We travel to an undisclosed cozy pub to participate in a Blind IPA Challenge featuring some industry classics from  Lagunitas, Ballast Point, Bell’s, Foothills, Stone and Fullsteam. Will Jenn and Tony be able to pick up on the nuances of these IPA’s and pick them out of a lineup or will they suffer a hoppy defeat?

Chip once again leaves us in great hands with the news! We begin with a polarizing story from AOL regarding Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Flavored beer. Cleveland.com revisits an old familiar topic with Brettanomyces and sour beers. NY Times takes us north of the border with changing rules from the Canadian government on beer sales. Oregon has ideas for water conservation using treated sewage water to brew as reported in TIME. For the history buffs, Westerndigs.org has a feature on ring-tab beer cans officially becoming artifacts! Lastly We visit Paste Magazine for a comprehensive blind IPA tasting featuring 116 top brews just in time for this weeks thematic episode!

Last week our #caskquiz was “What is your favorite dish to using beer as an ingredient?” This week we are asking “have you ever participated in a blind tasting challenge?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s tasteoff time with Carolina Brewing Company’s terrific Joe Zonin! We get to try his astounding new West Coast Style IPA and reveal the results of a taste challenge against some California heavyweights: AleSmith, Ballast Point, and Bear Republic!

Good news items for you this week! OregonLive starts us off with in Portland with the Craft Brewers Convention, followed with The Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s look at Boardwalk Food Co. bread mixes secret, and then io9’s profile of the first man to put beer under a microscope. Next it’s War on the Rocks revealing how sobriety lost the Battle of Trenton, then The USA Today’s piece on AB asking folks to drink beer -- any beer, and we wind down with The Austin Daily Herald (MN) reporting on an event highlighting beer and beards.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what celebrity would YOU like to have a beer with?” This week we are asking “what dishes have you used beer to cook with?” 

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Take a trip with us over to the Dark Side...On-Premise! We have Justin Hughes, who works as the beverage director for a local chain of restaurants. He shares great stories with us as we try some tasty new treats: Bear RepublicGrand Am American Pale Ale, AtwaterPoorboy Smoked Porter, and Ballast PointHabanero Sculpin IPA!

This week’s news segment begins with a map from VinePair showing the locations of the top 50 US Craft Breweries in 2014, followed by Thrillist’s opinion piece thatcraft beer is dead and Gose killed it, and then Time with 8 reasons to love beer on National Beer Day—or any day really. Next up is the winner of the finale of themost loved beer label contest by CNBC,then Jezebel stating that everybody wants to drink beer with the wrong famous people and finally we have a scathing takedown of the "Food Babe" blogger by Gawker. 

Last week our #caskquiz was “what is your favorite historic brewery?” This week we are asking “what celebrity would YOU like to have a beer with?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

On to the next 100 episodes! We start our second century with a European coup: Rudi Ghequire from legendary Belgian brewery Rodenbach and David van Wees from Latis Imports! Rudi gives us the scoop on the brewery’s history and we sample the insanely great Rodenbach Grand Cru!

We bring rankings news (among other things) for you this week, starting with The USA Today reporting that Yuengling has ousted Boston Beer as the top U.S. craft brewery while Time has a companion piece examining the fact that  some beer lovers are divided over the change. Next we time travel (you know we love to) with Live Science to find that Egyptians brewed beer in Tel Aviv 5,000 years ago, look at April 15th with Adweek who tell us that software companyIntuit is brewing a special beer for accountants only called CPA IPA to make tax season less taxing, and we end up out west with The San Diego Union-Times wondering if you will ever be able to get San Diego craft beers at Qualcomm Stadium. 

Last week our #caskquiz was “what is your favorite beer label?” This week we are asking “what is your favorite historical brewery?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

To celebrate our milestone 100th episode, we convinced Don Chartier and Ethan Boylan from Lagunitas Brewing to return to the sunny lands! Out on Tony’s porch, we try Equinox Pale Oat Ale and High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout!

We have much to report for you this week in the world of beer! First up The New York Times reveals the Oktoberfest Back Story, then FastCompany shows usa new Brazilian feminist beer waging a battle against sexism in advertising, followed by The USA Today’s ultimate craft beer bracket. Next LA Weekly asks what can America learn from Baja’s beer festivals, Wired details a quest to reengineer a legendary beer in a dirty kitchen, CNBC runs their most loved beer label contest, and we close the news with The Washington Post on ‘Dos Equis’ The Most Interesting Man in the World’ riding in HOV lanes.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what do you want to hear in our 100th episode next week?” This week we are asking “what is your favorite beer label?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We keep it in the family this week with our very own Ryan Trask, one of our sales stars! Ryan shares how he got in the biz and the differences in sales between the on and off-premise worlds. Then we try some terrific brews: the all-new Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter IPA, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, and Charlotte’s Triple C Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout.

There is much to report this week for you! First CNBC says that craft beer drinkers just love their IPAs, and then VinePair has created a map of the craft and regional beers made by the large brewers. Next up is the always reliable HuffPo listing 17 of the most sought-after craft beers in America, followed by The Financial Times reporting that in the UK ales and craft beers are spurring a brewing boom, and we close with the Sacramento Bee announcing that Sacramento will be hosting a new California craft beer summit.

Last week our #caskquiz was “do you keep a stash of beer in storage for weather emergencies? ” This week we are asking “what spring or summer beer are you most looking forward to when the weather gets nice?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Chip returns to the snowy lands and the team stays warm in the bar with killer brews this week! We taste the collaboration beer Baird/Ishii/Stone Green Tea IPA, CBC Groundhog Day Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, and Starpoint Instant Karma Porter.

Do we scan the globe for news? You betcha! How about starting with Comic Book Resources and the announcement there about Rogue's Hellboy Right Hand of Doom Red Ale? We then move to cnet listing a five-pack of beer apps to find great new brews, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealing that A-B dropped its opposition to a North Carolina craft brewer's Natty trademark, the US Census Trade Blog Global Reach offering the latest numbers on beer imports and exports, and the San Diego Union-Times on how hot SD's beer scene has become.We round out the news with The St. Cloud Times detailing the incredible demand for barrels by craft brewers, The Independent announcing London's first ever 'beer week,and wind up with NPR on the secret life of a phys ed teacher.

Last week our #caskquiz was “What beer do you want to see make the move to cans?” This week we are asking “do you keep a stash of beer in storage for weather emergencies?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We had such a run of incredible people stop by the bar lately, it was wearing us out! So we locked the doors and took a breather to unwind with the latest and greatest from our friends at Foothills Brewing! Three delightful brews were waiting for us: Pilot Mountain Pale Ale, February IPA of the Month “Charlie”, and the sought-after (and back just briefly) Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout!

We couldn’t fit in all the beer news out this week, but we covered a lot! We start with the controversy of the Bud Super Bowl ad slamming craft beer, beginning with The Chicago Tribune’s interview with a craft brewery co-founder who wasn’t happy with Super Bowl ad snark,then we check out CNNMoney’s position that Bud mocks craft beer but it owns microbrews. Next up is The HuffPo asking is sewage beer the next big thing?, followed by Fortune revealing spirits stole more market share from the beer industry last year, and then Yahoo Sports and a picture of Madison Bumgarner downing a beer with Khal Drogo of 'Game of Thrones'. We move to The Washington Post talking about an NBC interview with President Obama on beer, Deflategate and the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl matchup, The Columbia Free Times opining that craft beer goes big — maybe too big, The LA Times demonstrating how brewers turn barley into beer, and wind up with Medical Daily reporting that an antioxidant found In hops prevents cognitive decline.

Last week our #caskquiz was “have you ever bought anything from SkyMall and if so what was it?” This week we are asking “what you think about the Bud Super Bowl ad -  was it good or bad for Bud, good or bad for craft beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

How do we top the incredible guests of late? Get another one of course! This week Jonathan Williman from our friends at Bear Republic joins the fun! We talk about their awesome beers, the water situation in northern California, and what we can expect from Bear this year! Then we try their first creation, Red Rocket Ale and follow it with Racer X Double India Pale Ale!

The news begins on a sad note, as The LA Times reports that our beloved Skymall has died, then we move to happier topics via TheBoston Globe on how craft beer fans go to great lengths to buy top-rated brews, and io9 on why grease kills the head on a beer. We follow up on a previous story with NBC as the brewer of 'Gandhi-Bot' beer agrees to rename it after complaints, then hear NPR reporting on brewers taming unpredictable yeast. We finish up with The New Yorker revealing that small is bountiful, Yahoo Food introducing a craft brewer making low alcohol beers, and Fox News celebrating the beer can turning 80 this weekend!

Last week our #caskquiz was “have you ever purchased the wrong beer by accident and if so what beers did you mix up?” This week we are asking “have you ever bought anything from SkyMall and if so what was it?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Are we slowing down after our road trip? No way! This week we import direct from Baltimore (Ball’mer to the natives) Dave Benfield & Morgan Schell from DuClaw Brewing! They just began selling beers in NC and as you know we have been drinking them before on the show, so they brought some great ones to us this week: Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, Naked Fish Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Neon Gypsy IPA, and the seductive Serum DIPA!

We got so much news this week! Bloomberg starts us off with the story thatSierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman has beome a billionaire, then The New York Times offers options from gluten-free beer to kombucha for health-conscious drinkers, and Mother Jones reveals that craft beer uses 4 times as much barley as corporate brew. Next Reuters reports on brewing goliaths struggling to fit in at a craft beer party, Fox News shows us that self-serve beer taps are coming to a bar near you, and fittingly the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star asks how 'bout some peanut butter with your beer?

Last week our #caskquiz was “have you ever brewed beer on your own, and if so what was the first style you made?” This week we are asking “have you ever purchased the wrong beer by accident and if so what beers did you mix up?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!