Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

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Bonus: Clean Lines Means Better Beer Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

For the last several months the All About Beer podcast has been producing great episodes on a single topic that matter to beer drinkers. Hosts Don Tse and Em Sauter have great expert guests that bring unparalleled insight into all aspects of beer.

This episode tackles the importance of clean draft lines. Even if you’re a casual drinker this is still important and fascinating.

You can hear regular episodes of the All About Beer podcast, as well as Brewer to Brewer and Beer Traveler by searching All About Beer on your podcast platform of choice.

If you believe in quality journalism and content I hope you’ll give our patreon a look: patreon.com/all about beer or you can learn more about advertising on the shows by emailing info @ all about beer dot com.

Drink Beer, Think Beer will be back next week with all new episodes, but for now please enjoy the All About Beer Podcast with Em Sauter and Don Tse.

There’s nothing more important in the beer world that’s also super misunderstood and unappreciated than clean draft lines- a dirty draft line can sully a person’s relationship with a brewery or bar and can also have legal implications as well.

Our Guest: Neil Witte is one of the foremost draft beer experts in the beer business. He’s spent 20 of his 23 years in the business working in draft quality, first for Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City and now with his own company, Craft Quality Solutions. He co-authored the Draught Beer Quality Manual (DBQM), widely considered to be the most authoritative draft beer reference guide in the beer business today. He continues the work on this living document to this day as a member of the Brewers Association Draught Quality Subcommittee.

For original articles or to read the vast archives check out All About Beer. Follow us on Twitter @allaboutbeer and Instagram @allaboutbeer. Support Journalism by visiting our Patreon Page.

Hosts: Em Sauter and Don Tse
Guest: Neil Witte
Sponsors: All About Beer
Tags: Brewing, Beer, Draft, Cleaning, Safety, Flavor, Bars, Stadiums

The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com

Ep. 174 - Devon Kreps of 7venth Sun Brewery Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Devon Kreps, the owner of 7venth Sun Brewery, has a degree in Fermentation Science from Oregon State University and gained experience at Anheuser-Busch's research pilot facility in St. Louis. She was also the Production Manager at Sweetwater Brewing during its expansion from 25,000 to 60,000 barrels.

In 2012, she opened the first 7venth Sun Brewery location in Dunedin, which features 10 taps and outdoor seating. This location, the brewery says, is now treated as a pilot facility, focusing on producing Saisons, Belgian beers, Brett IPAs, Hazy IPAs, and "fun" lagers. The Tampa location, which opened in 2017 in a former VFW roller skating rink, is a larger production plant with a tasting room and outdoor beer garden.

7venth Sun Brewery has created a pair of seltzers called Pink Tax and Blue Tax. They are identical recipes except for the color- and the price.

According to the brewery, The Pink Tax refers to the practice of charging higher prices for goods and services marketed to women. Razors, for example, can be up to 66% more expensive for women than for men, despite being the same product. This practice is seen as a form of gender discrimination, as it disproportionately affects women and non-binary individuals.

In a switch: The Blue Tax seltzer is priced higher than the Pink Tax seltzer, and 100% of the additional cost, as well as proceeds from both seltzers will be donated to the Pink Boots Society.

Kreps explains how all this came about and also talks about Tampa Beer Week and the growing of a business.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Devon Kreps
Sponsors: All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Seltzer, Tampa, Festivals, Hangovers, Lager

Ep. 173 - Introducing the Monocacy hop Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Hop lovers, put your attention to Maryland where this month brewers and growers there released a beer with a hop that is native to the state and unlike anything else found elsewhere. The brewer and researcher behind it are here to share the story.

Last week in Maryland state officials, brewers, growers, and enthusiasts gathered at the Milkhouse Brewery to taste some beers that have recently been brewed with the Monocacy hop.

As you’ll hear from Tom Barse at Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm and Bryan Butler at the University of Maryland Extension, this hop has been in plain sight for forty years and because of a farmer with an appreciation for the plant, as well as it being strategically located on the farm it was able to grow and thrive until it was eventually tested.

Now it's available for brewing and tasting.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guests: Tom Barse & Bryan Butler
Sponsors: All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Maryland, Hops, Agriculture, History, Ale

Ep. 172 - Are You Ready for Some Football and Beer? Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

There is a lot of focus on football this week in America as the Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday. To get excited about the game and the cities involved I’ve asked on three leading experts from Philly, Kansas City, and Phoenix/Glendale.

An eighteen year veteran of the craft brewing industry, Jeremy Danner is the digital marketing manager and a brand ambassador for 4 Hands Brewing Company. Prior to his current position, Danner worked in brewing, cellar, packaging, management and marketing roles at 75th Street Brewery, the Power Plant Restaurant & Brewery and Boulevard Brewing Company. He’s contributed to brewing, R&D, branding, marketing and media, helping breweries connect to consumers through his love of craft beer. He’s also got a half decent Twitter following.

Rob Fulmer is the Executive Director of the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild.

Bryan Kolesar is a reporter and author based in Pennsylvania. He’s the founder of the Brew Lounge Blog, the author of Beer Lover’s Mid-altantic, and has worked for both the Mid-Atlantic Brewing News and the Ale Street News.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guests: Bryan Kolesar, Rob Fulmer, Jeremy Danner
Sponsors: All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Football, Food, Travel, Baseball, Rocky

Ep. 171 - Trevor Rose-Hamblin of Old Irving Brewing Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Trevor Rose-Hamblin, the co-founder and head brewer of Old Irving Brewing Chicago is here to talk about barrels, food, and the importance of mental health.

Last month in New Hampshire, Trevor Rose-Hamblin, the co-founder and head brewer of Old Irving Brewing in Chicago stood before a packed ballroom in Manchester New Hampshire.

He was there to deliver the keynote at the state’s annual craft brewers conference and he was there to talk about his own life experiences and to urge everyone in the room to think about mental health and ways to help people from causing self harm.

It was an impactful speech, and one that he references in this conversation several times as he talks about how Old Irving Came to be, a life in kitchens, and how critically important it is to be listening, watching, and always working to keep people safe and working towards a better headspace.

This was recorded the day before his talk and before that part of the conversation we briefly talk about Chicago and it's love of barrel-aged beers.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Trevor Rose-Hamblin of Old Irving Brewing
Sponsors: All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Barrels, Kitchens, History, Brewpub, Mental Health, Chicago

Ep. 170 - Devin Bush of Wild Bloom Beer Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Earlier this week I was in Manchester, New Hampshire for the state’s brewers guild conference and I had a chance to sample my way through a lot of what the state is currently producing. This was especially true during my conversation with Devin Bush of Wild Bloom Beer.

He’s the Head Brewer & Co-Founder - along with his wife Beth Ibitz = of the Littleton, NH brewery which recently opened a taproom with a focus on Saisons, Belgians, and Lagers.

He’s a graduate of the BrewLab at the University of Sunderland, has certification from the International Guild of Brewers and Distillers, and brewing for Bridge Road Brewers in Australia among other breweries across Europe and the US. He was also awarded the inaugural NH Brewer of the Year in 2020 and also serves on the NHBA Education Committee.

What is clear from the conversation – where he opened several beers along the way – he has a passion for local ingredients – actual local ingredients.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Athletic Brewing Co.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company – America’s leading non-alcoholic craft brewer. Give Dry a Try this January with Athletic Brewing’s near beers. NEW Athletic customers can receive 20% off their FIRST order of TWO 6-packs or more when they visit athleticbrewing.com and use the code AAB20 at checkout by March 31, 2023.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Devin Bush
Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Lager, Rauchbier, History, Local Ingredients, Malt, Saison

Ep. 169 - Charlie Cole of Blue Cat Brewing Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

From a marketing beginning to eventual homebrewing and then a professional career that had him working for one of the best-known German brewers to small outfits where his creativity could flourish, Charlie Cole has been dedicated to craft.

When the opportunity came along to get involved with Blue Cat, an Illinois brewing institution going back to the 1990s, he jumped at the chance.

He’s a believer in tradition and forward momentum, of honoring location and history but not settling for the status quo.

For almost two years now he’s been working to keep the brewery and restaurant moving in a positive way but a series of factors – including many that are familiar to other brewery owners – have made it a tough road to walk.

At the end of 2022 he had to close, something he hopes is temporary.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Charlie Cole
Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Lager, Cucumber, History, Illinois, Restaurant, Labor

Ep. 168 - Kelsey Grammer of Faith American Ales Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Scores of Americans have grown up with Kelsey Grammer on their TV sets and on the silver screen screen, through his roles on Cheers and Frasier, as the voice of Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons and Stinky Pete in Toy Story II.

He’s done a lot with his professional life. He's starred in countless stage shows, authored books, and dabbled in music.

Now, in addition to all that he owns a beer company. It’s called Faith American and it’s based out of upstate New York, where he owns a home. The brand was started in 2019 but was put on pause at the start of Covid-19. It’s been recently revived.

The property that he hopes to one day open a tap room comes up a lot in this conversation as the thrust behind the beer ideas, but for now the beers are being made at Frog Alley, a Schenectady New York brewery helmed by brewer Rich Michaels.

The three beers in the Faith American lineup – two IPAs and an Ale – currently have distribution through New York and New Jersey.

As you’ll hear he’s supporting the beer through appearances, often at local bars, the kind of cozy places where regulars have their reserved seats, the kind of bars where… well you know.

Beer and celebrity is interesting and there have been a lot of well-known and boldface names that have gotten into the alcohol business. George Clooney selling tequila. Ryan Reynolds selling gin. There are celebrities that have vineyards, some in name only and others who work the land.

There has not been too much in the way of beer. There are some examples, but it’s largely been barren on the celebrity supported and owner front.

Grammer, as you’ll hear, is all in and he’s added personal touches to the brand that bring more to the beers than just his extensive acting resume.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Kelsey Grammer
Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
Tags: Beer, New York, IPA, History, America

Ep. 167 - Predictions for Beer in 2023 Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

What does this year hold for beer? Likely a lot of uncertainty for the industry, but increased choice for the consumer.

For the first show of 2023 I’m glad to be joined by three of my colleagues, the hosts of other shows from All About Beer, and just good friends.

Andy Crouch is the publisher and my fellow co-owner of All About Beer and he hosts the monthly Beer Travelers podcast.

Em Sauter is the author of Pints and Panels, has written several books which are available where fine products are sold and is the co-host of the All About Beer podcast which airs every two weeks. Don Tse is also the co-host of the All About Beer podcast, he’s the Don of Beer on twitter, Instagram, facebook and wherever puns are found.

Listen in as we discuss eisbock, travel, and Lisa's kickass party.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guests: Andy Crouch, Em Sauter, Don Tse
Sponsors: Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Travel, Cans, Lisa's Party

Ep. 166 - State of Beer Bars 2022 Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

2022 offered more chances to get back out into the world. The beer bars across the country, that is to say, the ones dedicated to well selected lists and impeccable service are a necessary part of the beer landscape.

Like taprooms and restaurants they are also facing hardships amid labor shortages and rising costs.

We are grateful to have three well respected publicans on the show this year to talk about their experiences and to give us the state of beer bars in 2022.

- Suzanne Schalow of Craft Beer Cellar

- Christopher Quinn of the Craft Beer Temple

- Roger Baylor of Pints and Union and Common Haus Hall

This Episode is Sponsored By:

Pro Brewer
We bring original articles to ProBrewer.com twice a week covering issues important to the beer industry and aimed at helping breweries of all sizes understand different facets of the business. Check out our articles on ProBrewer.com every Tuesday and Thursday and visit the site daily for other original content and to stay connected with the beer industry.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Host: John Holl
Guests: Roger Baylor, Christopher Quinn, Suzanne Schalow
Sponsors: Pro Brewer, All About Beer
Tags: Beer, Workforce, Bars, Bottle Shops, Customer Experience, Boston, Chicago, Indiana

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