Podcast appearances and mentions of Fritz Maytag

Fogbelt Brewing Company owner Paul Hawley is here along with Native American brewer Pedro Mancilla to tell about the return of Red Tail Ale. Hawley, co-founder of Fogbelt Brewing Company is here along with Native American brewer Pedro Mancilla to talk about bringing back Red Tail Ale. Fogbelt is making some of Mendocino Brewing's classic Red Tail Ale. This was the most famous brew early in the craft brewing movement. In the 1980s it was one of the leading new beers. Fogbelt Paul tells how he and Remy Martin started the brewery in 2013 after home brewing for a time. Remy studied brewing at UC Davis. They opened their brewpub on Cleveland Ave in Santa Rosa in 2014, then outgrew that space. They moved production to an offsite warehouse. Then in 2022 they opened the Healdsburg Beer Garden in the red caboose. Pedro Mancilla introduces himself. He is the brewer at Fogbelt Brewing company. He has Native American Ancestors and shares “I am of you and you are of me” in his native language. The Red Tail Hawk in a symbol of wisdom, protection and care for the land. The Red Tail Ale project is more than a beer, it is a celebration of his connection to his heritage. Don Barkley developed the recipe back then for Mendocino Brewing and now he has given the recipe to Fogbelt. Herlinda met Pedro when they were at an event at Anchor Brewing, where Pedro used to work. He was working there and had access to Fritz Maytag's extensive library of books about brewing. She saw him reading a book that was about brewing at that event, so she asked him about it. The owner of Chobani yogurt has purchased Anchor Brewing and its assets, so there are good propects for a return of Anchor Steam and Liberty Ale. There were several other “bird beers” that Mendocino Brewing made. Fogbelt has started with Red Tail Ale but they also plan to bring the others back. These include Eye of the Hawk, Talon, White Hawk, Black Hawk, Blue Heron and Peregrine. Right now, Red Tail Ale is available at the big local retailers, such as Oliver's, Tip Top, Wilibees, Bottle Barn and others. Fogbelt has the distribution rights so they are in charge of that. Cascade and Cluster hops, caramel malt for the amber red hue and the taste as well. Herlinda judges it “delicious.”  

Marty Nachel Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Steve Jaxon welcomes Marty Nachel, founder and President of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame. Herlinda has judged beers with him in Mexico. First, Herlinda reminds us of the February 22 Beer City Fest. You can sign up to run in the half marathon, or just come to celebrate and drink beer later. Also, the Santa Rosa Beer Passport promotion is going on. “The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame has been established to honor, celebrate, and commit to history those people who are responsible for initiating, sustaining, and promoting the American craft beer industry. This Hall is to ensure that the memories of their contributions and achievements will not fade with time." – from the American Craft Beer HOF website Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more. Nominees and Inductees Herlinda Heras and Tara Nurin are on their advisory board. In that role, they each got to nominate ten people for induction. The first nominees have been published and the winners were announced on February 15. Some of them are familiar to us, including Fritz Maytag from Anchor and new Albion founders. Visit our sponsor Pizzaleah in Windsor for the finest pizza menu and the most authentic flavors around!

Bruce Joseph started out as a brewer at what was then Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, and became a distiller when owner Fritz Maytag decided he wanted to add a distillery to make rye whiskey. Old Potrero has become a San Francisco favorite, and after 45 years with what is now Hotaling & Co., he's easing into retirement this week. Bruce Joseph joins us for an exclusive interview on this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, U.S. trade tariffs against Canada and Mexico are on hold for 30 days, but the fallout continues to spread across North America. We'll talk with the co-chair of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, Kentucky Rep. Morgan McGarvey about that fallout and the impact on the Bourbon industry.

Steve, Mark and Herlinda Our former co-host Mark Carpenter is back with us for a visit today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. His last visit was this episode in July of 2021. For a long time Mark Carpenter was the co-host of this show. He was the brew master at Anchor until he retired. Mark has news about the present status of Anchor Brewing. Sapporo decided to close it but an investor has bought the company and is slowly working on restoring the location and the company. Here is an article from AP news about that. The new owner, Hamdi Ulukaya, has plans to revitalize Anchor Brewing, which everyone agrees is good news. He is the very successful founder of Chobani Yogurt so he is certainly ready and qualified for the job. Mark says he is taking his time about it and has a good approach similar to that of Fritz Maytag, the previous owner who also bought Anchor and revitalized it in the early 1970s when Mark Carpenter started there.  Both Fritz Maytag and Hamdi Ulukaya are openly enthusiastic about the meaning and importance of a business like Anchor as a valuable cultural asset. A Brief History of Anchor Brewing Mark briefly tells the story of how he found Anchor. He had been working for the telephone company. He took a tour of Anchor and liked the place enough to ask for a job. It was a small place and had three employees. Mark considers himself lucky to have been hired and to have found Fritz to be such an enlightened owner who gave Mark a book about brewing and sent him to take brewing courses in Michigan. Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info. Mark has brought a bottle of Truman Royal Ale for Herlinda as a birthday present. It was brewed in England in 1982 to celebrate the birth of Prince William. Anchor Brewing's Liberty Ale was the first modern IPA brewed in the United States. They didn't call it IPA, but it had all of the characteristics. Herlinda's video interview with Mark Carpenter, Tony Magee and Don Barkley is also still on display at the Museum of Sonoma County. It's Herlinda's birthday! Happy Birthday Herlinda!

The Brewbound team reconvenes after a week of West Coast travels to discuss the latest bev-alc industry news.    Zoe reports back on the themes coming out of this year's CiderCon in icy Portland, Oregon, and then she and Jess share takeaways from the Beer Industry Summit in San Diego resort city Coronado.    Justin joins the duo to break down the big news of the last week, including a craft-on-craft deal in New England, a private equity firm selling part of its stake in Mikkeller, a CEO change at Sapporo-Stone Brewing, another Heineken exec joining Lagunitas' c-suite and an update on the bidding for Anchor, including a Fritz Maytag sighting.    Plus, the team plays Another Round or Tabbing Out on the return of the Coors Light train for the Super Bowl and a comparison of ready-to-drink offerings to craft beer.

Brew Ha Ha's Summer vacation continues with this repeat episode all about Anchor Brewing's history, featuring Mark Carpenter. This episode was originally recorded and published on May 2, 2019. Today on Brew Ha Ha Steve Jaxon gets the whole story from Mark Carpenter about Anchor Brewing, its history and historical context, its production and its role in American brewing. (We were expecting guests from San Francisco's Fort Point Beer Co. but they are stuck in traffic and will reschedule.) Mark Carpenter (l) and the Anchor team in the '70s. Mark Carpenter started working at Anchor Brewing in 1971 after he met its owner Fritz Maytag. He was looking for a more interesting and rewarding line of work and found that at Anchor. Mark retired a few years ago and Anchor's new brewmaster is Ramon Tamayo, who was also on the show recently. Warm or Cold Beer? Right now, Mark is tasting a Shadow of a Doubt Imperial Porter from Russian River Brewing Co. It's warm but it's fine, Mark says that if a beer is good it should be good at room temperature too. "In warm countries they drink cold beer, in cold countries they drink warm beer." The beer is named after the Alfred Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt which was filmed in Santa Rosa in 1943. Mark talks about the Fort Point, an interesting brewery, says Mark. They do a Kölsch. All over Germany, the towns had their own styles of beer. Then Lager beer was invented and they all switched to that. But Kolsch is a surviving local beer from the city of Cologne (called Köln in German). An Imperial Porter means it's a black beer. Compared to a Stout, a Porter is sweeter. It also has nice flavors. "Imperial" means it is higher in alcohol, this is 10%. The Story of Anchor Brewing Co. So without our expected guests, Steve invites Mark to tell the whole Anchor Brewing story which starts with what a city San Francisco was in the last 1960s. They were protesting the Vietnam War and there was an abundance of great music at venues like the Fillmore. Mark remembers the background of the city where people were looking for ways to do something more inspiring than his "normal" job. Mark would visit any American city and visit its breweries. He visited Coors in Colorado and Pabst in Wisconsin and took brewery tours. Steve is from Detroit and asks if Mark visited Stroh's there, but he hasn't. Stroh's called itself "fire brewed" which was a common European process in the late 1800s where beer was heated in copper kettles heated by fire, not steam.  Mark says that steam applies less heat than a gas flame which gives some caramel color and flavor that steam does not. Stroh's was the only beer in America that was fire brewed. Stroh's today is owned by Pabst but it's not the same and is not fire brewed anymore. The Importance of Good Luck Mark always says he was lucky to get the job at Anchor. It was the smallest brewery in America at the time. They worked hard to build their reputation. Before they had volume sales, they only brewed once a month but sales steadily increased. Mark gives Fritz Maytag credit for having great business vision for the brewery, from the time he acquired it in 1965. Fritz had heard that the brewery would be closing and he went to visit it. He saw magic and potential and wound up buying it. He would say that he paid "less than you pay for a good car." It was a nineteenth century brewery. There was no refrigeration. It was a very crude little brewery and Fritz invested money into it. Fritz wanted to make sure that people knew Anchor not just for Anchor Steam Beer. At first they had Anchor Steam Dark which simply had caramel coloring added. Fritz wanted to develop the Porter to replace that to do it right. They even started distilling in 1993.

We have a special conversation with Bob Brewer, former Anchor Brewing employee, while The Drive and Brew Ha Ha are still on Summer vacation this year. There is sad news in the brewing industry, as Sapporo has announced that Anchor Brewing is closing. Here is the conversation that Herlinda Heras recorded on July 12 with Bob Brewer, who worked for Anchor for many years. When Bob Brewer was originally hired at Anchor in 1985, he had been working for a beer wholesaler which also distributed Anchor, since about 1977. He was a draft beer installer and also did nearly everything to deliver beer, including carrying kegs around San Francisco. Bob would always say he had the best job in the world. “I get to deliver the best beer in the world to the best people in the world in the best city in the world.” He was working to support his wife who was getting a degree in petroleum engineering. She took a job in southern California and he made the move. When Mark Carpenter called to ask if he could become their distributor there, Fritz Maytag presented him with “the presumptive close” and he got the job. He also got some work experience in England, which had a completely different regulatory environment. There was a brewery which was making a beer that they called Steam, too. But he mostly concentrated on the local market. The international market was more to “show the flag” than to move lots of beer. “I don't now whether the beer was the novelty or I was.” He worked with a famous English beer expert named Michael Jackson. Visiting the Barley Farm in Washington Fritz Maytag, who owned Anchor at the time, had a relationship with a farmer in southern Oregon who grew the barley that they used in the Christmas Ale. This was Fritz' idea so that his staff could understand the origin of their ingredients. There was a famous bus trip to Yakima with Fritz and Anchor staff including Bob. They stopped at Mendocino Brewing Company for some Red Tail Ale, one of the original craft brewers. (It is now Hopland Tap run by Ron Lindenbusch, ex of Lagunitas.) But “the elephant in the room” is the fact that Sapporo is closing Anchor. This feels like a loss in the family to Herlinda, and to many of us in the broad Anchor family. Fritz Maytag wanted to retire and sold the company to an investment group. They invested in the company and hired Bob as an ambassador. And then they sold to Sapporo. For most of the rest of this episode, Bob Brewer talks at length about the history of Anchor including some thoughts about the recent history and its closing.

It's another Whiskey Hotline episode! Bruce Joseph is the master distiller at Hotaling & Company, formerly Anchor Brewing & Distilling. Hotaling is best known for their Old Potrero ryes. Bruce started working at Anchor Brewing straight out of college in 1980. He was a brewer for 13 years until they got licensed to distill and he switched over. Fritz Maytag was interested in making rye whiskey, particularly its historical ties to Colonial America. Also he liked taking on products that were unpopular and at the time, rye wasn't very popular.  Old Potrero 6-Year-Old Straight Rye  Old Potrero Cask Strength Straight Rye Finished in Single Sherry Cask 8 14 #1 Binny's Handpicked  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you'll get a $20 Binny's Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

There must have been something in the water in Northern California in the late '70s, because the region produced craft brewing legends in scads. Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman joins Taplines today to bring us back to that heady milieu and highlight how two of his Golden State contemporaries in particular helped him keep the brewery's now-iconic pale ale flowing in those early years. One was Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewing's "gentleman brewer." The other was Jack McAuliffe, who founded the New Albion Brewing Company in 1976, only to close up shop half a decade later. How did this tiny, failed brewery change the course of one of the industry's most successful firms? Listen on, listener. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While The Drive is on vacation, there is no new Brew Ha Ha episode this week. So, here is an encore presentation of our episode from November 17, 2022, featuring Dave Burkhart, the author of the book The Anchor Brewing Story which was just published at the time. Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart and former Anchor brewing chief Mark Carpenter join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Mark Carpenter is the former co-host of this show who began working at Anchor in 1971. Author Dave Burkhart has been with Anchor Brewing Co. for thirty-one and a half years. Very early in his tenure began collecting historical documentation of the brewery. His book, The Anchor Brewing Story, has just been published. Mark and Dave agree that Anchor has a bright future since the new owners (Sapporo) are investing heavily in the company. Dave started at Anchor on a Monday and by the following Saturday, he started researching the company. In 2010, he took the title Anchor Historian. He describes finding out about the original owner Gottfried Breckle, who first went from Germany in 1852 to Valdivia, Chile. It was “the irresistible lure of gold” that brought him to California. Anchor's Early History A lot of this early family history is documented on this page of the Anchor Brewing website. Gottfried came to California in late 1953 or early 1854 and worked in the gold fields, then worked for a local brewery. He became an American citizen in 1854. He “did what everyone did in the gold rush, he reinvented himself.” Eventually he owned the Golden Gate Brewery in San Francisco, which burned down. He took the insurance money back to Germany and opened a brewery there. Then he came back to San Francisco and opened another brewery in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Then he sold it and invested in a saloon that they turned into brewery in 1871. That marks the beginning of the company that became Anchor in 1896. Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info. There were more than thirty breweries in San Francisco in the late 1800s and 847 drinking establishments in town, as well as many corner grocery stores in the city which also served beer in the back room. The Anchor Pub There is a pub now at Anchor Brewery that is a showcase for their panorama of beer recipes. One is Humming Ale, which uses Nelson hops. It's the same recipe as Liberty Ale except that uses Cascade hops. That was the first IPA in California, although they did not want to call it that. Fritz Maytag, who was Anchor's owner at the time of its late 1960s rebirth, wanted to make that type of beer that he remembered from his student days back east. It has a lot more hops than other beers at the time. Visit our sponsor Victory House online for their latest viewing and menu options. Visit our sponsor Victory House online for their latest viewing and menu options. Anchor Steam Beer Steam Beer is called a California Common in the beer index books. There are several possible origins of the term Steam Beer. It is a California story and without Anchor there would be none of it. Lager beer needs cold conditions, so there was no ice in the city and they needed to make beer without it. They came up with the idea of a Cool Ship, a large shallow pan with a large surface area. It was exposed to the atmosphere, there were louvered windows in the room. The mean temperature was cooler then than now. When the warm wort was pumped up into the cool ship, the difference in temperature produced steam. Another theory holds that when they dropped the beer back to the floor below, they added yeast to it. Then they filled large wooden barrels with the beer. If a bartender opened a keg while the beer was still fermenting, tapping the keg would produce a spray that was similar to steam. Yet another idea is that bartenders would pour from different kegs of diffe...

The year was 1965 when a young Fritz Maytag acquired 51% of a failing San Francisco concern known as "The Steam Beer Brewing Company." The success the industrial scion had transforming what we now know as Anchor Brewing Co. is the stuff of beer industry legend, and many point to it as the moment American craft brewing was born. Joining Taplines to tell us how the "Gentleman Brewer" handled his first few years at the helm of this storied brewery is Dave Burkhart, a three-decade Anchor employee, the author of "The Anchor Brewing Story," and a personal friend of Fritz's to this very day. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me as we take a deep dive into the world of craft beer and explore its explosive growth over the past few decades. As someone who has always been drawn to the art of brewing, I talk about how some friends and I decided to take the plunge and start our own brewery. It was a dream that we had been pursuing for years.But first…We'll start by looking back at the history of American beer and how it was nearly decimated by Prohibition and WWII. But thanks to key events like Fritz Maytag's purchase of Anchor Brewing, the legalization of home brewing by Jimmy Carter, and the founding of the Sierra Nevada and Boston Beer Company, craft beer began to make a comeback.Today, the craft beer industry is thriving with over 7000 breweries in the U.S. alone producing and shipping roughly 200 million barrels of beer per year. And while much of the recent growth can be attributed to the reopening of restaurants and bars post-Covid, the trend towards craft beer has been steadily increasing for the past decade.We'll also take a look at the global beer market, which is expected to grow to $1.25 trillion by 2030 with a 7% growth rate. Younger drinkers are driving the surge in demand for craft beer, seeking out a variety of styles and taste profiles.If you're interested in getting into the craft beer industry, there are a number of different paths to consider, each with its own unique advantages and challenges. Join me as we explore the exciting and dynamic world of craft beer.https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/beer-markethttps://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/state-craft-beer-stats/https://www.crresearch.com/blog/which-cities-have-most-craft-breweries/https://www.kissmybrew.com/brewery-size/https://www.brewmation.com/post/how-much-does-a-brewery-system-costhttps://pourmybeer.com/how-to-open-up-self-pour-establishment/https://home.binwise.com/blog/how-much-do-bars-makehttps://vinepair.com/map-american-craft-brewing-history/To find out more about investing in multifamily real estate schedule a call at https://www.oncallinvestments.com/Are you a healthcare provider exploring options outside of your traditional career path? Be a guest on The Plan B CRNA podcast! Email me at: Bobby@oncallinvestments.com for more information

This is the story of how Fritz Maytag, father of the American beer revolution, transformed "the last medieval brewery in the world" into one of the most modern breweries on the planet. Special Guest: Fritz Maytag.

Anchor Brewing has been a big part of San Francisco for more than a century, surviving Prohibition as the only steam beer left in San Francisco, then leading the craft beer movement after innovative brewer Fritz Maytag took over in 1965. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight got an Anchor Brewing tour from brewmaster Dane Volek, then sat down to talk about Anchor history, the controversial label change and what is was like joining the Anchor team as a 20-year-old San Francisco State student 15 years ago. Also in the episode, Knight and Hartlaub take three calls from the Total SF Party Line. Ask a question or make a request to the Total SF team at 415-777-7413. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music from the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community," Castro Theatre organist David Hegarty and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb. Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart and former Anchor brewing chief Mark Carpenter join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Mark Carpenter is the former co-host of this show who began working at Anchor in 1971. Author Dave Burkhart has been with Anchor Brewing Co. for thirty-one and a half years. Very early in his tenure began collecting historical documentation of the brewery. His book, The Anchor Brewing Story, has just been published. Mark and Dave agree that Anchor has a bright future since the new owners (Sapporo) are investing heavily in the company. Dave started at Anchor on a Monday and by the following Saturday, he started researching the company. In 2010, he took the title Anchor Historian. He describes finding out about the original owner Gottfried Breckle, who first went from Germany in 1852 to Valdivia, Chile. It was “the irresistible lure of gold” that brought him to California. Anchor's Early History A lot of this early family history is documented on this page of the Anchor Brewing website. Gottfried came to California in late 1953 or early 1854 and worked in the gold fields, then worked for a local brewery. He became an American citizen in 1854. He “did what everyone did in the gold rush, he reinvented himself.” Eventually he owned the Golden Gate Brewery in San Francisco, which burned down. He took the insurance money back to Germany and opened a brewery there. Then he came back to San Francisco and opened another brewery in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Then he sold it and invested in a saloon that they turned into brewery in 1871. That marks the beginning of the company that became Anchor in 1896. Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info. There were more than thirty breweries in San Francisco in the late 1800s and 847 drinking establishments in town, as well as many corner grocery stores in the city which also served beer in the back room. The Anchor Pub There is a pub now at Anchor Brewery that is a showcase for their panorama of beer recipes. One is Humming Ale, which uses Nelson hops. It's the same recipe as Liberty Ale except that uses Cascade hops. That was the first IPA in California, although they did not want to call it that. Fritz Maytag, who was Anchor's owner at the time of its late 1960s rebirth, wanted to make that type of beer that he remembered from his student days back east. It has a lot more hops than other beers at the time. Visit our sponsor Victory House online for their latest viewing and menu options. Anchor Steam Beer Steam Beer is called a California Common in the beer index books. There are several possible origins of the term Steam Beer. It is a California story and without Anchor there would be none of it. Lager beer needs cold conditions, so there was no ice in the city and they needed to make beer without it. They came up with the idea of a Cool Ship, a large shallow pan with a large surface area. It was exposed to the atmosphere, there were louvered windows in the room. The mean temperature was cooler then than now. When the warm wort was pumped up into the cool ship, the difference in temperature produced steam. Another theory holds that when they dropped the beer back to the floor below, they added yeast to it. Then they filled large wooden barrels with the beer. If a bartender opened a keg while the beer was still fermenting, tapping the keg would produce a spray that was similar to steam. Yet another idea is that bartenders would pour from different kegs of different ages. The newest beer was the foamiest. So there is some uncertainty about the term. Today is the forty-seventh anniversary of the first brewing of Anchor Christmas Ale. There is a different tree on the label every year. This year, it is a Blue Gum tree, also known as the Eucalyptus.

Anchor (https://anchorbrewing.com) Brewmaster Tom Riley has been working on steam beer for a long time—38 years, in fact. He started at Anchor in 1984, decades before craft beer was considered a viable career choice, and has watched the entire industry grow up alongside Anchor. He's a company man, and in 38 years of brewing, this is the only place he's brewed. Assistant Brewmaster Dane Volek started at Anchor 14 years ago and, like Riley, has only worked at Anchor. He leads the R&D side of the brewery now, making beers on the smaller brewhouse across the street from the production brewery at Anchor Public Taps, but he shares a similar love of the company and their unique brewing culture. There's a pride in craft, in the workmanship, and a genuine love of the brewery's history and sense of place. The beer they focus on, of course, is the ubiquitous Anchor Steam—brewed with pitched lager yeast, but fermented relatively warm in shallow open top fermenters in a temperature-controlled room but without temperature control in the vessels. It echoes the 1800's approach to steam beer, but with a focus on sanitation and consistency that those earlier brewers could only dream of. Today, the brewery on the corner of De Haro and Mariposa Streets in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco looks much like it did when Fritz Maytag was actively running the business, strategic production upgrades notwithstanding. And while the neighborhood around it has changed measurably over the past 50 years, the brewery's flagship beers have not. Some things ought to change, and some things should not. In this episode, Riley and Volek talk about style, history, and process for the flagship beers that Anchor focuses on—Steam, Porter, and Liberty Ale. Along the way, they discuss: the historical significance of Steam mechanics of open fermentation employing house yeast across a range of styles and ABVs fermenting with the same yeast under head pressure brewing blended batches with open and closed fermentation the value and importance of the story behind the beer And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers' Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) Check out www.probrew.com (https://www.probrew.com) for info on patented ProCarb inline carbonation technology, ProFill rotary filling & seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7–50bbl Brewhouses and more! Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Fermentis, the obvious choice for beverage fermentation, provides brewers large and small with the most complete portfolio of dry lager yeast available anywhere. To learn more, visit Fermentis.com (https://fermentis.com). Brewmation (https://brewmation.com/cbbpod): Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. Visit them at brewmation.com/cbbpod (https://brewmation.com/cbbpod) to get started. Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): Arryved mobile point of sale powers places with personality. No contracts and no monthly fees make Arryved a no brainer for your craft business. Go to Arryved.com/cbb (https://arryved.com/cbb) to set up a free, customized demo.

Our guest is Bruce Joseph, Master Distiller of Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey for Hotaling & Co.  Bruce previously appeared back in Episode 74 (circa June 2020), but he's back with his unique malted rye whiskey and it is now bearing a higher age statement and some killer new packaging.  The malted rye mashbill is pot distilled in San Francisco and admittedly is one of the most unique whiskies we've tried during this podcast's history. If you want to flex your palate and see what else is out there in craft whiskey, we highly recommend you find a bottle of Old Potrero's 6 year aged stated Straight Rye Whiskey.   Stream this episode on your favorite podcast app and be sure to drop us a review while you're there.   We are thankful for everyone who has supported us. A huge shoutout goes to our growing Patreon Community as well! We'd appreciate it if you can take the time to give us feedback on our podcast. If you enjoy our content, consider giving us a 5 star rating on your favorite podcast app, leave us a review, and tell a fellow bourbon lover about our show. Follow  us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.  And please check out our Patreon to learn how you can support our endeavors, earn Bourbon Lens swag, be part of future barrel picks, and more. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at TheBourbonLens@Gmail.com. Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts, or even purchase your own Bourbon Lens tasting glass or t-shirt. Cheers,Scott and JakeBourbon Lens   From their June 2022 Press Release: Hotaling & Co. is proud to announce the relaunch of the legendary whiskey brand, Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey, credited as the first American Craft Whiskey to hit the market since prohibition. The Old Potrero relaunch will feature new packaging and bottle design geared towards today's contemporary whiskey drinker, who appreciates an excellent dram with an iconic heritage and a modern-day appeal. Originally created by Fritz Maytag, the beverage visionary and founder of Hotaling & Co., (formerly Anchor Distilling Co.), Old Potrero Rye Whiskey is a bold homage to the original artisanal whiskies of America, a testament to the power of the pioneering spirit and the celebrated return of pot-distilled whiskey in the United States. Since 1994, the whiskey has been distilled in small copper pot stills at the San Francisco-based distillery, and in 2010 was passed down to current Master Distiller, Bruce Joseph, who has worked alongside Fritz since the first barrels were laid in the early 90's. “We are thrilled to usher Old Potrero into a new era,” says Master Distiller, Bruce Joseph. "With the same bold liquid within, Old Potrero's new packaging and bottle embody the boldness of its home-base, San Francisco. A city that's resilient, creative and richly historic, just like Old Potrero.” The new packaging redesign, created by design agency Stranger & Stranger, features a dark wooden top with a natural cork stopper stamped with Old Potrero branding for a premium craft feel. The bottle's perforated edges and ticket-style copy holding devices connect back to the historic cable cars of San Francisco. And the new label features the same copper pot still used at the distillery since its inception as well as one of the world's most celebrated and iconic sights – The Golden Gate Bridge. The font, Fog City Gothic, is used throughout the label as a nod to the type used on signage seen throughout San Francisco. “The bottle's design was inspired by the juxtaposition of San Francisco's architecture, between the past and the present,” says Luis Rivas Ball, Senior Brand Lead American Whiskeys at Hotaling and Co. “From the perforated edges and ticket-style holding devices that connect back to the cable cars to the copper pot still and Golden Gate Bridge in the logo, Old Potrero is a true representation of San Francisco.” Although the brand is launching a bold and eye-catching new design, what's inside will remain unchanged – the same award winning 100% malted rye whiskey, now aged longer for added smoothness and complexity. Highlights on the Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey 6 years-old and the Old Potrero Old Single Barrel 100% Malted Rye Whiskey are as follows: Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey 6-Year-Old (SRP $64.99) marked the official return of pot distilled rye whiskey to the US. Distilled from a 100% malted rye mash bill in the same copper post still since the 1990's, the liquid is then matured in new, charred, 24-month air dried, extra-fine grain, American white oak barrels for a minimum of six years. Tasting notes include brown sugar, black cherry, spice, and maple with a nutty finish, satisfying the enthusiast' desire for bolder flavors and higher strength whiskeys. The Old Potrero Single Barrel Rye Whiskey (SRP $89.99) is aged in extra fine grain American Oak. The wood is air dried for 24 months and the barrels are fully toasted and charred by hand over an oak fire. The mash of 100% malted rye is fermented for four days and then double distilled in traditional copper pot whiskey stills. This expression is slated to debut in later 2022. About Old Potrero Old Potrero Rye Whiskey is a testament to the power of the pioneering spirit and the celebrated return of pot- distilled whiskey in the United States. Created by Fritz Maytag, the same beverage visionary who sparked the craft beer movement with his purchase of Anchor Brewing in 1965 and the founder of the original Anchor Distilling Co., now Hotaling & Co., Old Potrero is credited as the first American craft whiskey to hit the market since Prohibition. It is distilled in a small copper pot still at the Hotaling & Co. Distillery on San Francisco's Potrero Hill Farm from a mash of 100% rye malt, with rye being the grain of choice for America's first distillers. About Hotaling & Co. Hotaling & Co., the leading San Francisco importer & distiller, offers the finest curated portfolio of premium artisanal spirits including Luxardo Liqueurs, Nikka Whisky, Kavalan Whisky, HINE Cognac, Denizen Rum, and HIRSCH Selected Whiskeys. Hotaling & Co., originally named Anchor Distilling Company, was established in 1993 and is credited with releasing America's first craft whiskey (Old Potrero) and American craft gin (Junipero Gin) after Prohibition. In 2010, Anchor Distilling Company was sold to a business partnership that included Tony Foglio and London's oldest wine and spirit merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd and began expanding to incorporate a collection of super-premium artisanal spirits imported from around the world. In 2017, Anchor Distilling became Hotaling &Co. The new name is a nod to one of Anchor Distilling's most beloved small batch whiskies (Old Potrero Hotaling's Whiskey) and to the San Francisco legend A.P. Hotaling, who came out West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the most reputable spirits dealers in the country. Today, Hotaling & Co. celebrates exciting growth and achievements, marking its 26th year of distilling and its 10th year of commercially uniting artisan distillers from around the world and sharing their stories to discerning consumers.  For more details about Old Potrero please visit OldPotrero.com or HotalingandCo.com.

When Fritz Maytag purchased a struggling brewery in San Francisco in the 1960s called Anchor Steam, he wasn't planning on revolutionizing the way that Americans think about and drink beer, but that's exactly what he did. In this episode Fritz Maytag joins Mike and Bret to talk about how and why that happened. Fritz also talks about how the 1960s happened in San Francisco in the 1960s.

Anchor Christmas Ale is a subtly spiced and sumptuously smooth winter warmer. This year's brew marks the 47th annual release of this Anchor holiday tradition. Year after year, Anchor creates a new, secret recipe with a unique hand drawn label for their Christmas Ale, but the intent with each brew remains the same: joy for the changing seasons and celebration of the newness of life. This year's Winter Warmer contains notes of rich, bittersweet chocolate with hints of raspberry and light mulling spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and cardamom. Anchor Brewing Company opened in 1896, making it one of America's oldest breweries. In 1965, Anchor got its second wind, as new owner Fritz Maytag charted a course toward what is now known as “craft beer”. During this time, Anchor reinvented their now classic Steam Beer, introduced the first American pale ale and pioneered new brewing practices—such as dry-hopping—that are still used industry wide today. As a proudly unionized brewery, Anchor now has a growing portfolio of beers including complex ales, refreshing IPAs, and fruit-forward seasonal creations. As always, Anchor Brewing remains committed to charting their own course and crafting iconic beers that stand the test of time. This week on FDB - wife runs over husband, woman records her stomach, a bad review kicks out a grandma, and more! Now please kick back, and enjoy another sit down with Friends Drink Beer. To support Anchor Brewing Company, and find out more about their beers, visit: Website: Anchorbrewing.com Instagram: @Anchorbrewing Have a question for Ryan & Alex? Submit it today at www.friendsdrinkbeer.com, and we will answer it on the next episode! Lastly if you like the show, donate to us and show your support: www.patreon.com/friendsdrinkbeer CREDITS Alex Hobbs - Host/Executive Producer Ryan Roope - Host/Executive Producer Jared Brody - Writer/Producer Chelsea Cook - Writer

This week Brew Ha Ha is 2 parts. Mark Carpenter tells about his career with Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. Then Herlinda Heras is in Finland and calls us from Helsinki. Mark Carpenter begins his story with his quest for a more interesting career as a young man in San Francisco in 1971, and proceeds through his first encounter with owner Fritz Maytag, his fortuitous hiring, a description of the facilities, their brewing process, the success of Anchor Steam Beer and several other cool stories from those years. It's a great 9=minute summary of a very interesting story. At the 9-minute mark, Herlinda Heras joins Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter on the telephone from Helsinki, Finland. As Herlinda Heras calls in from Helsinki, Finland, it is the late afternoon California time so it is the middle of the night in Helsinki. Herlinda is there to be a judge in the Finland national brewing competition and also the Sahti competition. (Sahti is the old-time Finnish style of home brew.) She is enthusiastic about Finland for many reasons, including their social system as well as their brews. Russian River Brewing Co. is also open at both sites, in Santa Rosa on 4th Street and in Windsor. Herlinda brought a dry-hopped Pliny the Elder in a can, to Finland. She was at the Windsor location and a famous drag racer from NHRA was there with a race car for pictures.  Herlinda describes judging Sahti. It is the oldest brewing style in the world. Unfortunately Skype had glitches so the call is shortened. Harry Duke and Mark Carpenter then discuss the trends in beverages, including hard seltzer. Mark Carpenter remembers Zima, he mentions Bartles & James wine coolers. "They come and go," says Mark. He's not a fan. Harry mentions that some companies have continued to make them because they are easy to make. The success of the product depends more on marketing because the product is rather plain. AB has stopped making theirs. Mark Carpenter says that you never know what the next big thing will be. He suggests that lighter craft Pilsners may begin to appear. Possibly, part of the reason for that is that IPAs became such a contest in how much hop flavor you can put into the product. There would be a natural swing back in the other direction, from brewers that "... are all trying to out-hop each other." Liberty Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Hen House, are excellent alternatives. Mark's personal belief is that craft beer is here to stay. Once you drink those, you're not going back to the major brands. It's like getting into espresso coffee; you don't go back to regular coffee because there is too much flavor there. Mark would like to see the beers get down to about 5% alcohol. Beer drinkers like to drink volume but don't want to get inebriated. This is like English lagers, you can drink them and not get too intoxicated. Some brewers are also making non-alcoholic beers. Those are nice for people who like a refreshing beverage but don't want alcohol. Some of the "Daytime" beers (such as one by Lagunitas) are very popular. Harry points out that the flavor of the beer is what makes it, and domestic light beer have none. Once you get used to beer with a genuine flavor and body, you don't go back. This is why the major brewers are investing in craft beer. Mark Carpenter says that Coors' Blue Moon is an example of a good one, made by a major producer.

Justin Green, head brewer at Steele and Hops is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter. Herlinda Heras is also in the studio today. Mark Carpenter was head brewer for Anchor Brewing in San Francisco which started in 1896. Next month is the 84th anniversary of KSRO, the home station of Brew Ha Ha. Anchor made a beer called "Steam" which is a type of beer which was brewed as a type of beer that they could make, since they could not make lager because they did not have refrigeration. The beer had a lot of foam and got the nickname Steam from that. After refrigeration, Steam beer went out of fashion but it survived in San Francisco because the climate was cool enough to allow it. Fritz Maytag, son of the washer and dryer family, bought the brewery in the late 60s when it was in distress and Fritz made it successful. Mark stayed there for his whole career. Fritz has vineyards in St. Helena and another million projects. Justin Green joins Steve, Herlinda and Mark on the phone. Justin tells how he became the head brewer at Steele and Hops. He started as a corporate restaurant manager, then worked for Jupiter, where he did brewing while also being a manager. He got to make beers but on a small scale, 3 barrels, then he worked for another brewer ten times larger. Then he started at Steele and Hops which was already operating as a restaurant and was adding the brewery. Herlinda mentions a beer labeled "F**k Cancer" and Justin tells the story. He and a fellow brewer each had a cancer scare, Justin's was caught early but his friend had to go through treatment. So Justin wanted this beer to help raise awareness for early detection. The beer has sold out from the Sonoma Springs location but they have some left at Steele and Hops. It's also in other brewpubs throughout the Bay Area.    

This week's guest on Spirits of Whisk(e)y is Bruce Joseph, Master Distiller at Hotaling & Co., a pioneer of American craft distilling. The San Francisco distillery, founded by the legendary Fritz Maytag and formerly known as Anchor Distilling, before the 2017 purchase of its brewing operations by Japan's Sapporo Breweries, released its first small-batch spirits in 1996, long before craft distilling became the nationwide, and now global, phenomenon it is today. Listen and learn how Bruce, who in 2020 celebrates his 40th anniversary with the company, rose from bottling Anchor Steam as a means of zeroing out his beer budget to distilling some of America's most highly regarded whiskeys and gins, including his signature Old Potrero Rye and Junipero Gin, and his latest projects, Hirsch Bourbon and J.H. Cutter blended American whiskey. Plus hear Chef Louise Leonard's suggestions for pairing Old Potrero Rye with steamed Dungeness crab. Please visit spiritsofwhiskey.com for show notes, past episodes, and coming attractions! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/spirits-of-whiskey/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/spirits-of-whiskey/support

In this episode, Matt talks to Hotaling & Co. CEO, Dan Leese.  Hotaling & Co., formerly Anchor Distilling Company, is an importer and distiller of fine spirits headquartered in San Francisco. Originally established in 1993 by beverage visionary Fritz Maytag, fueled by the bold realization that there were no pot-distilled whiskies or high-end craft gins being made legally in America at the time. As a result, Anchor Distilling Company is credited with creating America's first craft whiskey (Old Potrero) and gin (Junípero Gin) after Prohibition. In 2010, Fritz Maytag retired and sold Anchor Distilling Company to a business partnership that included Tony Foglio and London's oldest wine and spirit merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd. With the sale, Anchor Distilling Company expanded beyond production on Potrero Hill to incorporate importing a collection of super-premium craft spirits from around the world. Today, newly named Hotaling & Co., has earned a nationwide reputation for its curated portfolio of premium craft spirits imported into the U.S. that is made up of over 300 specialty products from nearly 23 countries.  If you want to try any of the spirits Matt discussed on the show you can ORDER ONLINE or from the BIG RED LIQUORS APP for Curbside Pickup Service. It's as easy as 1,2,3! Start Your Order -  bigredliquors.com Simply select your store, browse and search for Hotaling & Co products and start a CURBSIDE order. Your store will notify you when it is ready for pickup. Best of all, our NO TOUCH curbside will leave you with peace of mind and the great products you want ASAP.

Bruce Joseph, Master Distiller of Hotaling & Co., joins us to discuss one of the original craft rye whiskies post-Prohibition.  Old Potrero emerged out San Francisco after a few brewers decided to try their hand at distillation in the mid-1990s.  Hotaling & Co. (formerly the Anchor Distilling Company) produces several rye whiskies under the Old Potrero namesake. This unique rye whiskey is made from 100% malted rye grain and distilled using pot stills.  We had the opportunity to try Old Potrero Straight Rye (aged 4.5 years in new charred oak) and 18th Century Rye (aged 2.5 years in toasted oak), each of which bear some similarities but are unique due to the influence of the barrels used in aging.   About Old Potrero and Hotaling & Co. Hotaling & Co., formerly Anchor Distilling Company, was established in 1993 by Fritz Maytag, the same beverage visionary who sparked the craft beer movement with his purchase of Anchor Brewing in 1965. After several decades of exclusively producing beer, Maytag and his team saw an opportunity in craft distilling in the early 1990s. The team began experimenting after realizing that there were no copper pot-distilled whiskies or gins still being made legally in America. The Return of Pot-Distilled Whiskey to the United States Old Potrero recreates the original whiskey of America, and marks the return of pot-distilled whiskey in the United States, with rye being the grain of choice for America’s first distillers. Finding inspiration in the rye whiskies of America’s past and the great single malt whiskies of Scotland, the original distilling team, which included master distiller Bruce Joseph, who now marks his 40th anniversary at Hotaling & Co., began building a distillery. The first whiskey went into barrel in 1994, and the distillery soon began producing three rye whiskies, all pot-distilled from a mash of 100% malted rye at the Hotaling & Co. Distillery on San Francisco’s Potrero Hill: Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey (48.5% ABV); Old Potrero 18th Century Style Rye Whiskey (51.2% ABV), and Old Potrero Single Malt Hotaling’s Whiskey (50% ABV), in addition to limited-edition special finishes. Leading spirits historian David Wondrich has since named Old Potrero the “#6 most influential spirit of the last 25 years.” A New Chapter as Hotaling & Co. In 2017, Anchor Brewing Company was sold, and although Anchor Distilling Company was not part of the sale, it relinquished the rights to use the “Anchor” trademark. In early 2018, the new name of “Hotaling & Co.” was announced, a reference to one of Anchor Distilling’s most beloved small batch whiskeys and to the San Francisco legend A.P. Hotaling, who came out West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the original and most reputable spirits dealers in the country. Born in 1828, Hotaling moved from New York to California in 1852, where he found his calling in San Francisco as a purveyor of fine whiskeys and proceeded to build the largest liquor wholesaler in the West. In San Francisco drinks culture, Hotaling’s name became immortalized when his whiskey warehouse on Jackson Street survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Today, Hotaling & Co. is a quickly growing distiller and importer representing a curated portfolio of super-premium artisanal spirits like Luxardo Liqueurs, Nikka Whisky, and HINE Cognac, and celebrates 26 years of production. Learn more at www.HotalingandCo.com   We would appreciate you giving us a 5 STAR RATING on your podcast app and please leave us a written review. This will help others discover our podcast and will help us expand our reach. Also, be sure to follow us @BourbonLens on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please email us at TheBourbonLens@Gmail.com. Visit our website BourbonLens.com to check out our blog posts and see what we are up to. Cheers! Scott, Michael, & Jake The Bourbon Lens

This week's all about the history of craft beer, and one of its most important breweries! Well, two, really. Part one of the New Albion story covers the American beer industry in the first half of the 1900s, up to Fritz Maytag's revival of Anchor Brewing in the 60s. Plus Larry tries out a German accent!

Bob Brewer visits Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter this week, plus Steve speaks with Herlinda Heras who is in Rimini, Italy, again this year, to judge the Italian "Beer of the Year" competition, called "Birra dell'anno" in Italian. Mark Carpenter worked with Bob Brewer at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco for many years. First, Steve Jaxon talks to Herlinda Heras who is in Rimini, Italy, for the second straight year, where she is a judge in this year's national competition. There are 108 judges from 15 different countries. They are judging only Italian beers. Italy is known for wine, but also for flavor, and their craft beer scene is very well developed. Mark Carpenter tells how there were no breweries in California at the time of the Gold Rush, which attracted people from everywhere, including northern Europe. They wanted to make Lager beer but they had no ice, so they made a hybrid style of beer that took the nickname of Steam. Of all the origin stories, this is the one that seems most likely to Mark: because they were trying to make a lager beer, they were making it carbonated. To do that they would go through a Krausening process (a traditional German method for carbonating beer by adding actively fermenting malt wort). The beer would be pretty well carbonated and was served in places that were cool, but not refrigerated. When they tried to tap the kegs, they would get a lot of foam. They had to pour a little then let it settle. The foam that would come out would escape like steam. At the time, lager beer was taking over the world and the steam beers died out. Anchor was the only steam beer producer to survive prohibition. San Francisco is cool enough in the summer to brew that way. Bob Brewer remembers when kegs were scarce and he had to reorganize his schedule to maximize his access to empty kegs. He also modified some taps to control the foaming with the steam beer. Mark says that Sapporo which owns Anchor now, is in it for the long haul. Fritz Maytag sold it about 8 or 9 years ago to buyers who then sold it to Sapporo. The Beverage People is Sonoma County's fermentation experts since 1980. They have all the equipment, supplies and instructions for making home brewed beer, and also wine, cheese, olives, mead and any kind of fermented food or beverage.

Just like last year, Hotaling & Co's Brand Development Manager, Maurice Chevalier, had too many bottles in his personal whiskey collection and decided to share some with the Spirit Guide Society! Join us as be brings in some very special end of the year treats!--What we drank:Old Potrero Straight RyeOld Potrero Hoatlaing's 11 Year Rye WhiskeyLot 40 Canadian RyeGooderham and Worts Four Grain WhiskeyDingle Irish WhiskeyKavalan Distillery SelectNikka 17--From the Hoataling & Co. website: hotalingandco.comA Craft Beer Pioneer Sets His Sights On SpiritsThe original Anchor Distilling Company was established in 1993 by Fritz Maytag, the same beverage visionary who sparked the craft beer movement with his purchase of Anchor Brewing in 1965. Maytag had rescued the struggling brewery and its iconic steam beer, and after several decades of exclusively producing beer, Maytag saw an opportunity to expand into the distillation of spirits.The Return Of Pot-Distilled Whiskey To The United StatesFritz's vision of a rye whiskey revival was fueled by the bold realization that there were no pot-distilled whiskeys being made legally in America at the time. Finding inspiration in the rye whiskeys of America's past and the great single malt whiskies of Scotland, Fritz gathered a small team to begin top secret research and experimentation in the distillery. The first whiskey went into barrel in 1994, and the distillery soon began producing three rye whiskeys under Fritz's guidance, all pot-distilled spirit from a mash of 100% malted rye. Over time, the range of spirits expanded into other categories, with the addition of Junípero Gin and Genevieve genever. The creation of Junípero was particularly significant, as it effectively started the movement towards high-end craft gin in the United States.An Independent Distiller Transforms Into A Portfolio Of Global Craft SpiritsIn 2010, Fritz Maytag retired and sold Anchor Distilling Company to a business partnership that included Tony Foglio and London's oldest wine and spirit merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd. With the sale, Anchor Distilling Company expanded beyond production on Potrero Hill to incorporate importing a collection of super-premium craft spirits from around the world.A New Chapter As Hotaling & Co.In 2017, Anchor Brewing Company was sold, and although Anchor Distilling Company was not part of the sale, it relinquished the rights to use the “Anchor” trademark. In early 2018, the new name of “Hotaling & Co.” was announced, a reference to one of Anchor Distilling's most beloved small batch whiskies and to the San Francisco legend A.P. Hotaling, who came out West during the Gold Rush and quickly became one of the most reputable spirits dealers in the country.Born in 1828, Hotaling moved from New York to California in 1852, where he found his calling in San Francisco as a purveyor of fine whiskies and proceeded to build the largest liquor wholesaler in the West. In San Francisco drinks culture, Hotaling's name became immortalized when his whiskey warehouse on Jackson Street survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Today, the Hotaling name remains a part of San Francisco drinking culture as the distillery celebrates 26 years of production, a proud tradition that will continue into the future alongside the other core pillars: importing and consumer education.--Follow us:spiritguidesocietypodcast.comfacebook.com/spiritguidesoctwitter.com/spiritguidesocinstagram.com/spiritguidesochttps://www.youtube.com/c/spiritguidesociety--Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Judy Ashworth joins Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras today on Brew Ha Ha. She was a legendary and influential Bay Area publican for many years and has known Mark Carpenter since the 1970s. A publican is a person who owns and operates a pub or bar. The term is more in use in Britain but it is also American. Mark tells about how Judy took over a little bar in Sinole, California, that served the major brewers but she also began bringing in beer from all the micro-brewers in the area. Unfortunately it burned down, which made the news because there were a lot of local reporters who drank beer there. Nevertheless she persisted! She rebuilt with plenty of help from friends and the rest is glorious history. Clever Promotions When people asked her what is her favorite beer, she has been answering "I hope it hasn't been brewed yet." She is very proud and excited about the beer Renaissance in America and especially in the Bay Area. Today, where she lives, there are at least five pubs near her that serve craft beer. Judy also organized promotional events like a brewer's fashion show. Mark Carpenter and a friend went to the show decked out in costumes they bought in the Mission district in San Francisco (imagine something hippie and funky, we're sorry we have no pictures). They used to also put on a Crawfish party once a year. All the people in the brewing community at the time knew each other and would see each other socially at Judy's events. Her Christmas Ale was also the centerpiece of her December holiday parties. Judy says that being a publican means knowing how to shoot pool and play darts. But when she started in the business she was a single mom who had no experience in beer. She says she was in the right place at the right time, after working in various other jobs, she didn't like the corporate world. She decided to build a business for herself at the age of 37. Judy never worked for anyone else after that. She did it in order to be able to spend more time with her children. Her business partner sold it to her and she paid it off over some time. "I was forty when my whole life changed." She learned about beer from the brewers, including every detail, like temperature, type of glass, how to pour, etc. She was explaining to people how to enjoy beer. The Beverage People The Beverage People is a Santa Rosa company that has provided home brewers with everything they need since 1981. They have materials and advice for making beer, wine, cheese, olives and much more, at home. In the early years, says Judy, many women would say they didn't like beer, but she thought it could be because all they ever tasted was a bit of warm Bud from a friend's glass. She would introduce women to other beers, such as dark beers, which are easier to drink than lagers. Once, she served a beer to Fritz Maytag, which he liked, and he didn't realize it was Liberty Ale. Then he said, this is the reason why he started brewing it. When her place burned down, right before Christmas in 1987, people assembled there to mourn, and Mark and his friend brought beer over. She didn't have fire insurance and had to rebuild the business with help from a fund-raiser. All the micro-breweries knew they had to support her because she was the only one teaching people about beer. She had a lot of music at her pub and all the musicians donated their time. All the breweries brought special beers. Someone brought a grundy (which is an old brew kettle). It raised a lot of money and got her back in business. Her brother was a woodworker who rebuilt the whole bar in the old fashioned style, in mahogany from Honduras. Today Judy Ashworth feels like a proud grandma of the beer business. She has even taught on beer education cruises in Europe. She has been a national beer judge and was on the board of directors of the Great American Beer Festival.

Anchor Brewing Company’s roots date back to the California Gold Rush, making it one of America’s oldest breweries. They’ve been going since 1896. In 1965, Fritz Maytag acquired and revived the struggling brewery at a time when mass production of beer had dominated and seemed unstoppable. Maytag started a revolution in beer that originated today’s craft beer movement. Anchor is America’s first craft brewery where beers are handmade in their traditional copper brewhouse from an all-malt mash. They practice the art of classical brewing while still employing modern day methods to ensure the freshness of their beer. Through every step of the brewing process, Anchor treats every batch as if it were the one that they were going to be remembered for. Back in 1975, Anchor released the first holiday beer in America since Prohibition. Year after year, Anchor creates a new, secret recipe with a unique hand drawn label for their Christmas Ale, but the intent with each brew remains the same: joy for the changing seasons and celebration of the newness of life. With a heavily guarded, confidential recipe, Christmas Ale is sold only from early November to mid-January. The 45th Annual Anchor Christmas Ale is a Winter Warmer Ale is complex and full in flavor, packed with toasty cocoa notes, roasted and strong aromas of resinous pine. Slightly darker than last year’s Christmas Ale, the 2019 edition is layered with toasted caramel and coffee flavors with subtle hints of Mexican chocolate, rounded out with herbaceous spices. This week on FDB - Photoshop helps bring in culprit, man has sex with leaves, Alex discovers his intrigue into his parents’ sex life, and more! We’re also lucky enough to chat with Anchor Brewing Company’s Brewmaser, Scott Ungermann! With whom we discuss the history of Anchor Brewing, the love and care that goes into their Christmas Ale, and what we can look forward to from them in the future. Now please kick back, and enjoy another sit down with Friends Drink Beer. To support Anchor Brewing Company and find out more about their beers, visit: Website: anchorbrewing.com Instagram: @anchorbrewing Have a question for Ryan & Alex? Submit it today at www.friendsdrinkbeer.com, and we will answer it on the next episode! Lastly if you like the show, donate to us and show your support: www.patreon.com/friendsdrinkbeer CREDITS Alex Hobbs - Executive Producer Ryan Roope - Executive Producer Jared Brody - Writer/Producer

The American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is the subjcet of this week's Brew Ha Ha podcast. Steve Jaxon talks to Herlinda Heras, on the telephone from Washington DC. She is attending the Smithsonian's grand opening of the exhibition. The exhibition is a celebration of the most recent generation of American brewers.  They are bestowing honors on Anchor Brewing, Sierra Nevada and New Albion. New Albion was the first brewery in America after Prohibition, located in Sonoma. The American History Museum is hosting this exhibit. Fritz Maytag is there and so is New Albion founder Jack McAuliffe, as well as Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada. Herlinda learned that Jack McAuliffe was stationed at Alameda with the Navy before founding New Albion. There are food events, tastings and talks to celebrate the exhibit. According to the exhibit's website, "The American Brewing History Initiative at the National Museum of American History will document and collect the story of beer and brewing in America, with a special focus on home brewing and craft beer. Made possible by a gift from the Brewers Association, the initiative will build an archive of American brewing history for the benefit of scholars and the public."

Cheers and holiday beers, tap heads! We are honored to be joined by Scott Ungermann, brewmaster (and extremely cool guy) at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, CA. I think by now, everyone in the craft world has heard of, and probably had their hands on, Anchor Steam or our favorite, Anchor's Christmas Ale.We talk to Scott about his history as a beer drinker and beer maker, cutting his teeth with Budweiser, producing such vast quantities of beer, transitioning into his role at Anchor Brewing, what excites him about the craft beer world, and even talk a little about some complaint-mail he's received. Scott also talks all about Anchor's history, their various owners and iterations, Fritz Maytag saving the brewery from ruin, and what exactly a Steam Beer is. We also hit Scott with a round of Rapid Fire questions. And if you haven't heard, Anchor has a unique taproom in San Francisco where they put all their experimental beers on tap. In addition to learning about Scott and Anchor, he leads everyone on a guided tasting of the freshly released 2019 Anchor Christmas Ale, a dark, complex, and spicy brown ale. A huge thank you to Scott Ungermann for sharing his time and some of his great beer. 2019's edition of Christmas Ale is a great one. If you'd like to find out more about Anchor Brewing, head over to www.anchorbrewing.com, www.facebook.com/AnchorBrewing, www.instagram.com/AnchorBrewing, or www.twitter.com/AnchorBrewing. And if you're in the San Francisco area, don't miss their excellent tour!Don't forget to check us out at www.theunfilteredgentlemen.com and to follow us on our social medias for some great beer shots: www.facebook.com/theunfilteredgentlemen, @unfilteredgents on twitter, and TheUnfilteredGentlemen on Instagram! We want you to drunk dial (805) 538-BEER (2337), we'd love to hear from you!

Craft Brew News 10/25/2019(Courtesy of Brewbound – www.Brewbound.com)Smithsonian to Open Beer Industry ExhibitA new exhibit that the Smithsonian National Museum of American History will highlight beer and its history in the U.S. “Brewing a Revolution” will join the museum’s permanent “FOOD: Transforming the American Table” exhibit on Friday, October 25.According to a press release, “Visitors will see artifacts, archival materials and photographs that originated in the homebrewing and microbrewing movements of California and Colorado in the 1960s through 1980s — the beginning of the craft beer ‘revolution,’ Key artifacts on display include the coveralls of former Anchor Brewing owner Fritz Maytag’, a homebrewing spoon that belonged to Brewers Association founder Charlie Papazian, and a travel notebook that belonged to New Belgium Brewing co-founders Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch.The opening of the display will be showcased in November during an event for Smithsonian Food History Weekend. “The Last Call: Brewing History After-Hours” takes place on Friday, November 8 and features Maytag, Papazian, Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman, and University of California, Davis professor emeritus Michael Lewis. Braxton Brewing’s Vive to be Official Hard Seltzer of the Indiana PacersBraxton Brewing Company’s Vive Hard Seltzer is now the official hard seltzer of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, a move that brings the brand into Indiana and continues its string of sponsorships of professional sports teams.The product will be available in 16 oz. cans at the Pacers’ arena, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, in Indianapolis. Cans will be available at off-premise retailers in Indiana in early November.In addition to the Pacers, Braxton has struck partnership deals for Vive with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and MLS’ FC Cincinnati.“With a fast upward trajectory, Vive continues to establish itself as a leader within the hard seltzer category,” a press release said.Ex-BrewDog CEO Launches CBD Beverage LineFormer BrewDog USA CEO Tanisha Robinson will launch a line of sparkling, CBD-infused drinks, according to a report from Columbus Alive.BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie will invest in Robinson’s new company, W*nder.Robinson was tapped to lead the Scotland-headquartered craft brewery’s U.S. operations in 2017.W*nder plans to donate 4% of profits to investments in entrepreneurs in communities that cannabis prohibition has harmed, according to the outlet. It will launch with four flavors with pop culture-inspired names: Breakfast Club, which has blood orange, mint and ginger; Born to Run, which has lemon and rosemary; Fast Times, which has cucumber, mint and lime; and Night Moves, which has blueberry and basil.Allagash Brewing Company Pledges to Help Keep Portland’s Drinking Water CleanAllagash Brewing Company has announced a pledge to donate ten cents for every barrel of beer brewed to Sebago Clean Waters (SCW), a collaborative effort of nine conservation organizations working to protect water quality, community well-being, a vibrant economy, and fish and wildlife in the Sebago region through voluntary forestland conservation. At an amount of approximately $10,000 per year, these funds will go directly toward helping SCW preserve the quality of the drinking water in Sebago Lake.Portland draws its water from Sebago Lake, located just northwest of the city. One out of six Mainers (more than 200,000 people) and Maine’s fastest growing businesses depend on Sebago Lake for their drinking water. The lake supplies 22 million gallons of clean drinking water per day.That clean water is largely due to the forests that surround the lake—84% of the 234,000-acre Sebago watershed is covered by forests. The goal of the SCW and Allagash partnership is to conserve more forests surrounding the lakes, streams, and rivers that feed Sebago Lake. Currently, only 10% of Sebago watershed forests is permanently conserved.Paul Hunt, the Portland Water District’s Environmental Services Manager said “Sebago Lake is so pure that it is one of only 50 public surface water supplies in the entire country that require no filtration before treatment. “The forests are the natural filtration plant for Sebago Lake. Keeping it clean and naturally filtered like this means that our water is safer, less expensive, and tastes better than if the lake were degraded and we had to filter it artificially.”Craft Beer Storm Website: www.craftbeerstorm.com If your Company, Hotel or Restaurant wants to book a CraftBeer Weekend or Craft Beer Evening for your guests or employees send an email to Michael@craftbeerstorm.com Subscribe to Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278?mt=2Support ACS In NYC Marathon“32K In 64 days” - I signed up for the NYC Marathon through the American Cancer Society and I am aiming to raise $32,000 ($3,200 Minimum X 10X) - please follow link below to donate what you can - $25, $50, $30K! - Onward... - Here is link –http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=94035&pg=personal&px=49477898&fbclid=IwAR2mBEvhF1wMA_BbHPhkavichNSFrE9Y9gi2RVZzfQ_4Da5Sht7gvH9rY_k*** A Top 20 Podcast in Food on iTunes ***Michael Potorti is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH*** Interested in starting your own brewery? Our Portsmouth, NH TURNKEY facility is for sale! Follow link for more info:https://www.neren.com/Listing/2800-Lafayette-Rd-12A/5cdda2dabf34cb9150a7faebMichael PotortiFounder/BrewerHost of "Craft Beer Storm" Podcastmichael@craftbeerstorm.commichael@bearairishbrew.com*** Come visit our brewery for some delicious local craft brew! ***Beara Brewing Co.2800 Lafayette RoadPortsmouth, NH 03801Tel. (857) 342-3272 www.bearairishbrew.com Like us onInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearairishbrew/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BearaIrishBrewingCo Twitter: https://twitter.com/BearaIrishBrew Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beara-brewing-co-30776075/**LISTEN to our Craft Beer Storm Podcast and share with a friend**Craft Beer Storm Podcast iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-beer-storm/id1438117278Craft Beer Storm You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3PVuCGmywNWlGFh0N0ukg?view_as=subscriberCraft Beer Storm Podcast Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-center-la-2/craft-beer-stormCraft Beer Storm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftbeerstorm/Craft Beer Storm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelpotorti/

Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon today features Don Barkley and Kevin Lovett. Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras are both traveling. Don was last on Brew Ha Ha back in March of this year. Don Barkley tells the story of how he was there the day that Kevin was born, on the 4th of July. Kevin's dad Michael and Don Barkley have been friends for a long time. They worked together at the New Albion Brewery then they moved to Hopland at the same time to start the Mendocino Brewing Co. and the Hopland Brewery and Kevin Lovett was born soon after that. Kevin was one of Don's first employees at the Napa Smith Brewery, where he worked for about five years. Then he got an offer from Brian Hunt who owns and operates Moonlight Brewing Co., which also happens to be where Don's son works. Kevin says, "I got to work for two of the godfathers in this industry, Don and Brian." Then after Moonlight, Kevin was the head brewer at Stumptown for two years, then became the Master Brewer at Cloverdale Ale Company. He has now bought the brewery, just three weeks ago, and is going to reopen it at the beginning of the year, as the Wolf House Brewery. He is opening two spots at the same time, one in Glen Ellen, the Jack London Historical Village, on the south side, right up against the Jack London Park. Both places will be a full brew pub, but their main production facility will be in Cloverdale. Glen Ellen is known as a wine town but there are few breweries and no tasting rooms, except for Cloverdale. We get a phone call from Herlinda Heras who is visiting Belgium, where it is 2:29 AM the next day. She began the trip in Amsterdam. Everywhere she goes there are separate containers for recycling glass and plastic. She also visited two breweries in windmills. Kevin's business partner and bro-in-law is a chef who also runs a food truck called Got Balls Meatball Factory. that specializes in meatballs and he will manage the food provisions there.  The Glen Ellen location is being rebuilt from scratch, including all the local permits. Herlinda describes a Belgian monastery where the beer that the brothers produce was for a while the number one rated beer on RateBeer.com. When crowds of beer lovers showed up there, the monks were unhappy with the interruption to their life, which includes a vow not to earn more money than they need to run their monastery. Herlinda describes going to some Trappist breweries there. Herlinda is touring breweries on Bon Beer Voyage Beer Tours. They have rooms on flat-bottomed canal barges that go through the canals in the Netherlands and Belgium. They visited Antwerp, which is gorgeous. She will also attend the Smithsonian ceremony on November 8 in Washington DC, for the opening of the Beer History Museum, where some famous American brewers like New Albion, Anchor Brewing Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head will be inducted. Fritz Maytag and Ken Grossman will be there. Herlinda wonders why Dogfish Head is in such company.

On October 25, 2019, a new exhibit will be opening up at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History that highlights the American brewing history. Exhibit Curator Theresa McCulla joins Richard on this episode of the DC Beer Show.Theresa explains how beer fits into a longer timeline in history and shares how she collected items for this exhibit. From sheet music to a 1970s vibrating football table, some items from the exhibit are not your typical beer-related items, but they hold meaning. Theresa also previews some of the items beer industry gurus like Michael Lewis, Fritz Maytag, and Charlie Papazian donated to the collection.Smithsonian's Last CallOn November 8, 2019, during Food History Weekend, the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian will feature an event called Last Call from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm. This year's event will be exciting as it is the first time that four of the most influential individuals in the beer industry will be together. Theresa will be emceeing ann amazing panel that includes some of the most important names in craft brewing: Charlie Papazian, Ken Grossman, Fritz Maytag, and Michael Lewis. Along with these industry-shaping individuals, there will be five different breweries serving two specialty beers each, including: Anchor Brewing Co.: Anchor Porter and Anchor Steam Beer Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.: Pale Ale and Celebration Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: 60 Minute IPA and Slightly Mighty New Belgium Brewing Co.: Fat Tire Ale and second beer is TBA Raleigh Brewing Co.: New Albion Pale Ale (Jack McAuliffe's original recipe) and Hell Yes Ma'am Belgian Golden Ale This is an event that Theresa is excited about and one that you will not want to miss. For more information and to purchase tickets visit http://s.si.edu/lastcall.Catch up on all the DC Beer Show episodes here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, the DC Beer Weekly Pour. 

This episode was originally recorded on August 3, 2017. There is no new BHH episode this week due to other programming on home station KSRO. Kim Lentjes & Jeroen Hobert are our guests on Brew Ha Ha today. Kim Lentjes founded the Dutch Beer Academy in 2015 and it is still going strong. She organizes training courses for restaurant staff, tastings and Kim is also active as a judge in beer competitions. Steve first mentions that Sapporo of Japan has just bought Anchor Brewing, which was news back then in 2017, when this show was recorded live. Mark’s opinion is that it is great because today, a successful brewery will have to have its own bars, like Gordon Biersch. If Anchor wants to continue to sell in New York and Chicago, they need bars there and Sapporo can do that. There are no changes in management planned and they plan to keep the brewery as it is. Mark thinks they realize what a great brewery it is and how closely it is associated with San Francisco. Fritz Maytag speaks Japanese and was always happy to visit with the Japanese brewers who would often visit his brewery. Steve mentions that Anchor Brewing is credited with sparking the craft brewing business in the US when Fritz Maytag bought it in 1965. Mark Carpenter started there in 1971. Herlinda knows a lot of people in the beer business worldwide and when they come to visit San Francisco, they want to visit Anchor Brewing. Kim explains that they train people who work with beer, what it is, how to taste it, how to sell beer and even how to get more people to drink more beer. Herlinda mentions that Lagunitas is a Dutch company now since Heineken has purchased it from the founders. Kim sees that the craft beer movement is very strong here in America. Mark says they should be happy that the breweries like Anchor and Lagunitas will continue to operate the same way.    

Today on Brew Ha Ha Steve Jaxon gets the whole story from Mark Carpenter about Anchor Brewing, its history and historical context, its production and its role in American brewing. (We were expecting guests from San Francisco’s Fort Point Beer Co. but they are stuck in traffic and will reschedule.) Mark Carpenter started working at Anchor Brewing in 1971 after he met its owner Fritz Maytag. Mark was looking for a more interesting and rewarding line of work and found that at Anchor. Mark retired a few years ago and Anchor's new brewmaster is Ramon Tamayo, who was also on the show recently. Right now, Mark is tasting a Shadow of a Doubt Imperial Porter from Russian River Brewing Co. It’s warm but it’s fine, Mark says that if a beer is good it should be good at room temperature too. "In warm countries they drink cold beer, in cold countries they drink warm beer." The beer is named after the Alfred Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt which was filmed in Santa Rosa in 1943. Mark talks about the Fort Point, an interesting brewery, says Mark. They do a Kölsch. All over Germany, the towns had their own styles of beer. Then Lager beer was invented and they all switched to that. But Kolsch is a surviving local beer from the city of Cologne (called Köln in German). An Imperial Porter means it's a black beer. Compared to a Stout, a Porter is sweeter. It also has nice flavors. "Imperial" means it is higher in alcohol, this is 10%. So without our expected guests, Steve invites Mark to tell the whole Anchor Brewing story which starts with what a city San Francisco was in the last 1960s. They were protesting the Vietnam War and there was an abundance of great music at venues like the Fillmore. Mark remembers the background of the city where people were looking for ways to do something more inspiring than his "normal" job. Mark would visit any American city and visit its breweries. He visited Coors in Colorado and Pabst in Wisconsin and took brewery tours. Steve is from Detroit and asks if Mark visited Stroh's there, but he hasn't. Stroh's called itself "fire brewed" which was a common European process in the late 1800s where beer was heated in copper kettles heated by fire, not steam.  Mark says that steam applies less heat than a gas flame which gives some caramel color and flavor that steam does not. Stroh's was the only beer in America that was fire brewed. Stroh's today is owned by Pabst but it's not the same and is not fire brewed anymore. Mark always says he was lucky to get the job at Anchor. It was the smallest brewery in America at the time. They worked hard to build their reputation. Before they had volume sales, they only brewed once a month but sales steadily increased. Mark gives Fritz Maytag credit for having great business vision for the brewery, from the time he acquired it in 1965. Fritz had heard that the brewery would be closing and he went to visit it. He saw magic and potential and wound up buying it. He would say that he paid "less than you pay for a good car." It was a nineteenth century brewery. There was no refrigeration. It was a very crude little brewery and Fritz invested money into it. Fritz wanted to make sure that Anchor was known not just for Anchor Steam Beer. At first they had Anchor Steam Dark which simply had caramel coloring added. Fritz wanted to develop the Porter to replace that to do it right. They even started distilling in 1993.

This is the story of how Fritz Maytag, father of the American beer revolution, transformed "the last medieval brewery in the world" into one of the most modern breweries on the planet. Links:  MBAA TQ: The Story of the Whirlpool MBAA TQ: The Role of Iodophors in Brewery Sanitation Master Brewers Mobile App Special Guest: Fritz Maytag.

Ramon Tamayo from Anchor Brewing joins Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter this week on Brew Ha Ha. Herlinda Heras will call in from Puerto Rico too. Ramon grew up in Petaluma and worked at McNear’s Saloon & Dining House in Petaluma. Ken O’Donnell ran it and recommended Ramon so Mark hired him. Ramon started on the packaging line in 2011 and worked his way up into different departments. He was a home brewer before but really learned the craft by studying and working at the brewery. The beer community is tight-knit the those with experience have shared advice with him. He had the idea for a beer called Los Gigantes, made for the SF Giants, with a Mexican-themed label. It was his first project where he did the recipe and the design idea. Anchor started as a brand in 1896, which is when the brewery changed its name to Anchor. With Prohibition, the breweries went away but Anchor hung around. Most of the breweries had refrigerators and changed to making ice cream or near beer to survive. But Anchor had no refrigeration. Mark has heard that even during Prohibition, Anchor was still making beer. Fritz Maytag bought Anchor in the 1960s when it was about to close. He drank Anchor beer at The Old Spaghetti Factory in SF. The owner told Fritz to go look at it to see the brewery, which was a real part of California history. Fritz graduated from Stanford and paid a small amount for the brewery, which was dying. The equipment was old and had no refrigeration. The operation was rather basic. Fritz slowly taught himself about beer and hired Mark Carpenter in 1971. They are tasting some Anchor Beer and will imagine tasting it with some parodies of Guy Fieri-style recipes that Steve is reading. Steve Jaxon met Guy Fieri the day before he opened Johnny Garlic's in 1996. Steve suggests reading Peter Hartlaub's article in the SF Chronicle about Guy Fieri, which includes quotes from our host Steve Jaxon and producer Mike DeWald. Herlinda Heras calls in from Puerto Rico Herlinda is in Puerto Rico with Tara Nurin for Tales of the Cocktail. This was started in New Orleans after Katrina and now they are doing it in Puerto Rico, since Hurricane Maria. Herlinda tells about Puerto Rico's history and present state.  There is great food and drink and the island and beaches are beautiful. She had fritters called frituras. The Surfrider Foundation works cleaning up beaches and collecting data about the dispersion of plastics in the environment. They also took a tour of the Bacardi facilities. Fog Breaker IPA is 6.8% alcohol, which is not too high. This is a new year-round beer from Anchor. Ramon says hazy beer has bad shelf stability. To achieve haziness they use oats or wheat, which makes the beer hazy so you can't see through the glass. You used to not be able to sell hazy beer. Now, some people like the extra flavors that come with it. The particulate is from proteins in the hops and wheat. They make a few of them because of customer demand. They have a tap room next to the brewery, where they can experiment with new ingredients. They used a special Norwegian farmhouse yeast which ferments hot and fast. One that they have has pineapple and mango flavors. The Anchor pub is open from Noon to 9pm daily, on the corner of Mariposa and De Haro in San Francisco's Portrero Hill. They have 18 different beers on tap at any one time and about half of them are experimental ones.

Jake Maddux hails from Bartlesville, OK, and is graduate of Oklahoma University. Prior to getting involved in the world beer and hospitality, Maddux served as a U.S. Marine. After his service, Maddux found himself in San Francisco, working for one of the most renowned breweries in the world, Anchor Brewing Company. Maddux also spent some time with another industry great, New Belgium Brewing Company, before finding his way to Austin. In 2018 Maddux, founded The Brewers Table, where their focus is on community, collaboration, and creating beer as good as the food and food as good as the beer. the founder of the project and a veteran of both the United States Marine Corps and Austin's respected craft brewing scene As a 25-year-old former U.S. Marine, Maddux moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work at a winery. He found a roommate on Craigslist and later discovered that her uncle was Fritz Maytag, the former owner of Anchor Brewing Company. Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: "Push through it." In this episode with Jake Maddux, we discuss:  How Jake discovered his passion for beer.  The importance of consistency and discipline and how to maintain a culture of consistency and discipline.  Having core values and higher purposes underlying your company to attract onto yourself top talent.  The impact of knowing someone believes in you.  Giving your employees the room to grow on your dollar and time.  Why it is important to differentiate yourself.  What approach to take when networking.   Why Maddux chose to focus on on-site consumption.  Caring about the right things; quality.   Using pop-ups to create a culture and brand. Being a part of the solution.   Today's sponsor: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you'll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable.  BentoBox helps restaurants grow their business through a connected suite of tools, offering them an integrated website to connect with their guests and drive revenue online. Restaurant owners and operators are able to easily update menus, promote specials, take catering and event inquiries, sell merchandise, gift cards and more. Revel Systems integrates front of house and back of house operations into a single dashboard. Designed to increase security, stability, ease of use, and speed of service, Revel's streamlined ecosystem provides businesses with the right tools to grow. Learn more at revelsystems.com/unstoppable.     Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Stubbornness What is your biggest weakness? Pride.  What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Enthusiasm.  What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Controlling labor. He's controlling his labor expense with budgets.  Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Respect for yourself and others.  What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Predictive hospitality.  What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  Rules from a night. Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Beer From the Founder of Dogfish Head Brewery  What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Maintaining enthusiasm. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations? Toast. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? Be kind.  Be Generous Be Professional.  Contact info: @thebrewerstableaustin @beerevangelist www.thebrewerstable.com Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you'd like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post. Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Huge thanks to Jake Maddux for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!   Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!

Herlinda Heras calls in from Italy Brew Ha Ha today has Herlinda Heras calling in from Italy via Skype from the 2019 Italian Beer of the Year convention in Rimini, where she is one of the judges. Beer writer Jay Brooks joins Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter in the studio again this week. The convention and competition is called Birra dell’anno (“BEE-ra del LAH-nno”) or Beer of the Year. It is a promotion of the Unionbirrai (“oon-YOHN bee-RA-ee”), the Association of Italian Beer Producers. Rimini is an Adriatic coastal resort town near Bologna, south of Venice, that fills with vacationers from Italy and all over Europe during the Summer. They also host a lot of conventions and trade shows during the off-season, such as this. “It looks like Coney Island but deserted,” says Herlinda. Pete Slosberg is there. Della Toffola also has a stand. There are quite a few craft brewers in Italy. There are just Italian beers being judged. There are 100 judges from all over the world. There are probably about 20 of the judges are women, which is a lot compared to what Herlinda has seen. There are lots of craft brewers in Italy and many varieties. There is grape flavored beer, chestnut beer and grappa beer. They are in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, which is where great food products come from, such as prosciutto crudo, parmigiano reggiano, tortellini, mortadella and many many others. Jay Brooks with Chocolate and Beer After Herlinda's call, Jay Brooks shares lots of chocolate that he has brought, to taste with different beers. First, Steve asks Mark Carpenter to talk about the Super Bowl ad for Bud Light where they claimed that their beer is made without corn syrup. Time magazine’s coverage of it said that this fact doesn’t make the beer better or less wholesome. Mark says that it is funny but a moot point because there is no difference in brewing between using corn syrup or rice, as Bud does. Corn syrup starts as sugar and rice becomes sugar. Mark explains that at Anchor, they were all barley malt, which was one thing that set craft brewers apart. Now, craft brewers use every ingredient under the sun. Jay Brooks writes the Brookston Beer Bulletin. He covers any aspect of the beer industry. He also judges beers, writes a syndicated column and a blog and has written several books on beer. Jay has brought chocolate and dark beers, which go well together. You get naturally chocolate flavors in the darker beers because of the roasted malt. They drink a Sierra Nevada 30th anniversary bottle, a colaboration between Fritz Maytag of Anchor and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada.

As we've said on many occasions, you never know where great whiskey is going to find its roots. Old Potrero, which was one of the original pioneers of the American craft whiskey distilling scene, was founded by Fritz Maytag. Fritz is a member of the washing machine Maytags and while we don't know much about home appliances, we do know really good whiskey when we taste it! Master Distiller Bruce Joseph joins us this week to share the history and the secrets of this delicious, San Francisco whiskey.Follow us:spiritguidesocietypodcast.comfacebook.com/spiritguidesoctwitter.com/spiritguidesocinstagram.com/spiritguidesoc--"Samba Isobel" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Steve Doty from Shady Oak Barrel House is our main guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter. Their website proclaims “Sour and Wild Artisinal Ales.” Bob Brewer, the former Anchor Brewing sales guy, is also in.  Mark has known Bob for a long time, even before he worked at the brewery. Mark tells about how at Anchor, they were having trouble selling beer in New York. Fritz asked him and Bob to go to New York City and went from bar to bar making relationships. He says it is a huge accident that with a name like Brewer, he got into the beer business. Once when he worked for the Renaissance Faire, they asked him to put the beer concession booths together. He learned a lot about beer and met Fritz Maytag, who was personally delivering Anchor Steam beer. This was his transition into beer, when a beer distributor he had worked with offered him a job. Later, Mark offered Bob a job at Anchor. Bob was good at solving problems with the draft systems in bars, where they were serving Anchor beers. Mark thinks that the level of carbonation is lower now, which makes the beer easier to pour from the draft system. He also heard a brewer at the old Olympia brewery say that you could hide a lot of defects with extra carbonation.  They are tasting some cans of Anchor Steam. The big cans are a new addition. They hold 19.2 fluid ounces. Mark says that the bars in New York at the time were stuck in their ways and they didn't want to charge more for better beer, but Mark got them to do it. After the break, Steve introduces Steve Doty from Shady Oak Barrel House. He just opened his taproom on 420 First Street. Steve asks him how he came to be a beer guy. He was a lab tech in the wine business but he doesn't drink wine. He found that craft beer was all about choices, which he says is ironic with the popularity of IPA. He makes sour beer, besides his IPA. All his beer is artisinal. He was named best new brewery in California in 2015 (or maybe 2016). Now his business is growing. They are tasting an IPA from Shady Oak Barrel House that Steve really likes. Steve asks why Anchor Steam beer is so popular. Bob says it's because it's so well made. He tells how Fritz Maytag introduced product consistency and hospital-level cleanliness, that make a unique high quality product. The term Steam for beer was a nickname given to the beer when early California brewers were making lager beer, but they didn't have refrigeration. So it went to the bars highly carbonated and it produced a lot of foam. Someone noticed and compared the airy beer to tapping a tank of steam. As they pour some Apricot Sour, Steve Doty describes why it didn't make sense for him to have an actual brew house. So he contracts with other brewers. He works a lot with Hen House. Mark explains that he buys the first stage of production from the brewer, they make it up to where he adds his flavors and blends. Most of his barrels are used French oak wine barrels. But he also has some gin barrels and port barrels. They all add their own flavors. Bob is a fan of sour beers, which used to be only produced in Belgium. They were hard to find until some locals started making them. Even if he likes sour beers, not all of them are good, some are not sour enough. The first domestically produced sour beer that he ever tasted was from Russian River Brewing Co. Many brewers are redefining the style, says Steve Doty. They taste an apricot-flavored sour beer that Herlinda Heras says tastes like a good Turkish dried apricot. Herlinda asks how they add fruit. For example, he gets grapes from Sonoma County and tries to use whole fruit. The beer has to be done and ready to go, but only then can have fruit added. He adds about 2 pounds of fruit for a gallon of beer. The fruit makes a new fermentation, and adds the flavor from the skins, pits, etc. Steve asks Bob to describe the Dickens Fair, which runs from Nov. 17 through Dec. 23 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

Ramon Tamayo is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter. He holds Mark's former job as brewmaster at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. Mark Carpenter starts the show with a beer from Anchor and introduces Ramon Tamayo who is the current head brewer at Anchor. He says, "I picked up the baton where Mark left it." He's doing some very creative stuff, Mark says, such as a Brewer's Pale Ale. Steve asks Ramon to tell how he got into brewing. He was a home brewer in college, which was necessary while he was too young to go out and buy beer. He loved the art and science and the enjoyment of the hard work. He just made beer to drink with his friends. He grew up in Petaluma. Herlinda mentions that he is part of the Tamayo family that founded a famous local business, La Tortilla Factory, which is famous. Mark asks him to explain the Citra Pale Ale. After Mark left Anchor, they opened a successful 7-barrel brewhouse. He made this beer in the main facility, just like the old was Anchor used to do it, 125 barrels. Ramon says he learned a lot from Mark at the brewery. Herlinda remembers a Gigantes beer, that they made to celebrate the San Francisco Giants baseball team. For him it was an honor to work with another iconic San Francisco brand. Mark tells about the way San Francisco was in the late 1960s, it was the time of the hippies and everything. "It was a fabulous time." When he started at Anchor, they only made Steam. But they started Liberty Ale, the first IPA in America, and several other types that were the first of their kind. They also started a distillery to make whiskey and gin.  Now Anchor has a brewpub now, and food trucks that come. Mark tells the history of Steam beer. With the Gold Rush came beer drinkers. The brewers tried to set up brewing as fast as they could. They did not have refrigeration so they could not make lager beer. They called "Steam" a beer that was an "artificial lager beer" fermented at temperatures that were more similar to ales or old school beers. They they would Kräusen it, which is a second fermentation. Mark thinks it serves to clean up the beer. It's cleaner and crisper, which makes lager popular because it's easy to drink. As soon as they could use refrigeration, other brewers stopped using this process, except Anchor. Anchor will always make Steam beer, it's their main variety. They also do a Christmas Beer, that Fritz Maytag started many years ago. There is a different tree on the label every year. The recipe is pretty secret but he says they will have a Korean Pine Tree on the label. Herlinda says this year's Christmas Beer is rich and stout. It's available already, in late October.

Today Brew Ha Ha is live at the Russian River Brewing Company in Windsor, California, to celebrate the grand opening of their new facility. Owners Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo and director of sales Michael Benz join Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras on the show. Michael Benz is serving some Pliny that is all of 30 seconds old, straight off the bottling line. Steve says this new place is Mark Carpenter heaven and Mark agrees. "It's a dream come true, really!" - Vinnie Cilurzo on the new Russian River Brewing Co. location Russian River Brewing Company has just opened its big new brewery in Windsor. Mark admires that they have built the brewery to do open fermentation. He describes how most brewers use closed tanks and the beer is fermented and stored in there. Russian River Brewing Co. is one of the few who use this other technique, where the beer is fermented in one open tank and then moved to a cellar tank where it aged, then on to the customer. Mark says brewers don't want to use this method because it's more work, but Mark used it at Anchor and he prefers it. You can look at it and smell it. He tells about seeing their new round fermenters where you can see and smell the yeast. Vinnie is a really creative brewer and now he has the facility to really go ahead and do it. -Mark Carpenter Vinnie goes on to tell how the best, happiest yeast is at the top. They measure the viability of the yeast, the higher the viability the stronger and healthier it is. Most breweries get 90% viability, while at Russian River Brewing, their yeast is so healthy they get 98% viability, which he says makes better beer. Vinnie talks about a how he appreciates that the yeast is alive. He also talks about the new "super clean rooms" in the brewery, with 100% HEPA filtered air, then run through a UV lamp so the air is ultra sterile. Mark Carpenter started at Anchor Brewing in 1971 and retired a few years ago. Steve asks him to compare how brewing has changed, from then to the scene today. Mark says that he and others used to go to Europe to learn about brewing. Now the Europeans are trying hard to do American styles and America has become the brewing leader. Vinnie bought their brewhouse from a German manufacturer, and their technicians are also visiting the show today. Mark says they are lucky in Sonoma to have so many local brewers making good beer. When he went to Europe recently, the beer wasn't always good there, but here, if you're not making good beer, you won't be around for long. Vinnie also tells about visiting Europe to study production and found that in Germany, they stick to their Pilsner, Helles, Dunkel, Wheat Beer and Merzen. But he says now they are also making IPAs and other craft beers there, following the lead of American brewers.  Vinnie goes on to tell how beer is a commodity in Germany. But now they are making "craft beer" and have taken the lead from us, making styles that we pioneered. It all started with Fritz Maytag and Anchor Brewing. Vinnie says he made a batch of Barleywine recently for the first time in ten years. Mark tells how Fritz Maytag saw some Barleywine, which some ladies were drinking. Herlinda says it's thick and unctuous and dark. Mark remembers how Fritz came back and said they were going to make a Barleywine at Anchor. He noticed that they had names and someone at Anchor named their Barleywine "Old Foghorn"   Vinnie's will be called Old Gibeldygotch. The name comes from his father in Syracuse, New York. Mike Benz talks about his approach to sales as director of sales for Russian River Brewing Co. They are looking to build their network of distribution slowly and deliberately, first taking care of those who have sold their beer at retail and who often would run out; first they will make sure that they have a little more beer for their shelves. Natalie explains how their sales operation is set up, so they can focus on their core strengths which are bringing people to them and giving...

Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. is back on the program today, along with Peter from Stumptown Brewery and JC Fluger with J Christopher Rubs. Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras mention Wilibees in Petaluma and Santa Rosa as a great place to taste a great varieties of beer and whiskey. Tuesdays they have tacos, Saturday they have bands. Peter tells about their 16th annual Russian River Revival and Cook-Off on Saturday August 18, from 1-5 PM under the bridge at Monte Rio Beach. Natalie Cilurzo is back on Brew Ha Ha. Today she was a keynote speaker at the CFO of the Year awards in San Francisco. She brought a beer called “It takes a lot of great beer to make great wine” that Russian River Brewing Company makes. Natalie says that all during harvest, the workers like a cold beer (or six). This beer changes a little bit every year, either a lager or an ale. It’s low alcohol and brewed to be refreshing. It’s available in bottles and on tap at their tasting room. Mark Carpenter says that the Pale Ales have lots of subtle flavors and beautiful aromas while being lighter in alcohol. Natalie also brought their spontaneously fermented beer. It’s naturally fermented. They don’t add any yeast. They use a large wide flat tank, called a cool ship. They let it sit overnight and whatever ambient yeast is in the room is all it gets. It’s a bit sour, although this is very balanced. This one is Vinny Cilurzo’s favorite batch. They will have one big cool ship on the east side of the new brewery. This will allow them to take this style of beer to the next level. The 4th Annual California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento will be in early September. Natalie is on the Board of Directors of the CCBA. There will be speakers, an expo hall, like a trade show, then it ends with a beer festival on the steps of the Capitol. It has grown every year and attracts guests from abroad. Greg Cook from Stone Brewing Company in San Diego will be the keynote speaker. Anyone can come to the trade show. It’s great for “civilian” drinkers who want to learn about brewing. Mark Carpenter spoke at it a few years ago, with Fritz Maytag (who founded Anchor Brewing). JC Fluger is also in today. His Jay Christopher Company was founded in 2015. He makes spice rubs. He started the project a little over 10 years ago. He noticed that when shopping for meat seasonings, most started with salt or sugar. He didn’t like that so he made his own and got good at it. He would bring his samples to his friends in the neighborhood and they were a hit.

David and Scott Bice from Redwood Hill Creamery join Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras today.  Their parents founded Redwood Hill Creamery and they have been making great artisan goat cheeses for more than fifty years. First, Mark Carpenter tells of his visit to San Francisco yesterday, and visited his old employer Anchor Brewing. They had opened a distillery which was not sold to Sapporo with the brewery, but they had to change its name. He tasted some whiskey that was aged in port barrels. Mark notes that it was port that they made at the brewery using Fritz Maytag’s grapes. It is amazingly smooth. The distillery is named after Anson P. Hotaling, an early San Francisco merchant and real estate investor. During the 1906 earthquake, the firemen ran a half-mile of hoses to save his whiskey warehouse. Mark remembers these verses written at that time: “If as they say God spanked the town for being over frisky, why did He burn the town and save Hotaling’s Whiskey?” They also brought fresh hops, which are being harvested now. They also grow these hops. The fact that they smell slightly of cannabis and lupolene which has the alpha and beta oils which are what the brewers want. These are wet hops because they are freshliy picked. Throughout the year, brewers will get dried or pelletized hops, mostly from Yakima Valley. Herlinda mentions that Anchor used whole hops for the whole time Mark was there. Sierra also still uses whole hops. These hops don’t last, though, but with so many breweries located so close to the Sonoma hops fields, it’s a ready market. The hops are super fresh and they have to be mixed into the beer within a few hours of harvest. Some people make tea from hops for its medicinal properties. They also brought some cider that is steeped with hops and honey, then bottle conditioned with honey instead of sugar. Redwood Hill Creamery, hop growing is part of the farm. The creamery is a big operation that makes yogurt and kefir. They also grow apples and olives. They get a lot of goat manure which they use as fertilizer. Jennifer Bice, their mother, has a repuation for ecologically sustainable operations. They are tasting an aged cheddar which Steve calls one of the greatest cheeses he has ever tasted. They will be serving the Redwood Hill Smoked and Aged cheeses on Saturday at the Gravenstein festival. Next they taste a cider from Horse & Plow. The license is the same for cider and wine, taxed at higher rates. Herlinda just got her first level qualification as a Cider Professional. Congratulations Herlinda! They learn how it’s made, they press the apples, there is no heat, as in beer. This cider is very lightly hopped. The oldest cocktail is America is a cider cocktail called a Stone Fence, with cider and rum. Mark thinks the distilled liquors were rough back then so cocktails may have come about as a way of making them palatable. On the live show they give away a pair of tickets to the Gravenstein Apple festival this weekend.

Fal Allen from Anderson Valley Brewing is our guest on Brew Ha Ha today, joining Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras. Herlinda Heras says we will talk about Gose beers today with Fal Allen who has written a new book called Gose: Brewing an Ancient Beer in Modern Times. Anderson Valley Brewing Co. cans have the slogan Bahl Hornin' printed at the top of the can. This is an expression in Boontling, the dialect of Boonville, California. It means "good drinkin'." Visit this page on the AVBC website for more about Boontling. Here is a video where Fal Allen talks to a Boonville resident who speaks Boontling. Steve introduces Fal Allen from award-winning Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, in Mendocino County. Anderson Valley was a hop growing region in the late 1800s. Powdery mildew killed all the plants. The brewery opened in 1988. They opened a brewpub in a town of 500 people and they quickly found that people would come up from San Francisco to buy their beer. It became popular in the mid 90s and they switched from a brewpub to a production brewery. Mark notes that it was very early in the brewpub business. They did an annual beer festival that attracted more brewers than anywhere else. Herlinda notes that they still do it. But first she mentions Fal Allen’s new book about Gose beer. The one they are tasting is the Framboise Rose Gose beer. Steve likes it. Herlinda asks Fal Allen to describe Gose beer. It’s one of the oldest styles of beer in the world, from Germany, even before the Rheinheitsgebot. There were a lot of sour beers, like Gose. It’s very light and has a little salt in it and Fal explains why. The beer is named after the town and the river that runs through it, in Goslar. Herlinda has to leave early today because she’s going to the ELO concert in Oakland at Oracle Arena. After the break, Mark asks Fal Allen about his other books. He and Dick Cantwell wrote a book about Barley Wine several years ago. Sierra Nevada makes one, so does Anderson Valley Brewing. It's a big strong beer, and hard to make, with the highest alcohol and the most hops. Mark remembers that at Anchor Brewing, they were one of the first Barley Wine makers in the US. Fritz Maytag discovered it while visiting England. It's called Barley Wine because it is high in alcohol, but only used barley. Fal Allen says they make one every year. They're aged for a long time and can be rather sweet, with a raisiny, plummy flavor. They're made in the Fall to be consumed during the Winter. Next they taste a Gold Gose. Fal found demand for lower alcohol lighter beers. Coors Banquet came out the winner of their taste test. Their Boonville Gold is like a Pilsner but a bit more hoppy, easy drinking. Mark agrees there are two markets, one for low-alcohol lighter beers and another for the hoppy IPAs. Fal Allen is also a firefighter and Steve asks him about some fires that are burning up in Mendocino County right now (as the show is being recorded). He says they have had four fires just in July, from different causes. It is so dry up there that it takes hardly anything to start a fire. Steve mentions that a lot of California officials are using the term "the new normal" to describe the more dangerous fire conditions that are present in the last several years. Fal Allen mentions that the Santa Rosa fires last year were wind-driven and that once the wind pushes a fire there is no stopping it. Finally, they taste an Old Fashioned beer, made to taste like the cocktail of that name. It has some cherry and orange peel, aged it in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels and added Angostura bitters. It's 8.3% alcohol. Fal Allen is happily surprised with the result. Mark agrees that it's fun in brewing, to try for a goal and then to achieve it.

Clay Jordan from Speakeasy Ales and Lagers is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras. Herlinda asks Clay Jordan about the business side, and recent news, including their acquisition by a new local entrepreneur. He had to create a parent holding company. So technically they are Hunter’s Point Brewery, after the neighborhood that they occupy in San Francisco. It’s the same beer. They were not bought out by another brewery and the public facing brand is still the same. (The restaurant Speakeasy in Petaluma is not related them, they only share the name.) Clay tells how their main brands are still being brewed, such as Big Daddy and Prohibition Ale, with no changes, and they are also adding new ones. Mark remembers that Big Daddy won a Gold Medal at the GABF one year. Herlinda says that it is a little known fact that she competed for nine years at the Stumptown Brewery rib cookoff. Speakeasy was always next to her with their BBQ and Beer team. They will have an anniversary party for the 21st anniversary. They bring in food trucks Thursday through Sunday. But for the party there will be a bunch of them and some live music too. It will be on August 25, $5 admission, with some VIP tickets available with nice perks. The Speakeasy Ales and Lagers website URL is “good beer” dot com. Mark Carpenter tells about meeting some pilots and they talked about flying and beer. They were flying into the area and they met for lunch today. He took them to visit some brewers, Henhouse and Seismic. They had a great reception tasted some fabulous beers. They tasted a beer called Alluvium which is soon coming out in cans. Herlinda notes that it is made with local malt, too. Mark says that the Seismic brewery is very well built. Their owner said he wanted a brew house big enough where they don’t have to run around the clock. This is what Fritz Maytag, Mark’s old boss, at Anchor Brewing, also said. So Mark was impressed with this. Mark notes that it takes way more than money to be successful, and Seismic is doing a fabulous job. They also visited Henhouse and tasted Oyster Stout beer. They gave him an IPA to bring in today. Mark mentions he got a growler of Alluvium from Seismic. Herlinda asks what Mark drank when he visited Russian River. He drank a beer called Dribble Belt. This is a part of the hopyard equipment, a belt that runs under the hop picking machine that picks up some of the hop cones that fall off.    

When Japan’s Sapporo last year acquired craft-beer pioneer Anchor Brewing, many craft brewers characterized the transaction as the end of an era. It’s one John Dannerbeck today looks back on fondly having worked alongside the brewery’s legendary owner Fritz Maytag and the eclectic mix of seasoned managers that stubbornly rejected the notion of growth for growth sake and consequently gave birth to a global movement of craft brewers. Join us when John revisits his entry into the brewing business and the unrelenting market dynamics that bruised management’s ability to keep growth at bay.

In the age of hyper-local craft, we have a competing—or perhaps complementary?—narrative in the U.S., and that’s heritage brands.  You may have heard my counterpart, Matthew Curtis (who's based in London), mention the UK's traditional breweries more than once. It’s an interesting dynamic having young, upstart craft brands entering the market alongside these elder statesmen who are sometimes hundreds of years old, and both sets of companies are trying to reach drinkers with a message about quality and craftsmanship.  To U.S. ears, it’s a bit like listening in on a bizarro universe. We simply don’t have much of that traditional brewery credibility left because of prohibition. Most U.S. drinkers only rewind the tape as far as Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams. If you're from Pennsylvania like me, you might think of Yuengling (founded in 1829). Or in Minnesota, perhaps Schell’s comes to mind (founded in 1860). But those are the wonderful exceptions that prove the rule. By and large, the U.S. doesn’t have a traditional brewing scene. One other exception, this time on the west coast, is Anchor Brewing Company. Founded in 1896, it’s largely known for its Steam Beer, or the California Common, arguably the only wholly-American-invented style of beer. It even owns the trademark on that. It operated in regional obscurity for almost 100 years before Fritz Maytag bought it and saved it from closure. Without that beer, the story goes, breweries like Sierra Nevada may have never started. Anchor is still brewing its open fermentation beers, as well as many newer styles, in the location on Potrero Hill it moved to in 1979. But in 2010, it was purchased by The Griffin Group, an investment company specializing in alcoholic beverages. Shortly after, the brewery started distilling spirits.  Through all those years, the changes have been few, including the changes in brewmaster. And the latest shift in that role happened quite recently, leading to a host of new beer offerings that straddle the line between the traditional brewing approach of Anchor, and the constantly evolving craft beer industry of 2017.  Scott Ungermann has taken the weighty rings of this storied business and is combining his longstanding desire to have his own brewery with his experience at Anheuser-Busch to help bring Anchor along into the next generation ever so delicately.

What we think of today as the boom in craft distilling started 20 years ago this year, when San Francisco brewer Fritz Maytag bottled the first batch of Old Potrero Single Malt Straight Rye Whiskey at Anchor Brewing in the city's Potrero Hill neighborhood. In 1993, Maytag and his staff cobbled together parts to build a distillery inside the brewery, long known for its Anchor Steam beer, and Bruce Joseph was put in charge of running the still. Today, Bruce Joseph is still Anchor's head distiller, and he'll join us for this week's WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the results of this year's International Wine & Spirits Competition are in, with William Grant & Sons taking top honors. Two more estate distilleries are being proposed in Scotland, and while North Dakota is known for its barley...it's never been known for its whiskey...until now. Glen Fargo American Malt Whiskey was unveiled this week in Fargo, and we'll find out how its creator avoided a costly legal battle over the name. We'll also have details on this week's new whiskies, along with a way to count down the days - or drams - until Christmas. 

we're going on a field trip using the time machine. you don't need a signed permission slip. most of you won't need to worry about running into yourself but do leave your technology behind to avoid the off chance of losing it in the past.  October of 1998 in Napa California our destination to hear Fritz Maytag speaking at the Northern California Homebrewers Festival. time travel being what it is lands us in mid sentence skipping the introduction. so it's a bit confusing for a minute. I think its worth hearing as it offers a perspective to what is happening in brewing today. Fritz talks for 26 minutes. if you get board or can't stand the audio skip ahead. nobody will be offended. sorry about the audio quality. remember it's 1998 and it's pretty good considering the source. remember... time travel responsibly.  link:  http://www.valhallabrewing.com/dboard/dbnewsl/t9811fritzmaytag.htm Beer School everywhere: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6351328213 http://youtube.com/beerschool Follow JohnFoster and BeerSchool on Twitter.com Host: John Foster and Motor Guest: Thor Be sure to visit City Beer Store in San Francisco, CA Email us at info@beerschool.com Good noon! Recorded in San Francisco on 03/15/2009. BeerSchool and BeerSchool.com are a trademarks of Ayer Media, Inc. © 2009 Ayer Media, Inc.