Ski Town Brews

So glad I got to do this interview at Alibi, which turned out to be one of the great unexpected treasures of the whole first season. It's on the northern end of Lake Tahoe, in a spot they call Incline Village. If you drive out of Incline Village and head uphill, pretty soon you're going to run into Mt. Rose, which is easily the best skiing dollar for dollar in the whole Tahoe Basin. And when you come back down that same road at the end of the day, go ahead and seek out Alibi Ale Works, where you're going to find a whole pile of the best sour beers you'll ever taste. They are masters of a craft that not many places can do well. And their restaurant down the way from the brewery serves some great food, too. This is my interview from February 2021 with owner Kevin Drake and head brewer Matt Garcia.

South Of North Brewing sits right on the border between California and Nevada, just a short walk from the shores of Lake Tahoe. You can stand in front of the building on Stateline Avenue and look to the right, and you see a typical mountain town with log cabins and views. And to the left, you see casinos. But right behind you at South Of North, you're going to have your pick of some absolutely phenomenal beers that you just can't drink anywhere else. They make their beer on the property, they sell it on the property, and they don't distribute. You want what they got, you have to go to the source.When I went back in February 2021 I had a great conversation with the GM Savannah Mendoza and the head brewer Brian Cicero. We drank some of my favorite beers from the whole season, and they told me about some special ones they had on the way. And I haven't been back since, and that's my loss.

Shelter Distilling had the special distinction of being the only stop on my first season of the podcast where they make both beer and spirits. And they excel at both, as I found out in this interview with co-owners Karl Anderson and Jason Senior. If you're skiing Mammoth and you're looking for local brews coming off the hill, the trip to Shelter is quicker and easier than any of the other spots in the area. Just take the Village Gondola down from Canyon Lodge and it's right around the corner when you step off. If you're like me, it'll immediately become one of your first stops every time you're back in town.

The little town of Government Camp sits at the base of Mt. Hood, Oregon's highest peak. There are only 300 or so full-time residents. But it's the gateway to one of my all-time favorite hidden gem ski resorts: Timberline Lodge. Timberline has great snow, fun terrain, low ticket prices and good family vibes. And probably the coolest ski lodge in the country by far. Timberline Lodge is the building that served as the exterior for the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Walking up to the front of it in person is unforgettable. But the part they never showed in the movie is even more incredible.Along with the lodge, Timberline has its own official brewery, and that's Mt. Hood Brewing. In a town of 300 people, you can get locally made beers that compete with anything else you'll find in the country. That's largely because of head brewer Bryan Borgmeier, who sat down with me for an interview and tasting on a snowy night in January of 2021.

Visiting Worthy Brewing for me was like a pilgrimage, or a trip to Willy Wonka's factory. Or both. I had been drinking Worthy beers for a few years before I started this podcast, and their Lights Out Stout is one of my favorites. But when I went out to the Worthy campus to do this interview, I had no idea how cool this place really was. It's like a fantasy playland for beer lovers. They do live shows on two stages, indoors and out; they serve experimental beers on tap that you can't get anywhere else; they have a garden where they not only grow their own hops but they actually develop new strains of hops, in collaboration with students from a local ag engineering program. AND they have their own observatory, with an actual astronomer on staff. I had some audio issues that day, so this episode didn't come out as great as I wanted it to. But the conversation was fantastic. I could seriously talk beer with these guys all week. Ever since then I've been looking forward to going back.

Back in the winter of 2021 I spent five days in Bend, Oregon, skiing Mt. Bachelor and checking out some of the best craft breweries in town. The competition is fierce, in a place that's home to both Deschutes and 10 Barrel Brewing. But one of the best of the best is a little place called Boneyard Beer, owned by Tony Lawrence. He's an OG pro snowboarder from back in the '90s, and he's spent the past couple decades making some of the most unique and best-tasting beers in a state that's absolutely jammed with amazing beer. He met me at the Boneyard Pub down on Division Street for some appetizers and a sample that included some of my favorite beers of the whole season.

Snake River Brewing is the oldest craft brewery in Jackson. Maybe six blocks or so away from the center of town, where you can see all the elk antlers. When you go for a beer at Snake River and you look out the window, you see one of the best-kept secrets of the Rockies: Snow King, also known as the "town hill." This is where the powder hounds go when all the tourists are in line at Jackson Hole. It's a small place, but the tree skiing is fantastic, and the prices are stuck in the 1990s.Back in January 2021 I had a great conversation with Elliott Wilkins about Snake River's history, the best beers in their lineup, and how the brewery is wrapped up in the history and culture of the town of Jackson and its two great ski hills.

Grand Teton Brewing has been doing craft beer in eastern Idaho longer than just about anybody else. Their 208 is one of the tastiest session ales you'll ever find. That one friend that everyone has who just can't get interested in craft beer -- the 208 is the one that will get them hooked. Join me for some day drinking with Director of Operations Chris Furbacher.

Citizen 33 sits on State Route 33 in Idaho, a little way down the road from Grand Targhee, which might actually have the best skiing dollar-for-dollar of any resort in the country. It's less than half the price of Jackson Hole, and gets all the same snow, and has MORE acreage. And better views of the Tetons from the hill.Back in January 2021 I talked to head brewer Nick Farney about how he came to the area, what he likes to do for fun in the Teton Valley, and how he keeps making beers that are worth driving all the way out to Driggs for. One of his secrets: he sources ALL his hops from local farms in Idaho.

The premiere episode of Ski Town Brews, from my visit to June Mountain and June Lake Brewing on December 20, 2020. Everybody knows Mammoth and Tahoe, but if you come to the Eastern Sierra and you skip June Mountain, you're missing out on one of California's best-kept secrets. Two of them actually, because June Lake Brewing has been putting out nothing but winners since it opened seven years ago. Join me and JLB co-owner Justin Walsh for a super-flight of seven beers and a hard seltzer, plus a whole lot of reasons why you need to get to June on your next vacation. Summer works just as well as winter!

Snake River Brewing is the oldest craft brewery in Jackson, and their experience shows. A couple of their flagships have been written into the Jackson Hole ski vacation template for decades. Not to mention the entire Teton region's outdoor culture, in all seasons. I was familiar with a few of their beers from various trips to Jackson over the past few years, so it was a big privilege to visit their spot and try a few that I haven't gotten around to yet. Elliott Wilkins, their sales and marketing coordinator, took some time out of his work day back in January to sit down and have a couple with me. We tried out the Monarch Pilsner, the Snake River Pale Ale, the Earned It Hazy IPA, the Zonker Stout, and the famous Paco's IPA. All of them are better than advertised, but the Monarch and the Zonker really got my attention.This was an entertaining interview. Thanks to Elliott for hosting me. The Ski Town Brews theme music is "Camaro" by Oliver Michael. In this episode you'll also hear "Bain de Venus" by AM Beef, "Geminis" by Tomas Novoa, "Just the Norm" by Oliver Michael, "Red Light Boogie" by Rex Banner, "Revenge of the Punks" by Milano, "Sexy Smile" by Selamo, "Starry Eyed" by Jane the Boy, "The Stomp" by Florian, and "Voodoo People" by Moon. All of these songs and artists are on Artlist.io if you want to hear more. Thanks for listening!

Boneyard Beer is run by Tony Lawrence, a former snowboarder who used to do some pretty insane stuff back when he was younger. He was in some films; you can still find clips of him online. But these days he's making a name for himself with his beers instead. Boneyard likes to do uncomplicated recipes with strong flavors, heavy on the hops. But they also like to experiment with beers that fall in between the familiar categories. They're in two locations on the eastern side of Bend, Oregon, which is a place where it's very hard to stand out if you're a brewery. But these guys are crushing it.We tried 10 beers in this interview: the PABO Pilsner, the Loose Ends IPL, the Bone-A-Fide Pale Ale, the Incredible Pulp Extra Pale Ale, the Diablo Rojo American Red Ale, the Skunkape IRA, the RPM IPA, the Hop Venom DIPA, the Mad Lad DIPA, and the Suge Knite Imperial Stout. All phenomenal. My personal favorites were the Diablo Rojo and the Hop Venom.Thanks for listening! The theme music is "Camaro," by Oliver Michael. In this episode you'll also hear "The Funny Neighbor" by Anthony Vega, "Dancin' In The Tub" by Family Kush, "I'm A Lover Boy" by Captain Qubz, "Swinging Boy" by Skygaze, "Spicy Latin" by Nbdy Nprtnt, "Janking Roe" by Florian, "Digital Owl" by Peter Spacey, "Other Side" by Mac A DeMia, and "No Such Thing As Bad Press" by Bunker Buster. You can find all these songs and artists on Artlist.io.

Alibi Ale Works is on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in the town of Incline Village. You can almost walk from the lodge at Diamond Peak in your snowboard boots down to the brewery. And then Mt. Rose is right up the road a few minutes, and you should definitely hit both if you're in the area. Alibi is known for their sour beers, but they have great dark and pale ales, and they're really creative with saisons too. Matt Garcia is the head brewer there, and Kevin Drake is the owner. They both had a lot to teach me about brewing and the fermentation process, and how they exploit different combinations of tame and wild yeasts for the kinds of beers that don't compare to anything else out there. In this interview we tried the Reverb Red Ale, the Alibi Kölsch, the Farmhouse Fresca (a wild fermented, dry-hopped saison), the Abstract Truth dark saison, the Alibi IPA, and the Strawberry Crescendo sour ale. All super refreshing and drinkable, and some of the best examples of their respective styles. Thanks to Matt and Kevin for hanging out with me and pouring drinks, and thanks to you for listening! The "Ski Town Brews" theme music is from "Camaro," by Oliver Michael. This episode also features "A Scary Ferris Wheel Ride" by Ziv Grinberg, "Hyper-Pegasus" by Clara Kamil, "Black Cat Soiree" by Bob Hart, "Meet and Greet" by Randy Sharp, "Manila Chill" by Kicktracks, and "Let's Go" by Orkas. You can find all these songs and artists on Artlist.io.

Shelter Distilling is right in the center of the Village in Mammoth Lakes, a couple hundred yards away from the Village Gondola. It's owned by Matt Hammer, Karl Anderson and Jason Senior, who's also the head brewer. They brew beer and distill various craft spirits there on the premises, and they have a full menu of great food and cocktails. Both their beers and their spirits are incredible. I got to try a few of each: for beers, the Festbier, the Foggy Goggles hazy IPA, the I'm Your Huckleberry cider, and the Alpha double IPA; for spirits, the High Sierra and Dark Sky single malt whiskeys, and the Little Green Monster absinthe.Thanks to Karl and Jason for pouring drinks and taking time to hang out. This was super enjoyable for me because I discovered a couple new favorites and got to talk about Mammoth and the Eastern Sierra, plus got to know a couple good local guys whom I had never had the chance to meet before. Apologies to you listeners for the audio quality; our interview spot was pretty loud. But I think you'll really like this one.The theme music is "Camaro" by Oliver Michael. Other songs used in this episode are "Almanac" by Seth Parson, "Running" by Phury feat. Ladé, "Adore" by Skygaze, "Body in a Half Light" by Gvidon, "Brighter Dayz" by DWNLD, "Break" by Kola, and "Dreams" by I Am Fowler. You can find all of the songs and artists on Artlist.io.

Mt. Hood Brewing Co. is owned by Timberline Lodge, the ski resort on the southern side of Mt. Hood, above the little town of Government Camp. The resort is named for Timberline Lodge, the famous hotel that was used as the exterior for the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." Bryan Borgmeier is the head brewer, and he ended up there after working at various other breweries in central Oregon and the Tahoe area. Bryan was the one who hipped me to Alibi Ale Works on the north side of Tahoe -- their episode is coming up soon. He knows a LOT about beer and about life on Mount Hood. This was a very fun conversation.We tried five beers: the Ice Axe IPA, the Cloudcap Amber Ale, the Dichotomy Saison, the Old Battle Axe Barleywine (aged in rum barrels), and the Magnetic North Imperial Stout (aged in whiskey barrels). All amazing, and they're only a small sample of what Mt. Hood has to offer. The theme song for Ski Town Brews is "Camaro," by Oliver Michael. Other music used in this episode: "Shadows Legion" by Rotem Moav, "Siberian Summer" by Sunny Fruit, "The Dude" by Anthony Vega, "Vuelta Al Sol" by Tomas Novoa, and "Wash" by Monako. You can find all these songs and artists on Artlist.io. Thanks for listening!

Grand Teton Brewing is another one of my favorites to hunt down whenever I go to Jackson Hole and Targhee. As I learned, they were part of the original craft beer explosion in America back in the late '80s, when a lot of today's biggest craft breweries got started. They've been through some ups and downs, but right now they're turning out the best beers they've ever made. I talked to Chris Furbacher, their director of brewery operations. We almost spent more time talking about skiing than we did about beer. But he lined up six really delicious samples for me: the Bluebird Pilsner, the Sweetgrass Pale Ale, the Henry's Fork Hazy IPA, the First Mug Mocha Porter, the Mail Cabin Scotch Ale, and the Black Cauldron Imperial Stout.Theme song is "Camaro" by Oliver Michael. I also used "Speed Bumps" by Aves, "Let's Go" by Orkas, and "Shine" by Kagan. All of these tunes are on Artlist.io. Go check out the artists and see what else they have up there. Cheers, and thanks for listening!

South Of North sits right on the state line between California and Nevada, only two blocks away from the gondola at Heavenly, and less than half a mile from the shore of Lake Tahoe. You can just about walk over to the brewery in your ski boots and grab a quick beer before heading back out on the hill. But beware: these beers are so good, you might decide you'd rather just keep drinking instead.I hung out with South Of North's head brewer Brian Cicero, and Savannah Mendoza, the general manager. I got to try the Explorer Cream Ale, the Coconut Coffee Brown Ale, the El Padrino Bourbon Barrel Stout, the Motorcycle Mama IPA, and the Soulcrusher Hard Seltzer. I highly recommend all of them. But the brown ale and the stout will change your life.Theme music is "Camaro", by Oliver Michael. The other music in this episode is "Oceanside" and "Manila Chill", both by Kicktracks. You can find all the music on Artlist.io.Check out video clips and bonus content on YouTube by searching "Ski Town Brews," or follow @skitownbrews on Instagram and Twitter. Cheers!

Citizen 33 is a little brewpub in Driggs, Idaho, about half an hour away from Grand Targhee Resort. Nick Farney is the head brewer, and co-owns it as part of a group including Gabe Aufderheide, Kelly Williams, and Lisa and Christian Hanley. The beers are excellent, and most of them are made with all local ingredients. And they serve phenomenal food, some of which is cooked with Nick's brews. Nick let me try 7 different beers during our conversation: the Locals' Lager, the Citizen's Pub Ale, the Amber Ale, the Hazy IPA, the Drictor Brown Ale, the Blackfoot Stout, and the Gemstone Saison. He also filled me in on some great things to do in the Driggs area when you're not skiing.This is another one of those spots that don't distribute, so you have to go there to get these beers. But even if you're over the pass in Jackson, it's well worth taking a special trip to give them a try.

While I was in Bend to ride Mt. Bachelor, I went over to Worthy Brewing to talk with Dustin Kellner, the head brewer, and Adam Foster, the marketing director. Worthy is by far not the biggest brewery in Bend, but it's definitely one of the best. The Lights Out Stout has been one of my favorite beers for the past couple years, and I look for it every time I'm in the Pacific Northwest.In this episode we tried six beers: the Ten Mile Lager, the Easy Day low-cal hazy, the Citra IPA, the Return to the Mountain Hazy IPA, the Lights Out Stout, and the Ascension Imperial Porter. A couple of them are only available on draft at the brewery, so head on up.Thanks to Dustin and Adam for meeting with me! The theme music is "Camaro" by Oliver Michael. The other music in this episode came from "Freerolling," by T-Bless and the Professionals, and "High," by Guy Mar. Check out all three artists on Artlist.io.

June Lake Brewing has been operating since 2014 in the little town of June Lake, California, right in the shadow of June Mountain. Husband and wife team Justin and Sarah Walsh are the founders and co-owners. Back in December, Justin took the time to sit down with me and kick this project off, right when the ski season was starting to heat up.We tried eight of their offerings in the interview: the Bang Sauce hard seltzer, the Deer Beer brown ale, the Archimedes red ale, the What the Fruit Berliner Weisse, the Sasquatchito XPA, the Oso Citra IPA, the Lil' Walker IPA, and the Chewy AF Oatmeal Stout. Every one stellar, not a bad brew in the bunch.Go to JuneLakeBrewing.com for more info on the brewery, and follow @junelakebrewing on Twitter. The food truck mentioned near the end of this episode is Ohanas395. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram: @Ohanas395.Ski Town Brews is produced, written and hosted by Adam Powell. Theme song is "Camaro" by Oliver Michael. Go get his music on Artlist.io.