Expert interviews, brewing insights, and industry trends.
Over the past 12 years, Nat West has built a brand focused on flavor-forward cider made with a craft brewer’s mentality. Now, Reverend Nat’s is in its final act—winding down business operations—but not before leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of Pacific Northwest craft beverages.
In Sunnyside, Washington, Chris Baum and his team at Varietal Beer enjoy firsthand access to growers and a nuanced understanding of hop quality. In this episode, recorded mid-harvest in the heart of the Yakima Valley, Baum shares his thoughts on brewing hop-forward and fresh-hop beers, and more.
The wandering wizard behind the collaborationist Brujos brand talks about his heavy approach to bold flavor in hazy IPAs.
The head brewer for Boulder, Colorado’s longtime champion of craft lager outlines their approach to high-pressure lager fermentation, unconventional malt choices, domestic lager hops, exogenous enzymes, and more.
From Rock Bottom and Bell’s to Mountain Sun, Oskar Blues, Eddyline, Melvin, and now Ex Novo, Dave Chichura has spent a lot of time in a lot of different brewhouses. In this episode, he shares important lessons he’s learned while making the “things.”
The former head brewer of Jester King set out on her own path with her Keeping Together brand, brewed out of Half Acre in Chicago. Now, she's writing the next chapter of the story in the high desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Over the years and via multiple breweries, Mark Hastings has honed his American-style wheat beer and black IPA into gold medal–winning machines. Today, he’s pushing them forward using Montana-grown, locally malted barley—and the winning streak continues.
Since 2018, this Colorado Springs brewery has embraced the ethos, “Diversity, it’s what’s on tap.” In the aftermath of the shooting at Club Q—where Rich disarmed and subdued a gunman who killed five and injured 19 more—they reflect on their lives in beer, operating a values-based brewery, keeping the business running while dealing with trauma, and more.
Three influential, award-winning brewers in the realm of fresh- and wet-hopped beers—Joe Mohrfeld (Pinthouse), Steve Luke (Cloudburst), and Zach Turner (Single Hill)—share their approaches to brewing fresh-hop beers in this ranging panel discussion.
Salt Lake City’s Templin Family is a brewer’s brewery, with a focus on impeccably constructed, low-ABV lagers that are racking up medals and accolades.
Rather than focusing on established beer styles, this San Diego brewery lets inspired ingredients drive the beers they make, with a loose, local, and at times even rustic approach.
The McIlhenney family put Alpine, California, and New Zealand hops on American beer lovers’ maps with their innovative forays into IPA and reverent takes on classic styles. Now, they’re back and brewing in the original brewhouse and taproom, and Shawn McIlhenney is focused on what he loves the most—designing and brewing groundbreaking beers.
Oakland, California’s Ghost Town made a splash in 2021 and 2022, winning back-to-back GABF gold medals for their Nose Goblin Imperial IPA, along with notable 2022 medals in the strong pale ale and India pale lager categories. One of their secrets, of course, is hop quality—but the qualities that head brewer Justin Burdt seeks out aren’t exactly the ones you might think.
Recorded at the recent Brewer’s Retreat at Russian River Brewing, this panel discussion with Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker, Sean Lawson of Lawson’s Finest, and Ben Edmunds of Breakside explores how each are defining and brewing compelling and modern interpretations of West Coast IPA.
Recorded at the recent Brewer’s Retreat at Russian River Brewing, this panel discussion with Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River, Cory King of Side Project, and Nick Gislason of Hanabi Lager is a deep dive into the most effective ways to blend beer and wine grape fermentations for compelling beers.
Recorded at the recent Brewer’s Retreat at Russian River Brewing, this panel discussion with Henry Nguyen of Monkish, J.C. Tetreault of Trillium, and Neil Fisher of Weldwerks explores their evolving approaches to brewing hazy IPAs.
The scientist behind storied varieties such as Nelson Sauvin and up-and-comers like Nectaron shares insights into the process of developing impactful hops.
Recorded among the wood-paneled walls of the centuries-old Schlenkerla pub in Bamberg, Germany, sixth-generation brewmaster Matthias Trum shares his deep insights into smoke, balance, and history.
From the famously soft water to whole-cone hops and extraordinarily long maturation, the brewmaster at Budvar delights in all the details that shape one of Czechia’s most popular beers.
From high-gravity brewing to pushing new techniques in quick-soured fruit beer, Monday Night brewmaster Peter Kiley isn’t afraid to tackle difficult projects that make life easier on his team of brewers—as long as quality remains the number-one focus.
This Nashville brewery strives for big flavor, but their process of testing assumptions and finding more authentic ways of making popular styles leads to crowd-favorite beers that critics can love.
One of the world’s most cherished hop-growing regions had a rough growing season last year—but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, and there is more to Czech hops than Saaz.
In this follow-up to episode 286, the gang—Vinnie Cilurzo, Evan Price, and Kelsey McNair—is back together to answer and discuss your questions spurred by one of the most popular episodes in the history of the Craft Beer & Brewing Podcast.
At Dva Kohouti in Prague, Lukáš Tomsa and his team are raising the importance of proper service while balancing traditional lagers with modern ales.