congratulations to the team at Living the Dream Brewing as they head into their anniversary weekend! Nine years!
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Corn has never been given a fair shake.
The evils of high fructose corn syrup have been bellowed from every soapbox, the most commonly grown corn is for animal feed, and is generally, not a much-beloved ingredient.
This has also been the case in beer. Even as recent as 2019, Bud Light ran an ad during the Super Bowl calling out Coors Light and Miller Lite for using corn syrup in their beer. But the trend of lighter, more session-able beers is on the rise, including corn lagers.
Some of the best breweries in the country are using heirloom varietals of corn in their beers- Fonta Flora, Bow & Arrow, and Black Narrows, to name a few.
Josh Chapman, founder of Black Narrows Brewing Company in Chincoteague, VA joins the show to talk all things corn lager. We dive into the specific corn they use for their flagship "How Bout It" corn lager (Bloody Butcher heirloom corn from Bill & Bob Savage). Josh takes us through special brewing considerations needed for brewing with corn and how to keep the integrity of the corn flavor.
The surface has only been scratched with corn lagers here on Beer Me! So we will undoubtedly return to this subject again.
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Over the past few months on Beer Me! we have explored different parts of the Homebrewing world, including competitions. One aspect of competitions we haven't had the opportunity to discuss is beer judging. Thankfully, Jen Blair joins the show this week to dive into that.
Jen Blair is an Advance Cicerone, National BJCP Judge, and co-host of the beer and brewing podcast "False-Bottomed Girls". Last week, she led a virtual breakout session for Crafted for Action, "Turning the Beer Judging Tables: Strategies for an Inclusive Judging Environment" (Watch the sessions: HERE)
On the show, we discuss what that beer judging typically looks like and some of the barriers that exist. Jen takes us through suggestions on how to make the beer judging process more inclusive both from a planning perspective and in the moment. She also has built an extensive resource for those looking to pursue beer judging.
Beer judging can be an incredibly fun, engaging experience. It is endlessly beneficial for palette and brewing development. But it can be intimidating. Hopefully today you are inspired to dive into the world of beer judging.MUSIC CREDIT: The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
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Homebrewing conversations here on Beer Me often trumpet the same message: âItâs easy to get into! Just get a gallon kit!â. Well, what we donât talk about is how the hobby is SO fun, SO engaging, next thing you know, you have a mini fridge in your garage with your own yeast strains and a mass of homebrew equipment slowly taking over your living space. Ok, maybe it doesnât snowball to quite that level, but as someone grows as a homebrewer, so does the collection of equipment.
What can be done to combat that? Say youâre a homebrewer who lives in a smaller space or travels a lot. Enter the âhomebrew collectiveâ! Think of this like a maker space of homebrewing. You pay monthly dues to brew in a collective space with other homebrewers. All the fun and community, without all the storage.
About eight years ago, Andy Oetman founded âFishbowl Collective Brewingâ in DC. This is a brewing co-op that does about 6 brew days a year. Members of the collective are encouraged to participate in at least 3 per year. They take a survey to decide the beer style and each person is assigned different jobs.
We go down a few rabbit holes on making beer with stormwater and hop-co-operatives (or rather, a co-HOP-erative), but generally stay on track.
Check out this episode with Andy Oetman, Founder/Head Brewer of Fishbowl Brewing Collective in DC!
Shoutouts: American Homebrew Association, National Arboretum, Witbier, Brewing Water Science
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A fairly common scene: grocery and food market patrons judiciously select their produce from pristine displays. And what happens to the fruit that isn't selected? The produce with a slight blemish or a unique shape. More often than not, it ends up as food waste in a landfill, which is both harmful to the environment and wasteful.
One effort to combat this? Beer.
Atlas Brew Works of DC has partnered with Food Rescue US-DC to brew a beer using rescued stone fruit from different markets. Daniel Vilarrubi, Director of Brewing Operations joins the show to describe the process. He also talks about partnering with RavenHook Bakehouse to use their leftover bread in brews.
Colleen Gillespie also returns to the show as she is now the Site Coordinator for Food Rescue US-DC. She describes different ways markets, restaurants, hotels, and other food production sites can help combat food waste. An ongoing conversation on this show is how breweries are stewards of the community, and this is a prime example.
Shoutouts: Food Rescue US-DC, Atlas Brew Works (soon-to-be) NEW location at Carlyle Crossing in Alexandria, VA, Andy's Pizza, RavenHook Bakehouse, Silent Neighbor Export Stout winning GOLD at the 2023 World Beer Cup!
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With Homebrew Conference right around the corner (June 22-24 in San Diego), we thought we needed another episode focusing on homebrewing.
This week, Julia Herz executive director of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA)âthe nationâs largest hobbyist not-for-profit organization for homebrewers and fermented beverages joins the show.
Julia gives us a little history on The Homebrew Conference, and how itâs grown over the years. There are some exciting sessions and topics this year, including a Hot Sauce making session (hey, itâs fermentation).
We also dive into a conversation on new homebrewing technology (you can do an entire brew day from an app on your phone), and new styles that homebrewers are tackling.
It wouldnât be Beer Me if we didnât leave you with a little how-to to start your homebrew journey!
Take a look at American Homebrewers Association website, engage with your local clubs (shout out to the DC Homebrewers Club), or simply grab a 1-gallon kit and get brewing!MUSIC CREDIT: The following music was used for this media project:
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Plenty of regions come to mind when talking about hop-growing regions: the Pacific Northwest, Hallertau, Lubin, etc. But what about regions that have come and gone, the former hop-growing regions?
Jennifer Jordan is in the process of researching her new book and joins the show to share some of the stories she has uncovered. She is a professor of Sociology at The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She is the author of Edible Memory: The Lure of Heirloom Tomatoes and Other Forgotten Foods (University of Chicago Press, 2015) and Structures of Memory: Understanding Urban Change in Berlin and Beyond (Stanford University Press, 2006).
Her current manuscript is titled Before Craft Beer: Lost Landscape of Forgotten Hops, which explores the boom and bust of hop growing in Wisconsin during the 1800s. She shares stories of the women who harvested the hops, what was involved in the hop bust, and other accounts from old diaries.
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Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
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Jeff O'Neil, founder of Industrial Arts Brewing Company in the Hudson Valley is back for part two of sustainable brewing practices. In our last show "From Grain to Bottle" (air date 3/25/22) Jeff shared how malt production has changed throughout the years in the Hudson Valley and we began to discuss water conservation at Industrial Arts.
For this episode, Jeff explains the sustainable practices they have implemented in their new facility in Beacon, NY based on techniques from their original location. He talks through the finer points of recycling heat from their glycol chiller, using a nitrogen generator, and vapor distilling.
We also dive into hop production in New York and how local products can help with a carbon footprint. There are many hop options now, or as Jeff puts it "tools in their toolbox" that allow brewers to layer flavors. From wet hops, dried flowers, pellets, and even hop extracts, Jeff explain how each can be useful and their impact on the environment.
We are looking forward to a part three episode with Jeff soon!
Shoutouts: Hudson Valley Beer, Finger Lakes Beer, Pederson Farms (Seneca Castle, NY)
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The beer world continues to morph and become a more inclusive space. There are too many people involved in that evolution to name here, but one person doing a lot of good for the beer world is Michele Wonder.
Michele got her start in beer as a homebrewer and quickly got involved in organizations like the Pink Boots Society and The Oregon Brew Crew.
She has contributed to the beer world in many positive ways. She is a co-founder and social media director for the Women's Craft Fermentation Alliance. Also a co-founder of WIBS: a craft fermentation summit (formerly Women's International Beer Summit), and Founder of the Black is Beautiful Homebrew PDX Brewing Project.
She joins the show to share her story and how her work has evolved over the years. We dive into how beer is a community and how much it can be a cultural touchstone. And how we can work together to break down barriers in beer to be a more inclusive space.
Get ready for a real feel-good episode:)
Shoutouts: Oregon Brew Crew, SheBrew, Queen of Beer, Pink Boots Society, Home Brew Competitions
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In homage to the tail end of coolship season (for most of the world), we decided to do a coolship 101 episode. Garrett Crowell joins the show to explain what a coolship is, its history, and how it can be used in brewing. He draws on his experience as the former head brewer of Jester King in Austin, Texas, and founder of Yokefellow in Johnson City, Texas.
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Our guest this week, JĂ©rĂŽme Rebetez takes us through the journey of founding and growing his brewery Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes in the Jura mountains of Switzerland.
JĂ©rĂŽme studied winemaking, but after winning an entrepreneur tv competition, he opened his artisanal brewery in 1997.
He has made countless styles of beer over the years, but one we dive into is LâAbbaye de Saint Bon-Chien and his "everlasting research in umami."
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Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
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