My next guest reminds us that, for a great experience, mindful drinking is mandatory, but alcohol is optional.
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GBM 142 – On Beer, Pubs, and Mental Health, with Emma Inch
This episode is about the experience we have in our mind, and the state of our mental health within the context of beer.
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GBM 141 – The Story and the Beer of Belgium, with Breandán Kearney
My next guest is a master storyteller who guides us even deeper into the world beyond the beer we already know and love.
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GBM 140 – Where to Find Good Beer in Italy, with Luca Giaccone
My next guest, Luca Giaccone, guides us to that inflection point when good beer meets Italian culture known for its flavor.
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GBM 139 – The Thing About Beer Travel, with Dr. Ruth Berman
My next guest is one of these people who put Beer Travel on the map, and she wants to share with us just how wonderful it is.
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GBM 138 – Craft Beer in the Great White North, with Brad Goddard of Big Rock Brewery
My next guest, Brad Goddard of Big Rock Brewery, gives us a tour of the craft and the culture of beer in Canada.
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GBM 137 – The Craft of El Salvador with Head Brewer Bernardo Francisco Sequiera Delgado
In this episode, my next guest guides us through a taste of Latin American Craft Beer from the perspective of the locals.
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GBM 136 – The Thing About Norwegian Beer, with Sindre Ingebrigtsen
A beer and a question opened the door to my next guest, who guides us through the beer culture of Norway.
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GBM 135 – Culture, Civilization, and Getting Drunk, with Professor Ted Slingerland
Why do we humans crave alcohol so much? Is it the flavor, the effect, or both? What purpose could this possibly serve for our evolution and our culture? My next guest is a professor and author who has answered all these questions. So, grab a beer, and let’s get to class. I tell people that …
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GBM 134 – Flavour Logic and the Australian Beer Experience with Briony Leibich
Why does beer flavor matter so much? I mean, as long as it tastes good, what else is important? Can we actually get a sense of place through flavor? My next guest seems to think so and is here to share this, and Australian culture through the flavor of beer. In his book “Tasting Beer”, …
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GBM 133 – The Tradition of Scottish Craft Beer, with Catherine Maxwell Stuart of Traquair House
My next guest is here to share her experience and the blast from the past she produces for the rest of us.
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GBM 132 – Fermentation, Craft Beer and France, with Hugo Picard
My next guest is here to set the record straight and share the French beer culture with the rest of the world.
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GBM 131 – Beer Culture in Southeast Asia, with Chris Roberts of Heart of Darkness Brewery
For years, I’ve heard about South East Asia as a place where one could live well for dollars a day, where the life people dream of is actually tangible. What began as an interrupted conversation about diving and life as an expatriate, took a turn into the heart of darkness to find craft beer in …
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GBM 130 – A Taste of Brazil, with Beer Sommelier, Priscilla Colares
My next guest is a Beer educator and she wants to change the way we think about Brazil within the world of beer.
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GBM 129 – The Value of Higher Beer Education, with Advanced Cicerone’s and Beer Scholar Team, Chris Cohen and Scott Fielder
Does a higher beer education deliver on the promise of opportunity and experience? My next guests and I discuss this question and how we’re trying to answer it.
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GBM 128 – A New Experience With The Oldest Brewery, with Matthias Ebner of Weihenstephan
My next guest tells us the story of the incredible beer ecosystem that exists just north of Munich in the world’s oldest brewery.
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GBM 127 – Crafting the Dutch Beer Culture, with Michiel Anema of All Kinds of Beers
My next guest tells his story of infusing American Craft into the Dutch beer culture.
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GBM 126 – Crafting the “Pura Vida” Beer Experience, with Matthew Greenberg of Cerveceros Del Mar
My next guest tells the story of his pursuit of the Pura Vida, and creates this experience for his guests.
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GBM 125 – Crafting Beer Culture in the Middle East, with Chad McGehee of Side Hustle Brews
My next guest from Side Hustle Brews has navigated through challenges to create a brewery with a taste of the Middle East.
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GBM 124 – A Nation, a Brewery and a Lawsuit, with Nicky Yardley of Budvar
My next guest tells the story about a nation, their beer and a decades-long lawsuit that continues to threaten all of it.
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GBM – 123 Preserving The Real Ale Experience with Deven and Avara Roberts of Porter Brewing
Sure, I’d love to take a trip to Britain, find a pub and settle into an old wooden chair with a pint of real ale in my hand. But if you end up on the American West coast, specifically in Central Oregon, that same UK experience is waiting for you. My next guests are keeping …
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GBM – 122 Defining a Beer Destination with Karen and Kent Killough of Vista Brewing
Many of us are fortunate to have to choose between a number of breweries near our home. And beer travel has not only become a thing, but planning destinations around access to beer is a normal criterion. But, with good beer becoming so ubiquitous, how do we find those out-of-the-way and worth-staying-for-awhile experiences that stand …
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GBM 121 – The Athlete And The Beer, With John Walker of Athletic Brewing
I’m going to level with you. I originally didn’t want to get into beer as a profession. I was an athlete and associated the beer business with excess and a growing belly. Not only was I wrong, but my next guest proves that athleticism and beer can go hand in hand. Between alcohol and abstinence …
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GBM 120 – Spreading Good Vibes, with Scott Hansen of Island Brands
My next guest tells the origin story of the raddest fast-growing lifestyle beer brand today.
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GBM 119 – For The People And The Beer of Ukraine with Certified Cicerone® and author, Lana Svitankova
In this episode, it’s through the heartache of war, that we find the story of a people and their beer.
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GBM 118 – The Beer Experience in India with Advanced Cicerone®, Anudeep Mutyala
As we look to the future, beer is all going to change. My next guest is one of these change-makers, and the first Advanced Cicerone in India.
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GBM 117 – A View Of The World… Of Beer, with Emma McClarkin of the Worldwide Brewing Alliance
My next guest is here to kick off Good Beer Matters’ worldwide tour and share some perspective from the top of the Beer Empire.
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GBM 116 – Drinking Beer And Doing Good, with Ex Novo Brewing Founder, Joel Gregory
This weekend most of us will enjoy a beer, maybe some good food, and relax into a conversation. But we can do better than that. We can drink beer and do some good. My next guest is here to show us how, as we continue with the Good Beer Matters, Beer with Benefits Series.
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GBM 115 – To Drive Or Not To Drive. That Is The Question, with Justin Thompson of Think Twice
My next guest is here to educate us on Blood Alcohol Evaluation and DUI Prevention, and help ensure we all get home safely.
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GBM 114 – Once Upon A Time In Beer, with Ron Pattinson
My next guest is a beer historian who uncovers and tells the stories of the brewers and beer professionals that came before us.
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GBM 113 – The Problem With C02, with Amy George of Earthly Labs
My next guest educates us all on a recurring threat to the beer chain as well as offering up a solution to prevent the beer industry from collapsing around us.
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GBM 112 – Why We Need Homebrewing, with AHA Exec. Director Julia Herz
My next guest is an expert homebrewer and a beer industry leader who will help get your boil kettles fired up.
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GBM 111 – A Sober Look At Beer & Alcohol, with Spencer Ploessl and Meagen Anderson
In this edition of Beyond the Beer Stories, my two guests give us a sober look at alcohol in the beer industry.
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GBM 110 – How To Live A Stout Life, with Ken and April Pishna
My next guests are living the stout life of beer and travel and are here to share some knowledge and a pint.
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GBM 109 – Beer, And A Great Place To Stay, with Joel Holland of Harvest Hosts
In our second edition of Beyond the Beer Stories, we take a look at the culture of beer travel and the role it plays in creating unique and wonderful experiences.
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GBM 108 – Seldom Discussed Health And Dangers Of Beer, with Dr. Charlie Bamforth
In this episode, we explore the seldom discussed dangers of brewing, the health benefits of beer, and much more.
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GBM 107 – Becoming Draft Savvy with Tom Geordt, Technical Director of Micromatic
If you’ve ever been stumped, confused, confounded, or frustrated by draft systems, Tom Geordt is here from Micromatic to make it all better.
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GBM 106 – The Most Important Part of Brewing, with Emily Lovato of Five Star Chemicals
My next guest, Emily Lovato, is an expert who talks us through the most important part of brewing, which is cleaning the brewhouse.
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GBM 105 – The New World of Non-Alcoholic, Cannabis Beer, with Dr. Keith Villa of Ceria Brewing
My next guest, Dr. Keith Villa, discusses the role of NA beers and why he’s going one step further by putting some buzz back in the brew.
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GBM 104 – The Shape of Taste, with Veronica Vega of Deschutes Brewery and Patrick Reuter of Dominio Wines
My next guests, a brewer and a wine maker, have innovated and integrated a new approach to tasting, and are here to share it with you.
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GBM 103 – Beer From The Land And The Hand With Paul Arney of Ale Apothecary
My next guest, Paul Arney, is the apothecary of creative and sustainable brews, and he shares his process of putting it all together.
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GBM 102 – Proper Care And Feeding Of Your Barrel Program, with Matt Albrecht of River Drive Cooperage
My next guest, Matt Albrecht, gives us a full overview of the time, talent, craft and barrels that have inspired our beverages for tens of thousands of years.
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GBM 101 – Brewing Foraged Beer From Scratch with Scratch Brewing Co-Owner Marika Josephson
My next guest, Marika Josephson, shares her story of exploring this adventurous world of flavor, foraging for ingredients and brewing beer from scratch.
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GBM 100 – Celebrating 100 Episodes Exploring Why Good Beer Matters
Thank you for joining me for the past 100 interviews that discussed the knowledge and the wisdom my guests have shared about beer. For those of you who work in the food and beer industry, for those beer leaders and pushers of boundaries, and those who just appreciate good beer, I hope you'll join me for the next 100.
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GBM 99 – The Incredible Impact Of Water On Your Beer, With Martin Brungard
My next guest is an expert who helps us better understand why brewing water matters.
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GBM 98 – The Enchanting World of Hops Down Under, with Lauren Yap of NZ Hops and Brood Fermentation
My next guest is an American who has fully integrated herself into the beer culture of the Kiwis and guides us to better understand hops down under.
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GBM 97 – The State of American Hops, with Maggie Elliot
My next guest explains the larger world of hops so we can better appreciate what’s in our glass.
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GBM 96 – Water Shortages, Cultural Sensitivity And Craft Malt with Chip Norton, of Sinagua Malt
In a water-starved and culturally sensitive region, my next guest creates world-class malt that contributes solutions to both, as well as delicious beer.
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GBM 95 – A Deeper Appreciation for Craft Malt with Jesse Bussard and Brent Manning of the North American Craft Malsters Guild
The four main ingredients in beer have different roles, but work synergistically to build something worth drinking. My next guests and I begin by taking a look at the very foundation of beer flavor … malt.
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GBM 94 – Advanced Beer Pairing with Beerologist and Master Cicerone®, Mirella Amato
My next guest and I explore beer knowledge and advanced beer pairing techniques. All in the name of experiencing better beer.
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GBM 93 – Unifying And Elevating Craft Beer Through Education With Andrew Coplon of Craft Beer Professionals
My next guest has taken that to heart and made it his profession to provide us all in the beer industry with professional education.
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GBM 92 – How To Define And Create Great Beer Experiences, With Randy Mosher
As small craft breweries continue to open around the world, our conversations about standing out tend to drift toward creating unique experiences. But, what exactly does that mean? My next guest taught us all about “Tasting Beer”, but in this episode, he taps into his role of beer artist and educator to teach us how to create better beer experiences.
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GBM 118 – The Beer Experience in India with Advanced Cicerone®, Anudeep Mutyala
When we think about beer and beer culture, our thoughts naturally drift toward the classics, and the current global beer hot spots. But, as we look to the future, this is all going to change. My next guest is one of these change-makers, and the first Advanced Cicerone in India.
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GBM 91 – Setting A New Beer Standard With A PACT
In this episode, we close out season four with the first-ever Good Beer Matters panel of beer industry leaders who remind us about the “Golden Rule” by creating a PACT.
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GBM 90 – Facing Challenge With A Beer And A Smile, With Master and Commander, Joe Vogelbacher
Master Cicerone® and Navy Commander, Joe Vogelbacher is here to show us how to face our challenges with a smile and a beer.
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GBM 89 – How To Improve Your Life & Work With Beer And Food, with Brewer’s Association Executive Chef Adam Dulye
My next guest is a chef who teaches us, not only how to pair good beer and food, but how to put good beer into our food.
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GBM 88 – Finding Sustainability Through Bread And Beer With Shannon Flannigan of Toast Ale
You know how sometimes people refer to beer as liquid bread? This is because beer and bread are made with similar ingredients, grain, yeast, seasoning, etc. But what if bread actually was an ingredient? My next guest shares an old innovation that is quenching a global problem, as well as our thirst. Sometimes it’s good …
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GBM 87 – One Brewer’s Spent Grain is Another’s Treasure with Dan Kurzrock, CEO of ReGrained
My next guest teaches us about a new solution and how beer can protect our planet, even during snack time.
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GBM 86 – Drink A Beer And Fight Pediatric Cancer, with Chris Geib
In this episode, we face the cold, hard reality that some parents have to hear the words, “Your child has cancer.” I’m not willing to look the other way on this either. But, instead of running another 5K, we can drink beer to fight pediatric cancer. My next guest will show us how.
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GBM 85 – Pairing a Better Life With Beer, with Garrett Oliver
Beer is a doorway to different cultures, science, technology, history and the pure hedonism of aroma and flavor. My next guest is responsible for opening this door and leading the way for many of today’s leaders and educators in beer.
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GBM 84 – Brewing at Home, with Sarah Flora of Flora Brewing
My next guest is a home brewing educator and she wants to help you brew at home too.
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GBM 83 – Building The American Beer Industry One Homebrew at a Time, with Charlie Papazian
Once upon a time in America, you could have any beer you wanted, so long as it was pale yellow and mass-produced. Then some revolutionaries challenged the status quo.
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GBM 82 – Beer Evolution in 50 Styles with Advanced Cicerone® Natalya Watson
My next guest is an Advanced Cicerone, Author and Podcast host, and she’s here to discuss Beer Evolution in 50 Styles.
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GBM 81 – The Value of Beer Education with Chris the Beer Educator
There are bars, breweries and staff… and then there are great bars, great breweries and great staff. So what’s the difference? I say Education! Employees are the primary representatives for any beer business. The better educated they are, the better the reputation, and the greater the profits. My next guest is a beer educator who will help you level up your game to better serve your guests and your business.
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GBM 80 – Why Breweries Fail, with Jeff Alworth
American craft beer, originally built on passion and dreams, is now a legitimate business. It requires hard work to keep up with competition and stay relevant to the consumers. Yet, a number of our legacy breweries have recently closed or lost significant ground due to complacency or some other vice. My next guest has literally written the Bible on beer and helps us learn the difference between those breweries that thrive and those that fail.
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GBM 79 – Navigating Beer Law With Craft Beer Attorney, Candace Moon
One of the things I love about people in the beer industry is the Can-Do attitude. To face a new challenge knowing you’ll just figure it out takes an unwavering swagger. That being said, there are times when we all need to seek wise counsel. My next guest is an expert who helps her beer clients stay out of legal hot water.
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GBM 78 – How to Make Every Bar A Safe Bar with Lauren Taylor of Safe Bars
My next guest works to create a safer landscape in the beer and service industries and will help you learn how to do your part.
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GBM 77 – The Business of Professional Tasting, with Cara Simpson of Aroxa
Learning to evaluate our beer like a professional goes way beyond whether we simply like it or not. Our senses of taste and smell, and a growing vocabulary, will help us detect flavors that don’t belong in our glass. My next guest is an industry leader who teaches us how to detect and decode the off-flavors of beer like a pro.
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GBM 76 – The Science of Taste and Smell with Dr. Courtney Wilson
We all explore our world using sight, sound, touch, taste and smell whether we’re conscious of it or not. We take for granted the ability to identify garlic simmering in marinara or chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. But what is the full impact of taste and smell on our lives? And, what if we lost them?
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GBM 75 – Better Beer Marketing with Julie Rhodes of Not Your Hobby Marketing
In the old days of marketing, luck was a significant aspect of a successful campaign filled with jingles and interruptions. Now, we’ve learned to ad value in the form of branded content that works better for your beer business. My next guest is a coach and a guide who navigates us through the world of content marketing.
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GBM 74 – How to Open A Beer Business, with Chris Farmand of Small Craft Standard
Opening a brewery or taproom is hard work that requires money, time, blood, sweat and tears. And then there’s no guarantee that what you created will actually work. My next guest comes back to the Good Beer Matters Podcast to teach you how to stack the deck in favor of your success.
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GBM 73 – The Heritage of Food and Beer and UNESCO, with Dr. Jonathan Mabry
A rich culinary tradition is worth traveling to in order to experience the craft. But when that tradition stretches back thousands of years, it’s likely to influence the culture, and yes, even the beer of a region. My next guest not only studies these traditions but helped implement the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the United States.
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GBM 72 – The Past, Present and Future Impact of Yeast with Dr. Chris White of White Labs
My next guest has spent his career contributing to the story of yeast and humankind. In this episode, he takes us deeper to explain the serendipitous story of these tiny microbes.
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GBM 71 – Curating a Smarter Draft Program and Business with Lori Bolin of Brewlogix
My next guest has a multi-layered solution to help pub owners pay their bills, educate their staff and delight their guests.
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GBM 70 – Creating A Career in Hospitality That Matters, with Alice Cheng of Culinary Agents
My next guest is a leader who helps those in the hospitality industry improve their skills and leverage them for the better.
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GBM 69 – Understanding How To Make Beer Data Work For You, with Ryan Toenies of IRI
If you’re like me, you’re not a data collector by nature. But when we back our experience and knowledge with precise information, we can make well-educated decisions for our beer business.
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GBM 68 – What You Need To Know About Chocolate And Beer With Certified Cicerone® David Nilsen
In a world of fusions, collaborations and collisions of flavor, few are as exciting as that of beer and chocolate.
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GBM 67 – Crushing Your Craft Beer Marketing with Jim McCune and Jackie DiBella and the Craft Beer Marketing Awards
Craft beer may be big business, but it also employs art, design, and stories. Every year we celebrate home and commercial brew with awards. But, what about the artists and the storytellers?
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GBM 66 – A Sneak Peek Into the Advanced and Master Cicerone® Tests with Mandy Naglich
My next guest is not only an Advanced Cicerone®, but has also taken the Master test. Together we discuss prepping for and challenging these tests, and why you should too.
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GBM 65 – Twas The Night Beer-fore Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the brewery
There was so much to do I wish there were two of me
I cleaned glasses in the pub with care
While consuming beer and tacos as if from a dare
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GBM 64 – Drinking Beer and Saving Boobs with Beer 4 Boobs Founder, Lisa White
A breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to be devastating. Early detection increases your chances of beating the disease. So, grab a good beer and include your partner in your self-exam.
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GBM 63 – How A Rare Pint May Save Your Life with Rick Lyke of Pints for Prostates
My next guest spent his career writing and educating about beer. Now, he uses beer as a means to save the lives of men everywhere.
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GBM 62 – Sustainable Brewing, Cultivating Collaboration & Saving The Planet with Christian Ettinger of Hopworks Urban Brewery
In this episode, my next guest talks about beer and sustainability, positive steps that any brewery can take, and collaborating with one of the largest outdoor gear companies in the world, all for the sake of better beer.
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GBM 61 – Strategy and Finances For Your Beer Biz, with Chris Farmand
If you need help clarifying the strategy and the finances of your beer business, I know a guy, and I want to introduce you to him.
My next guest will help your business not only survive, but set you up to thrive.
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GBM 60 – DefendingThe Right to Choose Good Beer with Bo Jensen, Chairman of the European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU)
My next guest has been leading consumer rights groups for decades and wants to give both good beer and power back to the people.
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GBM 59 – The Psychology and Gastrophysics Behind Your Best Night Ever With Dr. Charles Spence
My next guest has studied and written about the psychology and the science behind events like this for years. In this episode, he shares some secrets to creating your next best night ever.
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GBM 58 – Inside The World of Trappist Beers, with Father Isaac of Spencer Abbey
There are men so devoted to their faith, they sequester themselves from the outside world. In order to sustain themselves and give to charity, they make a variety of products. Luckily for us, some of these products are the best beers in the world.
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GBM 57 – Pairing Beer With The Pro, Julia Herz
My next guest is one of the leaders in the food and beer pairing vanguard. And, she wants to help you create better pairings.
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GBM 56 – Exploring the world of Saké with Advanced Cicerone, Annette May
While beer professionals tend to focus solely on beer, my next guest is an Advanced Cicerone and beer educator who has also spent a great deal of time learning and teaching about saké.
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GBM 55 – A Deeper Understanding of Beer Styles with Master Judge, Randy Scorby
The Beer Judge Certification Program, or BJCP, works to categorize the world’s beer styles so that homebrewers can submit their brews for feedback on how well they hit the targets. These same beer style guidelines have become widely accepted as the go-to style authority because they are specific and also give us a way to …
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GBM 54 – Growing World Class Beers On The Farm, with Jeffrey Stuffings of Jester King
My next guest gave up corporate America and set out to just make some good beer. He eventually employed the traditions and techniques found in European countries. But, somewhere along the way, he helped define American Farmhouse beers.
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GBM 53 – It Takes A Lot Of Wine To Make Beer Like This, with Nile Zacherle of Mad Fritz
While winemakers often say it takes a lot of beer to make wine, in the case of my next guest, I’d say it takes a lot of wine to make beer like Mad Fritz.
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GBM 52 – Exploring South Africa’s Craft Beer with Certified Cicerone®, Lucy Corne
My next guest is a writer on a mission to tell the stories of South Africa’s craft beer movement and to educate others in her country about the abundant and nuanced world behind every beer.
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GBM 51 – Exploring Craft Beer South of the Border with Certified Cicerone®, Richie Castro
My next guest is a Cicerone and beer educator dedicated to teaching people the finer points of tasting and pairing beer in Mexico one sip at a time. Although Mexican craft beer is still emerging, with his help in the years to come, the term “Mexican Beer” will take on a whole new meaning.
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GBM 50 – Guiding Breweries to Better Business with Brewery Consultant, Rio Connelly
My next guest decided to step out of his brewer/ owner role and become a guide for startup breweries who are navigating through the challenges of modern craft beer. His goal? To help them succeed where others have failed.
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GBM 49 – How to Elevate Your Beer Tasting Ability with Master Cicerone, Rich Higgins
My next guest has not only literally mastered tasting beer, but he has drawn from his experience in the world of wine and beer to create a wealth of resources to teach the rest of us how to taste beer like a Master.
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GBM 48 – Exploring The Past, Present and Future of Women in Beer with Brewster, Tiffany Davidson
In this episode we continue honoring the women of beer by exploring the past, present and the future of women in brewing with my next guest who is a female brewer, a historian of women’s Studies and Vice President of Fermenta, a women’s craft collective.
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GBM 47 – A Conversation About Women, Beer and Pink Boots with Laura Ulrich
The Pink Boots Society began to assist, inspire and encourage women in the beer industry through education and collaboration in 2007. Since then they have grown into an international non-profit organized to help women in all capacities of the beer industry.
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GBM 46 – Exploring Better Beer Sales with Coach, Julie Rhodes
Sales and marketing may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to craft beer. The word “Sales” may actually conjure negative emotions or experiences with pushy people. But, sales are one of the many necessary logistics of getting beer from the brewery to the glass in your hand. In actuality, sales …
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GBM 45 – How To Put The Aloha Spirit Back Into Beer With Maui Brewing’s, Garrett Marrero
For brewers in Hawaii, the challenges of culture, resources, demand, cost of living and more are especially difficult and expensive. If necessity is the mother of invention, my next guest found a way to solve these problems, create a large distribution footprint and has done it all while being a steward of the community and the environment.
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GBM 44 – The New Word For Beer In Australia And New Zealand With Certified Cicerone®, Lindsy Greig
Once upon a time, US TV commercials told us that Australia had a single word for beer. Now, things have changed and the new word for Beer down under is “Craft”. In this episode, an ex-pat and beer expert shares a story of travel, living abroad, brewing way down south, and how beer from both Australia and New Zealand are making really big waves for the global beer culture.
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GBM 43 – Exploring Our Diverse World Of Beer with Dr. J Nikol Jackson- Beckham
This may be the most important episode I’ve put out thus far. It’s not specifically about beer or even business. This has to do with diversity, people and the subcultures within the culture of Craft beer. This episode is for those who appreciate that behind every beer is a complex dynamic of human interaction. …
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GBM 42 – Why Beer Is Better With Cheese Pairings with Steve Jones
It may surprise you to hear that cheese and beer are really very similar. Both are made with farm ingredients, both are fermented to some extent, and both have become very complex and interesting. There are even a number of brewers who started using dairy equipment way back in the day. So why is it …
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GBM 41 – Understanding The Complex World Of Yeast And Fermentation With Erik Fowler Of White Labs
Many of us consume fermented food items on a daily basis and don’t even realize it. It’s surprising to think about how poorly most of us understand the fermentation process despite the impact it has on our culture. My next guest is our guide into the mysterious and tiny world of yeast and fermentation.
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GBM 40 – Exploring The Frontier of Hop Terroir with Liz & John Coleman of Coleman Hop Farms
There was no real evidence supporting the long-held belief of terroir in beer. My next guests changed all that and completed the first of many studies on hop terroir.
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GBM 39 – How to Become a Professional Beer Writer and Educator with Cicerone, David Nilsen
Behind every beer is a story of how and why it came to be. My next guest is a writer and an educator who helps people understand the stories beer have to tell.
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GBM 38 – The Secret World Of Gypsy Brewing With Daniel Fernandez of Bean Curd Turtle
What is a Gypsy Brewer? The term conjures images of a Johnny Depp character, covered in jewelry and loose clothing expounding on the transcendent nature of beer. In reality, this term encompasses many different things. It can be a talented rogue brewer who travels from place to place, leaving tasty beers behind. There are a …
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GBM 37 – Crafting The Dream with Jordan Gardenhire of Baja Brewing Company
An American Brewer pursues his dream of living in board shorts and brewing craft beer in Mexico. But like all good stories, this adventure brings loss, disaster and making a choice to continue when the challenges seem far too daunting.
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GBM 36 – How a Brewery in Hawaii is Trying To Save The World, with Ola Brewing
A small brewery in Hawaii is taking the challenges of isolation and high cost of raw goods and turning it into an environmental experiment that, if successful, could change the way the world makes beer, wine and spirits.
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GBM 35 – How Overcoming Challenges Continues To Shape Craft Beer With Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing
Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing shares his thoughts on how overcoming challenges has shaped the past, the present and will even shape the future of Craft Beer.
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GBM 34 – Exploring The World Through Beer and Story with Professional Author, Editor & Podcast Host, John Holl
My next guest is a beer writer, editor and podcast host who not only informs his readers, but takes them on a journey through the experiences and the philosophical realm of what beer can be.
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GBM 33 – Improve Your Beer Palate and Your QA Program with Draught Lab Co-Founder, Lindsay Barr
Decades ago, when craft beer was the wild west of flavor and ingredients were hard to come by, assuming someone knew what to do with them, studying the quality of beer was unheard of. Sure, the big breweries probably had food scientists in their employ, but I’ll bet you a beer that was to ensure …
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GBM 32 – How US Politics and Policy Affect Our Beer with President & CEO of The Beer Institute, Jim McGreevy
The pilgrims on the Mayflower may have been the first Americans to create beer policy when the beer supplies, which was their only source of hydration, ran low and forced them to land short of warmer latitudes. During the US Civil War, immigrant and first-generation American brewers demonstrated their patriotism by forming one of the …
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GBM 31 – Beer Bubbles, Saturations, Competition and Niching Down with Brewer’s Association’s Chief Economist, Bart Watson
If you have heard someone talk about bubbles, saturation points, market corrections or competition amongst suppliers, then chances are they are talking about breweries. After a recent explosion in the 2010s, there are far more than 7,000 breweries currently in the US. American beer sales are well over 1 Billion dollars and that does not …
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GBM 30 – What Consumers, Bars and Restaurants Need to Know About Draft Beer with Master Cicerone®, Neil Witte
Someone once told me that the best way to assess the cleanliness of a restaurant was to look at the bathrooms or the kitchen. I would amend that to include the draft system as well. If cleanliness is next to Godliness, then a properly maintained draft system is simply divine. Imagine your craft beer as …
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GBM 29 – Getting Schooled on Beer Education with Advanced Cicerone and Brew-Ed Founder, Cliff Mori
In this episode, Advanced Cicerone® Cliff Mori and I discuss beer education as a business, the sophisticated beer scene in Asheville NC, and how restaurants and bars can easily differentiate themselves and improve sales through better beer education.
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GBM 28 – The Origin, The Mission and The Man Behind Cicerone, with Ray Daniels
Ray Daniels suffered from knowing too much about beer meanwhile suffering poor beer service from those who knew too little. Eventually, he decided to do something about it. We are at an all-time high water mark for breweries in the U.S. and the rest of the world. With so many choices, beer and service have …
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GBM 27 – Why Czech Beer Matters with International Beer Writer, Evan Rail
The Czech Republic has been known for beer… since at least the 1840s when Pilsner Urquell debuted Pilsner, a style that has dominated the world. However, the Czech Republic seems to have faded into the background of the beer world as Belgium, Germany, and especially the US, have taken the spotlight. My next guest is …
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GBM 26 – The Original Craft Beer Movement with Nick Boley of CAMRA
Once upon a time beer drinkers grew tired of flavorless, watered down, fizzy, yellow beer, and decided to do something about it. They began to pursue and support flavorful, locally made and well-crafted beer. Sound familiar? In the case of this episode, these drinkers were in England, in 1971. Four people sought to push back …
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GBM 25 – A French Twist on the Beer Experience with Lysanne Desroches of Ninkasi Brewing in Lyon, France
Next stop along the Good Beer Matters journey through Europe, Lyon France. In the 70s some Americans brought knowledge of European brewing home and began the craft beer movement. Then, In the late 90s, some Europeans brought what they learned from America back home in what may be one big global collaboration. One of these …
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GBM 24 – How to Find World Class Beer in Barcelona with Joan Villari-Martí
Barcelona is making its way into the world beer community due, in part, to the Barcelona Beer Festival, but especially to one of its organizers, beer writer Joan Villari-Martí.
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GBM 23 – Pioneering Craft Beer in The Netherlands with Chef & Brewer, Nic Veenstra
My next guest is a dual citizen, Dutch-American who grew up in Beer Town USA and yearned for something more. He is a young man caught between two countries who found adventure by becoming an accidental ambassador to the Netherlands for craft beer and, ironically, American BBQ.
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GBM 22 – Seven Way to Mix Beer into Cocktails with Author & Mixologist, Jacob Grier
What do the words, “Beer Cocktails” conjure in your mind? Do Boilermakers, Irish Car Bombs, Beermosas or, my early favorite, Shandies flicker across your mind like a highlight reel? For hundreds of years, mixing additional ingredients or spirits into one’s beer has been a utilitarian standard. Then, the post pro-hibition era homogenized not only our …
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GBM 21 – The Bitter Truth with Dr. Tom Shellhammer
Bitterness in our beer is often considered as a single, quantitative measurement, commonly known as the International Bitterness Unit, or IBU. In reality, bitterness is far more complex and often poorly understood. Judging a beer’s bitterness solely by IBUs is similar to gauging one’s fitness level by merely looking at his weight on a scale. …
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GBM 20 – Life After Disease and Gluten Free Beer with Blogger Lindsi Kay
What if you suddenly discovered that you could no longer drink beer? In fact, what if drinking just one beer could send you to the hospital? What would you do? In this episode of Good Beer Matters, we talk to a woman who endured this experience and came out of it not only with a beer in her hand but a worldwide blog that helps others who experience similar problems.
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GBM 19 – The Past, Present and Future of Beer with Larry Sidor
Age old wisdom tells us to not let our past define us, but instead let it be our guide. If Sidor’s story tells us anything, it is that the future of beer will be decided by the beer each of us chooses.
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GBM 18 – Beer Appreciation, Education and Food Pairings with Master Cicerone, Ryan Daley
In the world of beer, many people pursue more, as in let’s drink more beer. My next guest on Good Beer Matters Podcast, however, is a guide to something better, as in how to better appreciate and enjoy our beer. In fact, few people in the world understand beer better than he does. Since …
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GBM 17 – Raising Families Amidst Drinking Cultures Around the World with Elio Keller
Alcohol in our American society sometimes becomes contentious. Sprinkle in some underage drinking and now we have a raucous controversy. We know that a relatively small percentage of the population in the U.S. drinks excessively, but that small percentage results in billions of dollars spent on alcohol-related problems annually. In 1984, the US enacted the …
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GBM 16 – Athleticism, Gluten and Beer with Caitlin Landesberg of Sufferfest Beer Co.
Gluten is a naturally occurring protein in cereal grains that gives dough its elasticity. It is also responsible for putting many people in the fetal position, if not the hospital. Gluten-free beers are those that are made with grains that do not contain gluten such as rice, sorghum, buckwheat, corn and even lentils. However, gluten-removed …
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GBM 15 – The Art and Craft of Beer and Barrels with Rogue Cooperage
Winemakers and distillers rely on barrels to finish their product while brewers also often employ oak barrels to age their special beers. This imparts flavors of wood, coconut, vanilla, spirits and so much more to the liquid inside. In fact, for the sake of aging, storing and transporting alcohol, people have been making …
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GBM 14 – Whiskey, Terroir and Fabulous Flavors Behind the Booze with Rogue Distillery
As you may remember from episode 1 of Good Beer Matters, beer and whiskey are brothers separated after mashing. Start with beer, skip the hops addition, then add distillation and barrel aging and, voila!…. Whiskey. In this episode, we return to Rogue, but this time we go to the distillery across the lot from the …
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GBM 13 – Rogue Farms on Challenge, Triumph and The Terroir of Hops
In the early part of the 20th century, the area surrounding Independence in Oregon’s Willamette Valley was considered the hop capital of the world. These days, Germany is the top producer and exporter of hops followed by the U.S. Within the states, the Northwest produces 99% of U.S. hops with Washington State taking the Lion’s …
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GBM 12 – Better Beer & The Terroir of Malt with Seth Klann of Mecca Grade Malt
Here in the U.S. we can obtain hops from Argentina, barley malt from Canada, treat our water so that it tastes British and then pitch yeast cultured from Belgium, all so that we can enjoy a local beer. But what if we actually sourced all of our ingredients within a 100 miles of …
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GBM 011 – The Art of Pairing with Alesong Brewing and Blending
“Paying that little bit of attention, both to your food and to your beer, is the difference between having an “OK” culinary life and having one filled with boundless riches of flavor. Learn a little bit about the amazing variety and complexity of flavor that traditional beer brings to the table, and in return I …
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GBM 010 – Getting Squiffy on Real Ale with Ted Sobel of Brewer’s Union Local 180
American travelers in the 60s and 70s ventured to the homeland of Beer, particularly England. While there they discovered that English beer was darker, warmer and much better than the watered down, over marketed lagers back home. But they also discovered something else, a beer culture brewed into the tradition of the Third Place. After …
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GBM 09 – The Rise Of A Small Brewer with Robert Masterson of Resident Brewing
Just because a brewery is big that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. The inverse of this formula is also true. Homebrewers and small breweries often make very good beer. In the case of Robert Masterson of Resident Brewing in San Diego, CA, the beer is phenomenal. In this episode of Good Beer Matters, we …
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GBM 08 – Nano Brewing with Steve Anderson of Kobold Brewing
In this episode of Good Beer Matters we continue our focus on small breweries to answer the questions, with so much good beer and competition out there, how and why do they step into such a competitive world. What are the challenges and what is the upside to being small and crafty. Steve Anderson, of …
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GBM 007 – Creating Community through Good Beer with Alesation Brewing
I sat down to have some pizza and a beer while in Virginia in 2017. The beer lineup in this pizza joint consisted of some of the usual East Coast suspects as well as a few from the West. However, I ended up with a local IPA. The beer was good. So good in fact, …
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GBM 006 – Learn To Be a Better Beer Taster from Master, Randy Scorby
This episode comes with a warning. It is the same warning this episode’s guest shared on the first day of beer judge class. It is simply this, you are about to learn how to decipher the experience and nuances of flavor your glass has to offer. Once aware, you’ll never taste beer the same way …
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GBM 005 – Building Beertopia with Roger Worthington of Worthy Brewing
“This, around you, right here, speaking from the Hop Mahal at Worthy Brewing, a little place we call Beertopia, is a result of a lot of dreaming and a lot of doing.” – Roger Worthington, Worthy Brewing in Bend, OR I’ve always believed that one could become fully educated just by studying beer. Doing so …
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GBM 004 – John Maier – The Wizard of Rogue Brewery
Still a homebrewer at heart, my next guest has been a brewing innovator and somewhat of a godfather to the Northwest brewing community, and therefore the country, and even the world.
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GBM 003 – Globe Trotting and Beer with the Gambers
Dan and I go way back to High School where we played sports together. We lost track of each other after graduation, but some years ago I reconnected with him, his wife Sarah and their two children. When I recorded this they lived in Portland Oregon, but by the time you listen to this episode, …
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GBM 002_Mauricio Mata of Portland Ale House and Stonecastle Brewing in Valencia, Spain
Spain is often associated with Bullfights, Flamenco dancing and red wines like Tempranillo or whites like Albariño. Spain is also known for having one hand in a rich culinary tradition while the other is leading the world with its culinary innovation. In any culture such as this, beer can seem like an afterthought. …
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GBM 001- Whiskey, Flavors and the Future of Beer with Gary Fish of Deschutes Brewery
Deschutes Brewery in Bend Oregon was founded in 1988 by Gary Fish and is now one of the Top 10 Craft Breweries in the U.S. It shares the honor of the top ten with breweries such as Yuengling, Boston Beer Company, Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium. But there is more to Deschutes than just …