The BrewDeck Podcast

We're going bock to the future with Chas Nemecek of King Maker Brewing and Mario Cortes of Here Today Brewery & Kitchen. They walk us through the bocks they've brewed, the inspiration for this style and the market for these beers. Are bocks seasonal or is there year-round desire for them? Which malts are quintessential for brewing a great bock? Tune in to learn all about this goat of a style!   Then "Ask Abi" explains the difference between Munich and Cara Munich malts, as well as the between silicon and vegetable oil based defoamers. Have a question or technical advice you want Abi to answer on a future episode? Email us at TheBrewDeck@CountryMalt.com!

We're back and better than ever!! We're kicking off Season 4 by taking a walk down memory lane to rank and recap our most popular episodes from last year. Did your favorite episode make the list? Are there any episodes you should go back and listen to? We invite you to grab your favorite craft beer or spirit, and join us for some inspiration!

Happy Holidays from The BrewDeck Podcast! We're closing out Season 3 with a very special barley harvest update from Great Western Malting and Bairds Malt. Tyler Schoales and Ben O'Gorman are here to break down the 2022 harvest in North America and the UK, how it compares to last year, when we can expect the malt to change over, how brewers and distillers can prepare for the transition, and more. Plus, we check in with the Pink Boots Society about this year's Pink Boots Hop Blend! Don't forget to place your pre-order before December 31: bit.ly/PinkBootsCMG

BREW-VERSIFICATION – noun: the action of diversifying your craft beverage offerings. In this episode, we're joined by Phil Markowski, from Two Roads Brewing, then Townes Mozer and John Watkins, from Lenny Boy Brewing. They share the ins and outs of "brew-versifying" their operations (to include distilling and kombucha-making), opportunities to overlap ingredients, and keeping employees creative in the process. If you're curious about adding a new revenue stream, you're not going to want to miss the advice they share.   Don't forget to pre-order the 6th Annual Pink Boots Blend before December 31: bit.ly/PinkBootsCMG. The blend features Loral, Ekuanot, and HBC 586 varieties. 

Happy American Thanksgiving Week! Hope you're hungry because we're pairing all your favorite holiday dishes with beer recommendations in this episode. We're joined by Certified Cicerone Bill Bonar, from Rain Dog Bar in Calgary, and some friends from the Country Malt team for our first Friendsgiving! Together, we dive into food flavor profiles and how to pair them with complimentary beer styles, plus some specific brews we're stocking in our fridge for this week's feast. Additionally, if you thought American Thanksgiving food and Canadian Thanksgiving food were the same - think again! We thought so too until we uncovered some different dishes that you're not going to want to miss. 

Cold weather is upon us, meaning it's officially Big Beer season! In this episode, we welcome winter warmers with Matt Kenny & Chad Ellis of Tatamagouche Brewing, in Nova Scotia, and Kevin Burton of Matanuska Brewing, in Alaska. We dive into the biggest beers they've ever brewed and the challenges of brewing high-ABV beers. 

Earlier this month, we packed up our podcast gear and headed to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival. We're taking you along for the ride! First, we stop by our Colorado warehouse to visit our friends there. Then, we take over 1Up Arcade Bar for our annual event with the Texas Brewers Guild. From there, we take you along to the festival floor for opening night. Finally, we close out the trip at our party at Little Machine Beer, with our friends from Five Star Chemicals. You're not going to want to miss this GABF recap! Don't forget about our Gold Medal Program! Did you win gold at GABF with Great Western Malting or Canada Malting base malts? Request your vest: bit.ly/VestsCMG

What makes a brewery's social media successful? How can social media help your brewery drive business? On this episode, we get social with Martin House Brewing's Director of Branding, Shugg Cole, and DSSOLVR's Creative Director, Mike Semenec. We inquire about how they plan and create their content, which tools and programs they use, and advice they have for breweries just getting started on social media. Then, we're joined by Andrew Coplon, founder of the Craft Beer Professionals (CBP) Facebook group. Andrew shares how CBP has evolved as a community to provide resources for brewers to ask questions and get connected. Did you win a gold medal at GABF using Great Western Malting or Canada Malting Co. base malts? Request your vest here: bit.ly/VestsCMG Register for CBP's free Fall Virtual Conference (Oct. 17-19) here: craftbeerprofessionals.org/virtual-conference-rsvp/

School is back in session and we're here LIVE at the 18th Annual Hop & Brew School, hosted by Yakima Chief Hops (YCH)! In part 2, we take over YCH's taproom with Marcus Baskerville, Zach Holt, and Billy Garza from Weathered Souls Brewing Co. Marcus shares his incredible speech from Hop & Brew School about how he started the "Black is Beautiful" beer initiative in 2020, the Harriet Baskerville Incubation Program, and his experience in the brewing industry. Listen to learn more about this collaboration and how your brewery can get involved!

It's back to school season and we're LIVE at the 18th Annual Hop & Brew School, hosted by Yakima Chief Hops (YCH)! We're here to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what’s going on and what we’re learning about, here in Yakima! In part 1, we sit down with YCH experts – Missy Raver, Pat Jensen, and Karl Vanevenhoven – to pick their brains and bust the biggest hop myths. Are aged hops still good? How does Hop Storage Index (HSI) work? What is hop creep and how do you mitigate it? Join us to find out these answers and more. Plus, we're given an insider's update on this year's crop and how harvest is looking!  Stay tuned for part 2 featuring Marcus Baskerville from Weathered Souls Brewing Company...

Spunding is a process used by some lager brewers to naturally carbonate their beer with a device, called a spunding valve, that's attached to tanks late in fermentation. In this episode, the pressure is on as we ask about spunding practices and the effects it has on finished beer with our guests; Ewan Muir from Annex Ale Project, Hamish Clark from 33 Acres Brewing Company, and Lisa Allen from Heater Allen Brewing. Then Owen Sawyer from (512) Brewing Company joins us to talk more about CO2 capture and other sustainability initiatives in their brewhouse.

It’s time for a spirited chat! In this episode, we’re joined by Kevin Smith from Company Distilling to talk about the types of malts used in American Single Malt and how distillers are approaching them. Then, we bring back the Whirlpool and things get heated with Kevin Kawa from AB Mauri, as we get to know their new Pinnacle Distillers Yeasts. 

Wanna be on tap? Today, we’re talking about the taproom experience in breweries across North America and what goes into creating this unique environment for craft beer lovers. First, our hosts roundtable the top four most important elements of a taproom experience and share your brewery shout-outs. Then, we are joined by special guests – David Kant-Ranch & Arin Brown from Proof Brewing, followed by Karl Sanford of Manhattan Project Beer Company – to share with us what makes their taprooms the best of the best. Do you have something else that sets your taproom apart from the others? Let us know at TheBrewDeck@CountryMalt.com! Pre-order Veterans Blend: bit.ly/VetsBlend22

It’s that time of year again! The 5th Annual Veterans Blend is now available for pre-order! This year’s blend features HBC 586, Ekuanot® Brand, Triumph, Idaho 7® Brand, and Chinook. In this episode, we sit down with Chelsey Simoni of HunterSeven Foundation and Brianna Vaughn of Yakima Chief Hops to talk about this year’s blend, how it was selected, and the outstanding benefits of the proceeds raised by it. Tune in to learn more about the beneficiary of this year’s blend, HunterSeven Foundation, a non-profit organization that specializes in medical research and education surrounding Veteran illnesses that arise from potential toxic exposures. Don’t forget to pre-order the 5th Annual Veterans Blend! bit.ly/VetsBlend22

Summer is officially here! What better way to enjoy the sunshine than sipping on your favorite beer of the season? Today, Grant Lawrence and Heather Jerred are joined by more folks from our Country Malt Group Sales Team; Cheyenne Weishaar, Adam Wilson, Brian Quinn, and Patrick Sylvester, as they debate their ultimate summertime beer. Gose, Belgian Wit, Dark Lager, and Shandy/Radler... Whose team are you on? Save the date for Tuesday, July 5: Canada Malting Co.'s Euro-Pils will finally be available to order; and Yakima Chief Hops' 2022 Veterans Blend pre-sale begins. Contact your sales rep to learn more!