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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

We survived another Holiday Spectacular, and it took us a week to clean the bar! To celebrate, we have some whales we have been holding from Anchor, Trinity, and Sam Adams! We start with a 2001 (that’s right, 2001!) Magnum of Anchor Christmas Ale, followed by Trinity Hopped Toddy, and then we go deep with the astounding 2011 Sam Adams Utopias!

You would think the news would slow down for the holidays. Nope! We start with The Chicago Tribune reporting that A-B InBev’s Goose Island is going global with pubs and brewhouses in 6 countries (and Philly), followed by The Wall Street Journal listening for  Anglican church bells ringing in beer o’clock, and Forbes telling you how to get a career in beer. Next we have Popular Mechanics showing how any food can be turned into beer, and then Paste has two for us, both the best beer and booze trends of 2016 and a tasting of 3 whiskeys distilled from craft beers, and we close with Thrillist delivering us a craft beer nerd getting owned by a legendary brewer.

For last week’s #caskquiz we wanted to know your favorite historically-themed beer and this week we are asking what your fave beer-related thing was from 2016!

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are getting ready for our Festivus/Chrismukkah spectacular next week, so we have been decking the halls, trimming the tree, and relaxing with great brews from New Sarum, Sierra Nevada, and Wicked Weed + Jester King! The terrific brews are New Sarum Session IPA, Sierra Nevada Trip to the Woods Bière de Garde, and the Wicked Weed/Jester King Collaboration Red Atrial Barrel Aged Sour with Raspberries!

You know we loves us some history, and this week our friends from New Sarum Brewing in Salisbury NC combine it with terrific beers! Our friends Edward Moscardini, brother Gian Moscardini, and their brewmaster Andy Maben join us at the bar to talk about their brewery, discuss the relation of the two Salisburys, and taste some awesome beers with us! Our lineup includes Hurley Park Blood Orange Wheat, Old Stone House IPA and the fourth quarter seasonal Horchata Milk Stout!

Can you believe it’s been almost a year since we visited Tim Reichert at Fainting Goat Brewing? Neither can we! They just celebrated their one-year anniversary so we head down to join the fun! Tim gives us the latest news from Fuquay-Varina, and we share a terrific sampler of Butthead Brown Ale, Dark Hoof Dunkelweizen, Brewquay Double IPA, and Red Ale with Serrano Habanero and Cacao Nibs!

Thanksgiving is all about traditions, and ours is having our foodie friend Kristen Baughman share awesome Thanksgiving and beer pairings! Kristen discusses her return to the Triangle and her terrific new venture, Tabletop Media Group! Then we get down to business with our pairings, featuring:

We are thankful for the news, well, some of it anyway! First up is the sad news via The New York Times that a Canadian brewery is cutting a retiree perk of free beer for life, followed by The Burlington Free Press featuring Jeff Baker's Thanksgiving beer picks, and then Fortune reporting that the maker of Corona is seeing its stock tumble after Trump’s victory. Next up via our friend Marvin Bahr is a story from Food and Wine revealing that Rodenbach is bringing its oldest and newest beers to America, then VinePair provides us a pair:  a study finding that a beer a day is good for your heart plus a primer on the difference between making beer, wine & spirits, and we wind up with ZDNET’s piece on researchers who claim a quantum computing breakthrough, and explain it using beer!

We score bigtime with the ultimate beer-food pairings this week - we have cheeses from France along with our craftbeers! Joining us are Charles Duke, the Director of the French Dairy Board of the Americas and his friends from some terrific French cheese producers: Dan Akhmetshin from Lactalis, Mathieu Quirin from Isigny Ste Mere, and Charlotte Rousseau from Savencia Fromage and Dairy! We talk about the great cheeses from France that are available in the US and get to pair many of them with outstanding craftbeers!

Coronado Snowy Plover with Le Chatelain Brie

Sierra Nevada Estate President with Sea Salt Butter

AleSmith Private Stock with Madrigal

Bear Republic Double Aught with Mimolette

Trinity One Ear with Brie d’Isigny

La Bonte Pear with Isigny Ste-Mère Butter

Blake’s Flannel Mouth with Île-de-France Brie

Olde Ruby Lager with Saint André Triple Crème

Rodenbach Grand Cru with Saint Agur Bleu

With the election so close, we kind of wish we were somewhere else til the ads stop, like say India, so we go all-IPA this week! We have awesome beers including Lawson’s Finest Liquids Super Session #2 IPA, Wicked Weed Metatropics Brett IPA, and two from Trinity: Passion Swing American Fruited IPA and Passion Red Swingline American Fruited IPA! Plus, Tony and Jenn take the Delorean to Winston-Salem, NC to chat with folks at the NC Craft Brewers’ Conference!

What a great time this week - it’s our first-ever costume party with Wil Cooper from Coronado Brewing! We are dressed up as our favorite hops, and Wil joins the fun - you will have to listen or check out our homepage or Facebook to find out which ones we are! Wil also brings along some special treats only available in San Diego at the Coronado brewpub: High Fideli-Tea Belgian Wit, Waste the Days IPA, Belgian Dark Strong, Rush of Hops IPA,  Snowy Plover Winter IPA, and Stupid Stout Imperial Stout!

Chip has to step out for a moment and Sasha and Mark Gibb, owners of Greensboro-based brewery Gibb’s Hundred stop by to talk to Jenn and Tony.  We learn the history behind the brewery and congratulate them on their recent GABF medal wins!   We are excited to sample the gold medal winning The Guilty Party ESB, and they also bring recent silver medal winner Medley of Moods Wheat.  Rounding out the samples is the taproom favorite Blind Man’s Holiday Greensboro Pale Ale.  

The craft beer news is all over the place this week! We begin with Marketwatch’s provocative opinion that New York cares more about craft beer than Portland, followed by The New York Times’ Monday Briefing featuring some beer history, then NBC reveals that coffee and beer win the Twitter food fight. Next up Treehugger shows us engineers in Colorado tapping beer for energy storage, then Adweek shows us a brewer who made the world's most expensive potato chips , CNBC profiles mad scientist brewers stirring up weird beers and we close with Eater reporting that a beer museum is coming to Pittsburgh!

Last week for the #caskquiz we asked “do you add any flavorings to your beer and if so what?” and for the next 2 weeks we want to see your Halloween/Samhain costume!

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!

Tony resisted long enough, so Jenn and Chip force the issue by bringing in some terrific fall brews from Fainting Goat, Compass Rose, Two Roads and a spectacular mead from Honeysuckle Meadery & Teahouse! We happily sampled the Fainting Goat Fluffernutter, Compass Rose Munich Masquerade, Two Roads Ok2berfest plus the awesome Honeysuckle Elderberry-Blueberry Blend Mead! And that’s not all: we have exclusive chats with some of our friends who were at GABF last week!

MegaMergerMania once again starts us up with the last story about the ABI takeover of SABMiller courtesy of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, followed by the announcement that Kirin is betting on the future of craft beer with a Brooklyn Brewery stake, via Bloomberg. Next up The Beaver County Times reveals a blood-red beer-special comic book collaboration brewing for Halloween (you knew Chip had to include that one!) then Grub Street reports that Starbucks is introducing a new drink that combines coffee and beer, Munchies believes your liver will thank you for drinking hoppy beers, and we wind up with The Times-Call News’ profile of a ‘beer archaeologist' who balances invention at Boulder's Avery Brewing with teaching at CU Boulder!

Since we recorded early last week we carried over the #caskquiz “how would a lower excise tax affect the #craftbeer industry? And this week we want to know “do you add any flavorings to your beer and if so what?”

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

With Chip’s return from overseas, we decided to close the bar and kick back with some awesome taste treats from Anchor, Blake’s, and Alchemist! They are the Dry-Hopped Steam Beer, Apple Lantern, and Focal Banger!

MegaMergerMania leads the newstime via Eater reporting that the biggest beer merger in history gets a thumbs-up from shareholders, followed by a companion piece by OPB lamenting when small beers go big time. Next up The Denver Post discusses  The Great American Beer Festival turning 35, then VinePair asks why bars serve salty snacks with beer, Fast Company reveals that Vice Media is launching its very own beer, and we close with Beer Connoisseur on the art of coopering.

Since we recorded early this week we are carrying over last week’s #caskquiz was “how would a lower excise tax affect the #CraftBeer industry?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are working overtime to get Wicked Weed out there, and our buddy (and former co-worker!) Kyle Pederson is right there with us! Kyle talks about his history with our friends in Asheville, including how he wandered into the brewpub and how he ended up working for the brewery! Plus, he brings a special treat for us to try: Old Fashioned Barrel-Aged Ale!

The news stories are chocked-full of fun this week! Paste rates 55 Oktoberfest/Märzen beers, then The Denver Post relates how the Denver beer scene made a German beer connoisseur realize he didn’t know much after all, and The Federalist believes that pumpkin beer is super gross, just like Tony does! Next VinePair ranks the 7 best craft beer cities to see fall colors, Fast Company demonstrates how one college student got 3,000 strangers to Venmo him beer money, and we wind up with WFTS Tampa FL’s revealing that 'Hootie & the Blowfish' are celebrating their custom craft beer launch with special concert!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “do you think Oprah and Steadman should FINALLY tie the knot and if so what beer should they serve at the reception?” and this week we want you to tell us “are you taking any beer-themed trips this fall and if so where?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It took us years, and we finally did it - we got Charlie Clement, our VP of Chain Sales, to join the fun at the little bar! Charlie regales us with tales of olden times, when the horses still pulled the beer carts from town to town, and how things have evolved into the 21st Century craft beer world! Plus, we found a few more taste treats from the summer cellar as the season winds down, including Foothills Hop of the Month Azacca Golden Ale, Coronado Guava Islander IPA, and the Wicked Weed/Creature Comforts Collaboration Juiceless IPA!

Election/beer news is our lede this week via Politico asking can a beer keep Trump and Clinton honest? followed by Paste reporting that Brewdog plans to bottle a 55% beer in a taxidermy squirrel. Next up we have two from Thrillist featuring Britain and Ireland’s greatest contributions to beer and craft beer’s dark secrets, and we close up with The HuffPo unveiling the illusion of choice facing America’s craft beer lovers.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “should we have a hops-themed Halloween costume contest?” and this week we want you to tell us “do you think Oprah and Steadman should FINALLY tie the knot and if so what beer should they serve at the reception?”

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!

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

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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

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

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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

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

Last week’s #caskquiz was “should we get a doorbell for the bar and what sound should it make?” and this week we want you to tell us “if your fave brewery were bought by a super megacorp, would you still drink the beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s finally here - our homebrew competition! We had 7 submissions from listeners and we sample them with special guest judges Leif Larson from Olde Hickory Brewing and internet craftbeer blogging sensation Bryan D. Roth! Who will come out on top?

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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

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

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing us at talesfromthecask@gmail.com.

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

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

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

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

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s getting to be summertime in the sunny lands, and we have the hottest beers this week from Sand Creek, Lagunitas and AleSmith! It’s just the three of us kicking back, and we are lucky to have Sand Creek Badger Porter (thanks Dan!), Lagunitas Aunt Sally Sweet Tart Sour Mash Ale, and the amazing AleSmith Private Stock Ale!

There is quite an eclectic blend of news this week beginning with The Motley Fool telling you don't believe the hype. craft beer isn't dying, followed by The NY Post reporting that someone stole over 3,000 cases of beer from Sweetwater Brewing, and then NBC offers why the Brexit vote is no small beer for British businesses. Next is The HuffPo asking is British Columbia Canada’s saving grace for craft beer?, then The Harris Poll observes that craft brew drinkers find balance in healthy habits and Adweek proclaims drink beer, save the world! We close up with Isthmus judging a beer by its label, Atlas Obscura revealing that Iowa City is using lasers to map its abandoned beer caves, and finally The Farmington Voice says that a local brewery is creating a CREEM Magazine tribute craft beer!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “do you read our show notes and does it influence whether you listen?” and this week we ask “who will release the first pumpkin/fall beer and when?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We have a thing never seen in North Carolina this week...beers from The Lost Abbey! We begged, borrowed and cajoled all our Southern California contacts and voila! Awesomeness for the palate! This wonderful lineup includes Avant Garde Ale, a Biere de Garde; Carnivale Ale, a Saison; and Lost and Found Abbey Ale, a Dubbel!

What a week for news! We begin with CNBC’s report on a brewer mocking Donald Trump with 'Dumb Donald' beer, followed by Maxim revealing that the world’s perfect beer glass is made of science, and then Fox32 Chicago’s question would Chicago be the city it is today without beer? We close with SFGate’s look at the craft beer revolution brewing in Paris and another story from CNBC on 3 essential business growth lessons from the craft beer boom.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “do you check the freshness of your craft beer?” while this week we get personal and ask “do you read our show notes and does it influence whether you listen?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

The triumphant triumvirate are all back together this week, and just in time for our friends Matt Laibson and Jenny Meyer from Ballast Point! Matt is the brewery’s Field Quality Analyst and he tells us about his job, how he got started with Ballast Point, and what to look for to make sure you get the beer the way brewers want you to experience it! Plus we taste some fine San Diego brews and canned cocktails: from the BP distillery, Old Grove Gin and Tonic and Three Sheets Rum and Cola, and from the brewery Mango Even Keel Session IPA and Pineapple Sculpin IPA!

A wonderful plethora of news goodies awaits this week! We start with Vox revealing edible beer rings that may help protect marine life, followed by Nerdist on the Mortal Kombat-inspired beers coming to the netherrealm of your fridge, and there’s the lastest MegaMergerManiaTM story from Nasdaq answering whether you should invest in the big AB-InBev SABMiller merger. Next up we have VICE Munchies’ opinion on why you should be drinking your beer in season, and then Fortune showing that Belgian brewers have released dozens of beer Emoji, followed by Tulsa World cheering that Oklahoma voters will decide on modernizing alcohol laws, and we wind up with WKYC making Ohioans glad as Governor Kasich has signed a bill eliminating the alcohol limit on craft beer.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “what’s your favorite hometown IPA?” while this week we want to know “do you check the freshness of your craft beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Jenn took off for a well-earned vacation so Tony and Chip needed two people to fill her shoes - good friend Sami Prentice from Wicked Weed and beer aficionado Scott Richardson! Sami talks about the latest from Asheville and brings four incredible beers for us to try: Tropicmost Passion Fruit Gose, Garcon de Ferme Farmhouse Ale with Peaches, Recurrant American Sour Ale, and Marina American Sour Ale!

Too much news out there to choose from? Not for us! We begin with WTVR reporting that Ballast Point Brewing is joining Va.’s craft beer roster, while in MegaMergerMania news Mother Jones reminds us that corporate beer overlords will soon own 1 out of every 3 beers made on Earth. Next up Food & Wine asks has the craft beer movement finally gone too far? while Seattle Weekly provides a handy drinking dictionary, and Gamespot reveals that Overwatch's Hit Marker sound effect comes from beer. We have two from Fox News: a report that whale vomit beer could be the next big thing and the question of whether women really need a beer made just for them, and we close with The Guardian on a cask from the past: archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old beer recipe.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “what American and what import summer beers are you most looking forward to trying?”  while this week we want to know “do you think that brewers should make beer just for women?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We cannot stay in the little bar lately, and with Tony out selling, Jenn and Chip sneak over to redacted with fan fave co-host Aubrey Herbert from Sierra Nevada! Aubrey brings along a flight of the beers featured in the 2016 Beer Camp Across America: Sweet Sunny South Southern Table Beer, Moxee Moron Imperial Session IPA, Pat-Rye-Ot Revolutionary Pale Ale, West Latitude Session Rye with Hibiscus, Family Values Imperial Brown Ale with Cocoa, and Stout of the Union Robust Stout!

As usual, the beer news is all over the world! We start with VinePair reporting that the Venezuelan president has ordered brewers to make beer or go to jail, followed by Forbes with a cool story about the small brew taking on Budweiser, Miller and Coors, and then Bloomberg offering the 12 best beers for summer. Next up we have Fox News showing a craft brewery trolling Budweiser’s “America” beer with ‘Murica brew, then CNBC asking has craft beer lost its flavor to globalization? while The USA Today showcases the new cruise ship that has its own brewery! We end with The Boston Globe on the rise of the beer snob and finally Mirror talks about the pizza chain launching beer pizzas made from craft ales and lagers - but only in one UK branch!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “what do you think about Budweiser becoming America?” while this week we want to know “what American and what import summer beers are you most looking forward to trying?”

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!

Our intrepid travelin’ man Dan B recently stopped by the bar offering delights via the mighty beer state of Wisconsin from New Glarus, Central Waters, and South Shore! The wonderful brews are New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat, Central Waters Glacial Trail IPA, South Shore Rhoades’ Scholar Stout, and we finish up with New Glarus Milk Stout! Thanks Dan!

The beer news isn’t just about craft this week! We start with ‘Merica, and specifically The NY Times as Budweiser rebrands itself ‘America’, and this goes nicely with a companion piece in The Wall Street Journal revealing that German retailers have been fined $103 Million for fixing beer prices with AB-InBev’s help. After that we go electoral with The Atlantic offering politicians and America’s new beer test, followed by Eater reporting a new craft beer will benefit victims of the Paris terror attacks, then 9News shows how a CSU professor is revolutionizing the beer industry, The USA Today says that the Stone Brewing co-founder has announced a new craft beer angel investor, and we close with The Great Falls Tribune’s fungus beer?! No, really.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “what has been your fave beer festival?” while this week we want to know “what do you think about Budweiser becoming America?”

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!

Everyone returns to the bar to meet our good friend Glen Selby who brings tons of laughs and the latest from DuClaw Brewing! Glen fills us in on all the doings in Baltimore, expansion plans for the brewery, and has some tasty brews for us to try: Morgazm Grapefruit Blonde Ale, Funk Blueberry Citrus Wheat Ale, and the astounding Blood Orange Neon Gypsy IPA!

Newstime presents a feast of craft beer news! First up is The Daily Meal with what’s sure to be a controversial list of the most popular beer by state, followed by The Wall Street Journal reporting that beer has become the latest scarcity in Venezuela, and Discovery News on turning fog into beer in the world's driest desert. Next UPI show us an Australian brewery that is creating beer using yeast from belly button lint, then Forbes follows breweries taking their shows on the road and we wind up with The Boston Globe’s profile of the venture capital firm that has become a big player in the craft beer business.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “what’s your favorite hop name?” while this week we want to know “what has been your fave beer festival?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We enjoyed the road so much last week, we decided hit it again and found ourselves with our friend Thomas Vincent, the founder of Compass Rose Brewery! With Tony away Thomas agreed to both co-host the show and share outstanding taste treats as well! We talk about the brewery and sample five brews including Wheelhouse IPA, Agave Cream Ale, Hefeweizen, Irish Lager, and Coffee Porter!

Newstime was filled with craft beer goodies! In the UK The Guardian asks is it closing time for the Campaign for Real Ale? while Bon Appetit tried the weirdest new beers out there. Next we finally read you the Reinheitsgebot and report from The LA Times how the law has kept German beers pure for 500 years but that might not be enough to save them, while  Fortune reveals how that law still controls the global beer industry. We follow with Men’s Journal’s question is Guinness craft beer? and another MegaMergerMania! exclusive from MarketWatch observing that the deal that shook craft beer five years ago is still reverberating, and we close with LA Eater on a hoax craft beer newcomer serving up insults online.

Since we recorded so early this week we are continuing last week’s #caskquiz was “What’s your fave hop name?”

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!

Crank Arm Brewing Company - bikes, rickshaws, and beer! Sign us up! This week we head to downtown Raleigh and share some great brews with Adam Eckhardt, the co-owner and co-founder of Crank Arm! He shares the story of the brewery’s origins and how he decided to get into the beer biz. Then we get to sample awesome beers: Uphill Climb Belgian Blonde, Unicycle Single Hop Pale Ale, and the deliciously decadent Trail Bandit Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout!

Once again we had mega beer news to choose from! The Chicago Sun-Times interviews Sam Adams creator Jim Koch on his new book, followed by The San Diego Reader reporting that Mikkeller is now bringing a world of craft beer to San Diego, and then Breaking Israel News shows us a beer from the time of Jesus. It wouldn’t be a news week without MegaMergerMania!TM and Bloomberg delivers AB InBev accepting Asahi’s offer to buy the Grolsch, Peroni and Meantime Beer Brands, then Bloomberg reveals why German craft brewers won't play by Germany's 500-year-old rules, Medical News Today shows us that a beer compound decreases weight gain and lowers cholesterol, and we wind up with Oddity Central on a Russian man’s beer pipeline that runs straight to a his kitchen!

Last week’s #caskquiz was “How likely are you to buy a pint and shop in grocery stores with growler stations?” This week we want to know “What’s your fave hop name?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It took weeks of cajoling and some pregame beering, and it worked to get our friend Travis “Trevor” Hardee to join us! He talks about his career in the beer world, what his job entails, and how many stores set up their beer sections. Then we try classic brews from Starpoint, Wicked Weed, and Lagunitas: Hipster Hobo, Labonte Pear, and Waldo!

A plethora of beer newsness awaits this week, starting with yet another installment of our ongoing series MegaMergerMania! The Richmond Times-Dispatch brings news that the sale of Devils Backbone Brewing Company to AB InBev elicits praise and sadness. Then, the weather via The Weather Channel forecasting last year’s heat wave may drive up craft beer prices, followed by Forbes Asia on the frontier of beer in Vietnam, and in the UK The Publican’s Morning Advertiser says that craft beer must gain better access to pubs to see US-style success. Finally, we head into Space.com with a heads up for beer lovers revealing that Mars tech could brew better bubbles and then Deutsche Welle tells us why Jews replaced wine with beer in Bavaria.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “Is it a ‘cop-out’ for a brewery to brew a year-round beer but change hops per batch depending on what is available?” This week we want to know “How likely are you to buy a pint and shop in grocery stores with growler stations?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram or friending on Untappd @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s a relaxy week at the bar, and so we are going to the West Coast for our beers! Well, not technically going there, but you know what we mean! It’s an all-A week too, with Anchor Mango Wheat, Almanac Citra Sour and the amazing Alaskan Smoked Porter!

The news is global from craft beer! First of all we have rankings: The BA released their 2015 Brewery Rankings! Then we follow with The Indianapolis Business Journal’s story on a an IU biochemist helping craft brewers overcome costly challenges, then Crux’s revelation that Benedictine brewer-monks say beer, like God, just makes life better, and The LA Times reporting Carnival's largest cruise ship will brew its own on-board craft beers. Then The Guardian tells us that Wales and London's craft beer scenes continue to thrive, while the  CBC shows that 'Stout' friendships exist between craft brewing rivals, and Herald Scotland says that a Scottish craft brewer is launching the 'world's first spreadable beer'. Finally we have The San Diego Union-Tribune on the fact that Ballast Point Sculpin is leading San Diego craft beers to a robust year and The Economic Times India about Mango lager and India's thirst for craft beer.

Last week’s #caskquiz was “where do you buy your ingredients for home brewing?” And this week we are asking (via our friend @choverstad) “Is it a ‘cop-out’ for a brewery to brew a year-round beer but change hops per batch depending on what is available?”

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!

This week we chat with Dan Gridley, the owner of Farm Boy Farms in Pittsboro, NC about growing the hops, barley, rye, etc. that are used to create beer. Local is huge now, and that goes for beer ingredients too! Dan sells to NC breweries so that they can source their raw materials close by. We also try Starpoint Top Knot, Wicked Weed Dark Age, and a very special beer: Tony made an IPA!

Culling the news was a challenge for sure! Good news starts off for craft beer sales via The Pittsburgh Tribune reporting that craft beer continues to grow, while The Morning Advertiser (UK) notes UK imports of US craft beer are up. Next Forbes posits that private equity in the craft beer market spells upheaval within a decade, followed by Quartz revealing why startup beer brewers are skipping stores and selling directly to locals and Munchies with a shocking story about a Nazi-themed German beer. We wind up with MassLive comparing the craft beer community to early indie rock and The Cincinnati Business Courier showing Cincinnati’s newest bar will price beer like stocks.

We extended the #caskquiz where we asked “what signs have you seen someone show that they are a craft beer bore?” while this week we want to ask all homebrewers “where to you buy your ingredients for brewing?”

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!

After all the draft system fun last week, we decided to unwind with some new fave brews from some old fave breweries! This week we have Olde Hickory Weizenbock, Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown, and the astounding collaboration from Coronado/Bear Republic called Merbear Rye IPA!

Craft beer news is all over the place this week! First up is The Denver Post on craft beer competitors who collaborate, followed by Medical Daily revealing that hops may soon be a key ingredient in antibacterial medications, and then YouGov Brand Index naming St Patrick's Day’s top beer for 2016. We finish up with 2 from Fortune: the surprising inspiration behind Dogfish Head beer and the 5 most loved beers for St. Patrick's Day!

We recorded early this week so we are extending last week’s #caskquiz where we asked “what signs have you seen someone show that they are a craft beer bore?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Untappd or Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We turn 150 this week and celebrate with Jennifer Hauke, Principal of DraftLine Technologies! We had a really great time talking about Jennifer’s family history in Detroit with draft line cleaning, the evolution of her company, and the development of its great new system for tracking draft line cleanliness called SmartSystem! And since no party is complete without sampling taste treats, we go Californian and sample Anchor Meyer Lemon Lager, Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado, and Coronado Barrel Aged Stupid Stout!

We really had to cull the beer news for you! We lead with another installment of MegaMergerManiaTM courtesy of The Tampa Bay Times reporting that Tampa's Cigar City Brewing sold to a venture capital firm, followed by Market Watch positing that craft beer is now drowning in brands and products, and then Chemical & Engineering News revealing both that alcohol-free beer may boost breast milk supply and that a new enzyme strips brews of buttery notes. We finish up with Metro offering 14 signs you’re becoming a craft beer bore and The Guardian on the Californian craft beer brewed from wastewater.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what quaffling tricks have you practiced? in moderation!!” And this week we want to know what signs have you seen someone show that they are a craft beer bore?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We have a crowd in the bar this week, and they are ready to taste stupendous beers from Creature Comforts Brewing out of Athens, GA! We were able to get ahold of three brews: Athena Berliner Weisse, Tropicalia IPA, and the Koko Buni Milk Porter!

Some weeks there’s way too much news, and this is one of them! First up is The New York Times reporting that a Chinese brewer has made an offer to buy SABMiller’s stake in CR Snow, followed by The Boston Globe revealing that a Massachusetts beer distributor will pay a $2.6 million fine in a pay-to-play case, and then Quora asking why were some styles of beer called dry beer when all beer contains a lot of water? Next we have The Daily Star (UK) spotlighting a beer with as much protein as a sirloin steak, Eater’s tale of how sweet, boozy root beer found an audience among men, and Reuters on German beer purity being in question after an environmental group finds weed-killer traces. We close up with another from The New York Times showing that in Singapore there is craft beer where you’d least expect it and Paste with a provocative piece on sexuality in craft beer.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what distillery would you like to see use beer barrels?” while this week we want to know “what’s your take on using sexuality to sell craft beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We have such a special treat this week - Wicked Weed is in the house, and Justin Crouch is tasting with us! Justin tells us about the brewery’s origins, how he got into the beer business, and brings along some super beers for us to sample: El Paraiso Imperial Coffee Stout, Pernicious IPA, Freak of Nature Double IPA and La Bonte with Plum.

Next up is the news! Fortune starts us off telling us how big beer is trying to take over San Diego, followed by The Washington Post’s opinion that the ‘Mad Men’ era of drinking is upon us and then The Wall Street Journal reports on expats stirring up the Vietnamese beer scene. Next The Daily Beast shows us that when a specialty craft beer is released, beer geeks can go crazy, and Los Angeles Magazine reveals Jameson whiskey wants to be craft beer.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what’s your favorite animal-named beer?” while this week we want to know “what distillery would you like to see use beer barrels?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

After being cooped up in our icy prison for the past few weeks, the sun returned and we high-tailed it to Durham for a tasty time with Keil Jansen the brewmaster from Ponysaurus Brewing! We had a blast talking with him about the brewery and he shared two of their amazing brews: the Belgian Pale Ale and the India Pale Ale!

There was so much news this week we could barely squeeze it all in! We begin with Paste on Peyton Manning’s (hypothetical) evolution into craft beer, followed by the Washington Beer Blog offering advice to help if you want to work at a brewery and then Masslive’s Beer Nut reveals 5 fallacies about craft beer. Next up is Quartz via our friend @sfringer reporting that a new McDonald’s in South Korea will serve draft beer and we finish up with AOL telling us that  a town in Slovenia is getting its own building public beer fountain!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “should we still keep calling it craft beer now that there are so many definitions of the term?” And this week we want to know “what’s your favorite animal-named beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s time to put on your helmets and get ready to rumble with our Superb Owl matchup of beers: North Carolina versus Colorado! Our lineup for the big game: Haw River Rusted Plow Farmhouse Saison vs. Crooked Stave Surette Wood Aged Farmhouse Ale, Olde Hickory Death by Hops IPA vs. Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA, and Carolina Brewing Groundhog Imperial Stout vs. Left Hand Wake Up Dead Russian Imperial Stout!

There’s lots of good news, even some for the big game! First up is Wine-Searcher showing us the unstoppable rise of beer, followed by VinePair’s view that if you’re buying large-format craft beer, you’re getting hosed, and then Eater reporting how America is shaking up centuries of German beer tradition. Then we have two stories about the Super Bowl. The New York Times features beer ads that portray women as empowered consumers, not eye candy, and we close with MarketWatch’s opinion about craft beer is getting its first Super Bowl ad.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what’s your NC vs. Colorado beer matchup and who wins?” and this week we are asking via our friend @mhjell “do you drink with a head cold, and if so what beer do you prefer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

After the mayhem last week with the guys from Blake’s Hard Cider, we decided to clean up the bar and relax with beers from Three Floyds, Sierra Nevada, and Coronado! We sample the amazing Three Floyds Alpha King American Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Five Hop Experimental IPA, and Coronado Stupid Stout Imperial Stout!

The news begins with weather this week! NOAA’s Climate.gov has a cool and scary article about climate & beer, which we follow with Thrillist telling us how to spot a fake beer bar. Next up is Eater announcing that Sam Adams is hopping on the nitrogen-infused beer bandwagon, then Munchies reveals how beer made from leftover bread could help end global food waste, and we wind up Outside and learn why they believe the craft beer can shortage Is actually a great thing.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what name do you like for the can-growler: crowler, purrowler, ar something else?” and this week we are asking in honor of the Superb Owl “what’s your NC vs. Colorado beer matchup and who wins?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s time to change things up with incredible ciders from our friends at Blake’s Hard Cider! Founder Andrew Blake and Sales Maestro John Beal drove all the way down from Michigan with some tasty ciders for us to try: Flannel Mouth, El Chavo, Blushing Bourbon, and the spectacular Amshire!

It may be winter, but there’s always news! We start with The Street’s list of 5 beer styles the brewers will want you to drink in 2016, followed by Forbes’ question will Carlsberg ever sell beer in wooden bottles? and then The San Diego Reader telling us where to get a giant can of beer to go. We continue with Paste’s 7 ridiculous, but kind of awesome, beer gadgets, then Engadget revealing the app Untappd is going 'to the next level, and we close with Eater on why farm-to-keg brewing is the next big beer trend.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “do you have a specific routine for tasting varying styles in order?” and this week we are asking “what name do you like for the can-growler: crowler, purrowler, ar something else?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

In the aftermath of our Holiday Spectacular, we close the bar so we can clean up and unwind before New Year’s with some brew deliciousness! This week we raid the fridge for Blake’s Cider Wassail, Wicked Weed’s Pernicious IPA, and finish up with Stone Brewing’s W00t Stout Collaboration with Drew Curtis and Wil Wheaton!

News stacked up at the end of 2015! We have more MegaMergerMania breaking via The Denver Post announcing that Breckenridge Brewery sold to giant Anheuser-Busch and Zacks (via @sfringer) story that AB InBev is to acquire Four Peaks! We then relax with TechHive’s review of the NitroBrew nitrogen injector, then Beerpulse (also via @sfringer!) on Highland’s set of 12 IPAs for 2016, and Priceonomics’ (via @Beal187) profile of the Guinness brewer who revolutionized statistics. We close with The Toronto Star’s report that beer arrives in Ontario grocery stores (finally!) and Scientific American’s piece on how fermentation gives us beer, wine, cheese—and cancer?

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “for New Year’s Eve: beer or champagne?” and this week we are asking “what beer-related resolutions do you have for 2016?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Our Holiday Spectacular is here! We celebrate in style with many of our local faves - Aubrey, Joe, Bryan, Leif and Thomas! Plus, Hoda and cousin make special appearances along with podcasting legend Jay and fifth Beatle Darrell! Everyone had to bring taste treats and we got to try them all: AleSmith Jamaican Blue Coffee Speedway Stout, Olde Rabbit’s Foot 2011, Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin 2014, Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal, and Crispin 12 Men Cider with Rum and Candi Sugar!

We only had time for quick news this week. Megamergermania continues in The New York Times story that craft brewers have to compete for beer cans and UPI reveals that reindeer deliver beer to UK pubs!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked“what special beer are you pouring for your Christmas party?” and this week we are asking “For New Year’s Eve: beer or champagne?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are getting ready for our Holiday Spectacular episode next week, so we closed the bar and decided to just relax amongst ourselves! That was made so easy with fabulous beers from Southbound, Olde Hickory, and Oakshire! We tasted the Moondance, Lindley Park & Hellshire 4. All worthy companions to your holiday festivities!

Megamergermania returns this week with three stories! First up is the St. Louis Dispatch quoting Carlos Brito telling Congress that the ABInBev-SABMiller merger will boost competition, followed by Mother Jones revealing that the King of Beers wants to push craft brews out of your supermarket and then Bloomberg’s story on beer drinkers suing to stop the merger. Next up The Wall Street Journal shows that in New York, good times are flow for craft brewers, then the San Jose Mercury News has some ideas on gifts for brewhounds, The New York Times takes a ride from Milan to Rome with bikes and beer, and we close with Motherboard telling us that scientists are genetically modifying their way to new types of beer.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what beer related gift are you giving or want to get this Chrismukkah?” and this week we are asking “what special beer are you pouring for your Christmas party?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

With Tony out on assignment, Jenn and Chip decide to road trip to new brewery Fainting Goat Brewing in Fuquay-Varina NC this week! We talk with owners Tim Reichert & MaryAnn Durborrow about their new brewery, learn how they got started, and try a neat flight of beers: What the Buck Pale Ale, Not So Pale Chocolate Ale, Stiff Leg Tripel, and Horny Honey Pomegranate Witbier!

Another record falls this week as Businesswire reveals that the the U.S. brewery count has reached an all-time high of 4,144! Next The New York Times reports on the close ties between exercise and beer, followed by CBC’s companion pieces on the finding of a beer bottle nearly as old as Canada and the potential that the beer may be seized by the provincial government. The Dieline debuts C10 Architect Beer, then Kickstarter announces the final tally of Pico’s fundraising campaign, and we close with The News and Observer (from Friend of the Show Will Doran!) suggesting gifts for the beer lover in your life.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what unusual food did you have for your Thanksgiving feast?” and this week we are asking ‘what beer related gift are you giving or want to get this Chrismukkah?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s that wonderful turkey time of the year, so of course we had to get food blogger and jet-setter Kristen Baughman on the line via satellite! She regales us with her travel tales, and talks Italian craft beer and food pairings with us. Then we do our own beer-food pairings and try some all-new 12-ounce bottles from AleSmith Brewing: Nut Brown Ale, L’il Devil Belgian-Style Pale Ale and IPA!

After all the MegaMergerMania of the past few weeks, things have quieted down on that front. Other news is out there though! CNBC reports on beer's new frontier: Nitro, followed by Greenville Online announcing that Sierra Nevada is starting a rare beer club, and War on the Rocks presents a noble idea of beer without hops. Next up is Crain’s Chicago Business revealing that Chicago is the craft-brew capital of the U.S. by one measure, then DNAInfo shows us that a 'Flux Capacitor’ can make a perfect brew, The USA Today shows us a craft beer icon plunging into magazines, and we end with WNCN’s story that the ACC will allow beer sales at its basketball tournament and football championship.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “are you bummed out by the MegaMergerMania?” and this week we are asking “what unusual food did you have for your Thanksgiving feast?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Everyone loves Aubrey, so we got Ms. Herbert back to the bar to talk about Sierra Nevada Brewing and all the latest from Chico and Mills River! She also brings us a terrific lineup of beers: Sierra Nevada Stout, Celebration Ale and Estate Homegrown IPA!

You thought you would have a week off from MegaMergerMania? Hah! The San Diego Union-Tribune starts off with the shocking news that Ballast Point is selling to be sold to N.Y. corporation Constellation for $1 billion! We follow that with The LA Times’ in-depth analysis of the deal, and commiserate with Paste on the 5 stages of craft beer grief when your favorite brewery sells out. Moving on from M&A, Outside introduces the ultimate beer recommendation app, then Muchies/Vice reports on why women are leading Korea’s craft beer movement, Food & Wine (via @TheDA_Powell) gives us the ultimate American brewery tour, and Vinepair (via @BEAL187) believes that the Pilgrims would’ve landed in Virginia but didn’t because they ran out of beer.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what international craft beer have you tried?” and this week we are asking “are you bummed out by the MegaMergerMania?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We love us some draft beer, and Joe Linquist from draft system maker Micro Matic joins us for a pint! Joe gives us the ins and outs of how draft beer works, issues that can come up, and how important cleaning draft equipment is. Then we reach into the secret beer vault for some new faves: Lost Abbey Witch’s Wit, Bull & Bush’s Miso Hoppy, and the astounding Oakshire Hellshire 5!

We introduce a new segment in the news given all the purchases etc. happening right now! It’s MegaMergerMania and it leads off with The BBC reporting beer giants AB-InBev and SABMiller have agreed to their mega-merger, and we have an in-depth companion piece from The New York Times. Leaving that deal, Forbes has a cool infographic showing the countries with the most craft breweries, followed by Reuters revealing that Britain has inked a $150 million barley deal with China's craft breweries, and we close with Eater asking is the craft beer and spirits movement threatening big brands?

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “would you ever put a kegerator or some kind of draft system in your home bar?” and this week we are asking “what international craft beer have you tried?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

There is no more storied beer company in America than its oldest, Yuengling Brewery, and we have 6th generation brewer Jennifer Yuengling joining us! Jennifer talks to us about the deep history of Yuengling, which has been brewing since 1829, shares some fun stories about growing up and working in the business, and tastes the classic Traditional Lager and the outstanding all-new IPL!

Beer news abounds this week! First up Forbes indicates that there is trouble brewing for craft beer as the aluminum can supply tightens, followed by Consumerist revealing that Guinness is tweaking its recipe so vegans can enjoy a pint, and Eater shows us that wild-fermented beer is the best way to drink pond water. Next we follow up from last week with Crowdfund Insider reporting that PicoBrew’s brewing appliance “Pico” surpassed $700,000 in its first week on Kickstarter, and we close with War on the Rocks talking about craft beer beyond IPAs.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what is a craft beer?” and this week we are asking “would you ever put a kegerator or some kind of draft system in your home bar?

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Beer is booming in Durham, NC and Bull City Burger & Brewery is a big part of the scene! Seth Gross, Grande Burger Flipper and Beer Tester joins us to talk about the history of the brewery and brings along some super brews to taste: Bryant Bridge Gateway Golden Ale, Pro Bono Publica Porter, and Harvest Ale 2015.

When has beer been in the mainstream news so much? It’s hard to pick which stories to share! We do anyway beginning with Consumerist asking will the mega beer merger lead to higher prices & fewer choices for consumers?, followed by Courthouse News revealing that MillerCoors has dodged a Blue Moon Craft-Brew War, and then The USA Today lists 5 schools where you can turn your taste for beer into a career. Next up is Forbes demonstrating that with Pico, the Keurig for beer is finally here, and we conclude with War on the Rocks offering craft beer beyond IPAs.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what’s your take on the ABInBev-SABMiller deal?” and this week we want to know “what is a craft beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @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!

Robert Owen from Duck Rabbit Brewery has been on the show, and now it's his first time in our bar! He has returned to talk about the latest from the Farmville NC brewery, and he brought along some of their finest brews: Amber Ale, Brown Ale, and Wee Heavy Scotch Ale!

We school you on the news this week! What better education to begin than with a story from The Harvard Business Review showing A a simple graph that explains the logic of the ABInBev-SABMiller merger, followed by (thanks to listener and stringer @sfringer) Wired’s opinion that the potential merger could threaten real craft brews, and then The New York Times reeports that Beck’s Beer is offering a cash settlement to buyers over misleading packaging. Next up we have Shape asking beer with Superfoods: do or don’t?, then Beverage Daily looks at what creates consumers’ responses to beer, and we close on The Hill revealing an overnight regulation linking bees and beer.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked for your holiday beer recommendations and this week we want to know “what’s your take on the ABInBev-SABMiller deal?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are thrilled to have a very special visit from superstar brewer Rudi Ghequire from Rodenbach, the legendary Belgian brewery! He first visited us via satellite in Episode 101 on April 01, 2015 and this week he joins us at our bar! We talk about the history of Rodenbach, the differing taste preferences in areas of Belgium and the U.S., and we sample the delicious Rodenbach Session and Caractère Rouge!

We have a lot of fun news items for you this week! The Chicago Tribune reveals that Modelo is collaborating with restauranteur Rick Bayless on a craft beer, while The Washington Post shows us how to find out which beer is made closest to you, and Techdirt reports that LMFAO the beer survives LMFAO the band's lawyers to keep its name. We follow with Vice letting us know that ‘Salmon-Safe’ beer is a thing now and we wind up with Quartz’s list of the most beautiful beer bottles on the planet.

Last week for our #caskquiz Audra Gaiziunas asked the questions “if you are a homebrewer, what’s your fave hop? And for beer enthusiasts what is your fave brand in terms of image?” and this week we want to know “what collaboration would you like to see between a foreign brewery and an American craft brewery?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are so psyched this week because our good friend Audra Gaiziunas from Brewed for Her Ledger is in the bar! She fills us in on the latest in the world of craftbeer finance and lets us know what she’s been up to. And in a special twist, friend of the show Dan T. from Oakshire Brewing, who we met through Audra, sent us some extraordinary beers: Gose to 11, Hopollo 7 Northwest IPA and the stupendous Brewer’s Reserve 8th Anniversary Ale!

Is there any more deal news? You betcha! We begin with Business Insider revealing another beloved craft beer has found a deep-pocketed backer, and Fortune tells us that there are big changes coming for Samuel Adams beer. Next we get into Shape with a beer-protein shake for weightlifters, then Vice reports that women who drink beer regularly run a lower risk of heart attack, Live Science visits our buddy John Sheppard at NC State and learns that wild yeast could yield new kinds of beer, and we wrap up with The USA Today and a love boat for beer!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “where do you see craftbeer in 2020?” and this week Audra asks the questions “if you are a homebrewer, what’s your fave hop? And for beer enthusiasts what is your fave brand in terms of image?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are all back this week as Chip returns from the beach tanned, rested and ready to podcast! To celebrate 2 birthdays this week, we keep the bar to ourselves and open some major-league beer goodness: Short’s Brewing’s Good Humans Dry Hopped Double Brown Ale and ControversiALE, and the breathtakingly awesome AleSmith & Mikkeller collaboration Beer Geek Speedway Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Kopi Luwak Coffee!

After a fine job by Tony & Jenn last week, Chip retakes the newsdesk with the latest on the ABInBev-SABMiller merger rumblings! We start with The Independent’s opinion piece that the merger makes sense when lager is in the last chance saloon followed by Main Street’s belief that it's time to say goodbye to craft beer as you know it. Next up is Bloomberg noting that beer cans are giving the Wall Street derivatives regulator a headache, then The Denver Post warning us to beware the kettle sour beer, and Tech Times offering to help us drink like an ancient Sumerian with the oldest beer recipe ever discovered. We close out with VinePair revealing the price of a beer at every NFL football stadium, Fortune’s coverage of the Super Bowl of craft beer, and CNNMoney showing us that Pope 'Phrancis' dolls, beer and cheese are for sale in Philly!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what beer do you want to see pumpkinized?” and this week we are asking “where do you see craftbeer in 2020?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We venture over the river and through the woods to the Starpoint Brewery Garage in scenic Carrboro, NC!  Jenn and Tony get the latest scoop from owner and brewer Tim Harper on his expansion plans and what’s in the tanks.  Tim does not disappoint and we get to sample some extra special brews.  Our own estate hops are used in the “I know a guy” Cream Ale, we sneak a taste of Barrel Aged DUH! with Peppers, AND we get a nip of some Whiskeytown hiding in the cooler!

There’s plenty of news to report on as well, we cover the scene at the first California Craft Beer Summit, get one writer’s opinion of Flavored Beers that shouldn’t have been made, and continue our breakfast discussions with Beer Flavored Syrup!   On a more serious note, we  learn that the first brewery to brew Miller Genuine Draft  is closing partially due to the increase in the craft beer market.  We are excited to visit the Denver Airport as they will be bringing back the Beer Flights Fest just in time for the Great American Beer Festival and hear how the Pope’s first US visit is commemorated in a beer by Cape May Brewing!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what is your take on the Lagunitas-Heineken deal?” and this week we are asking “which style of beer would you like to see pumpkinized?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

San Diego returns to the bar this week with our friend Johnny O, the Sales & Marketing Ambassador from Coronado! We talk to him about his brewing past and sales present, and we try some outstanding beers: For Days Session IPA, Islander IPA and Punk’In Drublic!

Major breaking news in the craft beer world as Lagunitas sold half the brewery to Heineken! We bring you the latest beginning with Buzzfeed’s story Lagunitas Is Now Half Owned By Heineken, Will Go Global, followed by Business Insider’s opinion that the craft beer wars are heating up. Next in a similar vein is Forbes on Anheuser-Busch InBev and its craft beer, The Denver Post telling us love it or not, pumpkin beer is the most American beer you can drink, then CBS on the hype for hops helping farmers break into beer business, and we close with a cool gadget on c|net that turns beer cans into open-top drinking cups.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what retro beer do you wish you had access to for your tailgating?” and this week we are asking “what do you think about the Lagunitas-Heineken news?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We go old-school radio this week with our special guest Joe Ovies from 99.9 The Fan and WRAL Sportsfan. Plus he is also part of the 919 Beer podcast crew! Joe talks radio and beer, and tries some great new beers with us: D9Hakuna Matata International IPA, Olde HickoryOktoberfest, and Sierra Nevada Vienna Lager!

We travel all the way to Japan to bring you news this week with our first story via Asahi Shinbum reporting that Japan plans to lower the tax on beer and increase the rate for 'happoshu'. Next up is Thrillist’s beer ranking of every state in the USA, followed by Fortune asking is organic craft beer really worth drinking, and we close with The Washington Post’s admonition to stop ‘aging’ that hoppy beer. It’s only getting worse.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what breakfast food should be infused in the next hot beer?” and this week we are asking “what retro beer do you wish you had access to for your tailgating?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Internet blogging sensation Bryan D. Roth is back in the bar this week! He regales us with his latest shenanigans in the beer world and helps us try amazing taste treats! We sample Ballast Point Pumpkin Down Scottish Ale, Coronado 19th Anniversary Ale, and D9 Whiskers on Kittens Blonde Sour Ale! Don't forget to check out his blog This Is Why I'm Drunk!

We had to step up our news game with Bryan in the house, starting with The Nerdist revealing HBO & Ommegang are re-releasing 2 Game of Thrones Beers, followed by The News & Observer teaching what it really takes to major in beer, and then Ars Technica’s surprising piece telling us not to believe in beer goggles—they might be a myth. Next up is NPR uniting 2 of our faves, beer and comics with 9,000 years of history with 'The Comic Book Story Of Beer', and we wind up with Fortune showing us that now there's a Pop-Tart beer.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked to hear your suggestions for the name of Jenn’s new bar and this week we are asking “what breakfast food should be infused in the next hot beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are going Hollywood this week...with beer! It’s a very special episode with filmmakers Camden Watts and Shane Johnston, creators of an all-new documentary about the NC craft beer business, Brewconomy! They breakdown the process of making the film all while trying some NC beers with us. This week it’s FoothillsOktoberfest, Haw River’s Regent’s Rye Trappist Tripel, and Lynnwood Brewing’s Hubris Imperial IPA!

It’s not exactly a documentary, but we have news! This week we begin with Wired who tell us that brewers are on a quest to breed a better hop, followed by War on the Rocks asking what craft beer revolution? and then the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reveals the beer of champions. Next up isFortune’s list of 6 great apps for craft beer lovers, The LA Times peers into the future with robots that serve beer and we conclude with NBC and the strange case of the 1,200 stolen bottle caps!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “how many breweries are in your state?” and this week we want to hear your suggestions for the name of Jenn’s new bar!

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Our good friend Leif Larson has been really busy helping us sell all the great brews from Olde Hickory, so we asked him to stop by and relax with us and some of their great frosty malt beverages! He brought us three treats: the Hickory Tavern Ale (a Belgian IPA), Imperial Stout and the Irish Walker!

We get right into local news to begin this week! The Charlotte Observer posits that the NC craft beer industry is now tops in the South, while CNBC believes craft beers get heavy ... on the alcohol, and The Financial Times reports that in the UK beers are becoming craftier, but pubs are bearing the brunt. Next up is The LA Times’ primer: 'Soft'? 'Hot'? 'Clean'? 7 ways to decode the secret language of beer, and we close with two stories from the International Business Times: in the first we learn beer tourism is potentially a thing in North Korea, and in honor of International Beer Day 2015 there is a fun list of 17 Interesting facts about beer!

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “what spicy beer have you had that set your world on fire?” and this week we have homework for you: how many breweries are in your state?

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Ballast Point is all the rage nationally, and we have the lady who is stoking the flames here in NC! It’s Jenny Meyer joining us this week, and she gives us the latest from San Diego and brings along some fine brews: Big Eye IPA, Wahoo Wheat with Thai Chili, Lime & Ginger, and the now year-round Grapefruit Sculpin IPA!

Chip is back at the news desk after an amazing job by Tony & Jenn last week! We begin with our own reporting on a study on the economic impact of the beer industry in America from the NBWA & The Beer Institute, followed by Fortune detailing how massive the American beer industry has become, and then Forbes on the dire beer situation in Venezuela. Next up is CNBC’s piece on how Anchor Brewing changed the beer business, Mashable’s literal portrait of an Australian surfer painted with pale ale beer, Popular Science revealing that some cars in New Zealand are running on beer-flavored gasoline, and we end up with an amazing story from The U.S. News & World Report on the secret to long life.

Last week for our #caskquiz we asked “when you go to order a beer at a bar do you look for a style or a specific brewery?” while this week we want to know “what spicy beer have you had that set your world on fire?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s been ages since we had a visit from our good friend Aubrey, so we fix that problem this week! Ms. Herbert returns and regales us with tales of her summer all while debuting some Sierra Nevada goodness: the all-new Oktoberfest collaboration with Augsburg's Brauhaus Riegele and the tantalizing Ovila Barrel Aged Belgian-Style Dubbel!

Here’s all the news that’s fit to speak, beginning with The New York Times telling us Gose is a beer that keeps summer cool,while Fortune reveals that root beer is the next big thing in craft beer  and the NY Daily News reports fitness empire Lululemon is launching a craft beer. Next up is The Denver Post with a piece on cellaring and aging craft beer, followed by WPTZ from Burlington VT showing us Bernie beer, The SFGate with beer and ice cream, and we close with the debut of Syfy’s Geeks Who Drink.

Last week our #caskquiz was ”what celebrity have you met and geeked out over?” while this week we want to hear you give us some beer puns!  But not with hops!

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Detroit is famous for cars, and now it is becoming famous for the great beers from Atwater Brewing! We talk with Rob De La Rosa who is their national sales manager, and we sample the Vanilla Java Porter, Purple Gang Pilsner, and the Hop-A-Peel.

Newstime is here for you too! First up, The Washington Post reports that Mexican microbrewers are stepping out of the shadow of the country’s beer giants, while Eater takes a look back at the history of canned beer from church key to pop top, and The Denver Post reveals that The Great American Beer Festival is growing for 2015. We follow up with Paste’s revelation that ”The Simpsons” will soon brew a real-life Duff Beer, Loudwire telling us that Iron Maiden is going to introduce ‘supercharged’ Trooper 666 Beer, and we finish with The Independent’s true story about N.C. State scientists brewing beer from wasps’ yeast.

Last week our #caskquiz was ”have you ever tried a beer because of a celebrity?” and this week we want to know ”what celebrity have you met and geeked out over?” 

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We are keeping it local this week with another incredible North Carolina craftbrewer! Stopping by to share some of their amazing beers are Andrew Durstewitz and Bora Okay from D9 Brewing out of Cornelius, NC (just north of Charlotte!). Straight from the brewery they bring us bottle of  Viking Fraoch Spontaneous Sour which we compare to the draft we have in the bar, plus some of the Southern Tea Hazy Golden American Wheat Ale and Froggy Night IPA.

Fun news awaits this week! We begin with The Wall Street Journal revealing what a beer will cost you, from Kiev to Geneva, followed by NPR exploring how breweries are adapting to a changing climate and then Above the Law Redline asking do we need ‘Honest Pint’ legislation? Next up is The LA Times picking the beer accessory of the day, then The Week’s list of 8 great airports for beer enthusiasts, Minneapolis Public Radio on recent investments in the brewery helping Leinie's trot out more beers, and we finish with The USA Today’s story on how Samuel Adams is finding success with braggot.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what’s the craziest internet beer rumor have you ever heard?” and this week we want to know “what’s your favorite beer glass or style of beer glass?” Please send us a pic!

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

After our big fun with Leinenkugel and the Canoes for a Cause cleanup of Lake Johnson, we head back to the bar to relax with our buddy Mike and get into some mixology with Crispin Cider and a couple of beers! First off we try the special Crispin Venus Reigns Barrel Aged Pear Cider, and then it’s mixology time where we create a Bee Sting with Crispin Original and Bear Republic Racer 5, and a Black Velvet with Crispin and Anchor’s Flying Cloud Stout.

We have a diverse news lineup this week, beginning with PASTE on the Caribbean’s Craft Beer Scene, followed by CNBC reporting that lager is feeling the love from craft breweries, and then the National Journal’s story about the Senate passing a resolution on craft beer as the Patriot Act Expired. Next up Eater reveals how to hunt for "Dusties", Oregon Live celebrates 50 years of Anchor Steam, and we end with The Washington Post on the history of why Americans have such bad taste in beer.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what ABV do you need in a beer to call it sessionable?” and this week we want to know “what beers or ciders have you mixed together with delicious results?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

What with our exciting cleanup of Lake Johnson in Raleigh coming soon, we had to have our friend Dick Leinenkugel return to talk about Canoes for a Cause and what’s happening at the Leinie’s Brewery! Dick fills us in on the origins of Canoes for a Cause and tells us about the great brews coming this year, including summer fave Leinie’s Summer Shandy and the all-new Grapefruit Shandy.

There is so much news we had to really cull it to bring you the best! First stop is ABC showing us a new app that picks your perfect beer through DNA analysis, followed by Forbes on why big beer is struggling in the age of craft beer, and then The Seattle Times tells us to take a hike & have a beer. Next up The USA TODAY reveals that thanks to Savor craft beer is moving on up, while Deadspin opines that growlers destroy beer, The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Oskar Blues is boosting beer production, and finally Engadget tries the Fizzics countertop 'draught' system.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what beer needs to be in the news?” and this week we want to know “what ABV do you need in a beer to call it sessionable?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Time for schooling this week! We head over to NC State University’s Department of Food, Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences! Inside we enter the Sheppard Brewing Lab and learn along with master teacher Dr. John Sheppard and grad student Thomas Clawson! We talk about their really cool program and get to sample three great brews: Ma Blonde D’Or Golden Blonde, Brickyard Red, and Graduator Maibock!

The news runs from startups to cool tech! We begin with The Boston Globe revealing that Boston Beer’s side project is finally ready for the national stage, followed by The USA Today’s view on the Gose of craft beer's future, and then more nutritional info from The Daily Meal with 6 reasons beer is good for you.Next up we have Time in Germany with a beer ad that only works when women pass by, The Detroit Free Press analyzing which top beer app is best, First We Feast’s list of 15 breweries to watch in 2015, Los Angeles Magazine’s piece on the South Bay as America’s newest craft beer capital, and we wind up this week with Inside Science on a robot tongue that identifies the correct beer every time.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what’s your summer vacation beer this year?” and this week we want to know “what was your favorite beer in college?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

What a treat we have in store for you this week! You have seen them on YouTube and now we sit down with the NC Beer Guys Glenn Cutler & Dave Tollefsen to talk about the state of beer in North Carolina! Plus, we try Foothills May IPA of the Month “Bentley”, Crank Arm Derailleur American Barleywine, and we sneak in New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red.  

We also find news for you, with a map even! That’s from CNBC showing the states where beer takes the most mentions on Twitter. Next Think Progress reveals a craft beer company’s support for the EPA’s Clean Water Rule, then The Miami Herald reports that Florida craft beer fans can finally toast the signing of a new growler law. We go overseas with The International Business Times noting that beer production in China drops as the taste for wine continues to grow, followed by The BBC on the possibility of 'home-brewed morphine', and we finish the news with The Business Insider’s list of the 17 most sought-after beers in America.

Last week our #caskquiz was “If you could bring back any beer that is gone, which one would it be?” and this week we want to know “what’s your summer vacation beer this year?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

After his globetrotting adventures, Chip returns and we reunite this week! To celebrate we sample some incredible brews from New Glarus (thanks Dan & Jessica!): Cabin Fever Honey Bock, Hopster Hopped Wheat, and Raspberry Tart Framboise Ale!

Chip takes back the news and Tony & Jenn are so happy! We start off with Marketwatch’s opinion that craft beer’s biggest enemy is itself, not Budweiser and Miller, then move to Quartz reporting that a peeved beer drinker is suing Blue Moon for claiming it’s a craft beer, and next it’s The HuffPo with a cool mashup on strange brew: beer and art are surreal in St. Pete. In the north we have The Minneapolis Star-Tribune revealing that brewers and beer drinkers have eyes on rye, while in the UK The Daily Telegraph has a solution if you drink beer too quickly by opting for straight glasses, not curved, then Modern Farmer has a nice primer Welcome To Beer 101,and we close with a testy Paste and the 4 craft beer trends they are completely over.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what is the coolest beer you've had on an airplane?” and this week we want to know “what craft beer trend are you over?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We travel to an undisclosed cozy pub to participate in a Blind IPA Challenge featuring some industry classics from  Lagunitas, Ballast Point, Bell’s, Foothills, Stone and Fullsteam. Will Jenn and Tony be able to pick up on the nuances of these IPA’s and pick them out of a lineup or will they suffer a hoppy defeat?

Chip once again leaves us in great hands with the news! We begin with a polarizing story from AOL regarding Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Flavored beer. Cleveland.com revisits an old familiar topic with Brettanomyces and sour beers. NY Times takes us north of the border with changing rules from the Canadian government on beer sales. Oregon has ideas for water conservation using treated sewage water to brew as reported in TIME. For the history buffs, Westerndigs.org has a feature on ring-tab beer cans officially becoming artifacts! Lastly We visit Paste Magazine for a comprehensive blind IPA tasting featuring 116 top brews just in time for this weeks thematic episode!

Last week our #caskquiz was “What is your favorite dish to using beer as an ingredient?” This week we are asking “have you ever participated in a blind tasting challenge?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

It’s tasteoff time with Carolina Brewing Company’s terrific Joe Zonin! We get to try his astounding new West Coast Style IPA and reveal the results of a taste challenge against some California heavyweights: AleSmith, Ballast Point, and Bear Republic!

Good news items for you this week! OregonLive starts us off with in Portland with the Craft Brewers Convention, followed with The Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s look at Boardwalk Food Co. bread mixes secret, and then io9’s profile of the first man to put beer under a microscope. Next it’s War on the Rocks revealing how sobriety lost the Battle of Trenton, then The USA Today’s piece on AB asking folks to drink beer -- any beer, and we wind down with The Austin Daily Herald (MN) reporting on an event highlighting beer and beards.

Last week our #caskquiz was “what celebrity would YOU like to have a beer with?” This week we are asking “what dishes have you used beer to cook with?” 

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Take a trip with us over to the Dark Side...On-Premise! We have Justin Hughes, who works as the beverage director for a local chain of restaurants. He shares great stories with us as we try some tasty new treats: Bear RepublicGrand Am American Pale Ale, AtwaterPoorboy Smoked Porter, and Ballast PointHabanero Sculpin IPA!

This week’s news segment begins with a map from VinePair showing the locations of the top 50 US Craft Breweries in 2014, followed by Thrillist’s opinion piece thatcraft beer is dead and Gose killed it, and then Time with 8 reasons to love beer on National Beer Day—or any day really. Next up is the winner of the finale of themost loved beer label contest by CNBC,then Jezebel stating that everybody wants to drink beer with the wrong famous people and finally we have a scathing takedown of the "Food Babe" blogger by Gawker. 

Last week our #caskquiz was “what is your favorite historic brewery?” This week we are asking “what celebrity would YOU like to have a beer with?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

On to the next 100 episodes! We start our second century with a European coup: Rudi Ghequire from legendary Belgian brewery Rodenbach and David van Wees from Latis Imports! Rudi gives us the scoop on the brewery’s history and we sample the insanely great Rodenbach Grand Cru!

We bring rankings news (among other things) for you this week, starting with The USA Today reporting that Yuengling has ousted Boston Beer as the top U.S. craft brewery while Time has a companion piece examining the fact that  some beer lovers are divided over the change. Next we time travel (you know we love to) with Live Science to find that Egyptians brewed beer in Tel Aviv 5,000 years ago, look at April 15th with Adweek who tell us that software companyIntuit is brewing a special beer for accountants only called CPA IPA to make tax season less taxing, and we end up out west with The San Diego Union-Times wondering if you will ever be able to get San Diego craft beers at Qualcomm Stadium. 

Last week our #caskquiz was “what is your favorite beer label?” This week we are asking “what is your favorite historical brewery?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

To celebrate our milestone 100th episode, we convinced Don Chartier and Ethan Boylan from Lagunitas Brewing to return to the sunny lands! Out on Tony’s porch, we try Equinox Pale Oat Ale and High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout!

We have much to report for you this week in the world of beer! First up The New York Times reveals the Oktoberfest Back Story, then FastCompany shows usa new Brazilian feminist beer waging a battle against sexism in advertising, followed by The USA Today’s ultimate craft beer bracket. Next LA Weekly asks what can America learn from Baja’s beer festivals, Wired details a quest to reengineer a legendary beer in a dirty kitchen, CNBC runs their most loved beer label contest, and we close the news with The Washington Post on ‘Dos Equis’ The Most Interesting Man in the World’ riding in HOV lanes.

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

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We keep it in the family this week with our very own Ryan Trask, one of our sales stars! Ryan shares how he got in the biz and the differences in sales between the on and off-premise worlds. Then we try some terrific brews: the all-new Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter IPA, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, and Charlotte’s Triple C Chocolate Covered Pretzel Stout.

There is much to report this week for you! First CNBC says that craft beer drinkers just love their IPAs, and then VinePair has created a map of the craft and regional beers made by the large brewers. Next up is the always reliable HuffPo listing 17 of the most sought-after craft beers in America, followed by The Financial Times reporting that in the UK ales and craft beers are spurring a brewing boom, and we close with the Sacramento Bee announcing that Sacramento will be hosting a new California craft beer summit.

Last week our #caskquiz was “do you keep a stash of beer in storage for weather emergencies? ” This week we are asking “what spring or summer beer are you most looking forward to when the weather gets nice?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Chip returns to the snowy lands and the team stays warm in the bar with killer brews this week! We taste the collaboration beer Baird/Ishii/Stone Green Tea IPA, CBC Groundhog Day Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, and Starpoint Instant Karma Porter.

Do we scan the globe for news? You betcha! How about starting with Comic Book Resources and the announcement there about Rogue's Hellboy Right Hand of Doom Red Ale? We then move to cnet listing a five-pack of beer apps to find great new brews, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealing that A-B dropped its opposition to a North Carolina craft brewer's Natty trademark, the US Census Trade Blog Global Reach offering the latest numbers on beer imports and exports, and the San Diego Union-Times on how hot SD's beer scene has become.We round out the news with The St. Cloud Times detailing the incredible demand for barrels by craft brewers, The Independent announcing London's first ever 'beer week,and wind up with NPR on the secret life of a phys ed teacher.

Last week our #caskquiz was “What beer do you want to see make the move to cans?” This week we are asking “do you keep a stash of beer in storage for weather emergencies?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

We had such a run of incredible people stop by the bar lately, it was wearing us out! So we locked the doors and took a breather to unwind with the latest and greatest from our friends at Foothills Brewing! Three delightful brews were waiting for us: Pilot Mountain Pale Ale, February IPA of the Month “Charlie”, and the sought-after (and back just briefly) Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout!

We couldn’t fit in all the beer news out this week, but we covered a lot! We start with the controversy of the Bud Super Bowl ad slamming craft beer, beginning with The Chicago Tribune’s interview with a craft brewery co-founder who wasn’t happy with Super Bowl ad snark,then we check out CNNMoney’s position that Bud mocks craft beer but it owns microbrews. Next up is The HuffPo asking is sewage beer the next big thing?, followed by Fortune revealing spirits stole more market share from the beer industry last year, and then Yahoo Sports and a picture of Madison Bumgarner downing a beer with Khal Drogo of 'Game of Thrones'. We move to The Washington Post talking about an NBC interview with President Obama on beer, Deflategate and the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl matchup, The Columbia Free Times opining that craft beer goes big — maybe too big, The LA Times demonstrating how brewers turn barley into beer, and wind up with Medical Daily reporting that an antioxidant found In hops prevents cognitive decline.

Last week our #caskquiz was “have you ever bought anything from SkyMall and if so what was it?” This week we are asking “what you think about the Bud Super Bowl ad -  was it good or bad for Bud, good or bad for craft beer?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @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!

How do we top the incredible guests of late? Get another one of course! This week Jonathan Williman from our friends at Bear Republic joins the fun! We talk about their awesome beers, the water situation in northern California, and what we can expect from Bear this year! Then we try their first creation, Red Rocket Ale and follow it with Racer X Double India Pale Ale!

The news begins on a sad note, as The LA Times reports that our beloved Skymall has died, then we move to happier topics via TheBoston Globe on how craft beer fans go to great lengths to buy top-rated brews, and io9 on why grease kills the head on a beer. We follow up on a previous story with NBC as the brewer of 'Gandhi-Bot' beer agrees to rename it after complaints, then hear NPR reporting on brewers taming unpredictable yeast. We finish up with The New Yorker revealing that small is bountiful, Yahoo Food introducing a craft brewer making low alcohol beers, and Fox News celebrating the beer can turning 80 this weekend!

Last week our #caskquiz was “have you ever purchased the wrong beer by accident and if so what beers did you mix up?” This week we are asking “have you ever bought anything from SkyMall and if so what was it?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!

Are we slowing down after our road trip? No way! This week we import direct from Baltimore (Ball’mer to the natives) Dave Benfield & Morgan Schell from DuClaw Brewing! They just began selling beers in NC and as you know we have been drinking them before on the show, so they brought some great ones to us this week: Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, Naked Fish Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Neon Gypsy IPA, and the seductive Serum DIPA!

We got so much news this week! Bloomberg starts us off with the story thatSierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman has beome a billionaire, then The New York Times offers options from gluten-free beer to kombucha for health-conscious drinkers, and Mother Jones reveals that craft beer uses 4 times as much barley as corporate brew. Next Reuters reports on brewing goliaths struggling to fit in at a craft beer party, Fox News shows us that self-serve beer taps are coming to a bar near you, and fittingly the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star asks how 'bout some peanut butter with your beer?

Last week our #caskquiz was “have you ever brewed beer on your own, and if so what was the first style you made?” This week we are asking “have you ever purchased the wrong beer by accident and if so what beers did you mix up?”

We love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, tweeting us @talescask, following our Instagram @talesfromthecask, posting on and liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromTheCask or emailing written or audio messages to talesfromthecask@gmail.com! And please rate & review us in iTunes or Stitcher if you haven’t done so!