Tales From the Cask Craft Beer Podcast

We can’t believe we are 5 this year with our Holiday Spectacular! As always, we have so many of our friends from the year stop by with some of their astounding whales to share for the good cheer of the yuletide! Joining us is a murderer’s row of guests including Jon, Connor, Matt, Thomas, Greg, Dave, Jake, Tim, Nikko, Beth, Marlise, and Wil, plus longtime listeners and contributors Brian and Scott! We had a very special appearance by Hoda! And of course, the two who were there at the beginning, Aubrey and Joe!

We offer up just a wee bit of news this week before the festivities! Forbes reports that passage of the new tax bill brings lower levies to brewers.Then we have (just for Tony) NY Upstate’s exciting spoiler reveal that the next Ommegang/Game of Thrones beer is an epic barleywine!

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!

And a very Happy Festivus to all our friends!

Direct download: talesfromthecask242.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It’s almost time for our Holiday Spectacular, and while we are getting ready for the festivities we share some spectacular treats from Foothills, Ballast Point, and Lagunitas! They are the Foothills People’s Moravian Porter, Ballast Point High West Victory at Sea, and Lagunitas Willetized Coffee Stout!

Good cheer and good news in the beer world abound this week, beginning with The Boston Globe and the exciting announcement that Sam Adams is the new official beer of the Red Sox! Next up some econ via The Cheat Sheet who show us an historical look at the price of beer, followed by Vice and the sad news that a Beyoncé-inspired beer is no more. We close with KDKA Pittsburgh toasting scientists who have figured out how to turn beer into petrol and Food & Wine visiting a craft beer-focused axe-throwing bar!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked ”do you know any craft cideries near you and if so who are they?” This week we want to know ”would you go (or have you gone) to an axe throwing bar?”

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: talesfromthecask241.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It’s been way too long since we went a-cidering, so this week we are very lucky to have Andrew Blake and Aaron Lanctot from Blake’s Hard Ciders in town! We chat with the lads about the explosion in the number of craft cideries, the latest news from their cidery in Armada, MI, and we get to sample both Archimedes and Snapdragon!

Before we get the cider, we have your news starting with Westword’s wry and deceptively titled opinion piece craft beer is dead — your favorite delicious style killed it! Next up, AdWeek (via Frank C!) shares that (no really, this is funny) Bud Light sent a hilarious cease-and-desist scroll to the makers of ‘Dilly Dilly’ Ale, followed by Forbes asking can a South Korean craft beer crack the U.S. market? and then The Motley Fool offering advice on how to invest in the beer industry. In honor of our guests we have NPR revealing that craft hard cider is on a roll and we wind down with CNet (courtesy of @SFringer!) transporting us to a Star Trek-themed Captain's Holiday beer!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked”what beer-related emoji would you like to see?” This week we ask ”do you know any craft cideries near you and if so who are they?”

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: talesfromthecask240.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

You demanded it, and now he’s back in his triumphal return: beer writer Bryan D. Roth! Bryan relates his latest adventures in beer and real life and how they sometimes intersect. Plus he samples some super brews with us: Full Sail 8 Pound Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Alpha Hop Society Barrel-Aged Sour Brown Ale, and Wicked Weed Barrel-Aged Milk and Cookies!

The news keeps on coming, and it begins this week with The Washington Post showing us that more bars are booting corporate beer from their taps and doubling down on craft. Next we have The Denver Post introducing an organization that wants the craft beer community to do more than just drink responsibly, followed by another instance of MegaMergerMania via The Denver Business Journal reporting that a Spanish beer maker is buying 30% of Colorado's Avery Brewing. We close with Food & Wine singing the praises of the news that  The Flaming Lips and Dogfish Head are collaborating on a beer, and Gizmodo revealing that  Google has decided that Android users deserve full beers!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “who your dream brewing collaborators would be and what style of beer would they make?” This week we ask ”what beer-related emoji would you like to see?”

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: talesfromthecask239.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

What better time for coming together than Thanksgiving? We have so much to be thankful for, especially the incredible collaboration brew Olde Rabbit’s Foot, brought to us this week by our friends Sara Miller from Olde Hickory, Robert Owen from Duck Rabbit, and Shawn Densmore from Foothills! Plus our guests share more holiday treats: Olde Hickory Christmas, Foothills Craft Happiness Sustenance, Duck Rabbit Wee Heavy, and Duck Rabbit Rabid Duck!

Before the sipping, we have lots of news this week, starting with The Chicago Tribune’s opinion that the boom in sugary pastry stouts shows that the craft beer industry may be forgetting what beer tastes like. Next up Brewbound reports that Left Hand Brewing has filed a lawsuit against White Labs over allegedly contaminated yeast, then Politico shows us that the Senate tax bill would benefit beer and citrus, and Forbes (courtesy of Frank C!) lays out a road map to 15 craft breweries. We climb aboard with Extra Crispy and a cruise ship brewmaster who makes beer with seawater, while The Chicago Tribune takies us to a Wisconsin pub that offers free beer until the Packers score, and we close with KTVT (Dallas) and a beer named after one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you think it’s a little pretentious to use terms like “nil” when talking about soccer in American sports reporting?” This week we want to hear “who your dream brewing collaborators would be and what style of beer would they make?”

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: talesfromthecask238.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Thanksgiving is coming early this year, and we have the beers to pair with that turkey, featuring the always spectacular Anchor Christmas Ale courtesy of our friend Brandon Foglio! We get a few minutes with Brandon to talk about the 2017 release, and then we retire to the bar and sample some of the Sierra Nevada Holiday Haze IPA and our very own Savannah Heat Spicy Wheat collaboration brew made with Smith Mathews from Southbound Brewing!

We have a cornucopia of news for you this week, starting with CBS tagging along on Sierra Nevada’s annual pilgrimage to sniff out the country’s best hops! Next up Bloomberg interviews Budweiser’s ex-marketing chief on the world of weed, followed by CNBC prognosticating that craft beer should enjoy 5 to 6 percent growth, and The New York Times offering to pair beer with that Thanksgiving bird. We close with The LA Times showing us that beer for athletes is the post-workout snack you always wanted, and WCPO in Cincinnati (via intrepid newsman Frank C) reporting that a craft brewery will sell Columbus Crew-themed beer to help keep that MLS club from moving to Austin!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “if marijuana were legal in your state (or if it is), do you think it would/does affect your beer consumption?” This week we ask “do you think it’s a little pretentious to use terms like “nil” when talking about soccer in American sports reporting?”

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: talesfromthecask237.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

With this cold damp weather here in Mayberry, we are jonesing for the warmth of sunny southern California and our buddy Wil from Coronado Brewing delivers it! Wil shares the news from San Diego and some terrific beers to boot: Salty Cove Gose, Coastwise Session IPA, and Early Bird Cold Brew Milk Stout!

We have a new spin on MegaMergerMania this week via The Motley Fool reporting that megacorp Constellation Brands wants drinkers to get a different buzz (and it’s not beer!). Next is MSN profiling what happens when whiskey meets craft beer, and Inside Science revealing that geneticists have unlocked the secret of rose and honey scents in beer. We close with Design You Trust unveiling cool beer cans that show the Pantone color of the brew inside!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “now that you know the Astros won the World Series, if you were the mayor of Houston, what beer would you have bet with the mayor of LA?” This week we would like to know “If marijuana were legal in your state (or if it is), do you think it would/does affect your beer consumption?”

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: talesfromthecask236.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

We are always excited when Sierra Nevada brings us a new treat, and this week’s no exception! Jenn checks the warehouse and finds that the all-new Fresh Hop IPA 12-pack cans are here! They feature a Session IPA, IPA, Double IPA, and just in time for the holidays, a fresh hop version of the famous Celebration IPA!

We want to school you this week, beginning with some etymology and The American Heritage Dictionary Blog on the evolution of the words ale and beer! Next we have some history courtesy of intrepid field reporters Steve and Frank with NPR’s examination of the other Reformation or how Martin Luther changed our beer, followed by science from CBS MoneyWatch revealing that climate change is hurting craft breweries. We wind down the week with CBC showing that drinking a beer can help you speak a foreign language and CNBC’s chat with Sam Adams' Jim Koch on the secret to his $200 bottle of beer!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked  “if you were mayor of your fave Major League Baseball city, which beer would you bet with your opposing mayor?” This week we are asking “now that you know the Astros won the World Series, if you were the mayor of Houston, what beer would you have bet with the mayor of LA?”

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: talesfromthecask235.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

It’s time to fire up the grill this week with those renowned pitmasters Don Chartier & Ethan Boylan from Lagunitas! The lads come to town to cook for our team and serve up some tantalizing brews to pair with the food: Born Yesterday Pale Ale, 12th of Never Ale, and Eroica Flemish Farmhouse Ale!

It’s World Series time and of course it’s intersecting the beer world courtesy of The LA Times’s report that LA Mayor Garcetti's World Series bet is rankling L.A.'s craft brewing community! Next we have guidelive showing how craft beer hopes to brew diversity beyond the stereotypical bearded white guys. We then move to Food Republic asking would you drink Dead Sea salt beer? and we wind up with Chicagoist’s opinion on what Chicagoland craft beer goes best with classic Halloween candies?

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “if the BA crowd-sourced buyout goes through….what should AB-Inbev be renamed?” This week we want to know “if you were mayor of your fave Major League Baseball city, which beer would you bet with your opposing mayor?”

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: talesfromthecask234.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:43am EDT

It’s double jeopardy in the bar this week courtesy of our friends Jake Taylor and Spencer Kilgore from Ballast Point! The guys share the latest scoop from San Diego and tell us all about the new Virginia brewery, which is now open to the public! Plus we have more BP goodness with the Fathom IPA and the Sour Wench!

Exciting MegaMergerManiaTM news leads us this week from craftbeer.com relating the new tongue-in-cheek effort to crowdsource a purchase of behemoth A-B InBev! Next up VinePair examines the clickbait headlines blaming millennials for killing craft beer. We close with Ozy taking us where farmers are turning into craft beer brewers and Mikkeller announcing its collaboration with filmmaker David Lynch!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “have you ever used beer for medicinal purposes and if so what ailment?” This week we want to know “if the BA buyout goes through….What should AB-Inbev be renamed?

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: talesfromthecask233.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:59am EDT

We have a new guest from an Olde friend, as in Sara Miller from Olde Hickory! Sara joins us to reveal all the latest from western NC and has two incredibly delicious treats for us: Wheatwine and the intrepid pioneer Daniel Boone Barrel-Aged Imperial Brown Ale!!

There’s topical news for Tony & Jenn after their trip to Denver! It’s in The Full Pint with some suggestions for an overhaul for the Great American Beer Festival! Next we visit our friends from Chippewa Falls via The New York Times on Leinenkugel, an old brewery learning new tricks. We close with Atlas Obscura (via our buddy Frank C) revealing a craftbeer named by a neural network and WCSH (in Portland ME) asking could a new beer help women going through menopause?

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “what airport is your favorite for craft beer?” This week we want to know “have you ever used beer for medicinal purposes and if so what ailment?”

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: talesfromthecask232.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 8:33am EDT

We are most definitely southbound this week - as in Savannah’s amazing Southbound Brewing courtesy of our friends Smith Mathews and Carly Wiggins! Carly lets us in on the latest from the brewery while Smith is hard at work helping craft a delicious fall treat with us. And of course he has to tackle the three questions! As a bonus, we try three beers that go well in a flight: Starpoint I Yam What I Yam, Southbound Picture of Nectar, and Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme!

Real beer life intersects nicely with the news beginning with The Denver Post’s belief that perhaps craft beer is facing an identity crisis as the Great American Beer Festival arrives in Denver. Next we have The USA Today listing the best airports for craft beer lovers (perfect for Tony & Jenn as they travel) followed by Ozy’s cool piece on craft beer and steam trains in the UK! We wind up with NPR delving into the taming of the brew or how sour beer is driving a microbial gold rush and Paste (via intrepid field reporters Steve L & Frank C and Darrell D) ranking 176 of the Best DIPA/Imperial IPAs!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “who is the closest craft brewery to your house and how far is it?” This week we want to know “what airport is your favorite for craft 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask231.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:14am EDT

We are traveling through time and space courtesy of the Delorean this week to bring you Eric and Bret Kuhnhenn from Kuhnhenn Brewing! Tony and Jenn fire up the Mr. Fusion and head to Warren, MI to visit Eric and Bret, learn all about the brewery, and bring back the astoundingly delicious whale Raspberry Eisbock!

With Chip back, the newsroom presented him with a plethora of beer business news beginning with Motley Fool asking has AB-InBev finally had its fill of craft beer? Next up Forbes reports that despite slowed growth, craft beer's economic contribution has jumped 20%, and then Visual Capitalist presents cool graphics showing which cities are fueling America’s craft beer boom. We close with Boise State Public Radio revealing that slower growth for craft beer is leaving Northwest hops producers with a surplus and NPR (via our friend Steve L) on the next big thing in beer: a small taproom!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “what’s your craft beer name from the Twitter game featuring your grandfather’s job and a word you don’t understand?” This week we want to know “who is the closest craft brewery to your house and how far 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask230.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:57am EDT

Chip is on sabbatical this week so Tony and Jenn track down one of the few Sierra Nevada employees who has yet to be interviewed for Tales!  Connor tells us how he got into the biz and what is new with Sierra, including a fun collaboration with a local celebrity chef!

Since Connor is a known whale hunter we track down a few hard to find beers for him including a Three Floyds Floy Division II IPA, Hardywood’s Cuvee Gold and Barrel Aged Chico-Style Wild Ale.  He also brings us a Rue D’Floyd to try!

Tony jumps behind the news desk to talk about a Beer for Horses, how much beer Wisconsonians really drink and the latest scientific breakthroughs in brewing.  In honor of our guest’s homeland, we also discuss a new signature beer from Purdue!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “what’s your craft beer name from the Twitter game?” This week we want to hear more responses so remember the formula: your grandfather’s job and a word you don’t understand!

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: talesfromthecask229.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 8:13am EDT

We return from all our various road trips with new treats this week from Windmill, Sierra Nevada and Ellison Brewing! After catching up on the excursions for work and fun, we try some IPAs: Windmill Exit Buddy IPA, Sierra Pronto IPA, and Ellison OFP IPA!

We got a week off from #MegaMergerMania, and it returns via Beer Street Journal (courtesy of our buddy @sfringer) with a brutal day as A-B InBev lays off hundreds of employees in “The High End”. Then we pivot to more fun news, starting with radio station WAMU (thanks to our friend Frank C!) returning to our recently met obscure local fruit, the Pawpaw, a hipster banana, followed by CNBC on how a three-person NC craft beer brewery surged to national fame in just four years. We then share a cool new game from Twitter in Food & Wine that reveals how to name your own craft beer, techdirt reporting that UK craft beer trademark applications have doubled in ten years  and we close with NPR treating us to kelp finding its niche in the craft beer scene!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which posed the question “What’s the strangest thing you have fished out of a pint of beer?” This week we want to know “what’s your craft beer name from the Twitter game?”

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: talesfromthecask228.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:55am EDT

We pack up the travel case and head to Broadway(Street) in Durham to visit second time guest Matt Pennisi. This time Matt is fully permitted and up and running as he gives an update on what’s happening all things Durty Bull. We sample Durty Bull Lager, Bourbon Barrel-Aged Blackberry Sour and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter.


In a seemingly rare week without #MegaMergerMania, Jenn and Tony lead us off with some gear you must procure before heading to German Octoberfest celebrations. We discuss a beer to honor late a late Michigan state punter and report on the continuing court case where Kona Brewing finds itself on the defendant’s chair.  We’ve got some big news for NC State fair goers sure to please those in search of a frosty malt beverage this fall. We finish things up with a progressive idea hoping to take hold in Toronto, particularly for those who enjoy a beer in the park.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked” Have you ever homebrewed? What style was your first?”

This week we’re dying to know ” What’s the strangest thing you have fished out of a pint of beer?” #caskquiz

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: talesfromthecask227.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:37pm EDT

It’s contest time in the bar as we host our 2nd annual Homebrew contest! Joining us on our panel of judges are fan faves Aubrey Herbert & Jake Taylor! Here are our results!

1st Place- Chris Nadeau with Trips up North Black IPA

2nd Place- Carl Hoverstad with Syksyn Saison

3rd Place- Heath Perkins with Amber Alert Hoppy Amber Ale

We also are awarding a special jury prize for best label to John Beal II for Purrrgatory Pale Ale!

Before the merriment we have news beginning with The HuffPo reporting BrewDog is now giving its staff a week's paid 'Pawternity' leave! Next we have The Calgary Herald showing that Alberta's craft beer policy is causing collateral damage, followed by Draft Magazine asking why are so many breweries selling their beer in 15-packs? We wind up this week’s news with UPI revealing how scientists turn brewing waste into fresh yeast to make more beer and The Independent telling you how to bathe in brew at the world’s first beer swimming pools!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “how much do you usually pay for a six-pack of beer?” and this week we want to know “have you ever homebrewed and what was your first style?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! With our recent travels, we are extending the deadline one week! It’s now August 28, 2017! For more details click here!

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: talesfromthecask226.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:03am EDT

This week we are heading for the hill country of Indiana with our good friends Doug Dayhoff and Dusty Howe from Upland Brewing! The guys talk to us about Upland’s origins, it’s expansion into North Carolina, and then they share some great beers with us: Champagne Velvet, Wheat, Coastbuster, Iridescent and Hopsynth!

The world of craft beer intersects the world of weed in the news via Business Insider revealing a beloved craft-brewer is brewing marijuana beer! Next up The Denver Post shows that craft beer is the new weapon in a New Mexico sports rivalry, followed by Think Progress’s opinion that beer is the greenest beverage. We wind down with Craft Brewing Business rocking out and drinking local beer with the band Foreigner and The HuffPo detailing how a six-pack of craft beer ends up costing $12.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s the most creative thing you have thought of or done while drinking a pint?” and this week we want to know “how much do you usually pay for a six-pack of beer?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! With our recent travels, we are extending the deadline one week! It’s now August 28, 2017! For more details click here!

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: talesfromthecask225.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:34am EDT

That’s right, we are using the Delorean this week to visit with our friend Dave Burrows and we are having a whale of a good time! How so? By Dave regaling us with tales of the sales side of the beer business, and then by the treasure trove of rarities he shares with us from his extensive tour of the midwest including Shorts Soft Parade, Surly Xtra Citra Pale Ale, Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow, and Alaskan 30th Anniversary Perseverance!

Summer sales are hot, and so is MegaMergerMania! Two stories in that vein lead the news, with The Denver Post reporting that New Belgium is leading an effort to rescue a San Francisco beer maker Magnolia Brewing, and The Miami Herald revealing that beer giant Constellation is buying the Funky Buddha Brewery. Next up The Full Pint asks is Colorado’s craft beer scene oversaturated? Then we close with Allpsych on the psychology of beer tasting and Imbibe Magazine exploring mixed-culture fermentation.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s the most creative thing you have thought of or done while drinking a pint?” and we are extending it another week due to our time travels!

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! With our recent travels, we are extending the deadline one week! It’s now August 28, 2017! For more details click here!

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: talesfromthecask224.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:37am EDT

You know how we love us some tech, so we are fortunate to have at the bar our friend Brent Nolan, a co-founder of the cool app Stealz! Brent tells about how to use the app to check in with all kinds of businesses and get cool swag, and he tries some great beers with us: Schofferhofer GF, Moosehead Radler, Austin Eastciders Blood Orange, and Coronado Beach Break IPA!

Fun news is on tap this week, starting with more MegaMergerMania but in reverse! It’s  via The New York Times reporting that a small Transylvania brewer stood up to a beer giant and survived! Next we have CBC on London, Ontario’s exploding craft beer scene, followed by Mashable telling us to forget Trump's wall because a brewery wants a beer bar on the U.S.-Mexico border. We close with two from the UK: The Coventry Telegraph showing us a craft beer made in Warwickshire has been named best in the UK, and The Sun discovering that drinking beer makes us smart and creative.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “do you have a favorite iconic beer logo image and if so which one?” and this week we are asking you to share a eureka moment you have had while hoisting a pint!

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! The deadline for entries is Total Solar Eclipse Day in the U.S. which is August 21, 2017! For more details click here!

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: talesfromthecask223.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:33am EDT

This week the Rockies return to the bar with our friend Heath Perkins from Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing! Heath shares the latest from Longmont and has some awesome treats for us: Travelin’ Light Kolsch, Saison au Miel, Saison Aux Baies Amères, and the astonishing 2013 Widdershins Barleywine!

We have numbers in the news this week via Fortune showing that the craft beer boom has gone flat. In spite of this, new breweries continue to open and CNN Money has advice on how to start a successful craft beer brewery. Next up we head overseas where American Craft Beer infiltrates Thailand’s craft beer rebellion, then Travel Market Report brings us beer tourism on tap for travel agents, and we close with out of this world Beer Alien joining punk legends NOFX in invading Stone Brewing (the brewery is still standing)!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “are you using special glassware for your beer and if so what kind?” and this week we are asking “do you have a favorite iconic beer logo image and if so which one?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! The deadline for entries is Total Solar Eclipse Day in the U.S. which is August 21, 2017! For more details click here!

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: talesfromthecask222.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:19am EDT

At last Chip returns the DeLorean and we are all together in the bar sharing some new faves from Roak, Coronado, and Olde Hickory! Our taste treats include Roak Creative Tension IPA, Coronado 21st Anniversary IPA, and Olde Hickory Flanders Red!

In the news this week, the beloved saga of MegaMergerManiaTM continues in two stories! First is in The Detroit Free Press revealing that Short's Brewing is selling a 20% stake to Lagunitas, and the second story is via Porch Drinking reporting that Brooklyn Brewery is partnering with 21st Amendment and Funkwerks. Next up is CNBC telling us that Goldman is downgrading beer stocks because millennials like wine better, followed by The Boston Globe showing us beer with a lobster background note, and we close with Gear Patrol asking why beer bars are switching to stemware?

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “would you drink a caffeinated beer and if so what style” and this week we ask “are you using special glassware for your beer and if so what kind?”

It’s also time for our 2nd Tales Homebrew Contest! We want to try your best homebrew and there are two categories: true to style and the wildcard! The deadline for entries is Total Solar Eclipse Day in the U.S., which is August 21, 2017! For more details click here!

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: talesfromthecask221.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:36am EDT

We are very excited this week and gracious to chat with the oft-travelling Nick Nunns and Kat Wilkinson who are visiting from young but pioneering Denver mixed culture brewery, TRVE.  We learn how they got started and about their unique process for the acidic side of brewing.  They bring us some hard to find and classic brews to try and we sample Ecate, Ostara, Red Chaos and Revengeance

Tony and Jenn handle the news this week with fun beer stories from around the globe!  We talk about the perfect beer to pair with tacos in Texas, an ambitios project to beautify industrial areas with  hops in Pittsburgh. We let you in on the perfect spot to don a kimono and drink unlimited beer in Japan.  In legal news we report on the unfortunate beer naming dispute between Elvis Presley’s estate and Scottish Brewer Brewdog. 

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “Will you buy beer based on the BA seal?”  and this week we want to know if you would still drink a caffeinated beer if they were legal? And what style of beer should it be?

It is also time for our second Tales Homebrew Contest!  We would love to try your best homebrew and there are great prizes, the deadline for entries is August 21st.  Details can be found here. Good Luck and Good Brewing!

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: talesfromthecask220.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:36am EDT

The western Piedmont takes over the bar this week with our good friends Shawn “Dink” Densmore, Tony Futrell and Scott Mizerak from Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewing! The lads relay the latest from the brewery and taste us on two incredible IPAs, Move and Clean!

Before the beers we have more news from overseas! First up is The Guardian (UK) revealing why the pub isn’t the only place drinkers should buy craft beers. Next we have Stuff (NZ)’s opinion that there's too much faulted craft beer on the market. Then we share VinePair asking 14 brewers what beer trend needs to die, and we close with Unilad’s interview with an airplane passenger who checked in one can of beer!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “have you tried any of the Beer Camp Across the World Beers yet?  What are your favorites?” and this week we want to know if you think there should be a standard way to tell how fresh your beer is and if so what’s your idea?

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: talesfromthecask219.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 10:07am EDT

We take the show on the road and make the best use of a brief intermission from the Beer Tent in Downtown Raleigh. With the promise of an air condition and shaded studio we were able to lure several past guests from the dreaded early episodes. Roger MacKay, Josh McCullough and new guest and current team member Brytni Perkins graciously agreed to sample some new brews and help out with the news in Chip’s absence.


NPR Leads off this week with a popular story about America’s affinity for beer and the history behind it, Austin 360 spikes our curiosity with a new ramen flavored beer. The Brewer’s Association made CNN headlines this week with a new indoctrination aimed at helping consumers sort out choices on the shelf. It wouldn’t be summer without a beer list and Mercury News is happy to oblige with their “Red, White and Blue” beer picks for the holiday. The Denver post sheds some light how to get free beer for life with just one catch in this week’s last news item.

We have plenty of new beers to try on the show this week from a fresh shipment from AleSmith!  The team samples the all new Orange X, revisits the Double IPA, and goes all in with a Triple IPA Collaboration with Pizza Port Logical Choice!  We also try a Rum Barrel aged version of Oskar Blues Ten Fidy that was a recent gift to the Tales Cellar.

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “We want to know if you think there should be a standard way to tell how fresh your beer is and if so what’s your idea?” and this week We couldn’t resist asking if you will be making purchases exclusively based on the BA Seal of authenticity.

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: talesfromthecask218.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:17am EDT

We get a visit from Indiana this week with Dusty Howe and Fred Hillenbrand from Upland Brewing! Dusty and Fred tell us the history of the brewery, which is celebrating 20 years in 2017, tease the latest releases, and share some incredible sour ales with us: Sour Reserve,  Cherry, and Cauldron!

In the news we start with a sorta MegaMergerMania item via The Motley Fool reporting that  AB InBev has a clever new marketing strategy in the home-brew market. Next up we head to Tony’s old stomping grounds through The Utica Observer-Dispatch which is asking if a proposed beer museum is golden or flat? We then have The Bulletin (Central Oregon!) positing why it’s so hard to figure out how old that 6-pack of beer is and we go retro with MSN revealing 5 things you didn’t know about Zima, everyone’s favorite ‘90s mistake that's back for 2017!

We have your responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “have you tried any of the Beer Camp Across the World Beers yet?  What are your favorites?” and this week we want to know if you think there should be a standard way to tell how fresh your beer is and if so what’s your idea?

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: talesfromthecask217.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:23am EDT

What a week with Sierra Nevada and Beer Camp on Tour right here in Raleigh! And with Mr. Brian Grossman to boot! We get a chance to chat with Brian about this year’s version of Beer Camp and the terrific response from brewers and beer lovers. Later we hop in the DeLorean and sample all 12 BCAW beers! In moderation, of course!

We do have fun summer news as well, starting with VinePair answering 7 questions about wheat beer you’re too embarrassed to ask. Next up is Forbes revealing that something's brewing in the craft beer industry -- and it's driving industrial absorption. Finally we have The Sacramento Bee reporting that Pliny the Elder has been knocked from top of American beer heap in new rankings and GQ showing us how to drink beer all summer long without getting a beer gut (according to Science!)

We share responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “have you tried any of the Beer Camp Across the World Beers yet?  What are your favorites?” and we are carrying that one over this week!

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: talesfromthecask216.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:49am EDT

Tony and Jenn have been brewing up a storm lately but they take a quick break to talk to Carl Hoverstad about his background as a homebrewer and his award winning ESB.  He gives us the scoop on selecting ingredients and the importance of taking notes on past recipes.  We sample the ESB we brewed with him and later in the show Jenn and Tony get to try Anchor’s Los Gigantes!

Chip is out on assignment this week but Tony manages to fill in at the news desk.   He shares some great findings on the economic impacts of  beer on small towns and we talk about Sierra’s long time brewmaster retiring.  We also learn about the severity of fines for one wholesaler who did not play by the ABC rules and how important it is for beer bars to have a curated draft program.  Finally in some fun news, we hear about a Czech beer train concept coming to Chicago and where the Most Interesting Man has found a new job!

We get responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s your take on this ratebeer.com  controversy?” This week’s #caskquiz asks “Have you tried any of the Beer Camp Across the World Beers Yet?  What are your favorites? ”

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: talesfromthecask215.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 5:31pm EDT

It’s been ages since we had our good friend Carly Wiggins in from Southbound Brewing, so we got her to drive on up to share the latest from Savannah! Carly brings us the latest from the brewery, plus she plies us with a couple of awesome beers: Transilience Sour Imperial Berliner Weisse Ale with Pomegranate & Mango and Mystery Ship Brettanomyces Dry Hopped Imperial Red Ale!

More controversial news starts us out this week as Men’s Journal reports that RateBeer.com has announced a partial sale to AB InBev and Dogfish Head has asked to have its beers removed! Then we turn to the fun of beer with The Washington Post revealing that Maine is sending a beer box to Iceland! Next up Billy Penn asks us to party with Dogfish Head and the ‘Indiana Jones of Beer’ and we close with Newsarama on the Steve Dillon memorial beer brewed in his honor by his long-time collaborator Matthew Hollingsworth.

We get responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s your go-to method for quickly chilling your beer?” This week’s #caskquiz asks “what’s your take on this ratebeer.com  controversy?”

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: talesfromthecask214.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:54pm EDT

Thanks to our buddy Dan Bjugstad, we are heading to Wisconsin this week with beers from New Glarus, Wisconsin Brewing, and Central Waters! It’s just the three of us tasting an amazing lineup: New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb, Wisconsin Brewing Chocolate Lab Porter, and Central Waters Slainte Scottish Ale!

We also have some cool (ice cool) news for you, starting in GQ announcing that it's (finally) time to drink craft beer in Germany! Next is the The Washington Post’s  list of five myths about beer, followed by The New York Times recounting a daring beer run to soldiers in Vietnam. Then we wind up in the lab with Popular Science and the fastest way to chill your beer!

We get responses to last week’s #caskquiz which asked “what’s your fave coffee brew?” This week’s #caskquiz asks “what’s your go-to method for quickly chilling your 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask213.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 12:47pm EDT

Two of our fave worlds collide this week: craft beer and coffee thanks to Patrick Woodson from Brewery Bhavana and Jen Hoverstad from Counter Culture Coffee ! Jen gives us the scoop on the latest in the coffee scene, and Patrick talks about his new brewery in downtown Raleigh! Jen and Patrick also discuss the upcoming Uppers and Downers Event with Brewery Bhavana and Counter Culture Coffee in Durham on June 2nd! Plus, we taste some Bhavana coffee craft beers made with Counter Culture Coffee: Coffee Saison Single Origin Version One (using the Japanese flash ice method), Saison Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc barrel-aged with Apricot, Passion Fruit & Mango) and the Grove Double IPA!

There’s an international flavor to the news this week! We start with The Sacramento Bee revealing why Chimay and Belgium remain the benchmark for craft beer followed by Bloomberg showing how God's own brewers help Carlsberg catch up with craft beer. Next FoodBev Media reports from Down Under that Australia’s craft beer body is shunning conglomerates with a rule change, and we wind up with AV Club’s opinion that Kölsch is a refreshing German beer for the sultry days of summer!

This week’s #caskquiz asks “what’s your fave coffee craft beer?” and we are looking for your submissions for this month’s #caskcontest:  send us your best photo featuring Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! All entries are due by May 31st.

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: talesfromthecask212.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 5:27pm EDT

Jennifer returns this week refreshed from vacation to rejoin the crew. We chat beer and life in general with a veteran consulting colleague of Chip, Bill Buxton.  He tells us about his beer evolution from the midwest to NC and we have plenty of beers to share with him including some gifts from Chicago area brewery Metal Monkey!  We try their Simian Pandemic and Death by Metal and rounding out the draft list is the latest from The Hop Concept- Galaxy and Comet IPA.

The news world continues to turn this week as we hear one journalist’s take on the AB craft takeovers, learn what beer to drink during this summer’s total eclipse, and dive into the latest beer tech.  In history news, we hear about the NYC mayor who protested prohibition by drinking a beer! 

This week’s #caskquiz asks “are you able to order beer on the internet and if so, how?” and we are looking for your submissions for this month’s #caskcontest:  send us your best photo featuring Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! All entries are due by May 31st.

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: talesfromthecask211.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:19am EDT

The testosterone level is high this week as Jenn is on vacation, so we amp it up with our friend Jake Taylor from Ballast Point! Jake tells us how he got into the business, shares the latest from San Diego, and tastes two excellent beers with us: Sea Rose and Unfiltered Sculpin!

You want some more MegaMergerMania? Well, look no further than Seeking Alpha reporting that Heineken just bought the half of Lagunitas it didn’t control. Next up Motley Fool asks what's craft beer's bigger threat? wine, whiskey, weed...or all 3? Then we close with Fox News showing us a  beer made from pee and KIRO uncovering stolen century-old beer bottles being finally returned to a Tacoma brewery!

This week’s #caskquiz asks “what’s the most outrageous ingredient you have had in a beer?” and we are looking for your submissions for this month’s #caskcontest:  send us your best photo featuring Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! All entries are due by May 31st.

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: talesfromthecask210.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:55am EDT

Chip had to travel a long way, and it was totally worth it to do his second interview with Martin Roper, CEO of The Boston Beer Company! Martin talks about the latest with Sam Adams, Angry Orchard and Twisted Tea. Plus he discusses his planned retirement in 2018 and offers his thoughts about where craft beer is headed in the future. Here at home, we sample Sam Adams Fresh as Helles, Rebel IPA Reborn, and Rebel Juiced!

Then the MegaMergerMania  continues via The Asheville Citizen-Times revealing that Wicked Weed is entering a partnership with Anheuser-Busch. Next up Tribunist tells us that a study finds two pints of beer are more effective than OTC pain relievers, Mashable shows us that you can now buy a 1,000 pack of beer in Finland, and we close with Treehugger pouring us a beer made from recycled bread!


This week’s #caskquiz asks “what’s the most craft beer you ever bought at one time?” and we are looking for your submissions for this month’s #caskcontest:  send us your best photo featuring Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! All entries are due by May 31st.

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: talesfromthecask209.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:42pm EDT

The rain is gone and We were going stir crazy at the office so we packed the studio and visited old friend Josh Hamilton, GM of a classic downtown Raleigh craft beer staple.

This week Chip perfectly proportions the news starting with a piece from Eater that questions how beer lines are still a thing? Bloomberg goes very in depth on why you may be seeing a lot more of your favorite local beers becoming available in cans. We have good news for literary leaning craft beer aficionados in the Indianapolis area.  CNN takes us to the far East with news on ancient Chinese secret beer recipes. Do you live in Britain and want to keep your bartender honest? Food and Wine is last up in the news and they will tell you how!

We didn’t have to reach far across the bar for a heaping helping of new and cellared beers. We try the straight out of the brite tank Ballast Point unfiltered Sculpin. Coronado is back with the first installment of the stem to stern series of limited brews. Josh poured us a rare treat with the Great Divide Strawberry Rhubarb. To cap it all off We opened Josh’s autographed bottle of the show favorite Rodenbach Caractere Rouge


This week we announce our latest #caskcontest: Send us your most creative picture of a Sierra Pale Ale and the winner will receive two tickets to the Beer Camp festival in Raleigh June 17th!  Entries are due by May 31st. 

We also have a new #caskquiz: How many beers do you think you’ve 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 our Facebook page, or emailing us! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Direct download: talesfromthecask208.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 8:15am EDT

CBC was great for Jenn & Tony, all the more so because they got to speak with Dr. Michael Lewis, the legendary trainer of brewers for decades! You get to listen in! Then we try the some of the latest great brews including Southbound Desert Dawn, Foothills Terrain IPA, and Wicked Weed Arcanic!

Plus there’s news! We start off with The New York Times op-ed by Jim Koch asking is it last call for craft beer? Next is The LA Times offering a way to get your non-crafty friends to ease into craft beer via coffee, tea and cocktail-inspired beers in disguise, then Heat Street reports that the Brewers Association has announced that ‘sexist and lewd’ craft Beers can no longer receive their awards, and we wind up with The Daily Meal revealing that an all-female craft beer festival Is coming to Florida!


This week we have our final submissions for this month’s #caskcontest:  Give us your best comic book themed beer name and you could name our next brew!  Entries due by April 19th. And we have a new #caskquiz for this week: what beer did you use to get someone into craft 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask207.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:24am EDT

We have an amazing San Diego treat this week - AleSmith is in the house thanks to our friend Matt Dakan! Matt joins us to talk up cans! And we are so stoked to test and taste .394, IPA, and the astounding Speedway Stout, all in cans!

Before that deliciousness we have your news! First up is KPIX (CBS San Francisco) shining a light on big beer trying to open a beer garden in Oakland, followed by Forbes’ opinion that  craft beer needs more diversity and growth. Next up is The Federalist describing what green beer from the French Alps tastes like and we wind up with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asking beer with breakfast?


This week we continue accepting submissions for this month’s  #caskcontest:  Give us your best comic book themed beer name and you could name our next brew!  Entries due by April 19th. Plus, inspired by the news item we have a classic #casquiz to return to: what’s the cereal you want to have infused in your beer and what style of brew?


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: talesfromthecask206.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:00am EDT

The bar is open this week to welcome our friend Brandon Foglio from the pride of San Francisco, Anchor Brewing! Brandon shares the latest news from the brewery while tasting the all-new and delicious Blackberry Daze IPA!

Spanning the globe, we bring you the news and start in China with Fortune on China’s new craftbeer bully, followed by Aol which has found a brewer who names her beers after her awful dates. Next up we have CNN and our continuing coverage of inflight beers, and we close the week with Tasting Table’s take on Cap'n Crunch infused ale!


This week we continue accepting submissions for this month’s  #caskcontest:  Give us your best comic book themed beer name and you could name our next brew!  Entries due by April 19th. Plus, inspired by the news item we have a classic #casquiz to return to: what’s the cereal you want to have infused in your 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask205.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 5:05am EDT

It’s springtime in the Sunny Lands and Chip, Tony and Jenn take a break from a week off from hosting guests in the bar to enjoy some quality co-host time.  In another exciting news week We discuss Fortune’s take on the potential slowdown in the extraordinary growth of craft.  From MarketWatch We discuss exactly total beer shipments are going for America’s top domestic brewers. Food and Wine prompts Jenn and Tony give a refresher on the Cicerone exam.  Lastly, Brewbound has exciting news for nutrition gurus with a brand new database.

Beer was the guest this week as the Tales crew got a chance to open some anxiously awaited cork and caged treats from The Lost Abbey  in Sunny San Marcos. In this round of Barrel Aged perfection We sample Red Poppy, Track 8 and My Black Parade.

This week we continue accepting submissions for this month’s  #caskcontest:  Give us your best comic book themed beer name and you could name our next brew!  Entries due by April 19th.

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: talesfromthecask204.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:08am EDT

The whole gang is back together again and we are joined by David Surrency from Full Sail Brewing in Oregon!  We talk about the history of this first generation craft brewer and taste through the portfolio including Full Sail Amber, Cascade Pilsner, Hop Pursuit, IPApaya, and the Session Lager and Black Lager.  Tony also brings us a treat, the 2011 Imperial Porter from one of his trips out west!

We talk food in the news this week as we announce the first brewpub to achieve a Michelin Star!  We also learn about Stone’s new Toilet to Tap Beer and how you can send Alexa on a beer run.  Chip was excited to submit his ideas for the official Comicon beer and we decide to hold our own contest for one of our brews!

This week we announce a new #caskcontest:  Give us your best comic book themed beer name and you could name our next brew!  Entries due by April 19th.

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: talesfromthecask203.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 10:58pm EDT

It is chilly this week in the Sunny Lands but we have plenty of delicious new beers to keep us warm! Chip is back from vacation and Jenny Brinkman joins us as co-host while Tony is out on assignment.  Jenny gives us the latest scoop from Ballast including an update on their new East Coast brewery!  She also brings us the latest innovations in the Ballast Point portfolio, new year round brews Sea Rose and Manta Ray, along with current limited edition Tart Peach Kolsch!

The news has a travel theme this week as we visit San Diego for some budget friendly bars, fly out to Hawaii to check out the emerging craft brew scene, and head all the way to Mars for some Budweiser?  Plus Belgian scientists have named a new space system after their favorite type of beer!


This week we wrap up our Beers in Nature Photo #caskcontest and announce a winner!  Listen in and find out who it is!

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: talesfromthecask202.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:45am EDT

It's another beautiful afternoon in the Sunnylands and March Madness is in the air as Tony and Jenn take the reins this week!  We are joined by Randle Hernandez and Houston Shively from Boelter Beverage, who teach us all about proper glassware for enjoying the perfect pint!  We sample the latest Craft Happiness release from Foothills Haven IPA in an IPA Fefa Glass, Tony’s own Milk Stout in a Revival Style Pint, and Wicked Weed Silencio in the Sommelier Chalice.

Tony and Jenn always have a fun time finding news stories when our resident anchor is on vacation but Chip is still on the job, chiming in with an article about the next big beer style from Forbes!  We travel from coast to coast to find out where you can try a Goat Yoga Beer and visit a new American Craft Beer Museum in a casino! We also learn what beers this spring will hold for each astrological sign, and celebrate National Women’s Day with a new beer from Oskar Blues.


We have another #caskcontest  for March! It’s our beers in nature photo contest! Send us a photo of the beer you are enjoying outside and you could win cool Tales Swag!  All entries are due by March 15th! Tweet us, send us an FB message, Instagram or email us!

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: talesfromthecask201.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 8:36am EDT

To celebrate our 200th episode, we combine our two great passions: beer and music! And we have our friend Aimee Bridges to join the mayhem! Aimee talks about her work as a marketing consultant and her love for music and beer as we sample some awesome brewery/band collaborations including Unibroue Megadeth, Belching Beaver Phantom Bride, and New Belgium Clutch Dark Sour Ale!

News is easy when we have our listeners submitting stories! Chad F shares a cool Kickstarter campaign for the new Growler Chill that keeps 3 growlers cold, fresh & on tap at home, while @treads09 shares Food & Wine reporting that Cathay Pacific Airlines is debuting a beer that tastes better in the air. We find Treehugger revealing that moving beer by ship, not road, is saving 14% of CO2 for Heineken, and then Paste has a story just for Tony stating that waxed beer bottles suck!


We have a new #caskcontest for March! It’s our beers in nature photo contest! Send us a photo of the beer you are enjoying outside and you could win cool Tales Swag!  All entries are due by March 15th! Tweet us, send us an FB message, Instagram or email us!

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: talesfromthecask200.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:47am EDT

We take our show on the road once again with an exhilarating ride around downtown Fuquay on the Brewquay Prowler as well as sample a plethora of new and unique beers from DuClaw.

In the news this week we discuss Mardi Gras themed brews, share Asbury Park Press’s picks for beers to pair with Oscar nominated films. Also, NPR explores the ever growing trend of hazy IPAs,IIndiana beer drinkers are the latest to benefit from a distribution expansion from America’s oldest brewery. Lastly, the continuing saga of the famed Celis White gets new life in Austin.

We had a bountiful number of guests this week headed off by Lou Kazman & Donnie Hicks of the Brewquay Prowler, a craft beer focused dune buggy that offers tours to local breweries and beyond. Stepping in right behind Lou and Donnie we were pleasantly interrupted but old friends and previous Tales guests Glen Selby and Adam Eshbaugh who teamed up for the day to put together our largest ever DuClaw tap takeover. We tried new and rare beers which included “ “JD” Barrel aged Serum, Mysterium Spiced Ale, Gingerbread Euforia Toffee Nut Brown, and the all new Farmhouse Style Neon Gypsy.

We have a new #caskcontest  for March! It’s our beers in nature photo contest! Send us a photo of the beer you are enjoying outside and you could win cool Tales Swag!  All entries are due by March 15th! Tweet us, send us an FB message, Instagram or email us!

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: talesfromthecask199.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:47pm EDT

Days in the 80ºs? In February? Madness! To stay cool we have brews from our friends at Trinity, Pizza Port and Hardywood! The three of us marvel at the incredible weather of late in the sunny lands while sampling Trinity Koelerado, Pizza Port Graveyard’s Pale Ale, and Hardywood Tropication IPA!

Sunny news for the sunny skies this week! We start with some Food & Wine with their list of the 25 most important American craft beers ever brewed, and follow that with a side of VinePair and hipsters who are turning Oaxaca into Mexico’s first craft beer capital! Next up is Paste with the craft beer guide to spring training and we wind up in New Orleans at WGNO  who is asking did you know the Krewe of Muses has their own beer?

We concluded our #caskcontest for February, and now we have a new one for March! It’s our beers in nature photo contest! Send us a photo of the beer you are enjoying outside and you could win cool Tales Swag!  All entries are due by March 15th! Tweet us, send us an FB message, Instagram or email us!

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: talesfromthecask198.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:56am EDT

This week we slide over to the retail side of the world with future bottle shop owner Julie Paddison! Julie shares her background and talks with us about getting a new retail account going. Then she shares some delectable delights with us: Full Sail Ipapaya IPA, Ballast Point Manta Ray Double IPA and Trve Black Celebration!

There’s a lot of history in brewing, and a lot in the news! We begin with National Geographic on our 9,000-year love affair with booze, followed by Mashable revealing that you can get a free pint of beer in London every time it rains! Next up is The New York Times standing in 11-hour lines for a new ale, and we wind up with The Fresno Bee offering to craft beer forward!

We are continuing the #caskcontest through February 10! Give us the slogan for our all-new t-shirts! Cool Tales swag will follow to the winner!

We 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: talesfromthecask197.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:01am EDT

More Delorean travel awaits us at the 2017 NC Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting! Tony and Jenn are able to visit with so many friends at the tasting, and you can hear them all this week! Later back at the bar, they reunite with Chip and share two super brews: Ballast Point’s Red Velvet on Nitro and the highly sought-after Foothills 2017 Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout!

In the news this week we start in DC with our friends at Smithsonian who are raising a glass to the Smithsonian's first beer scholar, and then we head to California and the SF Chronicle revealing that Russian River is planning for a new brewery in Windsor. Next up we fly to the UK and The Guardian reporting that Brexit is weakening the pound and threatening the UK craft beer revolution, while Pitchfork is unveiling the new beer and culture-focused website October, and we close by sharing a Superb Owl tip from Lifehacker telling you how many people you need at a party to make a beer keg worthwhile!

We are continuing the #caskcontest through February 8! Give us the slogan for our all-new t-shirts! Cool Tales swag will follow to the winner!

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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask196.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 4:54am EDT

It’s time for our first roadtrip of the year - to Starpoint Brewing’s new brewery in Durham, NC! Founder Tim Harper and Head Brewer Nikko Carlson join us to give a nice tour, talk about their expansion, and most importantly share some crazy good beers with us! This week we try the collaboration Honeysuckle Tea House Elderberry Braggot, Ginger Barleywine, St. Philibert Hazelnut Stout, and the always delectable DUH! Double IPA!

Newstime! We begin out on The Street in London where brewers are raising British beer prices because of frothy brexit-inflation, then we turn up Loudwire and rock to Anthrax announcing its first-ever signature beer ‘Wardance’. Next we have Bon Appétit demonstrating the beer accessory you didn’t know you desperately needed (of course Jenn already has one!) and we take off with Blastr rocketing a proposed space mission aiming to brew beer on the moon!

We are continuing the #caskcontest through February 8! Give us the slogan for our all-new t-shirts! Cool Tales swag will follow to the winner!


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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask195.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 10:13am EDT

We are keeping it local this week when we are joined by John Oldendorf from Raleigh’s Clouds Brewing! John tells us all about the brewery and lets us try a terrific lineup of beers: Wolkenbrau, Precipitation, Mission to Marzen, El Hefe, One Eye Pale Ale and Crimea River!

We begin the newstime with excitement from PA via the The Reading Eagle reporting that beer distributors will be able to sell six-packs starting Tuesday, followed by The LA Times’ totally rad travelogue mapping out how to plan a craft beer crawl along the Metro Gold Line, and then Patch reveals that Surly is going to release a new 'Thanks Obama' beer on Inauguration Day. Next up is Bloomberg’s piece on Japan’s rural towns luring tax from Tokyo with beef and beer and we close with The Motley Fool admonishing us no, marijuana legalization isn't crushing craft beer.

Instead of a #caskquiz this week, we are introducing a #caskcontest: help us create a new slogan for our all-new t-shirts! Cool Tales swag will follow to the winner!

 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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask194.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 7:24am EDT

We are so lucky to be working with our friends from Sierra Nevada! Why so? Because as always, they are bringing us new treats for a new year! It’s our old buddies Tommy Gannon and Dave Kemper, and with them we are trying three all-new goodies: Sidecar Orange Pale Ale, Tropical Torpedo Tropical IPA, and the delectable Beer Camp Golden IPA!

How about news from the midwest this week? We start with Forbes in Philly telling us if you like your local beer week you're going to love beer year, followed by The Detroit Free Press showing us how top Michigan craft brewers aim to take over the country. Next up is The Chicago Tribune thinking that your next beer may taste like a cocktail, and we wind up with The USA Today teasing that the actual Keurig for beer is coming!

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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask193.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 6:44am EDT

It’s a Happy New Year from the three of us at the bar this week! We ring in 2017 with some beers from Allagash, Boon, Starpoint, and Foothills that were hidden in Tony & Jenn’s secret stashes! These treats include a 2012 Allagash Interlude, a 2013 Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait, a 2014 Starpoint Whiskeytown, and the amazing 2016 Foothills Simcoe Double IPA Hop of the Month!

New news for 2017 as we begin with Thrillist not Rickrolling by announcing that Rick Astley is launching his own beer, followed by Forbes revealing how your DNA can predict your beer preferences, then The Independent UK goes hunting for foraged beer. Next we have Daily Meal in Denver with brewers who have created a ‘Pussy Riot’ Beer for Inauguration Day, SmartAsset listing the best cities for beer drinkers – 2016 Edition, Business Insider is providing everything you need to know about beer, in one chart, and we close with Mashable showing us Australia's oldest living prime minister who really knows how to chug a beer!

For last week’s #caskquiz which we are continuing this week we want to know what predictions you have for beer in 2017!

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!

Direct download: talesfromthecask192.mp3
Category:Tales From the Cask -- posted at: 11:06am EDT

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