Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 61 - Hugh Sisson of Heavy Seas Beer Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Show notes from host John Holl:

"I’m both excited and bummed to have Hugh Sisson, the founder of Heavy Seas beer on the show today. Excited because Hugh is a thoughtful, engaging, and dynamic figure in beer who has worked tirelessly to foster and grow an industry and has been a mentor for many. Bummed because I had hoped to do this interview in person.

But, you know, Covid. It’s likely better to be apart because if I was at the brewery I’d likely have one too many pints of IPA.

He’s been in beer a lot longer than most, with Heavy Seas and a brewpub, named Sissons before that. He and his dad successfully worked to get state legislation changed to make professional brewing easier in Maryland, and he continues to stay involved and be an advocate for an industry he cares deeply about.

This week the brewery, officially licensed as Clipper City, but going under the Heavy Seas name turns 25. It’s an odd year to have a milestone birthday but the brewery is continuing its tradition of releasing a big, boozy monster of an ale – and we’ll talk about that.

Hugh is also looking forward to reopening the taproom when it’s safe to do so.

A few years back when I was on a book tour I did a signing at Heavy Seas for a few hours and watched as happy patrons came in for pints and a tour. Hugh led several of these tours himself and would start off with a very specific reading.

Since he hasn’t had an audience for a while, I thought it would be good to let him stretch those muscles. Let us pray."

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Hugh Sisson of Heavy Seas Brewing
Sponsor: Cigar City Brewing
Tags: beer, craft beer, wine, brewpubs, distribution, Maryland, Baltimore, IPA, Cask Ale

This episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing
The world needs heroes, and in our home state of Florida only a very special hero will do. A hero with a shark tooth around his neck, a Grim Reaper tattoo on his arm, and a rap sheet longer than his mama’s mustache. A hero who’s forgotten more about amateur taxidermy and alligator rasslin’ than you’ll ever know. What better way to pay tribute to our beloved Florida Man than with a big ol’ Double India Pale Ale brewed with a nearly-criminal amount of hops and a moderate bitterness that just about matches Florida Man’s general disposition. This hopped-up whopper of a beer is big in character and guaranteed to sear itself into your memory, just like “the world’s worst superhero,” Florida Man.

Ep. 60 - Hutch Kugeman of the Culinary Institute of America Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

Thanksgiving is going to be different this year here in the United States but for many of us, smaller crowd sizes does not mean different foods or different beers.

This week we talk with Hutch Kugeman of the Culinary Institute of America on how to plan out beer and food pairings, what to think about if you’re thinking about a cooking education, and the current state of the hospitality industry.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Hutch Kugeman of the Culinary Institute of America
Sponsor: Cigar City Brewing
Tags: beer, craft beer, food pairings, New York, supporting local, education

This episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing
Tropical and bright with a full palate of flavor and a potency designed with moderation in mind, Jai Low IPA lowers the intensity of a typical India Pale Ale while maintaining the highest quality and hop flavor possible. All the qualities found in the finest IPAs, including citrus aromas and flavors, bread-like maltiness and a moderate, snappy bitterness are found, making this beer a deceptively tempered addition to Cigar City Brewing’s line-up of hop-forward creations.

Ep. 59 - Tom Troncone of Muckraker Beermaker Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Show notes from host John Holl:

"I’ve known Tom Troncone since before I was writing about beer. We were competing reporters at newspapers in the New York Metro area. The nature of our jobs, covering crime and breaking news, often meant that we would be hanging out at crime scenes in the middle of the night. We were always friendly, but we’d work to beat each other’s brains out in the paper the following day.

When I started writing about beer I discovered that Tom was a homebrewer as well as a big beer fan. He knew all the whales and where to find them, and was at all of the important releases, and bottle shares.

All along he was harboring the idea of opening his own brewery, and finally decided that it was time to leave journalism behind and open his own brewery, Muckraker, based in the northern part of New Jersey where he can focus on spontaneous beers from his coolship, local ingredients, and barrel aging.

It occurred to me that this kind of brewing was just right for an old ink stained wretch like Tom. As reporters we don’t dictate the news, but simply follow the story where it goes. It makes sense to understand the beat you’re covering so you can have context, but you just have to let events unfold.

Spontaneous ales are like that. Nature, not a recipe dictates the way."

Host: John Holl
Guest: Tom Troncone of Muckraker Beermaker
Sponsor: Cigar City Brewing
Tags: beer, craft beer, spontaneous ales, Belgium, New Jersey, hard seltzer

This episode is sponsored by:

Cigar City Brewing
Native to the Basque region of Spain, the game of Jai Alai involves players launching a ball from a curved mitt called a cesta in an attempt to outsmart and outmaneuver their opponents on a court called a fronton. Native to Tampa, Florida, Jai Alai IPA is a bold, citrusy and balanced India Pale Ale that involves six different hop varietals used generously in a 7.5% ABV beer. While the number of frontons in our home state of Florida has dropped since the sport’s peak in the mid-1980’s, Cigar City Brewing pays homage to the sport and the dedicated players and patrons who keep this Florida tradition alive with its flagship ale. Look for notes of orange peel, clementine and light caramel to share the story and sunshine of Florida with beer lovers across the globe.

Ep. 58 - J.C. Tetreault of Trillium Brewing Co. Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

This week, as Drink Beer, Think Beer celebrates its one year anniversary, we’re glad to welcome J.C. Tetreault of Trillium Brewing Co. to the show.

Tetreault has packed a lot into the eight years his brewery has been open.

He’s helped establish beer styles, he’s had tremendous growth, has been the subject of intense scrutiny where he’s had to defend the brewery and its reputation, and throughout it all he’s been tinkering, and making moves, adapting, and trying to keep his thoughts on his passions and what brought him to beer in the first place.

One year ago the show was in Belgium, in a barrel cellar talking about foam. So we wanted to come back to that word along with some other F-words with Tetreault. That includes fans, festivals, and the future.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Jean-Claude Tetreault of Trillium Brewing
Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, IPA, Massachusetts, Agriculture, Saison, Foam, Beer Festivals

Ep. 57 - Jason Pellett of Orpheus Brewing Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta is the fun, familiar story of a home brewer who wanted to go pro and did. Head brewer and CEO Jason Pellett has a background in music but fell in love with beer making and wanted to bring something special to his city when he and partners opened up the brewery seven years ago.

He’s seen the brewery evolve over time and while he has come to embrace some traditions, and holds some things sacred he is also not afraid to mix things up in either of his roles. This means pushing the envelope of flavor but also making sure the bones of the business are solid.

Among its recent initiatives is a leadership diversity program that is underway to bring the beer industry along with the times and to make sure the brewery is doing its part.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Jason Pellett of Orpheus Brewing
Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, IPA, Atlanta, Coolship, Saison, Brewing Diversity

Ep. 56 - Jeremy Marshall of Lagunitas Brewing Co. Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

Show notes from host John Holl:
"Despite being one of the largest breweries in the country, I hadn’t given Lagunitas much of a thought in recent years. I’d of course see its IPA on tap at bars, back when I went to bars, and its familiar glass bottles on shelves. It was there, I was happy to see it, but usually ordered something else.

A lot of people are drinking the beer, sure, but as the beer landscape and conversation has shifted to local, some of the middle tier breweries that we’ve long known and just kind of taken for granted have been making big moves. So when the new press representative for the brewery, which has been wholly owned by Heineken for the last three years, reached out I thought it would be smart to check in and see where the brewery is at and where it’s looking to go.

Jeremy Marshall, the brewmaster, has been with the company for most of his brewing career and has seen the company grow from its once modest Petaluma, California home-base to Chicago, to overseas, and a small brewery in Seattle. Under this watch the brewery has grown from 21,000 hectoliters to over 1,000,000 hectoliters under his supervision. They are Dutch, so they use hectoliters, not barrels in their reporting.

Because of his longevity he’s seen the brewery mature over the years, from the days of being shut down by the Feds because of a joint to now looking into the non-alcoholic beer space. Of course, marijuana is still part of the culture of the company, and its infused cannabis beverages are growing in popularity but you will hear why he doesn't think a full THC and alcohol hybrid is part of a likely future.

He spoke to the show from the brewery in California."

Host: John Holl
Guest: Jeremy Marshall of Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, IPA, non-alcoholic beer, cannabis, California, Chicago,

Ep. 55 - Anna Jobe of Night Shift Brewing Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

On this show we like to get into the mind of a brewer and find out where their daydreams and creativity take them and how that ultimately winds up in our glasses. This week host John Holl is talking with Anna Jobe the innovation brewer at Night Shift in Massachusetts on how she approaches new styles, how she determines what works and what doesn't, and how she is looking for new avenues in cider, wine, and seltzer because so many of us aren’t just drinking beer exclusively anymore more.

Anna is also an active member of Pink Boots and we dive into the importance of education in the beer industry not only for professionals but drinkers as well. People find their way to beer in all manner of ways and Anna talks about how she left one career in pursuit of fermentation and what she learned over the years and how working at Night Shift has been a true collaborative environment, something more breweries should practice.

She spoke to the show from the brewery in Massachusetts.

Ep. 54 - Mike Kraai of Drowned Lands Brewery Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

There is good news in beer these days. Despite all the harm that COVID-19 is doing, there are businesses that are forging ahead and opening to the public. This week on the show we are talking with Mike Kraai of Drowned Lands Brewery in New York.

The brewery has been making beer for a year now, but only opened its tasting room five weeks ago.

The space is massive, suited for drinking apart during a pandemic. The 15,000 square-foot space sits on three acres, with a large lawn, ample patio, and even a second floor event space. Kraai isn’t shy about talking about the nearly $3 million he spent on the renovations to the century-old building that was once a reform school and later minimum security prison.

With a view of the Appalachian mountains, in dedicated farm country, he wants the beers to be a reflection of place, and is trying to make the most out of his New York state farm brewery license, all while playing with traditions.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Mike Kraai
Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, lager, oak, IPA, Homebrewing, nanobrewery, wood, saison, New York

Ep. 53 - Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Joining us on the phone this week is Tomme Arthur of the Lost Abbey. In the roughly 15 years that the brewery has been open it has largely focused on Belgian-inspired ales that have helped shape the course of beer in America today.

Over the last months of COVID-19 he has had to look at his business model and find new ways to keep the lights on. This has been through new releases that include spritzy ales, pilsners, and a soon to be released hard tea.

Tomme has long talked about the importance of innovation in the beer space and is hoping that fellow brewers are using this time to forge their own path. He also wants drinkers to seek out new flavors.

He recently had the chance to taste what is happening in America right now. He spoke to the show from his brewery in Southern California, but just recently returned from Colorado where he was a judge at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival and shares some insights.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Tomme Arthur
Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, IPA, Hops, California, Innovation, Non-alcoholic beers,

Ep. 52 - Justin Stambaugh of Stave & Nail Brewing Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

Justin Stambaugh started homebrewing a decade ago and quickly decided he wanted to pursue a professional career in beer. It wasn’t as easy as he had hoped but eventually he got an internship at Rip Current Brewing Co. in 2012 where he rose though the ranks, became a brewer, and even helped start that brewery’s sour program.

Eventually he decided that it was time to open his own place and didn’t even have to look too far. His new Brewery, Stave & Nail is located in the same building as Rip Current.

Justin spoke to the show from southern California.

Host: John Holl
Guest: Justin Stambaugh
Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, IPA, Sours, California, Homebrewing, San Diego, Tacos, Tequila

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