Podcasts about good beer hunting

This just in! Hot off the press, it's Gabe Cook, Martyn Goodwin-Sharman, Grant Hutchison and Producer Scott, with the current news, absolutely up-to-date.Gabe starts off with literally nothing, before a miniature railway saves the conversation. Martyn brings up Gabe's historic substack about a magical pear tree, taking the boys down fire blight avenue, before cracking a bottle of something fitting. Scott has had a quiet time in the States, but introduces the boys to an up-and-coming indie artist, and Grant keeps things light and cheery.In the news, Martyn reflects on the end of Good Beer Hunting, Gabe brings the dour news of Ermine Moth and its effect on this year's harvest for makers like Burrow Hill. Then, the guys speak with quite possibly the best cider maker in the US right now, with her company winning award after award. In the last 6 months, she has won Best Dry Tannic cider at both the International Cider Awards and at GLINTCAP and also picked Best in Show at North West Cider Cup. It's Christine Walter of Bauman's Cider! The guys chat about everything, from trips to the UK muling dirty British things, to the new Bauman's tap room through to meeting Tom Oliver for the first time and the bloodlust of the American palate for local pineapples. Whilst they talk, they crack Bauman's wonderful single variety of Kingston Black, but don't take my word for it, for I am just AI generated text.Finally, wrapping things up is a quiz game from Grant, which we're sure isn't a plug for his shop Aeble.And with that, the hotel closes for another week, but fear not as more episodes and guests are coming to the Neutral Cider Hotel!Episode Sponsor: Press Then THE TEAMGabe is a cider expert: The Ciderologist / SubstackGrant owns a cider shop: Aeble Cider ShopMartyn loves to write about cider: CiderShitExecutive Producer/Editor: Scott RiggsMusic: Billy KennedyCONNECTInstagram: NeutralCiderHotelFacebook: NeutralCiderHotelThreads: NeutralCiderHotelBluesky: NeutralCiderHotelYouTube: NeutralCiderHotelLinktree: NeutralCiderHotelListen and share episodes on our website: https://www.neutralciderhotel.net/Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/neutralciderhotelJoin the conversation: https://www.reddit.com/r/NeutralCiderHotel/...

In Episode 015 of The Crafty Pint Podcast we head overseas for the first time. Our destination is a tiny brewery most people won't have heard of, where we're joined by a guest with whom many will be very familiar. The tiny brewery is Shortjaw Brewing, located in Westport: a town on the sparsely populated west coast of New Zealand's South Island. The guest is the man who, along with his partner Emma, decided to take over the site of a 30-year-old, twice-liquidated brewery during the early period of the COVID pandemic and bring it back to life. Luke Robertson is far better known in beer circles – at least outside Westport and surrounds – from his time in Australia. This is mainly due to Ale of a Time, the blog that spawned a podcast of the same name, both of them home to sharp, witty and occasionally caustic observations of, and commentary on, the wide world of beer. That was just one of many roles in the Australian beer world for Luke, who helped deliver major events such as Good Beer Week and BrewCon for the Independent Brewers Association, while writing – mostly on beer – for high profile publications not just in his adopted home but overseas, notably for Good Beer Hunting. Thirty months on from pouring the first Shortjaw beer for guests, he joined us to reflect on his change of direction – or putting his money where his mouth is, as he puts it: how he's approached building a customer base for a regional brewery in one of the most remote parts of the planet, his fondness for creating beers that represent the place in which they're brewed, and some of the highs and lows that come with launching a brewery in the toughest climate for beer in decades. The chat with Luke starts at 11:05. Prior to that, we interrupt Will's holiday in Bali to go behind the scenes of his deep dive article into the experiences of working at beer's sinking ships. Over a period of months, he spoke to former employees at a number of businesses across Australia that have been through administration, ceased operating, or changed hands over the past couple of years, and the picture they paint is far from pretty. We also discuss the reaction to the article since its publication on Monday, with comments received from outside Australia and beyond the beer world too. You'll find links relevant to the episode below: Shortjaw Brewing: https://shortjaw.co.nz/ Ale of a Time: https://aleofatime.com/ From Beer Blogger To Brewery Owner: https://craftypint.com/news/2799/from-beer-blogger-to-brewery-owner Working Inside Beer's Sinking Ships: https://craftypint.com/news/3605/working-inside-beers-sinking-ships Brew & A ft Charlie Claridge: https://craftypint.com/news/3609/brew-and-a-charlie-claridge-esker-beer-co Sun Tap Decals: https://www.suntapdecals.com.au/ To find out more about supporting the show or otherwise partnering with The Crafty Pint, contact craig@craftypint.com.

Welcome back to the Beer O'Clock podcast, it's been a long, long time between drinks! It feels like every month I'm apologizing for how hectic it's been around here - but maybe that is just the new normal... With any luck this is the first of a few episodes that we get out roughly a month or so apart. If this is your first time listening to a Beer O'Clock Australia podcast, welcome! We change the segments up a little each month, however most months we'll discuss some of the latest news from the beer world, we'll talk about some beers that we've been enjoying over the last month & we'll crack something interesting from my cellar. This episode we cover, in true Beer O'Clock fashion, plenty of (very, very) outdated news, add two lagers to our master list & crack a cellar offering.    Show Notes Brew Asia Announcement (0:30) 3 Ravens X Mash Follow Up (2:10) News (3:32) Good Beer Hunting on Indefinite Hiatus Dutch Trading Co Closing Brewski Also Closing Just Wines Buy Beer Cartel Guinness Become Premier League Sponsor Awards  Perth Royal Beer Finlay Brewing Large: Rocky Ridge Medium: Otherside Small: Margaret River Beer Co NZ Stout Challenge Mount Brewing Brewery Openings Convent Brewing, Rutherglen The Mill - Bendigo Hotel Hiker Take Over Black Hops East Brisbane Great Ocean Road Take Over Sou' West Voluntary Administration Watch Sou' West Liquidated Brewery Closure  Alchemy Brunswick East Bendigo  Brew Barons Derelict Brewing Cascade (US) Brewing AVNGE Brewing Henry Street Brewing Brewery Sales 4 Hearts bought by Stony Creek Capital Brewing acquire Batlow Cider Tasting Paddle Beer Farm International Ambitions (link) West African grain Fonio  IBA New Website (link) Brewmanity Become Dees Beer Partner Deeds site for sale for $12m Heineken Silver Ad (link) Ranking of Lagers (35:45) Kronenbourg 1664 from France Beerlao from Laos The new rankings are as follows: Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic) Tennent's (Scotland) Carlsberg (Denmark) Quilmes (Argentina) Krombacher (Germany) Kingfisher (India) Angkor (Cambodia) Stiegl Goldbrau (Austria) Gullmack (Norway) Lvivske (Ukraine) Sapporo (Japan) Taiwan Beer (Taiwan) Dreher (Hungary) Birra Moretti (Italy) Beerlao (Laos) Nektar (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Bud Light (USA – Domestic) Corona (Mexico) Steinlager (New Zealand) Windhoek (Namibia) Almaza (Lebanon) Heineken (Netherlands) Lion (Sri Lanka) Cisk (Malta) San Miguel (Philippines) Maccabee (Israel) Snow (China – Internal) Cantina (El Salvador) Lasko (Slovenia) 333 (Vietnam) Stella Artois (Belgium) Phoenix (Mauritius) Tusker (Kenya) Budweiser (USA – International) Skopsko (North Macedonia) Zywiec (Poland) Mythos (Greece) Tiger (Singapore) Karlovacko (Croatia) Efes (Turkey) Singha (Thailand) Red Stripe (Jamaica) Bintang (Indonesia) Toña (Nicaragua) Lav (Serbia) Sagres (Portugal) Vonu (Fiji) Star (Nigeria) Cusquena (Peru) Pabst Blue Ribbon (Contract) Timisoreana (Romania) Noz's Cellar (45:53) Boatrocker Lamjet 6.5% ABV Thumbs Up Thanks again for listening guys. Please like, subscribe, review us on your podcast platform of choice - everything helps more people find the show. As usual; questions, comments, suggestions or general statements to angus@beeroclockaustralia.com or dylan@beeroclockaustralia.com & we'll be back soon, with any luck! Please let us know if you're coming to Brew Asia and want to have a chat! Remember it's always Beer O'Clock somewhere in the world!

Sometimes you're cursed, but just a little bit.This week was... an adventure. Our streaming service didn't want to work and I found out they don't have live tech support. What kind of crap is that? We eventually got things going and then I immediately dumped ice water on myself. Brian said it was a Weak Witch curse. You know what we mean, something that happens to you but is just a minor inconvenience, we've all been there. This drink sounds like a Weak Witch curse. Evil Malort. A bartender decided to take Malort and make it worse. That's quite a mission. The Brewers Association released some stats on drinking habits and it seems folks in general are drinking less craft beer. The drop is small, but it is a drop. Seems pretty consistent with other reports we've seen. The cause of the drop in consumption could be many things - younger generations drinking less in general, an aversion to carbonation, or maybe people are getting their buzz on with the advancing legalization of weed.A couple big bits of news in the retirement of Bob Pease, CEO of the Brewers Association. He's been there for over 30 years and has led some major changes. Thanks for your service, Bob. Good Beer Hunting announced they're going on hiatus, potentially permanently. It's a big loss for true craft beer journalism.And what's this about Pretzel Printers? A genius idea, that's what!Thanks again for hanging with us. Hope you have a great week filled with great beers. Cheers!Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson and occasional appearances from Becky Smalls.Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSSFollow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

We were deeply saddened to hear that our peers at Good Beer Hunting would be closing their publication. In this episode Matthew shares some thoughts on GBH's significance, and why its more important than ever to support independent beer writing. 

The NA train continues to roll on Malt Couture and in this episode Alex and Stephen crack open NA beers recommended by Malt Mavens! NA beers from Brooklyn Brewery, Bravus Brewing Company, Notch Brewing, and Go Brewing get put through the Power Ranking treatment. In the Beer News, Alex and Stephen navigate a new segment called "Closing Time" as various long standing beer institutions, both from the brewing, retail, and media side, announce unfortunate closures.  To get involved with the  "Life" International Barleywine Collab, click the link for info about the recipe, BSG discount, and links to help raise awareness of colon cancer.  If you'd like to make a direct donation to help support Alex, head over to his GoFundMe.  For more info about colon cancer and to help support the fight against it check out the Colon Cancer Foundation.  Head to our Patreon for weekly exclusive content. Get the Malt Couture Officially Licensed T-shirt. Follow DontDrinkBeer on Instagram and Twitter.

Beer is having a hard time these days. Category-wide, sales are down and interest just isn't the same it used to be. But what if the enthusiasm that got us to this point—excitement that helped lead to almost 10,000 small and independent breweries scattered across the country—is still just as palpable now as it was one, two, or 10 years ago? It's just a matter of looking. In this special episode of the Good Beer Hunting podcast, beer enthusiasts from around the country explain why for them craft beer still means friendships, new experiences, and most of all, something cool at a time when there's a feeling that it might be anything but.  

Today we are going to regale you with tales of keggers past… Jimmy recently stumbled upon an article in Good Beer Hunting on the rise and fall of the kegger at UM in Missoula, Montana. And there's a lot more to it than there just having been a lot of beer!Brian Alberts, a historian of beer in context, is joined by Cody Ewert, associate editor at the Montana Historical Society, to break it all down for us. These two storytellers have kept all the juicy lore to paint you a picture of the kegger's inception.Now tune in and let's party like it's ‘79! Photo Courtesy of The Missoulian. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Beer Sessions Radio by becoming a member!Beer Sessions Radio is Powered by Simplecast.

This week we talk about how Jonny lost his voice at Manchester Craft Beer Festival, lament the loss of Good Beer Hunting and Marstons, consider a trip to Ohio, and dig into our first homebrew video in over a year.BUY TICKETS TO OUR FESTIVAL HERE: https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/love-beer-festival-september-14th-2024-tickets/?v=79cba1185463 LINKS TO BUY FESTIVAL TICKETS:https://londoncraftbeerfestival.co.uk/?ref=CBChttps://bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk/?ref=CBChttps://manchestercraftbeerfestival.com/?ref=CBC£5 off codeCBC5 - this will work across all festivalsSupport the Show.Brought to you by the team behind the Craft Beer Channel, The Bubble takes an irreverent look at beer from the outside, inviting new people to give us their perspective on the world we're all obsessed with. You're listening to the bubble, the podcast turning beer inside out.SUPPORT US! Pledge on Patreon and get some cool merch & videos: https://www.patreon.com/craftbeerchannel Check out our awesome sponsor The Malt Miller: https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/ Twitter – @beerchannelFacebook – http://www.facebook.com/thecraftbeerchannelInstagram – @craftbeerchannel

# On Becoming Hawk Hi there - this is Michael Kiser, founder and publisher of Good Beer Hunting. I'm coming to you today with a difficult message—but a simple one.  Good Beer Hunting—after nearly 15 years, and at least 10 of that that I would consider serious years—is going on a platform-wide sabbatical. It'll be indefinite. It might be permanent. We have some ideas for what the future of Good Beer Hunting might look like—and soon I'll be working on that vision with the counsel of my colleagues to see where it takes us. But the earliest vision is so drastically different than what GBH currently is, that the only way to get to the other side is to make a clean break. We've got to clear out the cache. We've got to quiet everything down for a bit and see what it all sounds like on the other side of that silence. We're shutting down our various content streams—the podcast, the website, social—ending a sort of always-on feed of content that's been, for many of us writers, editors, and artists, our life's work. And for most of us, our best work. This thing that started as my personal blog would go on to be published in the annual Best American Food Writing, and win multiple Saveur blog awards before I had the courage to start publishing other voices beyond my own. It began as a way to pursue my curiosity for beer, combining the beauty I saw in it with the strategic implications of a new wave of culture and industry the world over. Good Beer Hunting came from a simple idea and simpler execution of a blog and grew into an international publication covering unique stories from countries all over. With every major shift, from one editor in chief to another, it would morph into something that felt beyond any reasonable ambition. Eventually winning awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Imbibe Magazine, more than 100 awards from the North American Guild of Beer Writers, and most recently nominated for 6 James Beard Awards and winning 3 of them. If I consider what it would mean for us to achieve something beyond all that, I'd have to believe in a truly insane fantasy. In the many years of running a beer publication that took us to the top echelon of all publications —literally taking podiums next to the New York Times, Washington Post, and The New Yorker—we've had to build and sustain an organization that simply doesn't have a roadmap for survival in 2024's media landscape. And to be clear, it never did.  From day one, I vowed to not try and make GBH profitable, because the media world already showed that to achieve profitability was to welcome a certain kind of death—and often a shameful one. Chasing advertisers and clicks with listicles and promotions—and as a result, never creating anything of real value to anyone but the advertisers. It was a fool's errand, and one we didn't follow. By not hunting down ad revenue and declining offers over the years, Good Beer Hunting was able to remain a personal project in a way, even as our ambitions continually grew and results showed what an impact our stories and contributors made on the world of beer and beyond. Instead of trying to manage our costs with advertising, we've been able to form longstanding partnerships with companies like Guinness, which has helped mitigate at least some of financial losses we took on every year. We also launched an experimental subscriber community called the Fervent Few, which took a meaningful chunk out of the debt and paid its dividends by connecting readers and fans from all over the world during the loneliest parts of the pandemic. But in reality, even these things combined didn't cover the gaps as we continued growing.  The challenge of expanding GBH during its rapid growth phase came from my own pocket, which kept our editorial team independent and in control. But it also guided us to this moment. Paying for writers, designers, and editors was a budget pulled from my own strategic consultancy called Feel Goods Company, which was no small thing. Each year, the costs sometimes crested over $100,000 that weren't covered by underwriting partners like Guinness or subscribers from the Fervent Few. And in the last couple years, costs went far beyond that. For years, I put other important things in my family's life on hold to continue supporting GBH's growth and ambitions.  As a father of three kids—and sometimes the only one working—that decision wasn't made lightly. I exhausted myself making the consulting business uncommonly successful in order to keep both things afloat and growing. And as costly as that was in a financial sense, I've never regretted the decision to do it—and I never took a dime. In fact, there was one year when we more or less broke even, and with the small amount left over we gave the editorial team, including our freelancers, a surprise end-of-year bonus. More like a tip really.  Good Beer Hunting is the longest I've ever done anything, and it's also the best thing I've ever done. And it existed entirely because I wanted it to. But outside of anything I wanted it to become—my own pride and ambitions for GBH don't really compare to the awe I feel when I look at what people like Austin Ray, Claire Bullen, and Bryan Roth helped it become. Our three successive Editors in Chief over those 10 years—each of whom shaped a new generation of Good Beer Hunting into an image that only they could have. Each of whom provided the shoulders for the next to stand on. And the countless writers and artists who were drawn to their leadership and the level of execution in our collective work—who gave us some of their own best work.  I'm thinking of Kyle Kastranec from Ohio, the first writer other than myself, who wrote a feature for GBH, setting a high bar. I'm thinking of Charleston's own Jamaal Lemon who won a James Beard award for GBH alongside other winners and nominees like Stephanie Grant, Teresa McCullough, Chelsea Carrick, and Mark Dredge.  I'm thinking of people like Matthew Curtis, our first editor in the UK who turned the lights on in an entirely new country for us, and Evan Rail who kept turning on lights in dozens of countries since as our first International editor. Emma Jansen, and Ren Laforme who joined our editors team in the last iteration, rounding out some of the most ambitions and wide sweeping storytelling we've ever produced. Kate Bernot, who leveled up our news reporting to create an unmatched source of access to explain to readers why things matter in beer and beverage alcohol, which is now a growing stand-alone business unit in Sightlines. What felt like a fluke at first, has become something I can confidently own. We produced industry-changing, internationally-recognized, and James Beard Award winning material…consistently. I'm also often reminded of the smaller things we've done—like the blogs and short stories we wrote—about the politics and personal traumas of the way we eat, drink, and relate to each other in our families, in our communities, and against the injustices so many people face in an industry that's ancient and profoundly immature at the same time. It's an unlikely place for a beer publication to have a voice —but GBH has always built its scope around the perspectives of the individual souls who occupy space within it rather than narrowing down a profitable and popular slice of the beer conversation and reduced them to it.  Mark Spence unpacked his Midwestern anxieties around family and food, Lily Waite and Holly Regan opened a door to discuss non-binary and transgender issues,  Jerard Fagerberg and Mark LaFaro took big risks to focus us all on the dangers and costs of alcoholism, David Jesudason and many others captured our attention with stories of harassment, racism, labor abuse, and more that so many readers told us were critical and prescient and more importantly, helped. These stories helped people. Over the years, we've had readers cry as they recounted what a story meant to them. We've had others scream and curse at us for the same. Some even went on the record as sources to ensure our reporting had the substance it needed to make an impact. Careers were started and ended because of the stories we wrote. Those stories had the same effect on ourselves. We've had writers put something heartbreaking or inspiring into the world only to have it wake something up in them and want to do more—take even bigger swings —and find a voice within them that carried them far beyond Good Beer Hunting. And ultimately, that's where my heart is today. This week, I was struggling to find the words to describe what I was going to do with Good Beer Hunting—what comes next. I knew what the move was, and why, and I knew it was time—but I didn't have the poetry for it—so I couldn't quite feel it yet. 

On a long drive to rural Michigan to pick up my son from summer camp, I was listening to an episode of my favorite podcast, On Being. And I heard Azita Ardakani and Janine Benyus, two biomimicry specialists who have a way of describing the natural world with a stunning relevance. They said:  “Life is just so full of vitality and so much ON and being alive and then it's not.” “…What is the difference between something that's alive and something that's not? It seems that with the holding on to life —there's also a feeling of once it's gone, the letting go—like a body breaking down—but it doesn't really. I mean, not for long. What happens is a tree falls and eventually becomes a log. Eventually grows a fungus and you think of it as breaking down—it is no longer a tree. But then a mouse comes along and it's the end of the fungus. And that material—thats' where the reincarnation comes in —that fungus becomes mouse.  “And then a hawk comes along and the material—that material of that mouse becomes hawk. There's this circulation—called metabolism. It's catabolism—then it gets anabolized up into a new form. The grief is brief because transformation happens almost right away—it gets transformed.” Now, GBH isn't dying and it's not wasting away. The truth is it's still sort of thriving in its own manner of being. It's a tree taller than I ever imagined. But success can kill an organization—I've seen it a hundred times in the companies I've worked for, companies I've consulted on—big and small. It's all proportionate. How far away from the roots does that beautiful canopy get before it surprises itself with its own extended weight? How much life force does it expend trying to prop itself up at the expense of something new? 

There's never an objectively right time—but there is a good time. A time not informed by reactionary fear and loathing - but by guts, love, and ambition for something new. 

So I've decided it's time to take the tree down.  
If I look back over the past few years I can see that Good Beer Hunting will be that fallen tree for many. It'll be a source of nutrients for many a mouse that becomes hawk. But the truth is, GBH has been the start of a kind of upward anabolism for some time now. Jamaal Lemon recently took a dream editors job at the Institute of Justice. Stephanie Grant has launched her own community project called The Share. Before that, Matthew Curtis started Pellicle Mag in the U.K. Lily Waite opened a brewery. So many GBH writers have gone on to write books, start podcasts, and create platforms of their own, it's astounding. And what I'm describing right now isn't something that started with GBH—indeed, GBH has been a recipient their upward anabolism from the lives they've lived—each bringing their own energy and nutrients here and nourished us with lifetimes full of curiosity, learning, and love for their craft. The risks in starting something like Good Beer Hunting are myriad. Financial risk is everywhere—but I've happily and defiantly borne the brunt of it for many years. There's personal risk—in media, everything you put out into the world has a way of coming back to you in unexpected, and often dangerous ways. And it does. There's opportunity risk—if this thing fails, and if it takes a long time to fail, what opportunities might you have missed out on in the meantime? But to me, the biggest risk of all is it just not mattering. Not being relevant. Missing the mark. Today, I feel satisfied that Good Beer Hunting matters. I have so many people to thank—and so many feelings to share that are best relayed one-on-one. It'll take me many months and years to pass along those sentiments to individuals who took that risk with me and succeeded. I'm not going to the final word on all this.  My experience of GBH is singular—being the sole source of continuity over those 15 years. But so much of what's defined GBH have been the perspectives and voices of those who've invested their talents in it over the years. So before our final sign-off this summer, you'll hear reflections from leaders, contributors, partners and friends of Good Beer Hunting as well. This is part of the grieving and metabolizing process.  There are a few more episodes of the podcast to share still, and a few remaining stories we've been working on that you'll see this month and maybe into August. If you want to stay up to date on future plans, sign up for the newsletter.  
This episode—along with all podcast episodes over these many years—was edited by Jordan Stalling. And it was scored by my friend, soulmate, and composer, Andrew Thioboldeax, who himself has been along for the ride for over a decade.
 Aim true, pour liberal folks—have a great rest of the year. 

Bio: I am a curator and public historian. My work investigates how Americans have used material and visual culture to understand race, ethnicity, and gender, especially in the realm of food and drink. My first book, Insatiable City: Food and Race in New Orleans, was published by the University of Chicago Press in May 2024. As Curator of Mars, Incorporated, I document the history of one of the world's largest chocolate, confectionery, food, and pet care companies. Previously, I worked as Curator of the American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH). There, I recorded oral histories with dozens of members of the American brewing industry (transcripts may be accessed at the NMAH Archives Center); collected objects, documents, and photographs related to the growth of homebrewing and craft beer in the U.S., including the business records and artifacts belonging to San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Company, days before before its liquidation; and exhibited the history of beer for the 2,000,000+ visitors who come to the American History Museum each year. Before joining the Smithsonian, I worked as Arcadia Fellow at the Colonial North American at Harvard Library Project (now, Worlds of Change); Food Literacy Project Coordinator at Harvard University Dining Services; and European media analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. I earned a PhD in American Studies and an MA in History from Harvard University and a BA in Romance Languages from Harvard College. I also earned a Culinary Arts Diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and have cooked in sweet and savory restaurant kitchens in Cambridge, MA, and Washington, DC. My writing has been awarded by the James Beard Foundation and the North American Guild of Beer Writers. I am honored to have been named a 2023 “Signifier” by Good Beer Hunting, awarded to “people shaping the future of the [beer] industry,” and one of the 2020 “Imbibe 75” by Imbibe magazine, awarded to the “people, places, and directions that will shape the way you drink in 2020.” Website: https://www.theresamcculla.com/ Insatiable City: Food and Race in New Orleans https://www.amazon.com/Insatiable-City-Food-Race-Orleans/dp/0226833828 ________ If you follow my podcast and enjoy it, I'm on @buymeacoffee. If you like my work, you can buy me a coffee and share your thoughts

Thanks for joining us today as we talk with Chelsea Carrick, who was nominated for a James Beard Media Award for her piece for Good Beer Hunting, "Waiting for the Rain — How Drought in Northern Mexico Impacts the Country's Beer Industry."Among the other topics discussed today: The Paleo Diet and What A New Study Tells UsWhat's Next for Culinary CannabisAll in the Industry with Alain DucasseJapan Eats with Morgan Adamson of HosekiWhy Beer Tastes Better ColdAmuse News is hosted and produced by RJ Bee and Heritage Radio Network. Original music by Amar Sastry.

Magic takes time, patience, and intention. So does brewing. The two concepts intertwine fantastically and theatrically in Jeff Alworth's Signifier for Good Beer Hunting, titled “Long Live the Sorcery — Brujos Brewing in Portland, Oregon.” In the piece, he delves into the magical world of Brujos, a business that officially opened in March 2024, but has been percolating for a decade under the creative vision of owner and brewer Sam Zermeño. What started as a brand and hobby picked up steam on social media around 10 years ago, when Zermeño was still a homebrewer in Southern California with a penchant for making malty beers and an appreciation for what he calls “witchy shit” and the occult. Once he got some professional brewing experience under his belt—or, wizard robes, which seems more likely—and moved to the Pacific Northwest, things began to settle into place. It wasn't an accident, and it wasn't magic, but it was definitely a journey that deserves its own story. When Alworth decided to write about it, he says it was that slippery concept of “authenticity” that drew him to write about Zermeño's vision and the Brujos dream finally realized. In this conversation, Alworth and I talk about how and why this story feels a lot different than much of the cynical, business-oriented beer writing that's pervasive in media today. He talks about how, despite being in a city proudly full of weirdos, Brujos takes it to a whole new level, and how it still just works. We talk about the dichotomy of the sacred and profane, the beauty of ritual, and magical realism that serves as a foundation for the brewery. As I say later in the episode, it's a nice story about good people doing cool things.  

When beverage startups are looking for advice before they launch their brands, Bryan Roth is the man they turn to. Bryan is a product and market analyst for Feel Goods Company and managing editor, news editor, and podcast host for its publication, Good Beer Hunting. Bryan has covered the beer industry as a reporter and analyst for more than a decade, and leverages that knowledge to help drinks brands develop innovative products. And, crucially for this conversation, he knows what's trending in the market before anybody else. In this episode, he reveals who your real competitors are and how to beat them, plus why he's betting big on Asian-inspired flavors and the next wave of better-for-you drinks — and what he thinks the next big RTD category will be. Top Takeaways Changing Trends in the Beverage Market We discuss the evolving nature of the beverage market from a traditional approach to a more seasonal and occasion-based market. Asian-Inspired Flavors Trend Brian discusses the emergence of Asian-inspired flavors as a significant trend in the market, indicating that this could be the next big thing for drink brands. Consumer Attitudes Toward Alcohol Consumption Contrary to concerns, there's some reassurance that younger consumers are not entirely abandoning alcohol. Two-thirds of college students still report drinking alcohol, aligning with historical trends. Flavor as Key to Winning Millennials and Gen Z Bryan emphasized that flavor is the key factor in attracting and retaining the Millennial and Gen Z audience — aligning with our own research on the topic. Understanding and delivering unique and appealing flavors is crucial for success. Breaking Boundaries Between Beverage Categories We're all seeing a notable shift in consumer preferences, with the boundaries between different beverage categories breaking down. Consumers — especially younger ones — are more interested in amazing drinks, regardless of whether they are wine, spirits, or beer-based.  Functional Drinks and Wellness Trend We touched on the rise in functional drinks with a focus on wellness and health, discussing how the trend is paying out across beverage sectors. Tune in for a fascinating tour through tips, trends, and opportunities in the beverage space in 2024.  Shoutout to our sponsor! A big round of thanks to AccelPay — a leading ecommerce solution for bev-alc brands. From a one-tap, compliant checkout to comprehensive sales data, AccelPay has you covered and can make your existing website a storefront. For an exclusive 10% off your account, visit: https://www.accelpay.io/bod Business of Drinks is more than a podcast — we're also a strategic content consultancy for drinks brands and platforms. Learn more about us at Businessofdrinks.com Meet the Hosts Erica Duecy is co-founder of Business of Drinks, a podcast and content consultancy, and one of the drinks industry's most accomplished digital and content strategists. She has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.  https://www.instagram.com/ericaduecy/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-duecy-4a35844/ https://twitter.com/ericaduecy Felicity Carter is co-founder of Business of Drinks, a podcast and content consultancy. Also the Editorial Director of Areni Global, the London-based fine wine think tank, she was previously Editor-in-Chief of Meininger's Wine Business International, a trade magazine she built into a global must-read, with subscribers in 38 countries.   https://twitter.com/felicitycarter https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicity-carter-a5754380/ https://www.instagram.com/carter.felicity/ And if you like what you heard, help us spread the word! Follow Business of Drinks, and rate and review our episodes on any platform where you're listening. It helps us find new listeners. Thank you!

Some people nerd out about beer in general. Others go wild for water profiles, hop varieties, or yeast strains, but in Don Tse's experience, not enough people are paying attention to malted barley. It's something he's been passionate about for a decade, and a topic he finally gets to explore in-depth in his first piece for Good Beer Hunting. In that Critical Drinking op-ed, titled “Fight the Power — How Craft Malt Is Central to Taking On Beer's Industrial Complex,” Don explains how the barley of today shouldn't be the barley of yesterday. Typical crops are bred to resist disease and blight every few years. But in North America, barley that's now widely planted  has been around for three decades and is the main source of what's used for malt in beer recipes. Why? Well, it takes time, money, and a lot of buy-in to change a monoculture crop like barley. That change is finally coming, thanks to investments from researchers at Cornell University, breweries like Allagash, and other forward-thinking farmers ready to make malt craft again.  In our conversation, you'll hear Don talk about why it took so long for him to pursue this passion project, why as a Canadian he's focused on American farmers, why he's so stoked on things like protein levels and output, and what sort of potential and future he sees in the North American barley industry. He doesn't expect people to be as nuts about the subject as he is. But he hopes that we'll all start to care, at least a little, to keep moving craft beer and our shared agricultural future looking bright.  

Modelo Especial continues to absolutely dominate as a lager, but is it so successful that we can call it the new domestic lager of choice? On this episode of The Gist, I'm joined as always by Lead Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot, along with special guest, freelance writer, and Good Beer Hunting contributor Jerard Fagerberg to talk about how Constellation Brands has grown Modelo to a 200 million case brand and what that means for the domestic beer category at large. Plus, we look at the latest c-store numbers—specifically, how cider is performing—and why combining “low” and “no” alcohol options into one group doesn't really make much sense. I'm Beth Demmon, and you're listening to The Gist. 

Unless you've been listening to older episode of the GBH Podcast, you may not have heard my voice in awhile. I've been working on some new projects this past year or so that I'm excited about, but if there's one thing that pulls me out of semi-retirement each year, it's the Foeder for Thought festival in St Petersburgh Florida every March with Green Bench Brewing Company, and here we are again on the cusp of that annual gathering of wild and spontaneous beer producers gathering. This year its on Friday March 8th, and in the run-up to that event where I get to sit down and chat with a few leading producers in the category about their trajectory and the future the envision. I'm releasing last year's talks as a way to sort of get people excited again and remind them of some of the aspects of Foeder for Thought that make it so special. First of all, it's a small event but there's some serious work and care put in that makes it fantastic. Khris Johnson and his team at Green Bench pull out all the stops for this thing. They get Web's City Cellar, their companion bar, primed and ready to welcome fans of wild and spontaneous beer to what I consider one of the best beer bars in the country. And I'm certainly not alone in the opinion—this year the James Beard Awards nominated them for the Outstanding Bar category. That's big time stuff. This year they're featuring Northern California's Russian River, Threes Brewing in New York, Keeping Together in New Mexico, Suarez Family Brewery in the Hudson Valley, and The Referend Bier Blendery from Kutztown, Pennsylvania It's going to be a fantastic time - and I hope to see you there. Now, let's talk about 2023's lineup of guests that you'll hear in these episodes, hosted by myself and Good Beer Hunting's Kate Bernot. We're talking to folks from de Garde Brewing in Oregon, Fox Farm Brewery in Connecticut, Off Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach Florida, Primitive Beer in Colorado, and Scratch Brewing in far Southern Illinois. As per usual, it was an inspired lineup of beers and the producers behind them. All connected through their love of wild and spontaneous beer making, but also unique in their own rights—serving unique audiences and geographies, adapting to the realities of climate change and a shifting market, and finding their own way even as they hold the ancient traditions of these beers in a kind of reverent state.

This episode is one of a three-part series recorded as part of the Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting, an annual event held in Durham, North Carolina that brings brewers and beer lovers together from all over the country. Along with a beer festival, Rare & Vintage also hosts beer industry professional development conversations each January. The combo acts as a fundraising and awareness effort for the Michael James Jackson Foundation, which funds education and career advancement for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the brewing and distilling industries. For this year's event, I moderated three discussions, and in this episode, you'll hear me in conversation with three panelists talking about how language and culture have built the lexicon for beer and what we can do to change and enhance it all. It's a spiritual connection to a James Beard Award-winning story Good Beer Hunting published in 2022, in which Mark Dredge explored how flavor wheels and tasting tools should evolve to speak to a global collection of beer drinkers. To build on the ideas you may have read about in that story and share new ones, joining me were: Breeze Galindo, director of operations for the Michael James Jackson Foundation and founder of MiLuna Brewing. Lindsay Barr, co-founder of DraughtLab Sensory Software. Rafael D'Armas, brewer at Brookyln's Kings County Brewers Collective, also known as KCBC. As you listen to the back-and-forth between these three, you get to hear practical, scientific, and philosophical approaches to how we can all think differently about the way we describe and talk about beer. The importance of this, as you'll hear, is a necessary step to acknowledge how diverse beer is becoming—even if it's been slow—but how much the language we use is going to matter next year and long after that. After you listen to this episode, make sure to check out the other two from Rare & Vintage, which includes a panel discussion about bias in measurement, brewing, and more, and a keynote conversation with my Good Beer Hunting colleague and friend, Jamaal Lemon.  

This episode is one of a three-part series recorded as part of the Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting, an annual event held in Durham, North Carolina that brings brewers and beer lovers together from all over the country. Along with a beer festival, Rare & Vintage also hosts beer industry professional development conversations each January. The combo acts as a fundraising and awareness effort for the Michael James Jackson Foundation, which funds education and career advancement for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the brewing and distilling industries. For this year's event, I moderated three discussions, and in this episode, you'll hear me in conversation with my Good Beer Hunting colleague, Jamaal Lemon. Jamaal has written some of the most celebrated work published at GBH, which includes a 2023 James Beard Award for his story, Come Hell or High Water — Oysters, Brewing, and How the Come Yahs & Bin Yahs Could End Sea Level Rise in Charleston. He's been a contributor to Good Beer Hunting since 2020 and also writes the blog, Bootlegger's Baby for us, which focuses on Jamaal's ruminations on fatherhood and family. During our talk at Rare & Vintage, Jamaal was welcomed as a keynote speaker, so we engaged in a discussion that would inspire conversations between brewers for the whole weekend. We talked about big ideas, storytelling, innovation in beer, and more. You'll hear us talk about where Jamaal gets his ideas, why he cares about stories of the water, and much more. After you listen to this episode, make sure to check out the other two, which include panel discussions about bias in beer sensory and science with some of the smartest minds in beer as well as a discussion of how to build inclusive language for how we talk about beer.

This episode is one of a three-part series recorded as part of the Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting, an annual event held in Durham, North Carolina that brings brewers and beer lovers together from all over the country. Along with a beer festival, Rare & Vintage also hosts beer industry professional development conversations each January. The combo acts as a fundraising and awareness effort for the Michael James Jackson Foundation, which funds education and career advancement for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the brewing and distilling industries. For this year's event, I moderated three discussions, and in this episode, you'll hear me in conversation with three panelists talking about measurements, bias, and how these things impact the making of beer and how we bring people together for beer. Joining me are: Nicole Steinhilber, laboratory operations manager for Charleston, South Carolina's Edmund's Oast Brewing. April Dove, founder of Tha CommUNITY, a collaborative beer initiative that partners with breweries to offer a blueprint on how to attract Black drinkers to taprooms. Jen Currier, cellarmaster at Wicked Weed Brewing and head winemaker at its spin-off winery, Vidl Cellars. The experience between all three of these industry pros gave us fodder to get nerdy about lab work, ingredients, and more, but it also allowed us to look at big picture challenges facing beer today, most notably how to better welcome new drinkers into the fold. After you listen to this episode, make sure to check out the other two, which includes a panel discussion about bias in sensory and a keynote conversation with my Good Beer Hunting colleague and friend, Jamaal Lemon.  

Football and beer tend to go together without much thought. But in places like Pope County, Arkansas, alcohol is noticeably absent from tailgate coolers, plastic Solo cups, and concession stands. That's because the area, which is home to Arkansas Tech University, is also one of the state's 29 dry counties, where access to alcohol is restricted thanks to political influence, conservative mindsets, and tradition left from the time of Prohibition.  In his first piece for Good Beer Hunting titled “No Blitz — How Arkansas Tech University Fans Tailgate in a Dry County,” freelance writer Brian Sorenson portrays a small, but proud slice of the American South, where sports like football dominate much of the culture. That culture, he says, lags behind the more liberal coastal areas of the United States, but that doesn't mean it's less worthy of attention. In our conversation, he describes his hope for readers and listeners to set aside their notions of what they think Arkansas is like, and to instead experience it through fresh eyes and open minds.  You'll hear about his background in beer, football, writing, and the state of Arkansas, where he grew up used to rowdy sports fans fueled by alcohol. For this story, he was fascinated by the idea of separating the two, and shares some of the surprises he came across while writing the piece. It's an insider's look at seemingly contradictory ideologies, and it's likely you'll walk away with a new framework from which to view a different, but beautiful, way of life.  

In the world of cider, Nikki West says the nerdier you are, the cooler you are. That's probably the scientist in her talking, but she's not wrong. As an agriculturally-based product, cider is inextricably tied to the earth, which is one reason why West decided to move from an academic career in geosciences to launching Ciders From Mars in Staunton, Virginia. It wasn't a huge leap, scientifically speaking, but it was definitely one that changed the trajectory of their life. In our conversation, West and I discuss the pros and cons of a formal education in fermentation, and how the Cider Institute of North America helped her transform a garage operation into a tasting room in the Shenandoah Valley, the heart of Virginia apple country. We also talk about the seismic shift it took to jump from geology to ciderology, and the overlaps between the two endeavors, as well as why they decided to plant an orchard in order to (eventually) use apple varieties not readily found elsewhere. As someone with Celiac disease, West says cider is an ideal alternative to beer, as well as less filling, without the stuffy culture or high ABV of wine—basically, nature's most perfect drink, and one she hopes more people discover in the years to come.  It may be called Good Beer Hunting, but in this episode, we're Good Cider Hunting.  

In Korean folklore, dokkaebi are tricksy creatures who love to eat, drink, and challenge humans to wrestling matches. They tend to create mischief, but generally not mayhem, and can bring you luck—if you remain on their good side. This same sense of playfulness is evident at Dokkaebier in Oakland, California, an Asian-inspired craft brewery that encapsulates not just the name, but the spirit of dokkaebi in every beer they make. In her first story for Good Beer Hunting, Maloy Luakian describes how her own Pan-Asian identity informed her experience at Dokkaebier, and how she was able to feel a sense of nostalgia through familiar flavors presented in an unfamiliar medium. Her story, titled “Supernatural Creatures And Blended Cultures — Dokkaebier's Story Of Shapeshifting,” describes the brewery's history, goals, and cultural influence as one of the only Asian-owned breweries in the United States, as well as founder Youngwon Lee's background as a third-culture kid, with roots in South Korea, Guam, and the United States.  In this conversation, she defines what third culture is and what it means to her, how the idea of authenticity in food and drink can keep tradition alive as well as inspire innovation, and how the beer cultures in Asia and the U.S. are influencing one another in fresh and exciting ways. It's clearly a very personal story, and she admits that she wasn't sure where it was going to end up. We're lucky to have it on Good Beer Hunting, and it's a pleasure to talk about it right now.  

By definition, the realization that you've experienced a close brush with death can't come until after you've survived, but sometimes you might realize you're already standing on thin ice, left to wonder how you're going to stay alive. We hope these moments in life are few, if at all, but when they do occur, reliving them with the safety and clarity of hindsight can teach us lessons about ourselves that we may otherwise never know.   In his piece “Melting Away — Ice Fishing on LSD While Your World Dissolves,” a story published as part of Good Beer Hunting's Olly Olly series in collaboration with Oskar Blues, writer and photographer Mark LaFaro describes his venture onto a frozen lake in Minnesota and what brought him there in the first place—the end of a partnership for him and the dawning of a new era for his friend Finney, who recently became a new parent. Beginnings and ends like these can feel similarly rudderless and isolating, something Mark and Finney found out during what ended up being a more treacherous outing than they originally anticipated. In this conversation with Mark, he told me he'd do it all again, maybe with a bit less LSD and definitely with some more safety precautions. He also talks about how despite the fact that fishing is closely tied to drinking, how the two alcohol-free friends managed to still open their horizons and hearts to one another during a terrifying, but somewhat necessary catharsis for them both. The two friends danced on the edge of life and came back to tell the tale, and we're fortunate to hear all about it.  

Back to Beers! Jimmy has commissioned a convocation of NYC beer bars experts for this very special episode! The point of discussion is Courtney Iseman's Good Beer Hunting article regarding the scene, and this group of key players from this very special time are here to dive into this retrospective on NYC beer bar history.In the studio tonight are Courtney Iseman, freelance beer writer with Good Beer Hunting; Chris O'leary, editor of Brew York beer blog and newsletter; Jen Maslanka, GM and partner at Spring Lounge in Downtown NYC; and BR Rolya, BSR MVP, beer consultant, formerly of Shelton Brothers Importers, and member of the selection committee for the Good Beer Seal bars.Take a trip down memory lane with the gang and listen in!Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Beer Sessions Radio by becoming a member!Beer Sessions Radio is Powered by Simplecast.

Welcome to the 6 Pack, where we discuss 6 quick topics, mostly about beer. Your host is Advanced Cicerone Chris Cohen. We do a full breakdown of a classic beer style, answer audience members' questions, & talk about beer, life, the universe, and everything. If you've got a question for Chris, record a brief voice memo - intro yourself, say where you're from, & ask your question. Email the audio file it to chris@thebeerscholar.com Cheers & thanks for listening! Go hit that subscribe button right now!

There's a masochistic element to drinking Malört, the bitter liqueur beloved by Chicagoans and reviled by others. But beneath its herbaceous and citrusy intensity, it represents much more than a challenge to your palate. To drink Malört is a rite of passage—entrance to a secret club you have to earn your way into through a tongue buckling finish and nearly a century of history.  In his piece for Good Beer Hunting, Chicago-based freelance writer and culture journalist Josh Terry unpacks the storied spirit as only a Chicagoan could. That piece, titled “Stormy, Husky, Brawling — Chicago's Divisive Spirit Jeppson's Malört Is For Everyone Now,” explores the core of Malört's history, after its invention during the 1930s, but before its hipster revival in the 2010s. In this episode, we'll talk about what it was like to dive into the endlessly debated, but deeply meaningful spirit, one that he says isn't as bad as everyone thinks. He describes the first time he tried Malört and the rules he has about drinking it now—rule one: never drink it alone—and what he wished he could have expanded on in the piece. We also discuss Josh Noel's forthcoming book about Malört, how photographs and social media helped create hype in the digital age, and why this bitter spirit is more popular than ever. I'm not sure Malört is for everyone, but it definitely holds a special place for lots of people. Let's hear from one of them—right now.

The practices of writing and editing, while similar, each require very specific skill sets that nudge against one another, but remain deeply individual in practice. The greatest writers rely on talented editors to shape their voice, and the best editors are those who can spy potential within a story and help tease it out as part of a collaborative effort. The results are mostly enjoyed by readers and listeners, but the creators themselves have to enjoy the process of putting something into the world that did not exist before. Otherwise, what's the point? Emma Janzen has known for a long time that her path pointed towards editing, by way of writing for many years. Now, she has the chance as the new drinkways editor for Good Beer Hunting. Her role, in her words, is to develop, assign, and edit stories that are not about beer, which may strike some listeners as odd. After all, it's called Good Beer Hunting. But those who know, know that we've always been much more than “just beer.” Emma is going to help nurture that spark of curiosity and—hopefully—fan the flames of discovery through storytelling and exploration.  In this conversation, Emma reveals what initially drew her to Good Beer Hunting and why what she witnessed as a reader cultivated her desire to be an official part of the team. You'll hear about the stories she's worked on, the ideas she has, and the discussions she hopes take root in future features. We also talk about what it's like to be a freelancer at this particular moment in time and how the pandemic's isolation helped her realize the importance of in-person connection, for both personal and professional growth. It's not our first conversation on the podcast, and I don't think it'll be our last.    

The latest beer news, product developments, and what constitutes a “five-alarm fire” for distributors—at least, according to distributors. It's all here in The Gist, a new Good Beer Hunting podcast with Kate Bernot and Beth Demmon, where you'll get a breakdown of why the latest happenings in beer matter and the context around it all. This bite-sized show gives listeners quick, quippy, and expert insight into the big stories happening in the U.S. beer scene and beyond. Join Beth and Kate every other week for colorful commentary and delightful debate from two of your favorite and familiar GBH voices.For our first episode, Beth and Kate unpack: Distributors' fears about beer's decline (and if those fears are a tad sensationalistic—hint, they are, according to Beth) Why inviting new consumers from overlooked communities is no longer a moral imperative (it's a financial one too), How Gen Z is redefining the entire drinks category through Clip Art-esque products. Will it work? Who knows!

Becoming a journalist today seems more treacherous than in any other time in history. With notions like “alternative facts” on the rise, media companies slashing budgets and jobs, and more divisiveness among readers than ever before, who on earth would sign up to work in media? Ren LaForme would, for one, and he has no regrets about it. In fact, he's added a new position to his CV as the new North American beer editor for Good Beer Hunting. He's been on this podcast before to talk about his role as the managing editor at the Poynter Institute, a non-profit journalism school, research organization, and fact-checking site based in St. Petersburg, Florida. But in this episode, you'll hear from him as part of the Good Beer Hunting team, what his experience has been like so far, and why he decided to assume more responsibility in an already challenging media landscape.  He also shares plenty of wisdom from his time working in media, with tips and advice for aspiring journalists, as well as a few words of caution. But despite a sometimes bleak outlook, Ren believes there will always be a very human need to communicate with one another, regardless of what shareholders value or trolls believe. Let's hear from Ren, right now.

Every successful small business owner has to raise the bar if they're going to compete. And for many, that means raising money, too. In this special episode, we're talking about a series of articles that has appeared on Good Beer Hunting called “Compound Interest.” The stories written by Jerard Fagerberg are profiles devoted to founders who aligned their growth, fundraising, and community—and who keep their numbers up as they keep craft beer flowing. The stories are told in collaboration with SMBX, a marketplace for issuing and buying small business bonds. In this episode we bring you a collection of GBH writers, including Jerard, Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot, and publisher Michael Kiser. We'll talk about the origins of this series, why these stories matter, and the unique people and ideas Jerard has come across as he's reported for Compound Interest over the past year. Take a look behind the curtain to learn more about GBH storytelling and finding stories that resonate from business leader to readers and listeners like you. 

For years now, practically any industry has dealt with the threat of burnout. It was a problem before the COVID pandemic, became a bigger issue during 2020 and 2021, and has lingered since, as people try to find work-life balance that helps them find time to feel relaxed, recharged, or just happy. The challenges related to burnout are particularly harsh in hospitality, where staff at your favorite bar, restaurant, or brewery have to deal with high-pressure situations, unruly guests, long hours, and more. If you're one of the millions of people who've watched the TV show, “The Bear,” and the chaos-inducing stories of restaurant staff, you're also familiar with what can lead to burnout and its consequences. In this episode of our podcast, Good Beer Hunting reporter and community editor Stephanie Grant takes us along for a series of conversations to better understand how burnout impacts people who work in beer. The causes are common—it's those intense work environments and sometimes low pay—and we hope that hearing stories from those who've faced burnout and who are trying to combat it gives you a deeper understanding of how burnout impacts people. You may have experienced burnout yourself at some point. You probably know someone who has. So, let's learn a little bit more about what this issue is, why it needs to be addressed, and how we can better understand it.  

This is a special edition of the podcast where we let you peer behind the curtain. Our guest, baseball writer and beer enthusiast Eno Sarris, is the subject of a profile you can read on Good Beer Hunting. As part of the reporting for that story, I recorded one of our interviews to share with you—it's a way for you to hear from Eno more of what makes him the person he is today, as well as gain a better understanding for some of the ideas and themes you read about in the piece itself. Eno is one of the leading journalists covering baseball today, currently for The Athletic. His skill set is unique in the way he uses statistical analysis to tell stories about players and the sport, and it's the same kind of thinking that put him in a unique position with beer. During the 2010s, he was a lead writer for a website, BeerGraphs, a beer-focused spin-off of FanGraphs, a renowned baseball publication. But along with his bonafides and expertise in baseball and beer, he's also a charming and interesting person. In this conversation you'll hear about his upbringing in Jamaica, Germany, and the U.S., and how baseball was central to the way he connected with others. You'll also get a sense of how and why beer became part of his passion and career. We recorded this chat during the summer in the midst of the baseball season, so some of the references to All-Star players will be time-stamped to that moment. But the ideas and stories Eno shares are evergreen, and will help you appreciate him and his work even more.  

There's a certain magic to baseball, filled with myths, heroes, and the power to make people feel that anything is possible. It's no wonder it's called America's greatest pastime, or why players like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Mickey Mantle are household names, familiar even to those who don't closely follow the sport. But sometimes it's those off the field who are the myth makers, the legend builders, and the magicians keeping our hearts aligned to the game, which is, of course, much more than just a game.  For his first feature in several years, Bryan Roth, Good Beer Hunting's managing editor, news editor and podcast co-host, pens a sprawling account of Eno Sarris, the iconic writer and baseball analyst known for his sharp statistical study as well as his unflagging optimism and convivial attitude, punctuated often with a smile and a laugh. Bryan spoke to around a dozen sources for the piece, each clamoring to sing Sarris' praises as both a gifted analyst and profoundly pleasant human being.  With so many people eager to chime in with so many nice things to say, I wondered—do people love the person, or the personality? Turns out, they are one and the same, and it's that very lack of pretension that has endeared Sarris to the hearts of readers and listeners around the world. (Plus, he drinks beer. What's not to like?)  In this episode, we'll talk about both baseball and beer, how Sarris has unequivocally changed both for the better, and how our personal connections to the sport and the beverage continue to inform, surprise, and delight. Whether you're a baseball fan or not, this is a story about hope and how positivity maybe can change the world.  

Flavor is much more than what something tastes like. It's aroma, mouthfeel, and flavors all mixed together to create a sensory experience that has the power to transport us through time and space. It's unique to each person, yet universal in scope; shared on some level by every human who ever existed.  In this episode, my guest is Mandy Naglich, a previous Good Beer Hunting contributor and author of “How To Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life.” She's an Advanced Cicerone, a Certified Taster—yes, that's a real thing—and drinks educator who helps people dig into flavor to discover just how far our senses can go. Mandy says that anyone can be a capital-T “Taster”, explains what “supertasters” really are, and describes how familiarity with things like wine, beer, cider, or even sake can expand our notions of flavor through practice and group discussion.  You'll hear what drove her to dial into the world of flavor, when and why her book came to be, and the differences between craft beer, cider, and chocolate as they relate to existing guidelines and critical analysis. She won't teach you how to taste like her—simply, how to taste like you. With her guidance, we can all appreciate our senses a little bit more. So let's hear from her.

The American South means a lot of things, to a lot of people. But one thing is for certain—there's no place like it in the world.  For his first feature in Good Beer Hunting, freelance journalist Owen Racer wrote about this place, its people, and how beer fits into it all. During a year as a resident of New Orleans, Owen tapped into the food and drink scene, researching its illustrious history, shared traumas, and steps towards the future, often through the unexpected lens of beer. In our conversation, he discusses why Lager is so specifically tied to both the culture and the climate of the Gulf Coast, what misconceptions beer still faces in the area, and the hurdles that have held the beverage back, until now. In this episode, Owen and I talk about his process and emotional connection of reporting as an outsider and temporary resident of an area beloved by many and misunderstood by even more. You'll hear about the surprises he faced, the Southern hospitality he felt, and, of course, the beers he drank. Let's hear about his year on the Gulf, and how it changed him for years to come.  

A brewery's trademark and its subsequent labels are its identity and protecting that involves many steps that involve beverage lawyers, government agencies, keeping tabs on other breweries and so much more. Today we speak to three guests with an eye on trademark protection, homage/parody vs. intellectual property theft and the legal ramifications of what happens when the judicial system has to get involved. This is a fascinating part of the beer world. Guests:Brian Kulbacki of Departed Soles Brewing. Brian is a 2012 Graduate of the American Brewers Guild Brewing School, where he took their Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering course for Breweries in Planning. Prior to that he graduated from Boston College with a double major in Marketing & Finance.  He has worked in marketing for the New England Patriots/Revolution and the Lakewood BlueClaws, as well as finance for Major League Baseball and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He has also managed operations for a family business. Brian founded Departed Soles Brewing Company in 2014, which in 2015 opened its doors to become the first brewery in Jersey City, New Jersey since prohibition, and the first brewery on the east coast to craft gluten free beer in dedicated equipment, along with traditional glutenous beers. The brewery has won medals at GABF, the World Beer Cup, and Best of Craft Beer Awards, among others. The brewery is now run by Brian's dog, Bogan.Bill Covaleski of Victory Brewing Co. Bill has played a pivotal, creative role in leading the overall growth strategy of Victory Brewing Company. He serves as creative muse and guide for Victory beer brands and culinary collaborations as well as a driving force behind community engagement. Covaleski and Victory co- founder, Ron Barchet, serve as brewmasters, providing strategic guidance in the development of new beer brands.In February of 2016 Covaleski and Barchet joined Phin and Sara DeMink, founders of Lakewood, NY based Southern Tier Brewing Company, as Artisanal Brewing Ventures, a partnership platform for like-minded brewers to continue to innovate and grow. With the addition of Brooklyn, NY based SixpointBrewing in 2018 and Bold Rock Ciders in 2019. Prior to co-founding Victory, he earned a degree from the prestigious Doemens Institute of MunichGermany, having completed their International Course in Brewing Studies after an invaluable five-year apprenticeship under German trained Dutch brewmaster, Theo deGroen. Before pursuing his craft beer dreams, Bill labored as an art director after earning his B.F.A. from Temple University's Tyler School of Art.Brendan PalfreymanBrendan focuses on intellectual property matters, commercial litigation, and has significant experience efficiently and promptly reviewing corporate contracts. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in patent, trademark, copyright, and trade dress infringement actions. He also prosecutes trademark and copyright applications in the United States and globally for a wide range of clients and industries. A major focus of Brendan's practice is representing and counseling breweries, wineries, and distilleries with regard to everything from corporate formation and licensing to M&A and distribution contracts. He is an award-winning homebrewer and one happy client even named a beer after him. Brendan has been quoted in various publications about legal issues facing the alcoholic beverage industry including the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and San Francisco Chronicle.  He is a regular guest on industry podcasts such as BrewBound and Good Beer Hunting.This Episode is Sponsored by:Estrella GaliciaEstrella Galicia is an independent, family-owned brewery  in northwest Spain, founded in 1906.Estrella Galicia Cerveza Especial is a world class lager, brewed using the finest Spanish malts, locally  cultivated Galician hops and the best brewing practices, in a state-of-the-art facility in A Coruna. Recognized around the world for quality and exceptional character. Estrella Galicia is “A beer like no other.”Yakima Valley HopsLooking for an easy hop sourcing experience? Yakima Valley Hops offers the finest quality hops from right here in our Valley and premium growing regions around the world. Get the hops you need when you need them, with ultra-fast shipping and awesome customer service. With a full line of liquid hop products and all your favorite varieties, no contracts are needed to brew with the best. Shop now at YakimaValleyHops.com. Hosts: Don Tse and Em Sauter Guests: Brendan Palfreyman, Bill Covaleski, Brian Kulbacki  Sponsors: Estrella Galicia, Yakima Valley Hops, All About Beer Tags: Brewing, Law, Intelectual Property, Ingredients, Business The following music was used for this media project:Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeodFree download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-callLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseArtist website: https://incompetech.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Once upon a time, supporting independent makers in food and drink was paramount for conscientious consumers. To these shoppers, a common goal was to avoid anything with a whiff of global corporate ownership. But today, the goal posts have shifted in a slightly different direction, with customers often focusing on aspects like seasonality, sustainability, and staying as close as possible to the source.  This emphasis on hyper localism isn't quite as one-dimensional as it seems, or so says writer and academic Dr. Anna Sulan Masing. In a story for Good Beer Hunting titled, “People, Place, and Produce — How Agriculture, Secondary Ingredients, and Trade Routes Define Spirits' Identities,” Masing looks at the tangible and historical influences on spirits and explains how certain ideas of what a spirit is today can often leave out where it actually comes from. She encourages readers to look to our past to understand our future, and how time, space, and travel all inform the products we consume, regardless of how local we think they are.  In this episode, we discuss the power and danger of wielding the idea of “authenticity,” and what the term even means in the first place. You'll hear how it took years for her to piece together the threads of an idea to report this story, as well as the challenges—and surprises—she faced throughout her research. We'll talk about how history and heritage informs innovation and how those ideas of authenticity can be an ever-evolving concept, shifting from one person to the next. Even if you don't fancy yourself a beverage historian, none of us can escape the local or global systems that nourish us. So let's explore them, head on, and as a collective group.  

When it comes to alcohol in Tennessee, whiskey is king. But craft beer is slowly starting to become part of the state's identity, and in Chattanooga, the brewing scene is finally coming into its own. In his first piece for Good Beer Hunting, writer Drew Pitt, a Chattanooga transplant by way of Los Angeles, explores the history, legacy, and challenges beer has faced in the city and gives us a glimpse towards the future.  Drew's piece, titled “Rebirth and Reinvention — As Chattanooga Grows and Changes, Local Beer Follows Along,” started as an idea for our Gas Station Week series, but eventually transformed into an insider's look at a new and exciting brewing scene in southern Tennessee. We talk about how Tennessee isn't exactly positioning itself as a welcoming state for people, especially the queer community, but why he believes Chattanooga can act as a beacon of acceptance, using beer as a conduit for connection. Bars and breweries have often been historically safe spaces for people oppressed by intolerance, and Drew hopes his home continues to innovate and include everyone who crosses into the state.   

The past year has been a hard one for most beer categories. With the exception of imports—particularly those from Mexico—volume growth hasn't been easy to come by. That's led companies to release new brands and packaging formats, but there are only so many ways a brewery can find new avenues to sell more beer. So, in recent months, you may have noticed another tactic: rebates. Offering money back isn't new in beer. The largest companies have provided rebates when shoppers buy large packs of Bud Light, Miller Lite, or Coors Light for years, but some craft breweries are exploring this space as a means to boost sales that have otherwise slumped. Which begs the question: How does all this work? Along with Kate Bernot, Good Beer Hunting's Sightlines reporter, we're going to explore what's going on in beer and why rebates can be an attractive option for breweries. As you'll come to learn, it's not just about selling more beer, but also finding a way to get your personal information, which can be priceless.

Family recipes, passed down through generations, are one of life's greatest blessings. In my house, it's a salsa recipe, started in earnest by my mother, fiddled with endlessly by me, and one that I plan to pass down to my son. For Good Beer Hunting community editor and cooking enthusiast Stephanie Grant, it's her grandmother's recipe for red rice, an evolved version of the West African staple jollof, and one that she had to seek out in order to nurture a connection to her Gullah-Geechee identity. In a story for Good Beer Hunting titled “Hidden Heritage — A Search for Culture, Heirlooms, and My Grandma's Red Rice Recipe,” Stephanie describes the culinary treasures of past generations and how they shaped her love and longing to understand the people who came before her. In this episode, you'll hear her talk about how she's been writing this story since childhood, and what it's meant to her to see Black Southern culture be honored in kitchens and cookbooks as a long overdue legacy.  You'll also hear how her search for red rice began, how it ended, and where it's going, as she continues to put her own touch on food and history, which is something she says all generations are born to do in order to keep traditions alive and accessible. Food is a link to our past, present, and future, and it's something we can all look to as a common tie even in divisive times. 

The collapse of Washington's Skagit Valley Malting last month left distillers and brewers alike searching for new suppliers of malted barley. The craft maltster had more than 270 customers when it closed unexpectedly, including Seattle's Westland and Copperworks distilleries. We'll talk with Copperworks co-founders Jason Parker and Jeff Kanof this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth, along with Kate Bernot, who's been covering the story for Good Beer Hunting. In the news, the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame gets eight new inductees, while Woodford Reserve is teaming up with Kentucky farmers to develop the state as a rye-producing region. We'll have all the week's whisky news, tasting notes for whiskies from the U.S., Japan, and India, and much more on this week's WhiskyCast. 

The phrase “sober curious” is picking up steam in beverage alcohol circles—perhaps most notably in the craft beer industry. More non-alcoholic products, sober events, and shared conversations regarding our collective consumption habits are taking place than ever before, but a stigma remains. If you're not drinking, why are you even in a beer space to begin with? That's exactly what today's conversation is about. I'm joined by writers Jerard Fagerberg and Mark LaFaro to discuss Jerard's sober-curious column “Let Go or Get Dragged” and Mark's recent piece on Good Beer Hunting titled “Tapped Out — The Problematic Culture of Overdrinking in the Alcoholic Beverage Industry.” Neither writer shies away from sharing personal, sometimes very raw experiences with alcohol consumption, in an attempt to destigmatize moderation and sobriety as well as provide resources for those interested in cutting back.  This episode is part of a series exploring both personal and cultural shifts regarding alcohol, where we discuss the evolving vocabulary around sobriety—or steps towards it—and unpack the core reasons why people congregate around beer in the first place. As someone who still works behind the bar, Mark reveals some ugly truths about what breweries expect from consumers (spoiler alert: It's not always in the individuals' best interest), as well as where they both find support in a sometimes judgemental landscape. You never have to explain why you're not drinking, or even drinking less, but whether you're curious about minimizing or eliminating alcohol from your diet, listening to those who have been through it before is a great foundation on where you can begin.

As a former resident of Richmond, Virginia, and with family and friends still there, I visit the city fairly frequently. But seeing it through the eyes of someone else and hearing them describe places like the James River, Ardent Craft Ales, or Mekong made me long to go back. But the story you'll hear about today isn't a typical travel piece: Rather, it's a bittersweet exploration of the city, an ode to a friendship that ended too soon. In her first story for Good Beer Hunting, titled “Share What You Have — Seeing Richmond, Virginia, Through the Eyes of John Stoner,” writer and cartoonist Em Sauter takes readers on a uniquely personal journey to memorialize her friend John Stoner, a Richmond beer fixture and early supporter of her own work at Pints & Panels, her visual beer education and art business. John died unexpectedly in 2021, sparking a wave of grief Em couldn't help but ride until she decided to honor his legacy and friendship by visiting his town to remember him as he was and to explore what he meant to her. In this episode, you'll hear how writing the story acted as a therapeutic balm for her, a way to sit with her feelings and memories as her own life moves forward. I'm sure you can relate to the idea of having online friends—and especially online beer friends—whose lives may or may not ever come in direct contact with you, but help shape your experiences in unexpected ways. In the end, it's kindness that Em hopes people share with one another. That, and a love of beer.  

The Gundersons, a family of 5, founded G5 Brewing Company in 2019. Five Gundersons. G5 Brewing. A whole family affair. This is the southernmost brewery in Wisconsin. We talk about the beautiful views from their taproom, the big sky country inspiration of Montana, and drink many, many rounds. Tim and Eric joke about each beer as the naming process seems to be a point of pain for them sometimes. ---------------The Lager Than Life Beer Fest - Beloit, WI brought to you by Visit Beloit is back this year, and we can't wait!Saturday, July 15, 2 to 6 p.m. - Preservation Park in Beloit, Wisconsin right on the Rock River.30 breweries from around Wisconsin and the Midwest will be pouring some of their best lagers and crafts for you to taste.Each attendee will receive a commemorative tasting glass for their unlimited samples - and there are more than 100 samples to choose from - and water and entertainment is complimentary!Tickets are $50 for general admission and $75 for VIP. VIP tickets get you food and tent coverage to take a break, get some nourishment and head back out for more samples!Head to visitbeloit.com/lager for the details and to purchase tickets, or head right over to EventBrite.Come drink beer with us!---------------Follow G5 Brewing Company: Instagram: @g5brewcoFacebook: /g5brewingTwitter: @g5brewcoWebsite: g5brewing.netFollow Pour Another Round:Facebook: /PourAnothrRoundInstagram: @PourAnothrRoundTwitter: @PourAnothrRound

Today's guest, if we're speaking in beer years, is a lifelong friend. But what feels like a lifetime really only started around 2011 in Chicago when Good Beer Hunting, at the time just a personal hobby of mine, was basically unknown outside of a small community in Chicago. At the time, Paul Schneider was still a history teacher in the burbs homebrewing and volunteering at small start-up breweries around the area.  We met at a Goose Island First Thursday event, which was a loosely defined monthly occasion where fans got together in the Seibel Institute room in front of the Clybourn Brewpub. We would share dark Goose Island beers, home-brews, and other sought after bottles. It was truly the glory days of the 2nd wave of craft beer kind of thing.  The timeline is too full of milestones between then and now, but here's a quick look at Paul's career in craft beer: after volunteering around town, he got his first real gig at Solemn Oath in Naperville—as one of their first employees.  he went on to fill a broad role there between operations, special creative projects, some brewing and marketing he left to sign on as a founding brewer as a partner in a brewery in Pittsburgh that he initially consulted on and then was offered the role once they realize the multi-faceted talent and experience he brought that led me and Paul to work together in an official capacity for the first time, as GBH signed on to the project to help define the brand and trajectory of the brewery with Paul and the Warden family, for what would become known as Cinderlands  Since then Paul has become a brewer's brewer, making precise Lagers, exquisite Saisons, as well as crowd-pleasers like their sought-after Tartshake series.  Paul's unique perspective as a brewer, and also a student and former teacher of history, gives him a view on humanity and how beer fits into it that is uncommonly balanced. There's an auteur in him of the finer elements of brewing. But there's also the practical business person who knows better than to push back against the demands of the market. In fact, rather than be mutually exclusive as so many small operators often see these seemingly opposing forces—he seems to elegantly align the two to create opportunities for himself and others that are truly satisfying as a creator.  And that's not to say that holding that line is easy. It's a position that's maintained through a constantly shifting, reflective, informed effort to navigate a very human marketplace that can be both high-minded, hype-driven, and incredibly fickle at times.  The history of beer is like the history of all things fashionable. And the present is no exception.  Paul was in town for a collaboration release with his friends at Solemn Oath, and a bit of a homecoming. So we took the moment to catch up on some of these threads and open some bottles for friends and peers at the studio. We were also finalizing plans for our latest collaborative project—Cindi's Hard Mountain Tea—which is launching at PNC park in Pittsburgh as I speak.

What if I told you one of the best places in the country to find the coolest, freshest craft beer is in Pasadena, California? That probably wouldn't surprise. But what if I also told you that when you go to find the latest releases from Humble Sea or Trillium, or even a bottle of Cantillon, you could also fill up your gas tank a few dozen feet from that refrigerator door? In this episode, you're going to meet Shibli Haddad, who owns and runs a Shell gas station that has become one of the most important beer stores in the U.S. Not only does Shibli stock some of the most sought-after beer from across America, but he brings a clear passion for connecting with people because of it. You'll hear him describe the way he talks to customers to learn about them and what would be exciting to find in his store, how he tracks trends, and why it's important to offer special beer at an accessible price. He came to run the store because of his dad, started stocking unique beer because of his sister, and has become a part of California beer culture because of his commitment to forming relationships with his customers. This conversation is part of Good Beer Hunting's coverage for Gas Station Week, a series of stories, essays, and podcasts meant to highlight how people all over can find unique beer experiences in typically unexpected places. Make sure to visit goodbeerhunting.com for more voices that highlight this corner of the beer world.  

Non-alcoholic spirits, beer, wine, and beyond have finally graduated from punchlines to premium products in their own right, filling up store shelves and restaurant menus in greater numbers than ever before. But as writer David Neimanis explains in his latest piece for Good Beer Hunting, there's still a long way to go for many of these products—non-alcoholic spirits in particular—to achieve their potential as legitimate and valuable alternatives to the status quo. That piece, titled “Spirited Away — The Brands, Bartenders, and Bottle Shops Paving the Way for Non-Alcoholic Spirits,” which was published on February 4, 2023, looks as some of the pioneers of the industry, including makers who aim to create an entirely new space for their fresh takes on alcohol-free spirits, as well as those attempting to recreate signature spirits, such as gin or tequila, for drinkers who seek a familiar burn without the backfire.  Both approaches have their benefits, but in today's conversation, you'll hear David unpack his own fascination with botanicals, who he sees as leading the NA charge, and why these developments are something to be excited about. He'll explain some of the regulatory differences between standard spirits versus their non-alcoholic counterparts, and how he hopes that one day, consumers will perceive the value of each with equal respect. Today's discussion is the first of what we hope will be several conversations around the rise of non-alcoholic options across beverage alcohol, so stay tuned for more discussions with other writers and explorers of the NA space.  

The question at the center of this episode is simple: Does hard cider have a problem or an opportunity? The answer may be a little bit of both, with your own perspective making the glass of Angry Orchard or 2 Towns or Hudson North slightly more than half empty or half full. So, while we may not have clear-cut answers by the end of the episode, you will hear from a few different perspectives about this challenging and hopeful and evolving time for American cider. To explore all this, you'll hear from some great voices. In part one, we chat with Ryan Burk, a long time American cider pro who started out at Michigan's Virtue Cider before spending years as head cider maker for Angry Orchard, the largest cider company in the country. He now leads formulation and sensory strategy for Feel Goods, Good Beer Hunting's parent company that's a full-definition studio that builds beverage brands. (Ryan is also a colleague of mine at Feel Goods, where I work as an analyst.) After we set the stage with Ryan, we travel to Chicago for a conversation with Good Beer Hunting contributors Ruvani de Silva and Beth Demmon. The three of us were in attendance at this year's American Cider Association conference and gathered for our own reflections on the state of cider and what we started to see and hear on our first day at the event.  

Spring is a time of emerging, reawakening, and growing beer sales after the category's typical winter lull—at least for most breweries. But Ohio's largest brewery, Great Lakes Brewing Company, goes against that seasonal wisdom: Its slow season happens in the warmer months, while winter is its annual highpoint. What gives? That's just one of the questions writer and photographer David Nilsen attempts to answer in his latest piece titled “Lore of the Lakes — Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio,” which was published on February 1, 2023 as part of Good Beer Hunting's Signifier series. Inspired by his own coming-of-age story as a beer drinker from Ohio, he dives into the brand's history, legacy, and future, all of which seem tied together by two big questions: Just who is Great Lakes, and who is it becoming? Today, David and I discuss how his story evolved from love letter to detailed look at the brewery's operations and iconic beers themselves, like the beloved Christmas Ale that's released each October. He doesn't shy away from Great Lakes' struggle to define itself in the face of a changing industry, and where it had to look to find inspiration. That inspiration is leading the brewery in interesting, and sometimes unexpected, directions, none of which are off-limits to the historic brand as it attempts to balance legacy and innovation. While the story of a beloved craft brewery and its cherished releases can often seem romantic, David reveals how the struggles behind the scenes aren't always quite so charming. But there's still plenty of beauty in each word and picture, so come on a journey to the shores of Lake Erie and hear all about it.