Chip is on sabbatical this week so Tony and Jenn track down one of the few Sierra Nevada employees who has yet to be interviewed for Tales!  Connor tells us how he got into the biz and what is new with Sierra, including a fun collaboration with a local celebrity chef!

Since Connor is a known whale hunter we track down a few hard to find beers for him including a Three Floyds Floy Division II IPA, Hardywood’s Cuvee Gold and Barrel Aged Chico-Style Wild Ale.  He also brings us a Rue D’Floyd to try!

Tony jumps behind the news desk to talk about a Beer for Horses, how much beer Wisconsonians really drink and the latest scientific breakthroughs in brewing.  In honor of our guest’s homeland, we also discuss a new signature beer from Purdue!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “what’s your craft beer name from the Twitter game?” This week we want to hear more responses so remember the formula: your grandfather’s job and a word you don’t understand!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We return from all our various road trips with new treats this week from Windmill, Sierra Nevada and Ellison Brewing! After catching up on the excursions for work and fun, we try some IPAs: Windmill Exit Buddy IPA, Sierra Pronto IPA, and Ellison OFP IPA!

We got a week off from #MegaMergerMania, and it returns via Beer Street Journal (courtesy of our buddy @sfringer) with a brutal day as A-B InBev lays off hundreds of employees in “The High End”. Then we pivot to more fun news, starting with radio station WAMU (thanks to our friend Frank C!) returning to our recently met obscure local fruit, the Pawpaw, a hipster banana, followed by CNBC on how a three-person NC craft beer brewery surged to national fame in just four years. We then share a cool new game from Twitter in Food & Wine that reveals how to name your own craft beer, techdirt reporting that UK craft beer trademark applications have doubled in ten years  and we close with NPR treating us to kelp finding its niche in the craft beer scene!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “What’s the strangest thing you have fished out of a pint of beer?” This week we want to know “what’s your craft beer name from the Twitter game?”

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We pack up the travel case and head to Broadway(Street) in Durham to visit second time guest Matt Pennisi. This time Matt is fully permitted and up and running as he gives an update on what’s happening all things Durty Bull. We sample Durty Bull Lager, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Blackberry Sour and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter.

In a seemingly rare week without #MegaMergerMania, Jenn and Tony lead us off with some gear you must procure before heading to German Octoberfest celebrations. We discuss a beer to honor late a late Michigan state punter and report on the continuing court case where Kona Brewing finds itself on the defendant’s chair.  We’ve got some big news for NC State fair goers sure to please those in search of a frosty malt beverage this fall. We finish things up with a progressive idea hoping to take hold in Toronto, particularly for those who enjoy a beer in the park.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked” Have you ever homebrewed? What style was your first?”

This week we’re dying to know ” What’s the strangest thing you have fished out of a pint of beer?” #caskquiz

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s contest time in the bar as we host our 2nd annual Homebrew contest! Joining us on our panel of judges are fan faves Aubrey Herbert & Jake Taylor! Here are our results!

1st Place- Chris Nadeau with Trips up North Black IPA

2nd Place- Carl Hoverstad with Syksyn Saison

3rd Place- Heath Perkins with Amber Alert Hoppy Amber Ale

We also are awarding a special jury prize for best label to John Beal II for Purrrgatory Pale Ale!

Before the merriment we have news beginning with The HuffPo reporting BrewDog is now giving its staff a week's paid 'Pawternity' leave! Next we have The Calgary Herald showing that Alberta's craft beer policy is causing collateral damage, followed by Draft Magazine asking why are so many breweries selling their beer in 15-packs? We wind up this week’s news with UPI revealing how scientists turn brewing waste into fresh yeast to make more beer and The Independent telling you how to bathe in brew at the world’s first beer swimming pools!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “how much do you usually pay for a six-pack of beer?” and this week we want to know “have you ever homebrewed and what was your first style?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! With our recent travels, we are extending the deadline one week! It’s now August 28, 2017! For more details click here!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

This week we are heading for the hill country of Indiana with our good friends Doug Dayhoff and Dusty Howe from Upland Brewing! The guys talk to us about Upland’s origins, it’s expansion into North Carolina, and then they share some great beers with us: Champagne Velvet, Wheat, Coastbuster, Iridescent and Hopsynth!

The world of craft beer intersects the world of weed in the news via Business Insider revealing a beloved craft-brewer is brewing marijuana beer! Next up The Denver Post shows that craft beer is the new weapon in a New Mexico sports rivalry, followed by Think Progress’s opinion that beer is the greenest beverage. We wind down with Craft Brewing Business rocking out and drinking local beer with the band Foreigner and The HuffPo detailing how a six-pack of craft beer ends up costing $12.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s the most creative thing you have thought of or done while drinking a pint?” and this week we want to know “how much do you usually pay for a six-pack of beer?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! With our recent travels, we are extending the deadline one week! It’s now August 28, 2017! For more details click here!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

That’s right, we are using the Delorean this week to visit with our friend Dave Burrows and we are having a whale of a good time! How so? By Dave regaling us with tales of the sales side of the beer business, and then by the treasure trove of rarities he shares with us from his extensive tour of the midwest including Shorts Soft Parade, Surly Xtra Citra Pale Ale, Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow, and Alaskan 30th Anniversary Perseverance!

Summer sales are hot, and so is MegaMergerMania! Two stories in that vein lead the news, with The Denver Post reporting that New Belgium is leading an effort to rescue a San Francisco beer maker Magnolia Brewing, and The Miami Herald revealing that beer giant Constellation is buying the Funky Buddha Brewery. Next up The Full Pint asks is Colorado’s craft beer scene oversaturated? Then we close with Allpsych on the psychology of beer tasting and Imbibe Magazine exploring mixed-culture fermentation.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s the most creative thing you have thought of or done while drinking a pint?” and we are extending it another week due to our time travels!

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! With our recent travels, we are extending the deadline one week! It’s now August 28, 2017! For more details click here!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

You know how we love us some tech, so we are fortunate to have at the bar our friend Brent Nolan, a co-founder of the cool app Stealz! Brent tells about how to use the app to check in with all kinds of businesses and get cool swag, and he tries some great beers with us: Schofferhofer GF, Moosehead Radler, Austin Eastciders Blood Orange, and Coronado Beach Break IPA!

Fun news is on tap this week, starting with more MegaMergerMania but in reverse! It’s  via The New York Times reporting that a small Transylvania brewer stood up to a beer giant and survived! Next we have CBC on London, Ontario’s exploding craft beer scene, followed by Mashable telling us to forget Trump's wall because a brewery wants a beer bar on the U.S.-Mexico border. We close with two from the UK: The Coventry Telegraph showing us a craft beer made in Warwickshire has been named best in the UK, and The Sun discovering that drinking beer makes us smart and creative.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you have a favorite iconic beer logo image and if so which one?” and this week we are asking you to share a eureka moment you have had while hoisting a pint!

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! The deadline for entries is Total Solar Eclipse Day in the U.S. which is August 21, 2017! For more details click here!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

This week the Rockies return to the bar with our friend Heath Perkins from Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing! Heath shares the latest from Longmont and has some awesome treats for us: Travelin’ Light Kolsch, Saison au Miel, Saison Aux Baies Amères, and the astonishing 2013 Widdershins Barleywine!

We have numbers in the news this week via Fortune showing that the craft beer boom has gone flat. In spite of this, new breweries continue to open and CNN Money has advice on how to start a successful craft beer brewery. Next up we head overseas where American Craft Beer infiltrates Thailand’s craft beer rebellion, then Travel Market Report brings us beer tourism on tap for travel agents, and we close with out of this world Beer Alien joining punk legends NOFX in invading Stone Brewing (the brewery is still standing)!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “are you using special glassware for your beer and if so what kind?” and this week we are asking “do you have a favorite iconic beer logo image and if so which one?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! The deadline for entries is Total Solar Eclipse Day in the U.S. which is August 21, 2017! For more details click here!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

At last Chip returns the DeLorean and we are all together in the bar sharing some new faves from Roak, Coronado, and Olde Hickory! Our taste treats include Roak Creative Tension IPA, Coronado 21st Anniversary IPA, and Olde Hickory Flanders Red!

In the news this week, the beloved saga of MegaMergerManiaTM continues in two stories! First is in The Detroit Free Press revealing that Short's Brewing is selling a 20% stake to Lagunitas, and the second story is via Porch Drinking reporting that Brooklyn Brewery is partnering with 21st Amendment and Funkwerks. Next up is CNBC telling us that Goldman is downgrading beer stocks because millennials like wine better, followed by The Boston Globe showing us beer with a lobster background note, and we close with Gear Patrol asking why beer bars are switching to stemware?

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “would you drink a caffeinated beer and if so what style” and this week we ask “are you using special glassware for your beer and if so what kind?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! The deadline for entries is Total Solar Eclipse Day in the U.S., which is August 21, 2017! For more details click here!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are very excited this week and gracious to chat with the oft-travelling Nick Nunns and Kat Wilkinson who are visiting from young but pioneering Denver mixed culture brewery, TRVE.  We learn how they got started and about their unique process for the acidic side of brewing.  They bring us some hard to find and classic brews to try and we sample Ecate, Ostara, Red Chaos and Revengeance

Tony and Jenn handle the news this week with fun beer stories from around the globe!  We talk about the perfect beer to pair with tacos in Texas, an ambitios project to beautify industrial areas with  hops in Pittsburgh. We let you in on the perfect spot to don a kimono and drink unlimited beer in Japan.  In legal news we report on the unfortunate beer naming dispute between Elvis Presley’s estate and Scottish Brewer Brewdog. 

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “Will you buy beer based on the BA seal?”  and this week we want to know if you would still drink a caffeinated beer if they were legal? And what style of beer should it be?

It is also time for our second Tales Homebrew Contest!  We would love to try your best homebrew and there are great prizes, the deadline for entries is August 21st.  Details can be found here. Good Luck and Good Brewing!

We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!