With the arrival or meteorological summer on June 1, what better time to taste the latest from cool Asheville, NC! Our good friend Peter Bassett from Wicked Weed joins us and his cooler is packed with some terrific beers: Imperial Coolcumber, Artistry II, Persistence, Fraise Morte,  and Sandiaca!

We have beer news! To start with, Food and Wine reveals the most popular beer trends of 2018 (so far). Next up is The Denver Post reporting that the price of canned beer will rise — and so could cost of public projects in Colorado as new tariffs on steel and aluminum take effect. Then The USA Today shows us Milwaukee breweries from classic to craft, and we close the week with Forbes on Lagunitas Brewing’s successful formula of craft beer and music!

We have you answers to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “does the term ‘craft’ mean anything to you applied to a product other than beer? If so what?” This week we want to know “what’s your 2018 summer band tour/beer pairing?”

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!

Tony and Jenn make a triumphant return to the soggy lands bearing gifts from von Trapp, Wicked Weed and Ballast Point! If only they could sing like the Von Trapp kids! We share a delectable treat from that family, namely the Von Trapp Double IPL! Plus we have both Wicked Weed Astronomical IPA and Ballast Point Moscow Mule!

In the news we begin with Reuters reporting that beer is not beneficial according to a German court. Next we have The Chicago Tribune revealing that Indiana convenience stores have found a new way around a cold beer ban. Then it’s The Daily Beast (thanks to @choverstad!) asking why does the price of a craft beer vary so widely? And we close with The Independent showing why farmers are trying to turn 'craft beef' into the next craft beer!

We have you answers to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “if you knew a beer had locally sourced ingredients would that make you more likely to purchase it?” and this week we want to know “does the term ‘craft’ mean anything to you applied to a product other than beer? If so what?”

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 love heading west to Winston-Salem to see our friends from Foothills Brewing, and this week our friend Shawn Densmore brings Foothills to our little bar! Shawn discusses all the latest from the brewery, and he brings us two delectable treats to sample: Thousand Smiles and Tangled Vine Rose!

But first it’s news time courtesy of VinePair’s piece on a malt pioneer revolutionizing how New England craft brewers think about their grains. Next is The USA Today unveiling PicoBrew’s new craft beer appliance that can brew it all — even kombucha! Then we have New York Magazine mapping out craft beer in Beijing and where to drink it and we wind down with The Daily Telegraph reporting that women in the UK are increasingly drinking beer at home.

We are carrying over the #caskquiz from last week which asked “do you agree with Pete Coors that the hard-line stance of the BA ultimately hurts all beer?”

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 a nice relaxy week in the bar as we open up the vaults with beers from the road including some from Hinterland and Stevens Point (thanks to Dan for both of these!) plus Two Roads! We get to taste Hinterland Door County Cherry Wheat, Hinterland Luna Coffee Stout, Stevens Point Milkshake Malt Porter, Two Roads Lil Heaven Session IPA, and Two Roads Road 2 Ruin DIPA!

It’s newstime this week beginning with Food and Wine revealing why small-batch beer releases are such a big deal for brewers. Next we have Space.com blasting off with the out-of-this-world Vostok space beer bottle, then The BBC reports that Tetley's beer is being brewed in Leeds after a six-year hiatus. We close with The Sacramento Bee’s report that local  craft brewers are bristling at a BUD-owned beer garden.

Then we have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you know a brewery that combines brewing with another activity/business like Division Brewing does? What brewery and what else do they do?” and this week we are asking “do you agree with Pete Coors that the hard-line stance of the BA ultimately hurts all beer?”

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 finally take a breather from the road this week with our buddy Kirby Dean from Blake’s Hard Cider Company! Kirby tells us about his background on the dark side (distribution) and ho he moved toward the light of the supplier world. Then he shares the latest from Armada, and we get to try this delicious trio: Rainbow Seeker, Santa Rosa, and Wild Nova!

We lead with what we hope is the last word on the sad tale of Green Flash with The San Diego Union-Tribune reporting  what Green Flash's woes mean to craft beer. Next we have

The Wisconsin State Journal’s  interview with Josh Noel on his new book, Goose Island, and 'selling out' in the craft beer world. Then it’s The Denver Post and Pete Coors’ letter calling out “cheap shots” from Colorado craft brewers, and we wind up with The Examiner spotlighting the world’s oldest surviving beer revived from a 220-year-old shipwreck!

Then we have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you know a brewery that combines brewing with another activity/business like Division Brewing does? What brewery and what else do they do?” and this week we are asking “do you agree with Pete Coors that the hard-line stance of the BA ultimately hurts all beer?”

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!

The Delorean is getting max mileage this year as Tony and Jenn leave Chip at the bar and head down east to visit the NC brewing pioneer Uli Bennewitz and our old buddy Greg Hirsch from Weeping Radish Farm Brewery! Uli tells us about how he got into the brewing business, all the changes he has seen, and then tries some treats with us:  OBX Kolsch, Corolla Gold Munich Style Helles, Yours Truli Wheat Ale, Red Ale, Black Radish Schwarzbier, IPA, and Doppelbock!  We also learn how he is working to promote the farm to table movement and craft food production and of course try some of their delicious charcuterie!

Our craft beer news starts with a hint of wine via Fox News reporting that a UK brewery is making craft beer with white wine. Next we have an international-flavored duo, first from The Denver Post revealing that in Denver the trend toward Mexican-inspired craft beer comes with a message, and second from The Billings Gazette introducing beer without borders when Brazilians pick up tips from Helena's craft brewers. We close out the week with The Boston Globe publishing an open letter to men who sell beer, from a woman who drinks it.

Then we have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you buy any “craft” consumer goods? What are they?” and this week we want to ask our female listeners “have you ever been mansplained at a bar or shop about beer? What happened?”

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 drive over to Cary, NC to meet up with our friend Archie Gleason from Charlotte's Sycamore Brewing! Sycamore has hit central NC in a big way this month, and Archie relates the brewery’s origins and how he came to join them. Then we get to sample a delicious 4-pack: Southern Girl Blonde, Rainbow Dust IPA, Countryside IPA, and Mountain Candy IPA!

Legal news debuts this week via Trademarkyourbeer.com with all the details on the latest in the Stone vs. Keystone Lawsuit! Next up we have Forbes’s list of 16 fun facts about beer and taxes, followed by The Daily Beast asking (and answering) has American craft beer taken over the world? Then just for Tony we have NY Upstate revealing that bland beer is here to stay in the opinion of a SUNY Oswego professor, plus The BA’s chart of the fastest growing craft breweries of 2017, and we close with The Montgomery Advertiser defining Breweriana: antiquing for beer lovers!

Then we have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what is the most you have paid for a beer at a concert or sporting event?” and this week we want to know “do you have a vintage piece of breweriana and if so what is it?”

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 have another whale for you this week and it’s a big one! Sam Calagione, the founder of Dogfish Head Brewing, has come to town and he sits down with us to share some terrific beers and chat! Sam gives us his views on recent events in the craft beer world, talks about being a hotelier, and fills us in on the latest brews from Delaware!

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 fire up the DeLorean again this week and visit redacted with our friends Ethan Boylan and Dan Bond from Lagunitas! The lads share the latest from Petaluma and Chi-Town, and they pony up some awesome whales for us: Plum and Jasmine Gose, Pineapple Yuzu, Sally, WTFarmhouse Sour w/Cherry, Cafe Con Leche Imperial Milk Stout, and a palate cleanse with the amazingly refreshing Sumpin’ Easy!

We open with a couple of sad news items this week, beginning with The San Diego Union-Tribune reporting that Green Flash is closing its Virginia Beach brewery and withdrawing from the East Coast. Then The BBC reveals that pubs are in danger, followed by better news in The Chicago Tribune that the US craft beer industry saw record openings — and closings — in 2017.  Next up: hemp news, first from The USA Today showing that craft brewers are tapping into cannabis-infused beers and then Forbes talking with Blue Moon's creator who aims to get customers Mile-High on his new brew. We close up with Forbes again offering to take you out to the ball game and Boston.com’s news that ‘New England-style’ beers might start winning more awards.

Then we have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “are you experiencing craft beer burnout, and if so what old-school beer are you returning to?” and this week we want to know “do you have a regular pub or watering hole that you frequent several times a week? Or do you usually consume at home?”

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 took the show on the road this week to Durham to visit with long time listener and collaborator Bryan D Roth. We catch up and learn of Bryan’s latest explorations in the beer writing world and we delve a little deeper into his piece from Good Beer Hunting. Regarding the changing landscape of traditional beer distribution from several different and often competing perspectives. After our thought provoking discussion We try the new and NC Only Southern Gothic from Sierra Nevada, Coronado’s brand new and unique Coco Chaos, and we wrap up with a pecan pie imperial brown ale from Evolution craft brewing.[Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]We hit the news hard this week starting with Mybeerbuzz.com’s note on an anticipated new brew from Bear Republic. We head over to Spectrum Local News who dishes out all the back and forth on twitter regarding basketball,beer and governors. Paste Magazine shows us the dark side of craft beer releases and Travel and Leisure has the inside scoop on a very Royal beer! We then went straight to the source and dove into the aforementioned three part series on modern beer distribution with Bryan Roth of Good Beer Hunting himself! 

Then we have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you think that the tariff on aluminum will change your beer purchases?” while this week we are asking ”have you interacted with your local distributor at a retail account?” 

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!