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!

This week a special treat from the west! Western NC, that is! Brewer/Co-Owner Steven Lyerly and Sales Maven Leif Larson join us for a terrific look at Olde Hickory Brewery! We chat about their 20-year history and try incredible beers: Piedmont Pilsner, the astounding Death By Hops, and one of our faves, the barleywine blend Omega Point!

Tons of news awaits you this week! First up is Fortune revealing thatcraft brewers now produce 1 out of every 10 beers sold, followed by The Triangle Business Journal with a look at craft beer trademark troubles,and then the The Washington Post describinghow to drink beer like a local around the world. We then visit Geekwire who offer a craftbeer virtual guide,

Portland Business Journal reportingthatthe eagle has landed with Ninkasi's beer brewed with space yeast, Time with a video where you canwatch a guy open a beer with a sheet of paper, and Craft Beer Raleigh and their 2015 NC March Beer Madness. We bring it home with The New York Times’ review of lagersand wind up in Texas with Austin 360 Blog and aSXSW 2015 panel diving into craft beer culture.

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

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!

Anchor Brewing Company is turning 40 this year and we are talking about all the new beers they will have to celebrate!  Mike Jones fills us in on the latest happenings and we sample their spring seasonal Anchor Saison, plus we try a side by side tasting of Anchor Steam and Brotherhood Steam!

We go global in the news, discussing what Germans really think of American craft beer and what African brewers are doing to promote sales, then return stateside to cover new Pennsylvania laws, the LA beer scene, and what 170 year old beer really tastes like!

Last week our #caskquiz  was “what is your favorite fruit forward IPA?” We are getting some great responses so we are giving you an extra week to answer this 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 @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook pagehttps://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!

Summer Breeze makes me feel fine... It’s finally warm in the Sunny Lands!!  For the first time we have a mystery guest host who joins us for the whole show!  Do you know who it is???

In our news segment we discuss Spring Beers that will make you hate winter, how the craft beer industry is helping farmers,a new beer web series and get some tips for beer travel in Munich and starting a craft brewery!

We have several new DuClaw beers on tap this week including their collaboration with Cigar City, Moon Gun, X 9 Coffee Stout, and Hop Continuum.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what spring or summer beer are you looking forward too?” This week we are asking “what is your favorite fruit forward IPA?”

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 pagehttps://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!