Beer Me!

Last weekend, the city of Auburn, NY hosted the first annual Brave Brews Fest. This was a three-day event to celebrate women in craft beverages organized by this week's guest, Dawn Schulz, co-founder of Prison City Brewing. We dive into the event, why it was important, how industry events like this help move women forward in beer, and how women can break into traditionally male-dominated roles within the beer world.  Shoutouts & Mentions:  Pink Boots Society, Jacki Hannon (Bells Brewery), Sloop Brewing (their internship!), Celeste Beatty (Harlem Brewing Company), Jackie Dodd Mallory (aka, The Beeroness)Check out more Beer Me! episodes.

Beer Me likes to get nerdy, about cask beer, hops…but this week we are taking a deep dive into safety. The landscape of the beer industry is changing and will continue to evolve to be more inclusive. With this change, spaces that beer inhabits need to be safe (taprooms, breweries, bars). Amie Ward, a hospitality veteran, and Safe Bars trainer joins the show to talk about how to intervene in an unsafe situation and why training, like Safe Bars, is vital in this industry. Hear more about the beer industry confronting sexual harassment and discrimination:Listen to the episode #notme with Brienne Allan.Trigger Warning:  we discuss instances of assault and unsafe situations in this episode.

How many times have you gone into a brewery and instantly liked it? Or enjoyed an afternoon in a taproom so much you forget the exact beers you tried (overindulging aside), you just know you had a great time? Any service-based establishment is striving to create a crafted experience for their guests. Frank Kuhns, co-owner of Settle Down Easy Brewing Co. joins the show to share how he has channeled years of hotel experience into curating a memorable guest experience. We talk about building a brand, storytelling, and how the customer is always first (not always right).  Shout outs: Caboose Brewing, Taco Bell (I share my deep love of it), Grateful Dead,  Check out these episodes:  Connecting with Guests with Colleen Gillespie Maintaining a Brand: How to Keep True to a Brewery's Story with Neil Callaghan Beer Storytelling with Dmitri Chekaldin 

Todd Boera, Co-Founder and Creative Director for Fonta Flora Brewery in North Carolina joins the show to discuss American Farmhouse Brewing. We discuss why this kind of brewery is significant and the different local ingredients Fonta Flora has incorporated into their beers, from pawpaws to local wood.  

Michael Williams, Lead Beer Educator for Great Lakes Brewing Co. joins the show to talk about all things porters, including the history, production, and food pairings. Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, OH produces a benchmark brew as far American Porters are concerned, with their Edmond Fitzgerald (aka. Fitz, Eddie Fitz). Pour a glass of your favorite roasty, toasty, dark brew, and tune in!

Here on Beer Me! we have a little end-of-year tradition to get some friends in the studio to talk about their favorite beers for the holiday season. We are reviving that tradition, little by little. Today, we welcomed back to the show, Sam Nellis, Bar Director for All-Purpose and Red Hen in DC. We dive into holiday beer, non-alcoholic beers, cocktail traditions, and embracing all beverage preferences. Cheers! and we will see you in the new year! 

December 10th is National Lager Day! (We are embracing made-up holidays, especially when it involves lagers). Lisa Allen, Head Brewer of Heater Allen Brewing in McMinnville, OR joins the show to discuss everything that is lagers! Or course we get off track, but that's part of the charm. 

Hard seltzers are a rapidly growing market segment that is projected to grow even more in the coming years. Craft brewers are embracing the trend and the selection is never-ending. Thankfully, Eric McCrory, Sr. Manager of Product Education + Culinary at The Boston Beer Company, (and Advanced Cicerone) was willing to join the show this week to give a quick Hard Seltzer 101, specifically how it's made. As usual, the show takes a few detours, but we get there eventually! 

All breweries have stories to tell, but how they tell them has developed drastically over the years. Jim McCune, co-founder of the Craft Beer Marketing Awards joins the show to talk about how beer marketing is constantly reinventing and pushing new boundaries. Beer can art alone is a prime example of that. He also shares insights into often overlooked ways a brewery can share their story. 

The Brewers Association (BA) faced the #metoo movement in craft beer head-on during September's Craft Brewers Conference. Many of the seminars, training sessions, and speakers focused on the evolution that needs to happen in craft beer. One of those voices, a very strong one, was Virginia Morrison, Esq. She is the co-founder, chief executive officer, and chief legal officer at Second Chance Beer Company, she is also the DEI chair on the BA's Board of Directors and comes from an extensive background in employment law. She joins the show to talk about the importance of building a positive work culture and protecting your staff. 

A filmmaker, professor, journalist, and brewer walk into a bar...or rather, a panel, hosted by Theresa McCulla on October 22nd. This virtual event is in collaboration with the National Museum of American History and will discuss beer in the US, the past and present. Aside from this exciting event, Theresa shares how her work as the curator of the American Brewing History Initiative has morphed over the past year to capture the ongoing evolution of the craft beer community. If you are in the DC area, check out the American Brewing Exhibit at the National Museum of American History! 

This past May, Brienne Allan kicked off a reckoning within the craft beer community in regards to sexual harassment and discrimination. Brienne joins the show along with LeBaron Meyers, President of NotMe Solutions. #Notme is a reporting platform for those who have experienced or witnessed racism, harassment, discrimination and misconduct. “Craft beer is in a liminal phase…an in-between” said Bart Watson of the BA during last week’s Craft Brewers Conference. There has been a call to action, and the industry is certainly responding. 

Brewery Ardennes: Opening a brewery in a pandemic, it's all in the detailsNestled in the banks of Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York is newly opened, Brewery Ardennes. Derek and Stacy Edinger opened the brewery in May 2021, but have this stunning, Belgium-inspired brewery producing and operating like a veteran brewery. With backgrounds in aerospace engineering and hospitality, Derek and Stacy have a deep understanding of attention to detail, which shines through in the beer and the brewery. Listen in to hear tips for opening a new brewery and the challenges they faced opening during a pandemic. 

In 2013, Annie Johnson won the American Homebrewer Associations' Homebrewer of the year award. She is now a brewmaster, a certified beer judge (BJCP), a chapter leader in the Seattle Pink Boots Society Chapter, and a member of the Governing Committee for the American Homebrewers Association. She shares her story and some tips along the way for homebrewers everywhere.

Craft beer continues to grow in popularity throughout Asia. For the 6th year, Seabrew, an annual conference, and trade fair for the brewing community will commence in Taipei this November. Charles Guerrier, Director of Seabrew, takes us through the importance of this conference and what has been the most impactful for brewers who come from all over Asia.  

Matias Vera Cruz Dutrenit, founder of Monstruo de Agua Cerveceria in Mexico City, joins us on the show to discuss how his brewery (part of the Colectivo Axolote) embraces Mexican terroir and seeks to support sustainable practices in beer production. We dive into the importance of agroecological-regenerative practices and how impactful they can be. 

Jon Lundbom, Division manager from Importer, B.United joins us on the show. We dive into creative shipping solutions and how exciting international breweries are breaking into the U.S. market. Jon is also the jazz guitarist for the band "Big Five Cord"...we recommend sipping your favorite brew while listening to some of their albums. 

This week we welcome back to the show Julia Herz, Founder and CEO of HerzMuses Enterprises LLC. As the keynote speaker for The Women's International Beer Summit in April, we dive into proactive ways women can use their voices and how we (collectively) should never shy away from tougher conversations. Julia also shares one of her new projects: Gray for Good - For all Womanhood (I grayed, I saved, I gave). And of course, we get to talk about love for cask ale.  

After a difficult pandemic season, Beer Me is back! Katie Marisic, the Federal Affairs Director for the Brewers Association joins the for this special relaunch. Katie shares how the Brewers Association responded to the major revenue losses their members experienced in the midst of the pandemic. We also dive into the recent @RatMagnet stories that revealed the mistreatment of people in the beer industry and discuss the question: is there actually progress being made in this area? Katie also shares the resources provided by the Brewers Association to address the mentioned issues in this episode.

During this time, we have to get creative, this includes beer dinners. Jacki Hannon from Bell's Brewery organized and executed a top-notch beer dinner - all online! She calls in to chat about how she put it together, and tips for how to do your own. She also catches us up on how Bell's Brewery is coping with our current pandemic. We go a little off-topic with a shot out to The Brewers Association - the Craft Brewers Conference is online folks! In summary: "If you could drink one beer for the rest of your life, why would it be Bell's Two Hearted" - Grant Vought Powered and distributed by Simplecast.