Podcast: Good Beer Hunting

Some people know early on they’re destined to be their own boss. Rachael
Hudson is one of these people. She’s the co-owner and head brewer at Pilot
Brewing Company in Charlotte, North Carolina, a small brewery that’s made
big waves in her local scene and beyond since opening in 2018. Since then,
the business has racked up accolades at the Great American Beer Festival,
the US Open Beer Championship, and the North Carolina Brewers Cup
Competition, including being named North Carolina Brewery of the Year for
2023.

But for as nice as the awards are, Rachael says opening a brewery isn’t
about fame (and it’s definitely not about money). It’s more about being an
outlet for her ability and desire to teach curious consumers about what it
is they’re consuming. She’s an Advanced Cicerone who plans to take the
Master exam again later this year, as well as a national and international
beer judge and co-host of the False Bottomed Girls podcast with Master
Cicerone Jen Blair. Needless to say, she knows what she’s talking about,
and she’s passionate about sharing her knowledge with absolutely anyone who
will listen.

In this episode, Rachael shares when and how she knew she had to go into
business for herself and why education is such a critical part of what
Pilot offers to the community. She also talks about her “less is more”
mentality when it comes to recipe development, and how their ESB tends to
outshine even their IPAs. Pilot probably isn’t going to get much bigger,
but that’s not what Rachael wants anyway. She’d rather focus on perfecting
what they put out and keep figuring out ways to show other people that they
too can turn their passion into a profession.

Hillary Barile isn’t sure what she’d call herself first: a farmer or a
maltster. In reality, she’s both, working as a fifth generation farmer at
Rabbit Hill Farms & Malthouse in Shiloh, New Jersey. There, she and members
of her family produce barley and other crops, as well as run a small-scale
malthouse that supplies ingredients for breweries and distilleries. And, as
president of the Craft Maltsters Guild Board of Directors, she works to
educate and grow the craft malt community across North America and beyond.

So why, and how, did she make the jump from farming potatoes to investing
in the agriculture and future of craft malt? It started with homebrewing,
of course, with aspirations of opening a brewery to diversify and solidify
her farm’s finances. But, as she explains in this episode, the business
plan never got that far. As for what’s next, she says the breweries
prioritizing local craft malt can tell unique stories that still reach the
hearts of drinkers, giving them a small, but sufficient shield against
difficult economic forces. We also discuss the many definitions of the word
“sustainable,” and the efforts she’s making to ensure generations to come
will still have the opportunity to nurture the land her family has
cultivated.

Fluffernutter and Oreo Marshmallow pastry stouts. Kettle sours brewed with
"obscene amounts" of fruit. A cream cheese rangoon gose. Depending on your
level of curiosity and adventurousness, these beers may sound exciting or
challenging, but they also have two things in common: They’ve been made by
Colorado’s WeldWerks Brewing and they’re fun beers made with serious
intent.

In this episode, we get into some of the technical ideas, philosophies, and
search for dialed-in joy with Skip Schwartz, WeldWerks’ head brewer and
Neil Fisher, founder and owner of the company. What makes brewing and beer
fun these days? There are lots of answers, and as you’ll hear both explain,
it could be from the never-ending tweaks to make a beer as perfect as
possible or finding ways to connect with new drinkers who would otherwise
turn away from a beer.

Some of the more wild beers created by WeldWerks have gotten attention over
the years, but it’s their flagship hazy IPA, Juicy Bits, that put this
brewery on the map and has allowed WeldWerks to expand into 26 different
markets this year. The runaway success of Juicy Bits has helped the
business gain notoriety beyond Colorado, build out its brewhouse, and set a
goal of modest growth as many companies in craft beer are focused on just
staying flat with their production.

So, maybe you’ve tried some of WeldWerks’ outlandish beers at their taproom
or during a major industry event like the Great American Beer Festival, or
maybe you’ve had their signature IPA and one of its variants. Allow Skip
and Neil to give you some background on what it means to connect with
drinkers today and learn how their approach to beer is setting them up for
2024 and beyond.

What happens when a respected name in wine and spirits tries to make a move
into the beer world? Does their experience translate into a new category,
or do they have to build a reputation from the ground up? Does the beer
industry welcome interlopers, or view them with skepticism and confusion?
And if they’re asking to judge your beer at a new competition, does anyone
show up?

These are all questions I asked myself when I was invited to judge at The
Tasting Alliance’s second ever beer competition in December 2023. I, like
some others in and around beer, had never heard of the group, or only knew
them for their wine and spirits competitions that take place in San
Francisco, New York, and Singapore.

In this episode, I talk to Maddee McDowell, vice president of The Tasting
Alliance and the person who handles the logistical organization of their
beer competition. You’ll hear about what it was like for me to participate
in judging, but also what The Tasting Alliance hopes sets them apart from
other competitions. Maddee shares what the biggest category of entries was
(it’s shockingly not IPAs), some of the differences between running wine
and spirits competitions versus beer, and how they’re trying to build
relationships in the beer community to gain a wider diversity of palates at
the judging table. We also talk about how the competition changed from year
one to two, and how many entries she, somewhat optimistically, hopes to
receive in year three.

The competition doesn’t end once medals are announced, McDowell assures us.
And at the very least, The Tasting Alliance’s experience is another way for
us to better understand competitions and what it takes to make them happen.

You’ve heard the joke—four scientists walk into a bar, and hilarity ensues.
But have you heard the one about a few NASA employees opening a brewery?
It’s not a setup. It’s how True Anomaly Brewing Company in Houston, Texas
actually started, when four friends and homebrewers decided to trade in the
final frontier for a shot at making their own beer.

Michael Duckworth is co-founder and CEO of True Anomaly, which was recently
named Brewery of the Year at the Texas Craft Brewers Cup for the second
year in a row. Now in their sixth year, True Anomaly specializes in making
wild and sour beers, but in a lager-focused state like Texas, they brew
plenty of clean beers as well. They’ve been recognized for both with medal
wins in competitions like the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer
Festival. And now, they’re preparing to open a much larger second location
later this year, which you’ll hear about, and plan to up their output from
around 1,200 barrels to around 2,000 by the end of 2024.

All this begs the question: how did a bunch of NASA nerds pull this off?
Well, according to Michael, the four founders took a methodical, scientific
approach to the business plan and applied an artistic sensibility to making
the beers themselves. Wild beer can be unpredictable, but it’s that freedom
from expectation he says makes each day a fun and unique surprise. In this
episode, he also talks about the potential he sees in the Houston craft
beverage scene, why they implemented inclusivity as part of their
operations from day one, and why you might see an astronaut or two hanging
around the brewery on the weekends.

There’s something special about when talent, vision, and respect are all
wrapped up in a relationship. These attributes can provide people deeper
meaning and drive which make dreams more attainable. Accomplishing a goal
can be daunting on your own, but when you have partners who push you to be
better—and complement each other in meaningful ways—that’s when whole new
opportunities can come to life.

These ideas are at the core of this conversation with three co-founders of
Kansas City’s Vine Street Brewing. The business earned national attention
last year as Missouri’s first-ever black-owned brewery and from day one has
backed it up with beloved beer and offering a space that quickly became a
new and exciting part of the city’s downtown life. Located in the historic
Jazz District of Kansas City, you’ll find all kinds of community
connections stemming from the brewery, from beer collaborations, to music
and film events, and more.

Joining me to talk about what this means are Kemet Coleman, Elliott Ivory,
and Woodie Bonds Jr. Each has taken different paths to this moment, but
their shared connection—whether it be brewing backgrounds with Woodie and
Elliott or Kemet’s ability to bring people together—has allowed Vine Street
to not just grow in its first year, but become a celebrated part of the
Kansas City beer scene. What you’ll hear from them offers a lot of tangible
examples of what it looks like when talent, vision, and respect turn into
something you can see, feel, and taste. And as the trio prepares for their
second year in business, these things also offer them plenty to reflect on
and use as motivation for Vine Street’s future.

“The thicker, the better” sounds like something I would say about my
thighs, but not necessarily about beer. But that’s exactly how Woven Water
Brewing Company describes their infamous “fusion” concoctions, which are
smoothie-style sours with flavors like peanut butter and jelly, banana
split, and peach orange pop ice cream. That’s not all they brew, but this
type of eye-catching beverage is what has put the Tampa brewery on the map
and what owners Jay and Ciara Jones say keep them in business.

In this episode, I chat with both owners, who launched the brewery with
Nicole and Eric Childs in August 2020, and have since assumed complete
ownership. You’ll hear them describe their “adapt or die” mentality, and
why despite Jay’s initial reluctance to brew what some might call “hype”
beers or hard seltzers, they quickly realized it’s what people want to
drink, so why not give it to them? It’s a refreshingly pragmatic approach
to business, and they’re having fun with it, even hosting a tap takeover of
the gloopiest, gloppiest beers from around the country in a celebration
they call Gloop City, which is now in its third year.

But all silliness aside, this conversation is a look at a brewery that was
poised to launch at the start of the pandemic, and what they had to do and
change in order to open in what they believe is the best craft beer scene
in the country. They share what worked, what didn’t, what they would do
differently if they had to do it all over again, and what they hope to
accomplish in the future. Jay and Ciara say they’re investing in a few key
areas: their people, their community, and in their ability to grow and
change. That sounds like a solid plan to me. So, let’s hear about it, right
now.

The idea of “community” comes up a lot in beer. We use “community” to
describe the collection of homebrewers, enthusiasts, brewery employees,
journalists, and more that surround the industry. Many owners position
their taprooms as “community spaces.” This aspect of bringing people
together is one of my favorite parts of beer, but once we’re all gathered,
what else can we do besides enjoy a drink together? Is there a way for us
to make an impact or drive change?

To explore these questions, I’m joined by Dan Reingold, marketing director
at Creature Comforts Brewing, a business that has become a cornerstone of
its local community in Athens, Georgia. Over the past decade, the company
has grown to be much more than a place to enjoy a pint—it's a hub for
community engagement and social good. As one of Creature’s oldest
employees, Dan is able to give us a glimpse of those early days and also
show us what the brewery has been up to lately.

In our conversation, Dan shares the excitement of celebrating Creature
Comforts’ 10th anniversary with the declaration of “Creature Comforts Day.”
You’ll hear about the brewery’s impactful “Get Comfortable” program, which
has led to the business receiving the President's Volunteer Service Award.
Dan also discusses the brewery’s collaborative initiatives with local
institutions like the University of Georgia, and how important it is for
them to use business to address community needs.

There’s something special about when talent, vision, and respect are all wrapped up in a relationship. These attributes can provide people deeper meaning and drive which make dreams more attainable. Accomplishing a goal can be daunting on your own, but when you have partners who push you to be better—and complement each other in meaningful ways—that’s when whole new opportunities can come to life. These ideas are at the core of this conversation with three co-founders of Kansas City’s Vine Street Brewing. The business earned national attention last year as Missouri’s first-ever black-owned brewery and from day one has backed it up with beloved beer and offering a space that quickly became a new and exciting part of the city’s downtown life. Located in the historic Jazz District of Kansas City, you’ll find all kinds of community connections stemming from the brewery, from beer collaborations, to music and film events, and more. Joining me to talk about what this means are Kemet Coleman, Elliott Ivory, and Woodie Bonds Jr. Each has taken different paths to this moment, but their shared connection—whether it be brewing backgrounds with Woodie and Elliott or Kemet’s ability to bring people together—has allowed Vine Street to not just grow in its first year, but become a celebrated part of the Kansas City beer scene. What you’ll hear from them offers a lot of tangible examples of what it looks like when talent, vision, and respect turn into something you can see, feel, and taste. And as the trio prepares for their second year in business, these things also offer them plenty to reflect on and use as motivation for Vine Street’s future.

Listeners of The Gist know we’re all about the stats. But today, we’re dishing out numbers with narrative, from Anchor Brewing's out-of-nowhere yogurt angel to speculation about a potential Boston Beer Company sale and wine’s latest numbers and what they really mean. I’m Beth Demmon with Kate Bernot, and this is The Gist.

So much has changed in craft beer since I became a fan more than a decade ago. One of the most intriguing things I’ve noticed as someone who loves being in taprooms is how many new breweries are moving away from the industrial look that was once ubiquitous in craft beer. For me, the shift represents a second wave, a move towards standing out instead of running with the pack.  In this episode, we talk to Nicole Oesch, co-owner of Kismetic Beer Company, a brewery that looks more like a swanky cocktail bar than a taproom, to learn what made her want to differentiate her brewery from everyone else. Where did she get the idea for building a space with jewel-tone shades of purple and turquoise, leather wrapped booths, and geometric artwork decking the walls? You’ll hear Nicole talk about how she focuses on comfort and beauty and how it makes it unique in a crowded market, offering customers something that other breweries in the area might not. She shares the importance of going beyond making great beer and how she used her own personal preferences to build an authentic brand that connects with local beer drinkers and engages with people outside of beer’s usual scope. Nicole also talks about how one of those personal preferences—drinking low ABV beers—led Kismetic to brew with tea, which helps them reduce sugar, and as a result alcohol, without impacting the final taste of their product.

“The thicker, the better” sounds like something I would say about my thighs, but not necessarily about beer. But that’s exactly how Woven Water Brewing Company describes their infamous “fusion” concoctions, which are smoothie-style sours with flavors like peanut butter and jelly, banana split, and peach orange pop ice cream. That’s not all they brew, but this type of eye-catching beverage is what has put the Tampa brewery on the map and what owners Jay and Ciara Jones say keep them in business. In this episode, I chat with both owners, who launched the brewery with Nicole and Eric Childs in August 2020, and have since assumed complete ownership. You’ll hear them describe their “adapt or die” mentality, and why despite Jay’s initial reluctance to brew what some might call “hype” beers or hard seltzers, they quickly realized it’s what people want to drink, so why not give it to them? It’s a refreshingly pragmatic approach to business, and they’re having fun with it, even hosting a tap takeover of the gloopiest, gloppiest beers from around the country in a celebration they call Gloop City, which is now in its third year.  But all silliness aside, this conversation is a look at a brewery that was poised to launch at the start of the pandemic, and what they had to do and change in order to open in what they believe is the best craft beer scene in the country. They share what worked, what didn’t, what they would do differently if they had to do it all over again, and what they hope to accomplish in the future. Jay and Ciara say they’re investing in a few key areas: their people, their community, and in their ability to grow and change. That sounds like a solid plan to me. So, let’s hear about it, right now.

It’s almost summertime, and the living’s easy, especially if you’re a beer brand heading into the biggest sales season of the year. In this episode of The Gist, Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot shares her insights into a few ways taprooms and breweries are attracting people back on-premise, plus a sneak peek at some upcoming Sightlines reporting about events, sales, packaging, and much more. We also discuss Bud Light’s boycott comeback and what the numbers show, plus Gallo’s expansion from wine to beer and RTDs in a quest for total beverage presence. I’m Beth Demmon, and you’re listening to The Gist.

If you're a beer fan, it's likely you know about the core ingredients in every recipe: hops, malt, water, yeast. Even if you're not an enthusiast, you may have at least heard about a hop varietal every now and then. But it's that last item—the yeast—that is getting renewed and extraordinary scientific interest as companies forge into a new frontier of fermentation. In this episode, we're joined by the three founding members of Berkeley Yeast, all scientists who came together with the goal of pushing the microorganisms to new levels in order to create new flavors in beer. Whether it's recreating the taste of hops or adding nuances of fruit—the kind of yeast this company is making has the ability to not just alter our beer, but our perception of what's possible in the brewing process. One brewer from San Francisco's Cellarmaker Brewing once said that Berkeley Yeast is "messing around at a level that’s just so far beyond what anyone else is doing," while another from Monterey's Alvarado Street Brewery said once that “It’s mind-boggling how these flavors could be created with no fruit.” Joining me to talk about it all are Rachel Li, Charles Denby, and Nick Harris, who launched their startup from origins at UC Berkeley and in recent years have rapidly become a trusted source for brewers around the country looking to push the boundaries of what their fermentations can do. We'll hear about how and why they started the company, the kinds of yeast they're creating, and most importantly, why now is the moment this is all happening and changing the minds of brewers. Because your taste buds are next.

Some people know early on they’re destined to be their own boss. Rachael Hudson is one of these people. She’s the co-owner and head brewer at Pilot Brewing Company in Charlotte, North Carolina, a small brewery that’s made big waves in her local scene and beyond since opening in 2018. Since then, the business has racked up accolades at the Great American Beer Festival, the US Open Beer Championship, and the North Carolina Brewers Cup Competition, including being named North Carolina Brewery of the Year for 2023. But for as nice as the awards are, Rachael says opening a brewery isn’t about fame (and it’s definitely not about money). It’s more about being an outlet for her ability and desire to teach curious consumers about what it is they’re consuming. She’s an Advanced Cicerone who plans to take the Master exam again later this year, as well as a national and international beer judge and co-host of the False Bottomed Girls podcast with Master Cicerone Jen Blair. Needless to say, she knows what she’s talking about, and she’s passionate about sharing her knowledge with absolutely anyone who will listen. In this episode, Rachael shares when and how she knew she had to go into business for herself and why education is such a critical part of what Pilot offers to the community. She also talks about her “less is more” mentality when it comes to recipe development, and how their ESB tends to outshine even their IPAs. Pilot probably isn’t going to get much bigger, but that’s not what Rachael wants anyway. She’d rather focus on perfecting what they put out and keep figuring out ways to show other people that they too can turn their passion into a profession.

Spring hasn’t sprung for craft beer yet this year. It’s more like a belly flop into a deflating pool filled with the ghosts of profitable years of yore and future hopes for a better summer. But rather than languish in low numbers, beverage alcohol companies big and small are dabbling in new products, new segments, and really anything they can to stay afloat. In this episode of The Gist, I’m joined as always by Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot to talk about first quarter numbers for 2024, innovation across segments, and what BrewDog may be up to after CEO James Watt stepped down as CEO. I’m Beth Demmon, and you’re listening to The Gist.  TG-014 The One with the Spring Slump

“If you can see, you can be it.” I believe this adage is a great example of the value of diversity in all aspects of life. Seeing someone who looks like you in spaces where most don’t is an unspoken invitation that you belong there too. When I started dipping my toe into Atlanta’s craft beer scene, Jen Price was the first Black woman that I encountered. I was immediately intrigued by her and might have stalked her Atlanta Beer Boutique profile on Instagram before I even had my own beer account. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of following Jen’s journey (and writing about it). In 2020, she came so close to opening the Atlanta Beer Boutique, a concept she had worked on for years but ultimately had to put on pause after the pandemic pushed everyone into their homes. Along with a place to buy and drink beer, the Atlanta Beer Boutique would also allow Jen and others to host educational workshops. But as you’ll hear in this episode, Jen turned her lemons into lemonade with her newest venture, Crafted for Action, an organization focused on providing real solutions for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the beer community. That’s primarily done through its signature event, CraftBeerCon, a hybrid conference combining a diverse array of participants, engaging panel discussions, and interactive workshops. With CraftBeerCon now in its third year, I thought it was the perfect time to share Jen’s journey with you in her own words.  You’ll hear her describe how she transitioned from building the boutique to creating one of the most diverse beer conferences in the United States, welcoming a host of BIPOC and women panelists and attendees. We dive into the different aspects of the conference and what participants can expect this year. As Atlanta natives, we couldn’t end our conversation without talking about a city that we love so much and what it is that makes it special in general and how it relates to beer.

Bongs, beer, and boogeymen—on this episode of The Gist, we kick things off with cannabis. Then, Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot shares her insights from the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas. We’re also joined by special guest Paige Latham Didora, who chats with us about non-competes and the FTC’s recent ban on them. What does it mean for the beer industry? Keep listening to find out.

This is a special episode hosted in collaboration with the American Cider Association—a great way to bring you an episode with audio from an event dedicated to cider in the culinary space. While you will hear my voice now, this conversation is led by Leah Scafe of Stockpot Collective in Portland, Oregon. Leah worked with the Cider Association to host the roundtable discussion called “Orchard to Table” during the organization’s annual CiderCon event in January 2024. With Stockpot Collective, Leah produces unique food and beverage events, and leads conversations that are specific to the needs and interests of food and beverage producers, which is what we’ll enjoy in this recording of Orchard to Table, a celebration of Pacific Northwest cider and Portland’s culinary community. Along with Leah, we’ll hear from three Oregon-based, James Beard-nominated chefs and sommeliers on why they love pairing, cooking with, and celebrating cider: Brent Braun of Portland’s OK Omens, a co-owner of that James Beard-nominated restaurant, a Food & Wine Magazine Sommelier of the Year, and co-founder of Post Familiar Wine. Katy Millard of Portland’s Coquine, a chef and co-founder of the award-winning Coquine, a multi-year James Beard Award nominee and finalist, and StarChef Rising Star Award recipient. Nate Ready of Hood River’s Hiyu Wine Farm, a James Beard Award semi-finalist, former Master Sommelier, farm owner, and alone with making wine at Hiyu, is cider maker for his Floreal line of brands.

Magic takes time, patience, and intention. So does brewing. The two concepts intertwine fantastically and theatrically in Jeff Alworth’s Signifier for Good Beer Hunting, titled “Long Live the Sorcery — Brujos Brewing in Portland, Oregon.” In the piece, he delves into the magical world of Brujos, a business that officially opened in March 2024, but has been percolating for a decade under the creative vision of owner and brewer Sam Zermeño. What started as a brand and hobby picked up steam on social media around 10 years ago, when Zermeño was still a homebrewer in Southern California with a penchant for making malty beers and an appreciation for what he calls “witchy shit” and the occult. Once he got some professional brewing experience under his belt—or, wizard robes, which seems more likely—and moved to the Pacific Northwest, things began to settle into place. It wasn’t an accident, and it wasn’t magic, but it was definitely a journey that deserves its own story. When Alworth decided to write about it, he says it was that slippery concept of “authenticity” that drew him to write about Zermeño’s vision and the Brujos dream finally realized. In this conversation, Alworth and I talk about how and why this story feels a lot different than much of the cynical, business-oriented beer writing that’s pervasive in media today. He talks about how, despite being in a city proudly full of weirdos, Brujos takes it to a whole new level, and how it still just works. We talk about the dichotomy of the sacred and profane, the beauty of ritual, and magical realism that serves as a foundation for the brewery. As I say later in the episode, it’s a nice story about good people doing cool things.