All Things Beer

Non Alcoholic Beers

In this episode we turn a spotlight on non alcoholic beers, defined as beers with < 0.5% abv.  We discuss the science behind various approaches to making NA beers and sample a bakers dozen examples representing styles that include lagers, wheat beers, stouts, pale ales and IPAs both traditional and hazy/juicy.

Fresh Hop Beers at Columbus Brewing Co

Fall is the time for beers made with freshly picked whole cone hops and no brewery in Ohio does fresh/wet hop beers like Columbus Brewing Company. In this episode Tony Corder tells us how the hop wizards at CBC conjure up a whopping 10 different fresh/wet hop beers, featuring hops from Washington, Oregon, Ohio, and Michigan.

The Great Pilsner Taste Off

Ever wonder what makes up a perfect Pilsner beer? Do you prefer a Czech Pilsner, German Pils, New Zealand Pilsner, or maybe an Italian Pilsner?

In this episode we explore these beer styles and are joined by fellow Pilsner lovers Jamie Gentry and Hans Gorsuch to determine what makes a great Pilsner-style beer. In a blind tasting session, beer steward Ralph Wolfe helps our 4 judge panel navigate through 10 domestic pilsners ranging from local, regional, and national. In the final round we compare our favorites side by side and pick a winner. We hope you enjoy this listen as we find out what makes the perfect Pilsner.

Ohio and the World Beer Cup

Held every two years the World Beer Cup is arguably the most prestigious and competitive beer competition on the planet. In 2022, breweries from the Buckeye state took home a total of 14 medals.  In this episode we drink and discuss the medal winners from Central Ohio breweries including Wolf’s Ridge Brewing (Daybreak Coffee Cream Ale), Gemüt Biergarten (Woden’s Hunt Dunkel), and Columbus Brewing Company (Lager and Crocodile Tongue).

Brown Ales

With a malt bill more poetic than it's name may suggest, Pat and Mark are joined by Barley’s Homebrew Competition winner Jim Sudduth to explore this classic beer style from the origins of the modern Brown Ale to modern day interpretations brewed here in Ohio. Along the way Jim shares some tips for what it takes to make an award winning Brown Ale. 

The Columbus Six Pack (American IPAs)

The invention and rise of the American IPA is one of those rare moments in the history of brewing that forever changes the rules of making beer. In this episode we turn our attention to this ubiquitous and hugely influential style by sampling six year-round American IPAs from our home base here in Columbus.  We are thrilled to be joined on our journey by Dan Shaffer, head brewer at Land Grant Brewing Co. Dan has a gift for finding hop combinations with flavor profiles that evoke almost any kind of fruit you can imagine, and in this episode he graciously shares his deep knowledge of hops.  

Irish Stouts

March is a month that takes us to Ireland as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day and wrap up the third installment of our three part Stout series. On this podcast, Mark and Pat talk all things Irish with Irish dancer, Guinness enthusiast, and good friend Madeleine Bogard. Join us at St. James Gate as we taste through Draught, Extra, and Foreign Extra Stouts and explore the unique culture surrounding them.

MOO! Milk, Oatmeal, and Oyster Stouts

In a continuation of our exploration of stouts, join us as we dive into three more styles - Milk, Oatmeal, and Oyster! We get into a bit of the history on the styles, taste a three time GABF gold medal winning Milk Stout from Cincinnati's Brink Brewing, take a road trip to Bellefontaine where we find a wonderful small town and an outstanding Ohio Brewers Cup medalling Oatmeal Stout at the Roundhouse Depot with proprietors Ron and Kathy Troyer, and come back to our home base in Columbus to share an Oyster Stout at The Pearl restaurant with North High Brewing's Gavin Meyers.  

Imperial Stouts

Dark days call for dark beers, and in that spirit we kick off a series of three podcasts on stouts with an episode on Imperial Stouts. We start by reaching out to our friend Nick Smith, co-founder and head brewer at Steam Machine Brewing in the UK, for a fascinating discussion on the historical origins of the style.  We then jump across the pond and see how American brewers in the 1990’s reimagined and reinvigorated imperial stouts. In the second half of the show, Bill Koeppen joins us as we trace the path that these big decadent beers have taken in the 21^st century – from barrel aging to adjuncts to the modern pastry stouts. Along the way, Bill shares some of his experiences homebrewing imperial stouts.

A White Christmas with Jason McKibben

Just in time for the holidays we offer up a fascinating conversation with Jason McKibben of North High Brewing. Listeners in Central Ohio know Jason as the Brewmaster and Co-owner of North High Brewing, but his career in the brewing industry also includes stops at Anchor Brewing, where he was the Production Director, and Budweiser, where he spent 12 years in a variety of positions including a stint as manager of the research pilot brewery in St. Louis. In this wide ranging conversation, we cover topics as varied as medalling at the World Beer Cup, brewing with local ingredients, North High’s embrace of the brewpub model, studying with Charlie Bamforth at UC Davis, a behind the scenes look at the iconic Anchor Christmas Ale, and an insider’s perspective on Budweiser. Along the way we find out what they do at Bud’s Research Pilot Brewery, and sample a vintage bottle of White Christmas, a white dog whisky distilled from the 2012 batch of Anchor Christmas Ale.