Craft Beer Industry Podcast

Thanks For Listening!

On this episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast, we take a detour from the world of craft beer into the world of music. Long time listeners will have heard me mention many times that My Morning Jacket is my favorite band. Turns out that Mike and Pete are fans as well. For this episode, we each picked 3 of our favorite MMJ songs to share with you guys. In addition to listening to a snippet of each song, we talk about the albums they come from and tell some concert stories (including a doozy from Pete). We do get into some beer talk as we drank multiple varieties of Dancing Gnome Underscore that I've had stored in my beer fridge for a while. Pete also gets into some whiskey talk by listing some of his favorites. Hope you enjoy!!!

On the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast, we are joined by Matt Joseph and Pete Renwick of Devout Brewing in Export, PA! Devout is a fairly new brewery that opened in December 2018 and the guys fill us in on all the details. We begin by learning how Matt and Pete met, when they first started drinking craft beer and what got them interested in brewing. Next, we dive into some specifics about Devout, including their brewing system, the beers they are brewing, and the atmosphere of the tap room. We close the show with another round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!

It's been 2 years since we talked with Brad of Insurrection Ale works, so it was time to get caught up! In addition to Brad, we were joined by first time guest Dave Kocinski, who is Brad's assistant brewer at Insurrection. We start off by discussing how Dave got interested in craft beer/brewing and how he made his way to Insurrection. Then, we talk about some of the changes that have taken place with the brewery, including an expansion, and how that has changed how the brew and the beers they put out. Near the end of the show we play a round of Buy and Sell and Brad announces a new taproom location for Insurrection that might be opening Summer/Fall of 2020!!

We're hitting you with a little something different on the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast. As a Pitt alum, I couldn't turn down the chance to chat with fellow Pitt alum, NCAA All-American, NFL draft pick and all around good guy, Dorin Dickerson! As you can guess, this episode is pretty Pitt/football heavy, but we do get in some craft beer talk with Pitt fan and brewer extraordinaire, Andy Kwiatkowski. We begin the show by talking about some other craft beer fans in the Pittsburgh media before learning some of Dorin's favorite craft beer styles and local breweries. Then we dive into Dorin's time at Pitt, including what he was drinking at that time, his favorite watering hole in Oakland, and what Coach Wannstedt though about the players imbibing. Next, we talk about the Pitt football season up to the point of this recording, which was just after the loss to Ped State, er Penn State, and our predictions for the rest of the season. We close the episode with a modified version of the Five Questions, which does still include a round of "Desert Island Beers."

After a week off for Labor Day, we are back with another episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast with Scott Smith of East End Brewing! We start off by learning about Scott's background, including when he first became interested in craft beer and started home brewing. Then, we discuss two "recent" developments at East End, the "You Are Here" Pittsburgh neighborhood series and the partnership with Larder. We finish the show with another round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers.

Friend of the podcast, Andy Kwiatkowski, and first time guest, Dustin Michaels, both of Hitchhiker Brewing join us for the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast. We kick the episode off with a quick recap of Fresh Fest, including some of the stand out collaboration beers and Andy meeting Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewing. Then, we talk with Dustin about his entry into the world of craft beer and how he came to Hitchhiker. Next, we dive into a few random topics including how Bud Ice is still a thing, ABI buying Platform Brewing and a quick preview of Pitt football's upcoming 2019 season. We end the show with a round of Buy & Sell. Fun episode!

Friends of the podcast, Dave and Tom of Abjuration Brewing, join us once again following their successful Honeycomb credit campaign to get us caught up on the new developments at Abjuration in the last year. Also, we are joined by a surprise guest, Dave Cerminara of Apis Mead! We start the podcast by talking about some of the new businesses that have joined Abjuration in McKees Rocks, the beers they have been brewing in the last year and their experience so far with canning. Then, we discuss their Honeycomb credit campaign, their plans for the investment and what it will allow them to do at the taproom. We finish the show with a round of Buy and Sell and a pop culture discussion about the "new" Star Wars trailer/movie, the end of Game of Thrones, Avengers Endgame & Marvel Phase 4, Stranger Things 3 and Dark on Netflix.

Our friends from Dancing Gnome are back on the podcast to review the first six months of the 2019 Bird Series! We start off by briefly discussing their recent trip to Portland and Mike's wedding (!!!) in New Orleans. Then, we dive in to the Bird Series, get they guys' overall impressions from the first six months, and revisit each beer throughout the podcast. Next, we talk about Lustra Day 2019, the beers released for Lustra Day and the increase of low ABV beers coming out of Dancing Gnome. We also get the guys' perspective on an article/blog post from Trim Tab Brewing talking about the world of hop contracting. Also, at some point during the episode, Mike and Andrew reveal the concept for the monthly series for 2020! This was a jam packed episode with so much else that I didn't cover in this description. Check it out!!

We are joined by Emily & Matt Gowens and Tom Marshall of Hop Farm Brewing on the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast! Listeners may remember that the last time Tom was a guest on the podcast, he was with Full Pint Brewing. We begin the episode by talking with Tom about his transition and how his role has changed now that he is with Hop Farm. Then, since it has been almost 3 years since we last had Matt on the show, we get an update from him and his wife (and co-owner of Hop Farm), Emily, on how Hop Farm has changed in these last three years, an update on their farm and the hop yards that are being grown for the brewery. Next, we dive into future plans for Hop Farm, mainly focused on their recent acquisition of their building and planned expansion of the brewery. Emily and Matt give the listeners a sneak peek into the early design plan for the new space and what it will allow them to do that they cannot do now. We also do a quick ranking of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones and play a round of Buy and Sell. 

On the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast, we are joined by Bill Arthur of @CansPgh on Twitter and Instagram! Bill tells us about growing up in West Deer, drinking Iron City with his Dad and how he first got interested in craft beer. Next we talk about his work with @CansPgh, how he gathers all the different can release info from the breweries and why he decided to start posting. We finish up, as always, with the Five Questions, including another round of Desert Island Beers.

After a short break for Memorial Day weekend, we are back with Aadam Soorma of Very Local Pittsburgh and Porter Brew Tours. Aadam was a guest on the show about one year ago and he is back to get us caught up on what has been going on in his world over that time. We start by digging in on his new gig with Very Local Pittsburgh, what it is all about, and what he does for the company. Next, we get an update on some changes with Porter Brew Tours, including some new breweries that are now on their routes. We finish the show by talking about some recent happenings in the Pittsburgh craft beer scene, including the 5 year anniversaries for Brew Gentlemen, Grist House and Hitchhiker, Lustra Day at Dancing Gnome and the opening of the Cinderlands Warehouse space.

Austin Vanasdale of Carson Street Deli joins us for the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast. Austin is the general manager at Carson Street Deli and we begin the show by having him tell us his role at the deli, how he made his way into this job and when/how he first got interested in craft beer. We then dive into all of the beer options at Carson Street Deli, including draft, cask and an impressive selection of bottles/cans (including local cans.) Then, we talk about sandwiches being the best food to pair with beer and some of the incredible sandwich options on the menu at Carson Street Deli. We finish the episode with another round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!

Austin Vanasdale of Carson Street Deli joins us for the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast. Austin is the general manager at Carson Street Deli and we begin the show by having him tell us his role at the deli, how he made his way into this job and when/how he first got interested in craft beer. We then dive into all of the beer options at Carson Street Deli, including draft, cask and an impressive selection of bottles/cans (including local cans.) Then, we talk about sandwiches being the best food to pair with beer and some of the incredible sandwich options on the menu at Carson Street Deli. We finish the episode with another round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!

Nick Salkeld of Stick City Brewing joins us on the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast. We start the show with Nick telling us what it is like with work with his mom and dad, his dad's interest in home brewing in the 90's and how he became interested in craft beer and brewing. Then, we discuss their process in opening Stick City, the beers they are brewing and their participation in the 1% For the Planet initiative. We finish the show with another round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!

On the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast, we are joined by Greg Kamerdze of Spring Hill Brewing! Spring Hill Brewing is located in the old Workingmen's Beneficial Union building in, you guessed it, Spring Hill. Greg tells us about the history of this building, which has been around since roughly 1900, how he came to open his brewery in this space, and some spooky paranormal activity that will be featured on the show, Ghost Bait. We also discuss the beers that he is brewing and some of the breweries from which he drew inspiration. We finish the show with a round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!

I made the trip back to West Newton to visit Bloom Brew again, over three years since our first podcast. We were joined, once again, by owner Jeff Bloom and by first time guest, brewer, Dan Diethorn. Jeff kicks off the episode by running through some changes since our first episode, including how Dan came into the Bloom Brew family. Next, we talk to Dan to find out how he got started brewing, when he became interested in craft beer, and his bridge beer, that flipped that switch. We then get into some newer developments at the brewery, including food trucks, increased brewing capacity and a summer festival that will be happening later this year. We close out the episode by playing some Buy & Sell and hearing what we can expect from Bloom Brew for the rest of 2019

On the 100th episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast, we are joined by Corey Cavalovitch of Fatheads Brewing. Long time listeners will remember Corey joining us for a Brewery Rep Roundtable episode a while ago, but this is his first solo appearance. We start with a quick refresher on his upbringing in Pittsburgh, how he became interested in craft beer and how he made his way to Fatheads. Then Corey gets us caught up on what's been going on at Fatheads, some of the new beers we will see in 2019 and run through a round of Buy and Sell. Since it is Corey's first solo appearance, we finish up with the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!

I was happy to be joined, once again, by Andrew and Mike from Dancing Gnome. Throughout this episode we crack open, revisit and discuss some of the beers of the Flower Series from the second half of 2018. While we enjoy the beers, we discuss some of the guys latest travels, including stops in Miami and San Diego. The guys tell us about their "routine" when they visit a new brewery and how their outlook on running a brewery/taproom has changed. Near the end of the show, we talk more in-depth about the Flower Series, what they've learned from the series and how the Bird Series is going to be different. 

On the latest episode of the Craft Beer Industry podcast, we are joined by Krista Koller of Great Lakes Brewing. Krista joins the show to talk about the Flagship February "movement" and why flagship beers are so important to breweries. Krista tells us about Great Lakes' flagship beers as well as the seasonal offerings we will be seeing in 2019 (including some new additions)! Since this is her first appearance on the show, we also talk about how she got interested and craft beer in general, how she came to work for Great Lakes and we run through a round of the Five Questions, including Desert Island Beers!