It’s crazy to think it’s been a year since we started working with our friends Eric McKay and Scott Apicella from Hardywood Park Brewery! Time flies when you are selling beer, which is why we have a DeLorean! The guys join us at the bar to tell us about what’s been happening in Richmond (and Charlottesville!), reveal their historic Jamestown beer, and bring the goods to try! They include The Original Five Flavors Ale, Dreamlike NE DIPA, Cuvée Peach White Wine Barrel-Aged Belgian Tripel, and Bourbon Cru Barrel-Aged Belgian Quad!

We start the news with a followup to an item from last month. Back in July, Uproxx profiled some Instagram beer influencers to follow. A backlash then ensued over a Brewbound podcast that disparaged some of the women in that list. Our buddy Steve found Vinepair sharing Uproxx, Brewbound, and the Internet gaze on women in beer, which lead us to Uproxx itself talking with these same female beer Influencers, discussing sexism and representation in the industry. Next it’s a potential return of MegaMergerMania courtesy of The Motley Fool as they examine 3 reasons AB-InBev will probably try to buy Craft Brew Alliance, followed by Fox News visiting a beer festival that banned offerings with sexist names and labels. Then it’s Nikkei Asian Review reporting that Kirin is aiming to become Japan's top brewer with a jump into craft beer,and Reuters singing the praises that Guns N' Roses has settled a lawsuit over Guns 'N' Rosé beer. We wind up the week with The Daily Mail’s piece on a food historian who has recreated ancient Egyptian beer, and then Ohio.com shows who’s coming to the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame Craft Beer Fest!

Last week’s #caskquiz asked when you visit a craft brewery, do you take the family? Just go with friends? Mix it up? This week we want to hear your take on the Uproxx/Instagram 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!

The last meteorological month of summer begins this week, and it’s just the two of us to kick it off! We have a delectable wide span of treats from Sycamore, Wicked Weed, and Olde Hickory to boot! They are: Sycamore Luau Lemonade, Wicked Weed Coastal Love, and Olde Hickory Photon Sphere!

We start the heavy news week with a double dose of MegaMergerMania! First up  WOIO reports that Cleveland-based Platform Beer is joining AB InBev as its newest craft acquisition. Then The Mercury News reveals that a distributor buyout is causing over 1,000 employees to lose their jobs in the Bay Area and beyond. In happier news, Fortune shows that over 1,000 new craft breweries have opened in the past year, while Vox explores the rise of babies in bars, and Reuters (thanks Frank!) finds that India's capital has banned AB InBev for three years for alleged tax evasion. Next Forbes visits the largest celebration of women in craft beer, and then NBC examines a clean water case fermenting trouble for craft breweries and environmentalists. We then wind up with Thrillist heading to the US-Mexico border, where craft beer diplomacy is bringing brewers together!

For last week’s #caskquiz we asked “do you think you are becoming less adventurous in trying new beers? If so, tell us why!” This week we want to know “when you visit a craft brewery, do you take the family? Just go with friends? Mix it up?”

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!

Summertime demands refreshing brews, and our friends Summer Blaylock and Matt Holmes are in town with treats from Radeberger Brewery that fit the bill! They chat with us about the latest from Frankfurt, Germany, and then they share a couple of tasty light brews with us: Clausthaler Dry Hopped and Schofferhofer Pomegranate!

The news begins locally here in Mayberry via WRAL (thanks Scott!) with the announcement that an Orange County woman has been named the first North Carolinian to be certified as an expert in 'all things cider'! Next we have The Boston Globe opining that the craft beer industry has a diversity problem, followed by The USA Today (thanks Michael!) unveiling an Area 51 raid that has caused Bud Light to offer free beer for 'any alien that makes it out'! Then it’s Food & Wine demonstrating that craft beer drinkers are becoming less adventurous than they used to be, and we close with Boston.com’s list of 6 expert tips for reading a beer label!

For last week’s #caskquiz we wanted to know what beer event/festivals have you done this year or are planning to do? For this week, we ask “do you think you are becoming less adventurous in trying new beers? If so, tell us why!”

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!

You guys didn’t realize that Chip took the DeLorean this week to make it back to the future in time to meet Jenn and special guest/Mims on-premise sales rep David Pavlus! David shares his origins in a surprising field, his entry into the beer world, and how exciting his Cicerone journey has been! Then we have super brews including the Alesmith/Beechwood Collaboration Boom Crash Hopera, Idle Hands Six Seam Double NEIPA, and Trillium Blackberry Super Duper Soak!

Newstime begins with a follow up on the financial shenanigans of AB InBev, as they continue to try to shed debt! The New York Times reveals that after an unsuccessful attempt at an IPO, the brewer is selling its Australian unit! Next we have The NY Post (thanks Alex!) heading to the malt shop to find PBR launching a hard coffee made with ‘creamy American milk’, followed by Syracuse.com (thanks Michael!) asking Dilly what? Now CNY’s Bud Light brewery is making a mead! Then as a public service, we have Westword sharing that GABF tickets go on sale next week — and you can probably get one this year! We wind up this week with Vinepair’s (thanks Steve!) nice historic look at American breweries who survived Prohibition by making near-beer, baby formula, and ice cream, and Chip found some San Diego news at SD Comic-Con via KGTV catching a wave with Tony Hawk and Oceanside's Black Plague Brewing teaming up to create 'Tony Hawps' IPA!

For last week’s #caskquiz we carried over the question whom do you follow on social media that everyone else should be? And on which social media platform? This week we want to know what beer event/festivals have you done this year or are planning to do?

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 are right in the middle of the hottest days of summer and Chip and Jenn take advantage of the heat to cool down with some of the best new beers for the season!  They enjoy Austin Eastciders Lemon Ginger, Suncrush Grapefruit, and Ballast Point’s Citrus Cove Gose.  Chip is gearing up for his annual visit to Coronado’s brewpub so we also check out their Rise East and Set West IPAs.  

The news doesn’t slow down for the summer, we had quite a few breaking stories this week from around the globe!  We discuss the Asian beer market and its impact on a potential AB IPO for China, then head to Canada to discuss some possible changes to how provinces sell beer.  We make a quick stop in the US to hear about the final beer in Ommegang’s popular Game of Thrones series then jump back overseas to cover the World Cup in Qatar and learn why you shouldn’t try to sell North Korean beer online.  We end with a feel good story about the new 6pk rings now in use that are biodegradable and feed marine life!  

For last week’s #caskquiz we wanted to know whom do you follow on social media that everyone else should be? And on which social media platform?  We are continuing this #caskquiz for another week since we recorded a bit early!

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 are always getting to try new brews from our friends at Lagunitas, and this week we get some brewery talking along with the sampling! Our friends Danielle Auslander and Ben Mack join us at the bar to reveal the newest treats from Petaluma and give us the skinny on cans! And the beers are amazing: Phase Change Seasonally Unexpected Wet-Hopped Juicy Ale and Little Sumpin’ Hazy!

An old friend of the show is in the news this week, as Vinepair (thanks Steve!) is chatting with Rodenbach brewing legend (and our guest at the bar back in Eps 101 and 128 from 2015) Rudi Ghequire! Then it’s time for the numbers with The Motley Fool asking can Anheuser-Busch InBev show craft beer the way back to growth? Next The Hawk reports that  craft brewers attempting to win over lager drinkers in South Africa, followed by Food & Wine’s reporter who got a beer spa treatment that was transcendent. We close up this week with Uproxx profiling ‘beer influencers’ who are actually worth following on Instagram!

For last week’s #caskquiz we wanted to know what you think about a German brewer building a massive brewery in the US? Crazy? Or crazy like a fox? This week we want to know whom do you follow on social media that everyone else should be? And on which social media platform?

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 been two years since we started selling the incredible taste treats from Upland Brewing! This week our buddy and Director of Sales Matt Mitchell ventures down from Indiana to share the latest news about the explosive growth Upland is enjoying. And he has some awesomeness for us to try: Campside Pale Ale, Juiced In Time NEIPA, and Found American Wild Ale!

In the news, Eater Austin (thanks Alex!) provides a follow up from a story from last week, in that now Celis Brewery is no longer going up for auction after the owner files for bankruptcy. Next we have Bloomberg sharing the not very surprising news that Trump’s brewery tariff threat has craft beermakers sitting out, followed by The Boston Globe showing that for craft brewers, four-packs of cans have become the norm. Then it’s Patch reporting that drinking a beer is helping support the Detroit Zoo, and VinePair (thanks Steve!) lists the 10 most valuable beer brands in the world. We close the week with The Charlotte Observer revealing that one of the oldest beer-makers in Germany is planning a massive brewery in Charlotte!

It’s quite clear from last week’s #caskquiz that you are NOT drinking any of the spiked seltzers this summer! This week we want to know what you think about a German brewer building a massive brewery in the US? Crazy? Or crazy like a fox?

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 can’t believe it’s been three years since we had our good buddy Keith Klemp on the show to talk shop and drink with us! Keith shares what he’s been homebrewing lately and swaps great stories with us. Then we try some Foothills Nautical IPA, AleSmith Muy Sabroso, and the newest iteration of the Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head collaboration Life and Limb! After all that, he lets us taste his own incredible 2017 quad!

We have yet another robust week’s worth of news for you, beginning with Brewbound (thanks Alex!) revealing the sad news that the Celis Brewery is to be sold at public auction on July 2. We pivot north to Canada’s Global News reporting that one-third of B.C.s’ hop farms have closed, despite the province’s craft beer boom, then we go east to The New York Times showing us malt beverages like LaCroix, but with a buzz, and then Bloomberg maps out where microbrewery jobs are overflowing. Next up The San Diego Reader finds a new generation of local brewers who made noise this craft beer awards season, Vox asks why so many beers have retro-looking cans, and WAMU (thanks Frank!) presents brewmasters who have recreated a DC beer from the 1880s. We wind up the week with The BBC (thanks Michael!) telling us that a beer ban has left German neo-Nazi rock fans thirsty and Forbes showing off a $3.4 million craft brewery estate on tap near Asheville, N.C.

For last week’s #caskquiz week we asked if you have ever taken a beercation? Where did you go and what did you drink? This week we are curious to know if you are drinking any of the spiked seltzers this summer, and if so which ones?

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 felt like getting overseas this week, and we knew the perfect person to join us - Niels Lameijer, the Vistage Chair extraordinaire! We brought the Einstök, and he brought the La Trappe! First though, we learn about Niels’ home of The Netherlands and what Holland is, plus he shares his beer adventures across the border to Belgium. Then it’s tasting time with Einstök Arctic Pale Ale, Einstök Wee Heavy, La Trappe Dubbel, and La Trappe Quadrupel!

News is copious and global this week, beginning at home with The Motley Fool asking is 2019 is the year craft beer sales turn negative? Next up in Canada the The CBC (thanks Frank) shares the sad news that Canadian craft brewing innovator John Mitchell has died at 89, while over at The Calgary Herald (thanks Michael!) we learn that after a  $1.7-million loss, Big Rock Brewery is announcing layoffs and blaming Alberta's beer tax increases. VinePair (thanks Steve!) lists 12 breweries who are combating water waste in beer production, and then France 24 (thanks again Michael) reveals Japan’s vow to keep taps flowing at the Rugby World Cup. Over in the UK, The Telegraph reports that a man successfully sued Brewdog for £1,000 after being told beer was only on sale to women, then Geek.com brings the sugar as even more Kellogg’s cereal is reborn as craft beer. We wind up (finally!) with Travel + Leisure enjoying a beer picnic in a bat cave in New Mexico and Reuters visiting overwhelmed Belgian monks who are entering the internet age to sell their prized beer!

You guys had a lot to say about last week’s #caskquiz “what’s your main style going to be this summer? Lambic? Imperial pastry?” This week we want to know if you have ever taken a beercation? Where did you go and what did you drink?

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!

She’s been gone for a while, and now she is back, and with our beloved co-founder! Who are we talking about? The incomparable Aubrey Herbert and the amazing Tony Walldroff from Sierra Nevada! Yes, Aubrey makes her return in style with new beers that she and Tony share with us! They are Helles in the Tropics, Hop Solo Single Hop IPA, and Estate Farmhouse Ale!

The news begins this week south of the border via Bloomberg presenting Mexican craft beers that ditch lager and lime for world-class flavors! Then we head a bit north to The LA Times asking what goes into an $899 bottle of beer? Next over in Maine, The Bangor Daily News shows us a Belfast bar that only serves ciders, and then down in The New York Times we find craft brewers lightening up and take aim at the ‘sweaty consumer’. We close the week in Thrillist which poses and answers the question why you should drink lambics!

We are back in the #caskquiz groove! Last week we asked what’s the wild beer flavoring you want to try? This week we want to know what’s your main style going to be this summer? Lambic? Imperial pastry?

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!