Good Beer Hunting

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EP-244 Mike Willis of West Craft Specialty Imports Nov 16, 2019

Show notes

When we think of beer from north of the American border, classic names like Molson or Labatt may easily come to mind. But as in the U.S., there has been a long shift taking place in the Canadian beer scene. Even though the entire country has roughly the same number of breweries as the state of California, there's a burgeoning community driving an industry to crank out new flavors and styles inspired by what's taken place in the U.S.

In today's episode we're talking with someone who's watched this change with great interest. Mike Willis runs West Craft Specialty Imports, which brings a variety of beverages into British Columbia. His portfolio—focused almost entirely on barrel-aged beers and other releases in the sour or tart wheelhouse—creates a unique situation for West Craft. At a time when those types of beers may seem a bit intimidating or odd for BC beer drinkers, he's leaning in hard, hoping the market is just on the cusp of opening up.

It's a novel business strategy in terms of getting ahead of the game, but the intent isn't new. Mike is used to taking risks. He organized Vancouver's Hopwired Festival, based off Good Beer Hunting's own Uppers & Downers, which brings together coffee and beer. There's also his Fruit Beer Fest and Wild Night Out, the latter of which showcases world-renowned producers like Cantillon, Hill Farmstead, and more.

The start of this conversation hits on all of these elements, from determining a market in advance of consumers and pushing discovery of funky beers to the exciting combination of beer and coffee. The second half of our chat was particularly telling, in terms of digging into what Willis wants to accomplish in the future.

After talking about the challenges of selling beer, we get to the core of what he's trying to do: foster community and forge relationships in a way that brings him happiness. It's a bit of a cliché—talking about how beer brings people together—but as you'll hear, there is a deep personal connection running underneath everything Willis does. This isn't just moving product—it's finding meaning. Let's grab our passports and head to Vancouver.

This is Mike Willis of West Craft Specialty Imports. Listen in.

SL-014 Protest Beer "Fuck PG&E" Unleashes Fury of Internet Trolls Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

If you're a regular Sightlines reader, you may have come across a story we published on Nov. 1 called "A Show of Hands – Breweries Take Political and Business Risks Mixing Beer and Social Stances." The idea behind that piece was to give context around the space where political opinion and the beer business collide, all while poking at the question, as it relates to breweries engaging with drinkers: "Is taking action inevitable?"

As part of reporting for that story, David Faris, an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and a host of Good Beer Hunting's Electing to Drink podcast, said this: "When the president himself gets involved in deeply divisive cultural-political issues and won't let them go, he forces people to take into consideration actions they never would have thought about before."

In this Sightlines podcast, you'll hear from a California brewery owner facing this exact situation, creating an audio connection to the anecdotes and analysis from that written story. In the midst of wildfire season in California, one man decided to vent his frustration via the name of a new beer, creating backlash and leading to online trolling.

On Nov. 6, Santa Rosa, California's Shady Oak Barrel House posted a photo of a hazy, hop-forward beer to social media channels, announcing: "Happy hump day with a new beer release!!!"

The post continued: "FUCK PG&E is a classic California pale ale, featuring Cashmere and Simcoe hops and a touch of malt sweetness. Coming in at 5.8%, come try it for happy hour!!!!" It finished the announcement with four exclamation points before reminding readers that trivia was set to start at 7 p.m. that evening.

Things were quiet until a few days later when online trolls came in, attacking the brewery and owner Steve Doty. Angry comments and one-star Yelp reviews flooded Shady Oak's online footprint after Doty made the decision to vent anger toward energy company Pacific Gas & Electric Company with the beer's name. PG&E is in the midst of a host of legal troubles stemming from damage, death, and injuries caused by wildfires started by PG&E equipment in the past four years. At times, those fires have caused chaos while destroying vast acres of land, numerous homes, and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

In 2018, all the California wildfires combined amounted to just over 8,500 fires. In total, they burned almost 2 million acres. And that's becoming commonplace: each fall, you probably hear something about a major wildfire in the Golden State, including right now.

Doty could have chosen any other name—or no specific name at all and just used the beer's style—but we'll let him give some background on what led to this decision. This is the Sightlines podcast. Listen in.

OL-002 Mark Spence Reads The Second Entry from "Beer is Offal," Called "Load of Baloney" Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

The is GBH Out Loud, and I'm Ashley Rodriguez. Today, you'll hear Mark Spence read the second entry of his blog, Beer is Offal, called "Load of Baloney," published on Good Beer Hunting on September 27, 2019.

In this article, Mark extols the virtues of an unlikely hero: baloney. Before he starts, he tells us all about his rituals surrounding the lunch meat—the exact way he likes to eat it, and the perfect ingredients for a baloney sandwich. As is the case with all of Mark's stories, we learn that this story is about much more than just deli meat.

This is Mark Spence reading an entry of his blog, Beer is Offal, called "Load of Baloney." Listen in.

EP-243 Em Sauter of Pints and Panels Nov 09, 2019

Show notes

There are so many ways you can engage with the beer world on a professional level—but few are more ambitious that attempting to become a Master Cicerone.

The term "Cicerone" is still a relatively new concept in the beverage world—but you've probably heard of a Master Sommelier in the wine industry. It's not exactly the same thing—for example, the Cicerone exam focuses significantly on troubleshooting draft technology—but they're similar in that both require an intense knowledge base (both historic and contemporary), as well as a master-level tasting ability.

For most people, it takes hundreds of hours of study, an almost full-time dedication and focus to pull it off. And even then, almost everyone fails.

In today's conversation, I sit down with Em Sauter: a cartoonist and beer educator who found herself compelled towards beer for some not-so-obvious reasons. When we speak, she's preparing to take her second Master Cicerone exam the day after we record.

It's an incredibly tense, existential time. I mean, she's already been through all this once, failed, and is coming back for more with no guarantee that she'll make it this time either. But for the purposes of capturing an oral history of a time, person, and place in beer, it couldn't be more perfect.

This is Em Sauter of Pints and Panels. Listen in.

CL-039 Beca Grimm's LiveJournal Password is Probably a Saves The Day Reference Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

There's always more to every story you read. As a writer, I'm perpetually intrigued by the choices other writers make—what to include, what to cut—and I'm especially interested in people who are super clear about who their work is for. Part of that is selfish: I host a podcast, called Boss Barista, that I describe as a feminist coffee podcast—I like to let people know what they're in for from the get-go, and that they're probably not going to hear light coffee chatter. And for the first time ever, I got to talk to someone who uses the exact same language to describe their own project.

Beca Grimm is an Atlanta-based freelance writer and co-founder of the zine Dope Girls, which describes itself as a feminist cannabis culture zine. Beca also lends her talents to Good Beer Hunting, writing articles, also called Dope Girls, about the issues surrounding cannabis as it becomes legalized around the country. Along with her latest article, which profiles Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe in West Hollywood, Beca tackles really fundamental questions surrounding the growing cannabis market. She also keeps one foot on the ground, reminding us that, as the cannabis market grows, there are people whose voices are often not heard. Dope Girls is an attempt to elevate those voices, as they talk about issues of gender, race, and clemency in their articles.

Along with these serious issues, during this conversation we also talk about the grind of freelancing, and what it's like to hound editors for money or feedback, and wax poetic about being a freelancer for GBH. Spoiler alert: it rules, partially because of our amazing editorial team, whom Beca talks about, and partially because you can actually count on getting paid. But moreso because the connection between cannabis and beer isn't a far one, and as Beca discovers, there are more similarities than she ever imagined.

EP-242 Mark Legenza of On Tour Brewing Nov 02, 2019

Show notes

Today's guest is one of the most unassuming brewery owners in Chicago: Mark Legenza of On Tour Brewing Company. On Tour is located in the brewery district that's popped up around Goose Island's Fulton Street production facility. The area is now home to half-a-dozen breweries and as many coffee roasters, and it's where the GBH Studio is located, too.

So why is it that he hasn't been on the GBH Podcast before? Well, it's definitely my fault. It's one of those situations when familiarity creates a sort of blindness. On Tour is where our team goes for many of our end-of-week happy hours. We've said goodbye to colleagues there, and welcomed new ones. It's even where I temporarily recorded a podcast episode while our Studio was being built out down the street. On Tour is an automatic destination for me. And so much of this podcast is an exercise in seeking out what I don't already know.

But today I'm happy to remedy that with Mark. On Tour previously won the Very Small Brewing Company award, only 10 months after opening, at the Great American Beer Festival. And this year it finally launched into packaging for the first time, with a Pilsner and a Pale Ale. They're two releases that define what this place is so damn good at: making classic beers that taste quintessential. In today's craft beer world, tasting a Pale Ale or a Brown Ale of exceptional quality is almost the exotic thing.

So I'm pleased to sit down with our neighbor, and owner of On Tour Brewing Co. in Chicago, Mark Legenza. Listen in.

CL-038 Bryan Roth Asks For a Third Time Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

Today I'm going to catch up with our Sightlines editor and lead contributor, Bryan Roth.

It's been a busy couple of years for Bryan, but this past week's range of stories is evidence of all the ways Sightlines has become essential reading for our audiences. From proactive analysis of the Denver scene as Colorado retail laws shift to digging into the closure of Lagunitas' Community Room in Portland to keeping up with the shifting responses to the Founders racial discrimination case, and sensitively reporting a story of that importance—it's all in a week's work for Bryan.

So we'll catch up on how all that reporting came to be, and what he's working on next. But we'll especially dig into the process behind the Founders stories that he's written, as well as the other essential updates that have been published by a range of publications. In fact, that's turned into a new part of the site called FYI, which is designed to keep track of all the updates in a major story in one place—and which you can find by going to GoodBeerHunting.com/FYI/Founders.

This is Bryan Roth, Good Beer Hunting's Sightlines editor. Listen in.

EP-241 Hayes Humphreys and Jason Oliver of Devils Backbone Oct 26, 2019

Show notes

What happens to a brewery when a game-changing opportunity comes along? There have been 11 buyouts of American breweries by Anheuser-Busch InBev since 2011, and in this episode, we're getting some insight from one of them.

Roseland, Virginia's Devils Backbone Brewing Company was brought into the AB InBev network—now known as the Brewer's Collective—in 2016. At the time it was producing 65,000 barrels per year, and grew to about 80,000 in 2018. When it was acquired, Devils Backbone was known for selling the top craft six-pack in its home state: Vienna Lager. A lot has changed since.

Today, Devils Backbone is expanding in a variety of ways. It's not just the number of barrels or headquarters nestled in the mountains of Virginia. Now, there's hard lemonade, and canned cocktails. New beers and expanded packaging to move higher volumes of beers like Vienna Lager and Gold Leaf Lager, now in 15-packs. Whereas the business once eyed steady growth to stay competitive in Virginia, its success in the Mid-Atlantic is now a real thing, with shoppers in grocery and convenience stores interacting with the brand across increased shelf space.

So what happens to a brewery when this takes place? We're going to find out from two perspectives.

First, you'll hear from Hayes Humphreys, the COO of Devils Backbone, who brings a point of view that ranges as far and wide as the potential reach of the company. That's followed by a conversation with brewmaster Jason Oliver, and we'll get a little in the weeds with him about what his job has been like, and what's changed for someone who's been with the company since 2008.

These chats offer perspective on Devils Backbone's continuing evolution, and I hope they'll give you additional understanding of what life is like for one of AB InBev's core craft brands.

This is Hayes Humphreys and Jason Oliver of Devils Backbone. Listen in.

CL-037 J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham Pulls the Thread Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

If you're part of the beer world, you've probably heard folklore about our Founding Fathers—the men who signed the Constitution, the first American presidents—brewing their own beer. That's an appealing story, a fun tidbit you might tell a friend when they ask you about your own brewing adventures.

And yet, how critically have we regarded this story? Think about the timeframe folks like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson were operating in. Both men, the first and third presidents of the United States, respectively, were slaveholders. And it's much more likely—guaranteed, even—that their slaves, not them, were the actual brewers.

Dr. J Nikol Jackson-Beckham pulled at the thread of this tale to point out its logical fallacies, and to shine a light on the actual brewers, specifically Peter Hemings, in her piece, "Missing Ingredients — The (Incomplete) Story of Thomas Jefferson's Unsung Brewer," which was published on our website on December 12, 2018.

The path to this story wasn't quite linear for Dr. J, as she's known throughout the beer world. Dr. J, who has a PhD in Communication & Cultural Studies, and who uses her training to study the beer world, started having inklings about this story as she was still working on PhD, but couldn't quite find a place for it. We've all had this happen—a brilliant idea strikes us while we're working on a different project, and we can't exactly articulate where it belongs. So it stayed with her. For almost a decade. Now, in our conversation, she shares more about its long evolution—and its rewarding payoff.

This is the Good Beer Hunting Collective podcast. Here's Dr. J.

EP-240 Theresa Bale of Temescal Brewing Oct 19, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to the Good Beer Hunting Podcast. I'm Ashley Rodriguez.

I remember the very first time I went to Temescal Brewing in Oakland, California. I had been watching the buildout for months, waiting in anticipation. You could step outside of my apartment building and see it from the corner. So when they finally opened, I was excited—and pleasantly surprised by the number of crushable, low-ABV beers they offered from the get-go. I was immediately on board.

My relationship with Temescal Brewing is a mirror of my time in Oakland, initially because of proximity—I could throw a load of clothes in the washing machine and have a beer as I waited to transfer them to the dryer. Eventually, however, it evolved into a closer connection with the folks who ran the brewery. I was used to talking with the bartenders—at that time there were maybe six or seven regular folks I'd see—and eventually I ended up joining the bar staff, and being forever changed not just by the way they brew beer, but by the way they hire, the way they advocate for the rights of others, and the way they became a guiding light for businesses seeking to operate ethically and responsibly.

A lot of what I love about Temescal comes from owner Sam Gilbert, who we interviewed on this podcast a couple of weeks ago, but also from then-taproom manager Theresa Bale. Theresa hired me back in the day, and is also the founder of Queer First Friday, the Bay's only craft-beer-focused queer dance party. Every first Friday of the month, Temescal holds one of the most exciting and inclusive queer events in the area. From queer families who bring their children in at the beginning of the night to folks hopping on the dance floor to new performers, DJs, and singers showcasing their talents for the very first time, Queer First Friday is one of the loveliest celebrations of diversity and inclusion that I've encountered. And it's all because of Theresa.

In this episode, we talk a lot about Queer First Friday—I was at the very first one, slinging beers from the outside bar, slightly overwhelmed by the number of people who showed up, clamoring to get in, and we also talk about how Theresa thinks about hiring for diversity. Theresa isn't shy about this—she's intentional, she's open, and she makes a point to seek out bartenders who maybe don't have a ton of experience or know that much about beer. Because, for Theresa, to build a truly inclusive staff, you have to look outside the corners and social networks you know.

I could talk about Temescal and what it means to me forever. But I'll let Theresa, who recently transitioned from taproom manager to head of operations, a job she created for herself, tell the story. This is Theresa Bale, head of operations for Temescal Brewing in Oakland, California. Listen in.

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