Drink This Beer | Craft Beer Podcast

New Jersey's first meadery was founded by a dream of Sergio Moutela...and a Kickstarter campaign. Now, Melovino Meadery has been served in New York's famous James Beard House, and won multiple awards. Moutela openly shares his passion and knowledge with others in the pursuit of making better mead. He is the author of Mead Made Right and the TOSNA method of advanced nutrient additions in mead making.

When you think of South Florida, you think of beaches, bikinis, and retirees….although maybe not at the same time. Regardless of your thoughts, Belgian-style ales probably aren’t the first thing to pop into your head. But there’s a brewery in Boca Raton that may make you think twice. First opening its doors in 2015, the brewery sports a pretty impressive array of beers. We talk to Kevin Abbott, the director of operations. 

Allagash is one of the heavy hitters in the craft beer industry. But back in the mid-90s, they couldn't get anyone to put their Belgian-style beers on tap. After the success of Allagash White, they expanded into the company they are today. We talk to brewmaster Jason Perkins about the growth of the iconic Maine brewery. We also get his take on the hazy IPA craze, and green vs. amber glass bottles. Cheers!

NoDa came to national prominence with their 2014 World Beer Cup gold medal for Hop Drop and Roll.  Today, as the second oldest brewery in Charlotte, NoDa is helping to add to the state's craft beer boom.  We talk to brewmaster Chad Henderson about what's next for NoDa.

They call him the "Mead Magician." And with the awards and accolades coming out of this Arizona meadery, you may understand why.  Carlos Bassetti tinkered in homebrewing before going towards mead. We talk to him about Superstition, using exotic ingredients, partnering with Mikkeler and more! Oh yeah, Berry White day too.  For our Georgia listeners - Modern Hops has started to bring Superstition into the state, so check bottle shops! 

Brad Shell poses with kittens for calendar shoots. He has brewed a beer using 99 scorpions. And he's doing his part to make Charlotte a little more weird.  After stints with SweetWater, Terrapin and Rogue, Shell founded Unknown Brewing, one of Charlotte's first craft breweries.  Since then, he's created beer with catnip, has a list of projects called his "crazy queue," and is even getting into distilling. 

Kristian Li and Alex Acker's craft beer story is like many others.  You get an extract brewing kit a gift and catch the homebrewing bug. You progress quickly to doing all-grain batches, and eventually decide to give up your full time gig to open a brewery.  The two expats were longtime friends who saw the opportunity to help grow craft beer interest in China. So they started Jing A in 2013, opened up a taproom in 2014, and the rest is history. 

Checking in with Chicagoland's Mikerphone Brewing.  Founded by, Mike Pallen, a small town kid with a passion for craft beer and hip hop music, the small brewery is known for cranking out big beers.  The nanobrewery opened its tap room in 2017, and continues to grow. Check out our interview with Pallen now! 

Drivin' n Cryin' has been a fixture on the rock scene for decades.  Probably best known for its 1991 hit, "Fly Me Courageous," DnC is still touring, making albums and generally kicking ass.  But their latest project isn't an album. It's a beer.  Collaborating with Kennesaw's Burnt Hickory Brewery, DnC created "Mystery Road / Straight to Hell IPA," an aromatic and juicy 5.5 beer that's....dare we say...crushable. 

With the possible exception of Lazy Magnolia, most craft beer fans would be hard pressed to name a brewery in Mississippi. But thanks to relaxed laws and better education, the industry is growing. We talked to Lucas Simmons, owner and brewmaster of Jackson, Mississippi's Lucky Town Brewery. The second-oldest brewery in the state, he's seen a slow growth and is looking forward to the future. More information: www.beerguysradio.com Support: www.patreon.com/beerguys

At Moody Tongue's Chicago taproom, you have two food choices:  Oysters, or German Chocolate Cake.  As strange as that may sound, brewmaster and owner Jared Rouben says those are the perfect pairings of his company's beers.  After starting his career in fine dining, Rouben joined Goose Island where he was able to fine tune his craft beers. More information: www.beerguysradio.com Support: www.patreon.com/beerguys

What exactly is "local"?  Is it in your home town? Your home state? Your home region?  Perhaps it's in the eye of the beholder. Regardless, we talked to Eric Kugler, rep for Bluffton (SC)'s Southern Barrel about their beers, what constitutes local beer...and how a rep stays sober after a long day making calls! 

Shelton Fest.  A bucket list event for any craft beer fan. We were fortunate enough to have this year's Shelton Fest (2017) in our home city, Atlanta.  We were able to talk to numerous great brewers from around the country...and around the world!  In part 3, we talk to two southeastern breweries - 7venth Sun Brewing (Florida) and Bearded Iris (Tennessee) Be sure to check out parts 1 and 2 for more coverage. More: www.beerguysradio.com Support: patreon.com/beerguys

Shelton Fest.  A bucket list event for any craft beer fan. We were fortunate enough to have this year's Shelton Fest (2017) in our home city, Atlanta.  We were able to talk to numerous great brewers from around the country...and around the world!  In part 2, we talk to Jackie O's, an Ohio brewery that's well known to beer nerds....and an Estonian brewery that caused a huge buzz at Shelton Fest - Pohjala. More: www.beerguysradio.com Support: patreon.com/beerguys

Shelton Fest.  A bucket list event for any craft beer fan. We were fortunate enough to have this year's Shelton Fest (2017) in our home city, Atlanta.  We were able to talk to numerous great brewers from around the country...and around the world!  In part 1, we talk to two newer breweries known for their sour programs. Carolina Bauernhaus and Hourglass Brewery.  Be sure to check out parts 2 and 3 for more coverage - coming soon!  More: www.beerguysradio.com Support: patreon.com/beerguys