Tales From the Cask Craft Beer Podcast

It’s been a record time the past few years with our buddies Justin Crouch and Zac Smith from Wicked Weed, and now there’s a Guinness World Record to boot! Yes, a 177 tap takeover happened at a huge bar in downtown Raleigh last weekend! The boys helped us get ready with a pretaste of the astounding Crazy? Genius! Barrel-Aged American Sour Ale with Raspberries and Mangoes!

The news begins a bit downbeat this week via The Denver Post which reports that Colorado’s oldest craft brewery is downsizing, ending distribution and laying off 21 employees. Next we head Outsideonline to learn that dirtbags were the original craft beer influencers, and then Forbes reveals that the Craft Beer Marketing Awards has announced their first Award Series. Then we hit the track with Runner’s World as they ask can drinking beer wreck your weight-loss progress from your workouts? We close up with the Iowa City Press-Citizen showing us that Carson King has handed $3 million to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital!

This week we are carrying over last week’s question which is a spinoff of the “3 Questions”, namely “what’s the first brewery you remember visiting?”

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

The beers don’t magically appear in stores and bars - it takes the wizardry of people like Courtney Cowan to get them here! Courtney joins us at the bar and regales us with the intricate path of how beer gets from brewery to you! Plus she reveals her backstory, her years in the retail world, and her journey to us! Of course she finds some delectable treats for us: Coronado Tiki Sunset Kettle Sour, Upland Guava Sour, and both Wicked Weed German Chocolate Cake and Wicked Weed S’mores Imperial Stouts!

Legal news begins the week via CNBC as brewers warn the US Supreme Court to back the Clean Water Act, or else beer will taste like medicine! Next Forbes joins us in NC as they visit some of the breweries of all shapes and sizes that make North Carolina a craft beer Mecca, and then Fortune (thanks Steve!) shows why you’ll never get a fresher beer than right now! We follow with The Brussels Times (thanks Frank!) showcasing Brussels Beer Project and Maison Dandoy joining forces on a new biscuit (um cookie) and a new beer, while Carlsberg (thanks again Steve!) issues their latest Green Fibre Bottle update. We close up shop with Fortune (again!) unveiling Sam Adams Utopias hitting shelves this week!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “what makes a beer sessionable to you? Style, ABV, finish, something else?” This week we want you to answer a spinoff of the “3 Questions”, namely “what’s the first brewery you remember visiting?”

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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We have a lot coming up the rest of the month, so this week it’s just the two of us kicking back in the bar! Jenn gives us the scoop from last week’s GABF, and then she goes into the secret stash for a smorgasbord of delights: Alchemist Farmer’s Daughter Saison, Odell 180 Shilling, and Kuhnhenn Dark Heathen Triple Bock Lager!

Jenn wasn’t alone in Denver! The Takeout was also there finding the trending beers at the GABF that offer a glimpse into our fizzy future! We also have fun news from The Baltimore Sun (thanks Frank!) sharing Baltimore brewers who are clapping back at review culture with ‘2 Stars Not My Style’ sour, followed by MarketWatch revealing why tech startups and craft beer go hand in hand, and then VinePair (thanks Steve!) believing that it’s impossible to define ‘sessionable’ in craft beer! We wind up the newsweek with AL.com profiling craft beer, hip hop, and the clout of Nappy Roots, and Food & Wine unveiling Schraderbrau Beer just in time for the new 'Breaking Bad' movie!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “what oktoberfest stood out for you this year?” while this week we want to hear “what makes a beer sessionable to you?  Style, ABV, finish?”

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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We are finally in October, and it’s time we celebrate the blazing hot arrival of the month with our best buddy Sierra Nevada sales guru and Tales co-founder Tony Walldroff! Plus Oktoberfest beers! Tony shares what he’s been up to, the news from Sierra’s national sales meeting, and of course beers! They include Hofbräu Oktoberfest, Sierra’s Oktoberfest collaboration with Bitburger, and (of course you knew we would sneak in some pumpkin for T!) Wicked Weed Pompoen Rum Barrel-Aged Sour Pumpkin Ale Fermented with Ginger!

The USA Today (thanks sfringer & foolintherain!) leads the news by unveiling a meeting of beer & chocolate in Yuengling and Hershey's rich, chocolatey porter collaboration! Next up Fortune reports that craft beer added $79 billion to the US economy in 2018, while CBS Sports spotlights a beer vendor who charged a fan $724 for two beers at a Miami Dolphins game! Last week’s “beer money” sign/charity fundraiser story continues, first via ABC News revealing that the fundraiser has erupted into racist tweets, a fired reporter and online drama! In spite of all that hubbub, The NY Post shows that the “beer money” guy got his own holiday and brew in Iowa! We close the week with The Post & Courier examining ‘coopetition’ in Carolina’s craft brewing scene, VinePair finding a surprising connection between Prohibition and the Early Bird Special, and craftbeer.com (thanks Frank!) profiling a brewer who has honored his grandfather’s legacy as a WWII Navajo Code Talker.

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “have you had a beer with local ingredients and what was it?” while this week we want to hear “what oktoberfest stood out for you this year?

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

 

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There’s no better way to celebrate birthday week for both of us than to have a great time with our old buddy and music man Scott Mizerak from Foothills Brewing! Scott talks about all the great things happening in Winston-Salem - a hotel next to the brewpub - w00t! And he has amazing brews for us: Hoppyum (now in cans!), Equus IPA (also now in cans!), and Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate with Coffee!

In honor of birthday week, we have only good news for you, beginning in The NY Post where we learn that more than 70% of beer drinkers have taken time to go on a ‘beercation’! Next up local fave WRAL reports that the changing climate is potentially affecting the craft beer industry, while PodiumRunner.com asks Pete if you should you carbo-load on beer? Then it’s ESPN showcasing a ‘beer money' sign that is still chugging along for charity, Fortune showing us craft breweries going hyper-local to source ingredients, and Smithsonian Magazine (thanks Scott!) revealing what’s brewing in the new Smithsonian Beer Collections. We wind up the week with The Drinks Business (thanks Steve!) picturing two beer cans from the 1930s selling for £2,270!

This week’s #caskquiz asks “have you had a beer with local ingredients lately What was it? Which ingredients?

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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Jenn fired up the DeLorean and headed to Michigan this week to chat and drink with Travis Fritts, the owner and brewer at Old Nation Brewing in Williamston! Travis shares the story of Old Nation, talks the latest brews, and then tries some great beers: M-43 New England IPABoss Tweed DIPA, and Brut IPA!

A cool collaboration of a different sort leads the news from Food & Wine in that Dogfish Head has turned SeaQuench into a runners’ shoe with Merrell! Next up Craft Brewing Business (thanks Steve!) showcases sweet-looking beer serving tanks that help craft breweries ditch kegs to increase efficiency, safety, speed and freshness, followed by The San Francisco Examiner showing us beer politics and random brew questions. Then it’s Bloomberg reporting that South Koreans appear to have lost their taste for Japanese beer, and we close out the week with KSTU (Fox13 Salt Lake City) warning that beer is going to start disappearing (temporarily) from Utah store shelves!

Due to the nature of time travel, we are carrying over last week’s #caskquiz asking “how long do you think the seltzer craze will last? Will it flame out like root beer did? Have monster growth for a few years then retain solid market share? Start slowing next year then diminishing over time?”

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Direct download: talesfromthecask329.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It may be September and all, but you wouldn’t know it from the 90º heat! So we are pumped to have our friend Kimmie Krohn from Sycamore Brewing join us in the bar with refreshing brews from down Charlotte way! Kimmie talks about the latest from C-town and then tries three taste treats with us: Pumpkin Latte Blonde, Psychedelic Flow IPA, and Juice Willis DIPA!

Sad news leads us off with another MegaMergerMania aftershock via The Roanoke Times,  with the announcement that Daleville's Ballast Point tasting room and kitchen will close, while the brewery will remain in production. Next we have CNBC reporting that Boston Beer’s CEO says they are looking at cannabis, while The Daily Beast asks how the hell is White Claw outselling Budweiser? Then it’s Forbes wondering if rose beers are a fad or lasting trend, and then TribLive shares a study that finds women spend more at craft brewpubs, while men prevail in volume. We close up the week with the shocking yet true news from Vice that an Aussie sportswriter paid $68,000 for a single beer at a UK hotel bar!

Last week’s #caskquiz wanted to know “what’s the wildest/most extreme beer is that you have tried?” For this week, we are asking “how long do you think the seltzer craze will last? Will it flame out like root beer did? Have monster growth for a few years then retain solid market share? Start slowing next year then diminishing over time?”

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Direct download: talesfromthecask328.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Octoberfest beers have finally returned, and Sam Adams’ Jennifer Glanville joins us from Boston to celebrate!! There is no one better to talk about these beers than Jennifer, the Director of Brewing Operations for Boston Beer Company, the home of Sam Adams! We start off chatting about how she got into the beer business with a certain Mr. Jim Koch, and then we gab about the latest brews from Beantown, including the legendary Utopias! After that it’s time to taste! Jennifer naturally talks about (and tries) the granddaddy of them all, Sam Adams OctoberFest, and we also delight in Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sam Adams Kosmic Sour, and Sam Adams New England IPA!

Good environmental news leads the week via Fortune interviewing beermakers who are experimenting with sustainable six-pack designs! Then Bloomberg profiles some enterprising  Czech craft beer makers who are trying to crack into the UK despite the looming Brexit, followed by CNBC’s story of craft brewers facing rising prices as Trump escalates the China trade war. We wind up the week with The San Antonio Current announcing that Texas craft breweries can now sell beer to go!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked “when was the last time you played a beer game and what was it?” This week in the spirit of Utopias we want to know “what’s the wildest/most extreme beer is that you have tried?”

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Direct download: talesfromthecask327.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It’s been ages since we saw our buddy Heath Perkins from Bell’s Brewery, but that just means lots of terrific brews to taste! First Heath shares the latest from Michigan with us, especially news about the latest and upcoming releases. Then we get a six-pack to sample! It includes Official Hazy IPA, Two Hearted IPA, The Prairie Grass Dividing Gose, Octoberfest, Best Brown, and Special Double Cream Stout!

In a surprise twist, the news begins with a NOT MegaMergerMania event, courtesy of  Oregon Live (thanks Steve!) wherein Anheuser-Busch has opted not to buy Portland’s Craft Brew Alliance! Next up CBS News shows us a craft beer even Jim Gaffigan would like, followed by Forbes offering a beer for people who don't want to get too drunk, and then Bloomberg reveals that Spanish beer isn’t flowing and Brexit is part of the problem. We wind down the week with The Richmond Times-Dispatch heading to a historic marker at the Richmond beer caves at Rocketts Landing and The Bend Bulletin reporting that beer pong is going to get an upgrade!

Last week’s carry over #caskquiz asked for your take on the Uproxx/Instagram female craft beer influencer uproar, and this week we want to know when was the last time you played a beer game and what was 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask326.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

To help celebrate Duck Rabbit Brewery’s milestone 15th anniversary, we are delighted to welcome back their sales guru and our good friend Robert Owen! Robert fills us in on all the fun at the recent celebration party at the brewery, plus all the news on the latest releases. Then we are so happy to try the Say What? Wood Aged IPA !

Diversity in the craft beer world remains in the news, beginning with Food & Wine arguing that craft beer has a diversity problem according to a Brewers Association report. Next up Forbes brings us objects of desire or: The Pretentious Beer Glass Company’s high gravity set. Then in companion pieces, Time reports that a beer named after the nuclear testing site Bikini Atoll has been called out for insensitivity, while The Dallas Observer opines that the brewery in question is choosing defensiveness over respect. We wind down the week with The Motley Fool showing how craft beer keeps growing as consumers go local, and Vinepair revealing how Big Beer is eyeing Latinx drinkers with targeted ad campaigns and collabs!

Since we recorded early this week, we are carrying over last week’s #caskquiz asking for your take on the Uproxx/Instagram female craft beer influencer uproar!

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 ourFacebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Direct download: talesfromthecask325.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT