Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

Latest Episodes:

Looking Forward to Fresh Hop Season Aug 06, 2025

Show notes

San Diego has long been a den of craft beer ingenuity. On this episode I’m talking with Daniel Cady of TapRoom Brewery about his approach to hops in beer when it comes to staying interested as a brewer and keeping customers happy.

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

Sponsors

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Calling all hop heads! Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA is a fantastically hoppy India Pale Ale that’s beautifully balanced thanks to their unique continual hopping method. Delivering a pungent hop flavor that isn’t crushingly bitter, 60 Minute is continually hopped throughout the boil for a full 60 minutes … starting to see where the name comes from?! Check out dogfish.com to learn more and to find some 60 Minute near you! Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE. Please drink responsibly.

Stomp Stickers
Stomp Stickers is a proud member of the Brewers Association that produces a wide variety of printed brewery products such as beer
labels, keg collars, coasters, beer boxes and much more. Stomp’s website features an easy-to-use design tool, low quantity orders, fast turn times, and free domestic shipping. Visit StompStickers.com and use code FIRSTRUN for 15% off your first order.

The 5th Ingredient
If you're running a brewery owner or operator, Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient is the ultimate command center. The most powerful brewery management software on the market, Beer30 handles the entire brewing workflow, from recipe development to production. Once your beer is brewed and ready, it seamlessly manages your inventory and streamlines your brewery's sales and distribution--all in the same easy-to-use platform. Beer30 lets you get back to the beer and the people that made you fall in love with this industry in the first place. And no other brewery management software gives you the ability to truly master your business and get the insights that you need to thrive in an increasingly competitive industry. Visit the5thingredient.com/AllAboutBeer today to learn more and receive 3 free months of Beer30.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Daniel Cady

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient, Dogfish Head

Tags: Hops, IPA, Fresh Hops, San Diego

Photo:

The Evolution of an India Pale Ale Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

Beer recipes are always evolving. Recently, a group got together to faithfully rebrew a west coast IPA that happened to be the original version of Swami, the famed Pizza Port Brewing Beer. On this episode you’ll hear how it happened and how palates have evolved.

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

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Host: John Holl

Guests: Jeff Bagby, Tim Wallen, Steve Burchill

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient, Dogfish Head

Tags: Nashville, Coffee, brewing

Photo: Tim Wallen

Striving for Perfection in Beer Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

This week it’s a wide-ranging conversation on the persuit of perfection when it comes to beer. Ryan McCay of Living Waters in Tennessee is here to share his journey and you’ll leave feeling inspired.

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

Sponsors

Host: John Holl

Guests: Ryan McCay

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient, Dogfish Head

Tags: Nashville, Coffee, brewing

Photo: John Holl

The Life and Death of TRVE Brewing Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

This week, we say goodbye to Trve Brewing, one of the great beer success stories of the early 2010s that captured headlines and fans thanks to it’s musical bent and welcoming approach. It closed both its original Denver location and its newer Asheville, NC location last week. Founder Nick Nunns joins the show to share the history, reasoning, and his forward vision.

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

Sponsors

Host: John Holl

Guests: Nick Nunns

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient, Dogfish Head

Tags: Heavy Metal, Denver, Closing

Photo: John Holl

Recipe Development: Creativity and Inspiration Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

A discussion about what can drive good recipe development and new ideas for creativity in beer making. We will go over the "how" and "why" of making new beers as well as translating those ideas to sustainable and effective brewing practices. Guests include Devin Bush of Wildbloom Beer, Tony Cordova of Scale House Brewing, and Megan Parisi of Samuel Adams.

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

Sponsors

Host: John Holl

Guests: Devin Bush, Tony Cordova, Megan Parisi

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient, Dogfish Head

Tags: Hops, Brewing, Creativity, Lavender

Photo: John Holl

How Craft Beer, and IPAs in Particular, are Changing the Hop Industry Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Farm owner Diane Gooding, Liz Bauer of Garston Hops and Alex Nowell, Mellotone Beer Project brewer and CLS Farms consultant, discuss how the partnership between brewers and growers has evolved in the past 20 years. Learn about the role terroir and farm practices play in hop aroma and flavor, and how the industry is adjusting to a slowdown in hop sales. Moderated by Stan Hieronymus.

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

Sponsors

Host: Stan Hieronymus

Guests: Diane Gooding, Liz Bauer, and Alex Nowell

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient,

Tags: Hops, IPA, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Zealand, Farming, Flavor, Aroma

Photo: John Holl

What Does it Mean to be Local (Part 2) Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

What does it mean to be local, and what are the small things businesses do to have a true sense of self in that space?
This is a continuation of last week's episode - recorded at Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery in Virginia - where the panel goes deeper into the themes they tee'd up during the storytelling session.

Guests include: John Branding of Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery, Rob Rubba of Oyster, Oyster in Washington, DC Christian Gregory of Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, and Sarah Searle of Quartzwood Farm Winery.

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

Sponsors

Host: John Holl

Guests: John Branding, Rob Rubba, Christian Gregory, and Sarah Searle

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient,

Tags: Local, Virginia, Beer, Wine, Restaurants

Photo: John Holl

Diving into the Meaning of "Local" (part 1) Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

What does it mean to be local, and what are the small things businesses do to have a true sense of self in that space? A few weeks back Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery in Virginia celebrated seven years of operation with a chill little festival that brought local artisans to its sprawling farmland. To kick off the day owners Bonnie and John Branding invited All About Beer editor John Holl to moderate a “storytelling” panel, where their friends and colleagues from the beer, food, and wine industries could go deep on topics that matter to them. Guests include: John Branding, Rob Rubba of Oyster, Oyster in Washington, DC Christian Gregory of Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, and Ben Sedlins of Quartzwood Farm Winery.

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

Sponsors

Host: John Holl

Guests: John Branding, Rob Rubba, Christian Gregory, and Ben Sedlins

Sponsors: All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient,

Tags: Local, Virginia, Beer, Wine, Restaurants

Photo: John Holl

As Asheville Rebuilds, Highland Brewing Continues to Evolve Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

This week it’s a look under the hood of Highland Brewing in Asheville. The venerable institution has been going strong for more than 30 years and has grown and adapted over two generations of ownership. From the Craft Brewers Conference in Indianapolis, this episode was recorded before the death of Highland Brewing founder Oscar Wong. Guests are: Nikki Mitchellthe VP of Brand Development and Brock Ashburn, the VP of Operations.

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

Sponsors

Brewery Branding Co.
Since 2009, Brewery Branding has been crafting merch that helps breweries thrive.They’re born and raised in Portland, Oregon, giving them front row seats to the craft beer revolution and inspiring them to serve as your industry ally for everything branded: apparel, headwear, drinkware, and all the “wouldn’t it be cool if…” ideas you can dream up.

Brewery Branding has been there, done that, and made the t-shirts to prove it. Brewery Branding didn’t rise to the top by being just another supplier; they’re your merch mercenaries ready to get in the trenches with you. Their expert design team, online stores, warehousing, and fulfillment services are here to make your life easier—and your custom goods more profitable than painful.

Whether you're refreshing your retail space, gearing up for festival season, or launching a new product in retail, Brewery Branding delivers custom goods that are on-trend, on-brand, and ready to succeed. From the smallest batch to the biggest order, nothing gets them more excited than raising a glass to your success.

Host: John Holl

Guests: Nikki Mitchell and Brock Ashburn

Sponsors: Brewery Branding, All About Beer, Stomp Stickers, The 5th Ingredient,

Tags: Asheville, History, Brewing, Volleyball, evolution

Photo: John Holl

The Key to Crafting World Class Barrel-aged Beer Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Three of the country's best barrel-aging brewers get together for a candid conversation about what goes into the craft. It's art, science, and a commitment to quality. Listen in as Quinn Reeder of Boulevard Brewing, Marty Scott of Revolution Brewing, and Andrew Hood of Sun King Brewery share their deep knowledge.

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

Sponsors