In Chip’s absence We take this show on the road to the City of Durham to catch up with our old friend Ryan Trask of the newly minted Durty Bull Brewing Company. With our veteran news man away from his desk Jenn and Tony searched high and low to bring you stories about Texas Beer laws and the Constitution, A Bible Belt Beer Revival, Why it’s good to be a chemistry student in Maine. We also take it international with an inspiring story of the man who brought craft beer to Jerusalem. Did you know that San Diego’s own Stone Brewing is getting in the hotel game? We wrap with TWO listener submitted pieces detailing a blatant disregard for city statutes and brewing in Charleston and some more news regarding layoffs at a large NC brewery.

We needed some refreshment after such a robust news segment and Durty Bull was quick to provide just that with samples of their House Lager, Brettanomyces Table Beer and Rhubarb Berliner Weisse.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “Do you think Devils Backbone should have been banned from the VA event even though they are still independent for now?” And this week we want to know if you’d like to see a hop themed halloween episode with the tales cast?”

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!

Our friends at Lagunitas see all the Oktoberfest beers out right now and they say “summer is still here!” So they have some late-summer brews that we just had to try this week with our buddy Mike O: Stoopid Wit and Wilco Tango Foxtrot! Plus, they FINALLY have introduced a canned beer, 12th of Never! As they say on the can:

“And then at the very moment that the lands beyond the River Styx froze over, as the last pig took flight, as the last winged monkey departed the darkly fragrant netherlands, when wishes become horses and all of the beggars rode, when a moon rose newly blued on the morning of the 12th of never, and the second to last craft brewery in America pressed the green button on their canning line. We wanted be the Last Small Brewer in the U.S. to can their beer and maybe by now we are... “

As usual these days, we open with more MegaMergerManiaTM via The Washington Post reporting that amid its deal with Anheuser-Busch, Devils Backbone has been kicked out of its own festival. We follow with Plastics Today on innovative craft beer concentrate packaged in a thermoformed pack, then Bloomberg believes that American beer ain’t what it used to be thanks to European barley and SFGate goes old school (really old) with the East Bay beer that’s 45 million years old! We wrap up this week with VinePair’s suggestions for the ideal wine for every kind of beer lover and C|Net uses virtual reality to ask is beer better in Scotland?

Last week’s #caskquiz was “if your fave brewery were bought by a super megacorp, would you still drink the beer?” and this week we want you to tell us “do you think Devils Backbone should have been banned from the VA event even though they are still independent for now?”

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 or friending on Untappd @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!

The heat is really on outside, so our friend Chris Sorey joins us to escape it and we share some sweet relief from Colorado’s Trinity Brewing! Chris talks about the latest in the world of trademarks and beer, plus he has some fun stories of legal shenanigans! Then we have some of the best beers of the summer from Trinity: Elektrick Cukumbahh Saison d'Été, Menacing Strawberry Fresh Harvest Saison, and Red Swingline IPA Primitif!

We have so much craftbeer news this week! We start with The Daily Beast’s sky-is-falling piece on what they call craft beer’s looming crisis, followed by another example of why that might not be the case: yet one more MegaMergerManiaTM deal via The Dallas Observer who asks does it matter who owns Revolver Brewing? Next is Fast Company showing Sam Adams's secret weapon for winning back the American craft drinker, and then The Guardian reveals how the Soviets helped America’s craft beer revolution. With the Olympics going full-throttle, Thrillist tells us why you need to care about Brazil’s craft beer scene and we close with CBS News reporting on what beer has to do with mosquito bites?

Last week’s #caskquiz was “should we get a doorbell for the bar and what sound should it make?” and this week we want you to tell us “if your fave brewery were bought by a super megacorp, would you still drink the 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 or friending on Untappd @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 finally here - our homebrew competition! We had 7 submissions from listeners and we sample them with special guest judges Leif Larson from Olde Hickory Brewing and internet craftbeer blogging sensation Bryan D. Roth! Who will come out on top?

Before the judging, we have your news! First up is VinePair listing the five egregious beer habits you need to stop right now, followed by Geek showing us a smart glass that earns you free beer. Next we have a terrific in-depth piece by Paste called Let's Talk Beer Styles: IPA, and we close up with Eater (LA) calling an LA craftbeer hotline that’s both hilarious and informative!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “is craftbeer getting too expensive ?” and this week we want you to tell us “should get a doorbell for the bar and what sound should it make?”

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 or friending on Untappd @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 have been hearing a lot from the San Diego area lately!  Chip has returned from a week in the area as well as our very own NC rep Wil Cooper!  They both fill us in on the latest from Coronado Island and we get to try some limited brews along with a new canned beer Easy Up Pale Ale!  Wil tells us the unique story behind Frog’s Breath IPA and we round out the tasting portion with the Hibiscus IPA.

We kick off the news segment with some Mega Merger Mania as MillerCoors has recently gotten into the game acquiring both Terrapin and Hop Valley Brewing in the same week! We continue our calorie counting coverage with the top ten lists for highest and lowest calorie beers.  On the pricing front, we discuss an unfair taxation strategy that was proposed in Canada and ponder if craft beer is becoming too expensive.  We’ve also got the must try list for this summer’s most popular beer style-Gose!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked:  “What is your Heady Topper Story?  Where were you when you first tried it?”

This week we want to know: “Is craft beer getting too expensive?”

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 us at talesfromthecask@gmail.com.

Episode 169- Bryan D Roth

With Chip away We visit with old friend and contributor Bryan Roth as he tells us tales of his recent visit to Europe and gives us the latest news from This is Why I’m Drunk.   He brings us a beer from his and Tony’s homeland, Ithaca’s Flower Power, plus we continue our journey with Port Brewing and Lost Abbey as we sample Mongo, Shark Attack, Serpent Stout and Judgement Day.  

The news is running wild this week as we tell our listeners how to apply for a craft beer historian position at the Smithsonian, get some updates on hops research, and get into a malt liquor throwdown! Plus a man who left his clothes to hold his tab at a bar.   We also discuss several breweries’ sustainability practices and throw in a comic con story for Chip!

Last week for our #caskquiz we continued our Tales competition for the best Hoppy Beer Name!  This week we want to know: “What is your Heady Topper Story?  Where were you when you first tried it?”

The summer sun is blazing so we invited our friend John Beal from the snowy north to cool us down with some delicious ciders!  We get the latest scoop on what’s happening at  Blake’s Cider Co. and sample a few new offerings from the orchard.  Wakefire and Aurora are perfect for a hot summer day and we managed to hang on to an El Chapo and Sante to share with our listeners as well!

Our news segment starts off with some sci-fi themed stories including the new Star Trek beer and a line of beers brewed by Robots! We also cover the top health stories of the day and learn how you can use beer for shampoo plus the recommendations for drinking beer with diabetes.  Rounding out the news we hear what the millennials are up to and their tastes in beer.  

Last week for our #caskquiz we announced a Tales competition for the best Hoppy Beer Name!  We are continuing this for another week so send in your submissions!

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 us at talesfromthecask@gmail.com.  

Not every brewer has the patience and talent to lead with lagers, and we lucked out this week with one who does it so well -  Kyle Williams from Brevard Brewing! Kyle talks with us about his background, the founding of his brewery, and has some terrific brews for us: American Premium Lager, flagship Bohemian Pilsner, and Munich Dunkel!

Is all the craftbeer news financial this week or what? Just look at the sources! First up Reuters reports that big brewers see strong potential for weak beer, followed by Fortune shows us big brewers are adding calorie counts to their labels and MarketWatch tells us that craftbeer brewers are copying the tasting-room experience of wineries. Next Forbes reveals the cheapest time to buy beer, wine and everything else and we close with The Wall Street Journal’s piece on craft brewers brawling over catchy names as puns run dry.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “what’s your ice cream and craftbeer pairing?” and this week we want you to create your own catchy craft beer name - there’s a prize for the best one!

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 or friending on Untappd @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 4th of July week, so we close the bar and open some rare treats from AleSmith and Coronado, plus an incredible collaboration brew from The Lost Abbey & Wicked Weed! AleSmith sent us some of the marvelous San Diego Pale Ale .394, plus we have the audacious Coronado 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA, and for dessert there is the Lost Abbey/Wicked Weed Collaboration Golden Sour Ad Idem!

You might think things would be quiet news-wise for the holiday, and you would be wrong! MegaMergerManiaTM continues via Reuters reporting that China Resources Beer plans a $1.2 billion rights issue to buy SABMiller's JV stake in Snow. We follow that with a cool listing by Thrillist of the best vacation destinations in America for beer lovers and then The Sacramento Bee believes that with craft beer, bottles are more popular, but the future is with cans. Next up The The LA Times has a cool infographic showing the best ways to use beer and ice cream to keep cool this summer, Adweek reveals Singapore's Tiger Beer opened a mysterious store on New York City’s Canal Street, then VinePair shows us a neat chart of the flavors & aromas in craft beer’s popular hops, and we wind down this week with NBC reporting that a bear downed 36 beers and passed out at a campground!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “do you listen to the show at a speed other than 1x and if so which one?” and this week we want to know “what’s your ice cream and craftbeer pairing?”

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 or friending on Untappd @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 lucked out with two guests for the price of one this week getting both our friend Thomas Vincent from Compass Rose Brewery and his buddy meadmaker Ben Starr from Starrlight Mead! We hear the latest from Thomas and then learn all about the incredible mead scene in Pittsboro, NC from Ben! Plus we get to try some stellar meads: Traditional Off-Dry, Traditional Semi-Sweet, Sourwood and the really cool Mead-a-Rita. We then have the awesome collaboration Braggot Double Rye Brown, and at the end Thomas lets us try his delicious Tartty!

Once again the news is overwhelming! MegaMergerManiaTM leads us off with two items - Bring Me the News reports that Minnesota Senator Klobuchar continues her push to protect craft beer choices, while The Chicago Tribune reveals that Lagunitas is buying a stake in three smaller brewers and that founder Tony Magee isn't done! Next up Mashable demonstrates BrewArt, an automated brewing system that's like the Nespresso of beer followed by The Lansing State Journal’s piece on MSU’s century-old barley which has been revived to make Michigan beer, then The HuffPo UK shows us men recreating maternity photos in German beer ads, and we close with Science Alert discovering a 5,000-year-old artifact showing ancient workers were paid in beer!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “who will release the first pumpkin/fall beer and when?” and this week we want to know “do you listen to the show at a speed other than 1x and if so which one?”

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 or friending on Untappd @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!