All Things Beer

Matt Cunningham from Rustic Brew Farms in Marysville, Ohio joins us to talk about the malting process. A fourth generation farmer, Matt got into the malting business in 2014 as a way to diversify the crops grown on the family farm, at a time when there was no malting and very little barley being grown in Ohio. In this episode we discuss details of the malting process, agronomics, European vs North American strains of barley, the challenges of running a small business, Czech Tmaves and Metallica.

Does the prospect of crisscrossing a foreign country in search of one of the world’s most sought after beers sound enticing? If so join us on a virtual tour of the Trappist Breweries of the Low Countries in search of the rare Westvleteren XII. Along the way we do our best to sample the best Quads and Belgian Dark Strong Ales that Europe has to offer. To finish things out we share a homebrewed Belgian Dark Strong Ale, featuring foraged black walnuts. 

We are joined by Land Grant brewer Justin Reik and Canadian connoisseur Chris Mercerhill for an informative, irreverent journey through the land of beer glassware. Couched in a gameshow format each of us brings a mystery beer to the show that highlights the characteristics of a specific glass. If that isn’t enough we each pick a song that sonically exemplifies our chosen beer-glass pairing. Sit back for an extended romp through the world of glassware, with frequent tangents into the realms of music, science and travel.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and in this episode we do our best to spread some holiday cheer. We look at the evolution of the Winter Warmers and other winter seasonal offerings stretching from the dark ages to the modern day. We are joined by Barley’s brewmaster Angelo Signorino, who has been at forefront of the Ohio craft beer scene for nearly three decades. Angelo shares the history of the much beloved Barley’s Christmas Ale and surprises us with a delicious double oatmeal stout aged in maple bourbon barrels. Along the way we sample holiday beers from Samuel Smiths, Anchor, Land-Grant, and Columbus Brewing Company.

In this episode we are joined by homebrewer and Pat’s Pints Podcast veteran Hans Gorsuch for an in depth discussion of saisons. We discuss the history of the style going back to its farmhouse roots, and dissect one of the world’s truly iconic beers, Saison Dupont. We explore variations on the style that go beyond Dupont, including brett saisons and mixed fermentation ales. Along the way we highlight excellent saisons from Ohio breweries including Rockmill, Branch and Bone and Jackie O’s. We finish with tips for homebrewing saisons.

Given the unfortunate cancellation of 2020 Oktoberfest we asked Jamie Gentry and Chris Davison of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing to join us for a celebration of the glorious German beers of fall, märzen and festbier, paired with a generous helping of 20th century German metal music. We go deep on the history and characteristics of these beers, and Chris shares a cornucopia of tips for brewing German lagers. We finish with a bonus chapter on Rauchbier, featuring Wolf’s Ridge’s excellent Buchenrauch.

We continue our deep dive into the world of IPAs with Nick Smith, founder and brewmaster of Steam Machine Brewing in County Durham. In the second part of this episode we move across the pond to the US where the style was revived in the early 1980s. Our conversation follows the growth in popularity of the style up to the modern day, including the seemingly endless variations of this venerable style.

In this episode we go international for the first time ever by welcoming Nick Smith from Steam Machine Brewing in County Durham for an in-depth look at the birth and evolution of the India Pale Ale. In the first of a two-part episode we explore the history of the IPA from its inception up through the 1980s. As a lifelong resident of the UK and an amateur beer historian, Nick provides a wonderful perspective on the birth and evolution of the IPA in its homeland - starting from it's origins as a refined tipple for the British Raj up through its long, slow decline in the 20th century.

In this episode we are joined by Columbus sour beer aficionado Dan Reeve for a virtual voyage to Pajotenland. Join us as we take an in depth look at a style that many feel represents the pinnacle of brewing art, blended lambic gueuze. We crack open gueuzes from Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen and Lindemans and share stories from our separate visits to the lambic breweries near Brussels.

In the second half of our interview with Sean White, co-owner and head brewer at Little Fish Brewing, we continue our exploration of the fascinating world of sour beers. The episode kicks off with with a candid discussion of the challenges of spontaneous fermentation. As the pod progresses we talk about the flavor contributions of aged hops, blending, adding fruit and Sean’s love of using homegrown and local ingredients in his beers. The episode finishes with tips for homebrewers who want to take up the challenge of brewing sours.