
Jamie Bogner
The Best 20 Beers in 2025By Jamie BognerUncork the magnums, this is the winners’ circle. Through a gauntlet of judging panels and on to the editors’ table for a last round of blind tasting and spirited discussion, these are the beers that lit up our palates and our brains—or that simply had us yearning for another, and another.
Podcast Episode 445: The Best in Beer 2025 Special, Featuring the Stories Behind the PicksBy Jamie BognerIn this once-a-year episode, Jamie Bogner and Joe Stange share Craft Beer & Brewing’s Best 20 Beers in 2025, as selected by our judges and editorial team—plus, the results of our Readers’ Choice survey for best breweries, beer cities, bars, and more.
Podcast Episode 444: Mike Foniok of the Establishment Takes an Ultramodern Approach to Mixed-Culture FermentationBy Jamie BognerTable beer and mixed-culture beer only account for 2 percent of sales at the Establishment in Calgary, Alberta—but cofounder Mike Foniok says its takes up about half their floor space and half their time. That attention is paying off with awards at the highest level.
Podcast Episode 443: Grain-to-Glass Brewing with Local and Regional Malt, Live from AlbertaBy Jamie BognerRecorded live at the Alberta Craft Brewing Convention in Red Deer, this panel discussion centers on the ways that creative brewers in the province use locally grown and malted grain to craft unique beers that tell relevant stories for their customers.
From Grain to Gain: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Getting on the Shelf and Staying ThereBy Jamie BognerJoin Craft Beer & Brewing and AisleAI for a deep dive into how independent brewers are using AI tools to successfully sell into C-stores. We’ll discuss real-world examples of how you can use data, automation, and “always-on intelligence” to compete in the market and grow your brand like never before.
Podcast Episode 442: Fast Fashion Puts Its Foot on the Gas With New Zealand Hops and Extra AnchovyBy Jamie BognerFounder Matt Storm and head brewer Stefano Annicchiarico share their approach to drinkable and (mostly) dry hazy IPA and hoppy pils, using an array of New Zealand hops and a healthy dose of the experimental U.S. variety they sponsored and named five years ago—Anchovy.
Podcast Episode 441: Cask Ale Elegance and Understatement with Bill Arnott of Machine HouseBy Jamie BognerThere’s a deceptive simplicity to cask ale, but for this Seattle brewer, the keys are great ingredients, close attention to the highly manual process, and conditioning for longevity in cask or can.
Podcast Episode 440: Jesse Brown of Formula Slows Down to Make Better Lager and IPABy Jamie BognerYou can make medal-winning helles and modern West Coast hoppy beers many different ways, but for the head brewer of this suburban Seattle brewpub, there’s no rushing the mash and no substitute for time in fermentation and conditioning.
Bierstadt’s Ashleigh Carter Picks Six Beers of Love and DedicationBy Jamie BognerAshleigh Carter, cofounder of Denver’s Bierstadt Lagerhaus, focuses solely on lager in her own brewing, and she’s drawn to those with similarly singular approaches. Her chosen six-pack honors intentional commitment to a style, to a single beer, to presentation, and to experience.
Podcast Episode 439: Ben Howe of Otherlands Manipulates pH and Process in Pursuit of the Perfect Franconian-Style LagerBy Jamie BognerYears of iteration combined with several stints interning at a Franconian brewery helped hone Howe’s approach to flavorful, fulsome lager—and the counterintuitive methods rooted in an older style of German brewing contribute to a character that’s difficult to achieve any other way.
Podcast Episode 438: Regenerative Malt's Impact from Farm to Brewhouse, Presented by Proximity MaltBy Jamie BognerCan barley farming practices help mitigate the increased risk from climate chaos? And how can breweries articulate the value of regenerative practices in their beer? In this conversation with New Belgium and Bell's environmental program director Walker Modic, farmer and brewery owner Derek Heersink, and Proximity Malt commercial director Zach Gaines, we ponder the answers to those questions and more.
Podcast Episode 437: Happy Birthday Simcoe! Vinnie Cilurzo and Jason Perrault Look Back on 25 Years of the Groundbreaking HopBy Jamie BognerIn this special episode, recorded out in the experimental hop fields of Perrault Farms, Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo and hop breeder and grower Jason Perrault tell the story of Simcoe—from the early days of breeding through its near disappearance to the current context, where it’s used in Pliny the Elder in modern flowable formats.