Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

As a drinkers, it’s hard not to get excited when you hear brewers talking about ingredients. The passion, the exploration, the flavor. There is so much the main ingredients in beer bring to the glass.  This week it’s a trio of brewers talking about how they approach ingredients, from hop selection, to heirloom corn in lagers. It was recorded in front of an audience of brewers at the annual Schilling Oktoberfest in New Hampshire, and the panel includes:  Maggie Pinto left a successful job in home infusion pharmaceuticals to pursue her dream of brewing beer. She enrolled in a craft beer brewing program at a local college, found a job at a small local brewery (Fidens) and worked her way up from the taproom and can sales. Now, she brews beer every day of the week!  Frank Zagami is Co-founder/Head Brewer of Deciduous Brewing Company in Newmarket, NH with his wife Maryann. Founded in 2014, he is striving to brew exceptional beer within all styles.  And Spencer Longhurst is a graduate of the American Brewers Guild's Brewing Sciences and Engineering Program. Growing up in the Canadian Rockies, Spencer has cultivated a diverse brewing career having lived and brewed in Canada, the UK, Australia, and the United States. Currently, he serves as the Head Brewer at Barrique Brewing & Blending in Nashville, Tennessee, where he specialises in open-fermented mixed culture beers and continental lagers. With a strong commitment to using local and seasonal ingredients. For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuests: Maggie Pinto, Spencer Longhurst, Frank ZagamiSponsors: All About Beer, Denver Rare Beer TastingTags: Corn, Lager, Brewing, Hops, Ingredients Photo: Zac Porter

Peter Kiley, Brewmaster and Co-Owner of Monday Night Brewing, shares his wealth of knowledge, emphasizing the importance of innovative business models in navigating today’s beer industry challenges. He discusses the critical role of community engagement and intentional brewing, ensuring quality and creativity resonate with local tastes. Kiley also addresses the unique hurdles faced by niche breweries, especially those focused on lagers. Listeners will relate to his insights on work-life balance, a constant struggle for small business owners in the craft beer scene.

https://staustellbrewery.co.uk/A conversation on the importance, process, and tradition of cask ale, with Georgina Young the brewing director of St. Austell Brewery. For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuest: Georgina Young Sponsors: All About Beer, Denver Rare Beer TastingTags: Britian, Drinking, Bars, Pubs, Cask Ale

Myths are everywhere in beer. We don't know when certain breweries were actually created, when some brewing styles were invented, or we have preconceived notions of how certain things should be. In reality, they are not true at all. Beer writer Jeff Alworth has a phrase for some of these: romantic facts. Some are semi-accurate but the truth is stretched slightly, which hurts no one and helps create legend and lore either around a specific brewery or a brewing process. Alworth lays out a list of these romantic facts for this episode of the All About Beer podcast to dig through in a fun and engaging interview about what is the "truth" of beer and does it really matter?This Episode is Sponsored by:Estrella GaliciaEstrella Galicia is an independent, family-owned brewery  in northwest Spain, founded in 1906.Estrella Galicia Cerveza Especial is a world class lager, brewed using the finest Spanish malts, locally  cultivated Galician hops and the best brewing practices, in a state-of-the-art facility in La Coruña . Recognized around the world for quality and exceptional character. Estrella Galicia is “A beer like no other.”Hosts: Em Sauter and Don TseGuest: Jeff AlworthSponsors: Estrella Galicia, All About BeerTags: Myths, Beer, Lager, AlePhoto: By John Holl

In Pub for All Seasons: A Yearlong Journey in Search of the Perfect British Local (Headline, 2024) Adrian Tierney-Jones  deftly unpacks what makes these locations so special, while also sharing details of his own life. The result is a page and calendar turner that helps reveal how different times of year bring out different experiences. It will inspire readers to get out of the traditional comfort zones and experience the Pub in all kinds of weather. For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuest: Adrian Tierney-JonesSponsors: All About Beer, Denver Rare Beer TastingTags: Britian, Drinking, Bars, Pubs, Travel

There is no shortage of excellent places to drink in New York City, and on this episode, we're talking with Karla and James Murray, the photographers behind a new book Great Bars of New York City: 30 of Manhattan’s Favorite Storied Drinking Establishments (Prestel).  For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuest: Karla Murray and James MurraySponsors: All About BeerTags: New York, Drinking, Bars, Photography

Author Josh Noel talks about his new book Malort: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit. It's a story of stubbornness and luck, determination, underground appreciation, and mainstream popularity. The wormwood liquor is easy to hate but should be wonderfully appreciated. It is a uniquely Chicago story, and there is no one better than Noel to tell the story. For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuest: Josh NoelSponsors: All About BeerTags: Chicago, Malort, Bars, DrinkingPhoto by John Holl

There’s some really fun beers happening inside of a small Rhode Island brewery. This week, it’s a conversation with Cheyne Tessier of Origin Beer Project about low abv beers, art, and establishing a home base. For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuest: Cheyne Tessier Sponsors: All About BeerTags: Rhode Island, ABV, Lager, IPA, Hop Water, BusinessPhoto by John Holl

A conversation recorded in Providence, Rhode Island with longtime brewmaster John Mallett, formerly of Bells Brewery who is currently happily retired. It’s a chat about brewery safety, building recipes, and insight from a career that impacted so many. Last week I was in Rhode Island to help judge the inaugural Rhode Worthy Beer Cup. It was happening along side the state brewer’s guild conference. John Mallett, the long-time Bells Brewery brewer and production manager was giving the keynote. He’s an Ocean State Native, and was kind enough to take some time to cross the road after his talk and sit down with me for a conversation at the newly opened Buttonwoods Brewery location.  If you don’t know Mallett, maybe you’ve been living under a rock.  In addition to his work at Bells, which spanned more than 20 years, helping develop and shepherd many of the brands beloved beers to market, he’s also the author of Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse (released by the Brewers Publications in  2014). He served on many boards and technical committees, including the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, Brewers Association, Hop Quality Group – of which he was a founder -  and American Malting Barley Association.Mallett retired a few years ago but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything left to share or teach. He is passionate about brewery safety, and finding ways to bring creativy, knowledge, and passion to an industry that he has loved for so long. For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuests: John MallettSponsors: All About BeerTags: Rhode Island, Bells, Safety, Hop Quality GroupPhoto by John Holl

It’s a conversation about both history and modern beer with Alan Pugsley, the long-time brewery consultant who helped launch so many beers in the early days of the craft movement and more recently has gotten into the gluten-free beer space.  For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.Host: John HollGuests: Alan PugsleySponsors: All About BeerTags: Maine, Brewing, Gluten-freePhoto by Dave Delsonno