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Beer Busters

270 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 46 ratings

Celebrating and exploring the world of craft beer, Beer Busters is a mostly on the road podcast featuring Dan Baker, Steph Heffner and Wayne Baker. We travel to breweries and other beer spots to sit down and chat and drink and play games with a wide array of people in the industry.

Food Arts Comedy homebrew beer busters craft craftbeer homebrewing
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Episodes

263: NA Brewskey (or No Alcohol, All Fun)

April 19, 2024 10:00 - 1 hour - 74.8 MB

The band is all here in the original lineup once again and we’re chatting with non-alcoholic beer enthusiast and internet person, NA Brewskey. We talk about the history and origins of NA beer, different methods of production, how the beer community has reacted to NA beer, and events around Philly and options beyond. Plus, in Happy Fun Time, we play a round of Libation or Fabrication: Non Alcoholic Variety. So, kick back, crack a beverage of whatever alcohol content you desire, and listen in ...

262: Birdsmouth Beer (or I Will Follow You to Wings)

March 29, 2024 16:51 - 1 hour - 69.9 MB

Joining us this episode from all-lager brewery Birdsmouth Beer in Oceanport, NJ is Andy Gioia. Not joining us this episode, unfortunately, is Wayne. Fortunately, in his place, our longtime friend from the earliest days of Beer Busters, Slimy Sauce himself, Mark Graves. Topics of discussion include lagers, of course, and why only lagers. Plus, the never-ending quest to educate consumers on the finer points of beer flavored beer. But, what about Happy Fun Time, you say? Fear not! Though Wayne ...

261: RationAle Brewing (or Reverse Osmosis)

December 29, 2023 17:05 - 1 hour - 52.4 MB

Just in time for dry (or at least a little less damp) January, we are joined by Jamie Fay, the Founder and CEO of the fastest-velocity brand in the non-alcoholic craft beer category, RationAle Brewing. We learn about the uniquely personal origin story of RationAle, nerd out quite a bit about the NA brewing process, talk about the many and varied reasons for the increasing popularity of the non-alcoholic category, and a whole bunch more things. In Happy Fun Time, we play a round of Libation o...

260: Stickman Brews Exit Interview (or Beefie)

November 10, 2023 21:11 - 2 hours - 82.5 MB

For nearly a decade, almost as long as we’ve been doing this podcast, Stickman Brews has been the unequivocal purveyor of the finest beers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As of October 2023, this, like all good things, has come to an end. In all seriousness, Ethan Buckman – the inimitable proprietor and brewer for Stickman – along with partners Jim Buckman and Kate Sorrento, and many other fine folks who worked to make Stickman the unique endeavor that it was, have joined the ranks of our most...

259: Wine and Dinosaurs (or Language Evolves)

October 20, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 76.5 MB

After a three-year hiatus, the Wine & Dinosaurs fest at the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science returned for 2023 and we were once again on-location doing the pod thing. Presented by M&T Bank, all proceeds from the event featuring wine, food, and of course great beer, go to supporting the museum and its mission. We catch up with a few old friends from some of the state’s awesome breweries, and meet some new ones as well. This is one fest we’ve always enjoyed for its laid back feel, top-notch...

258: Barra Brava Brewing (or We Hope to Make You a Soccer Fan)

October 06, 2023 14:02 - 1 hour - 73.4 MB

We are down one Beer Buster this episode as Dan was unable to join us, but we soldiered on and welcomed Adrián & Sebastián, founders of Barra Brava Brewing Company and lovers of all things soccer. Incubated on site at Marz Community Brewing Company, where Sebastián is Head Brewer and Adrián is Production Manager, Barra Brava’s mission is to ultimately create a home for beer and soccer enthusiasts in Chicago. We chat about the birth of Barra Brava, plans for the future, more incubation plans ...

257: Crooked Hammock Brewery (or Mountain of Cat)

September 15, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 59 MB

With decades of experience in the beer world, Larry Horwitz is The Greatest Talker in Beer. Currently Head of Brewing Operations at Crooked Hammock Brewery, he is overseeing a complete overhaul of their core beers. We chat about that, all things Crooked Hammock, but also we go on plenty of tangents as Larry recounts beer stories from the past and insightful commentary about the state of the industry today. All of this, plus valuable life lessons, a round of the rare Band or Beer in Happy Fun...

256: Succession Fermentory (or Tangible Connections)

August 11, 2023 16:34 - 1 hour - 67.2 MB

Co-Owner and Head Brewer of Succession Fermentory, Keith Hartwig joins us this episode. Succession is a farmhouse brewery located at Stella Lou Farm in Cochranville, PA. Opened in 2022, Succession produces sour and farmhouse ales using locally grown and sourced ingredients. A rare Friday night recording session sees a little more consumption than typical as we discuss everything from trifoliate oranges to spontaneous fermentation. Plus the usual backstory and some more conversations about ag...

255: Ploughman Farm Cider (or Explosive Crispiness)

July 28, 2023 16:36 - 1 hour - 75.8 MB

Founder and owner of Ploughman Farm Cider, Ben Wenk joins us this episode as we take another of our occasional departures from the world of beer. Wenk is a seventh-generation farmer at Three Springs Fruit Farm in Aspers, PA, where apples for Ploughman products are sourced. We go deep on apples in this one, from training trees to apple genetics, plus the Wenk family farm history, how they got into cider making, the Gettysburg Taproom, and much more. This episode’s Happy Fun Time segment featu...

254: Our Town Brewery (It's Not a Light Switch, It's a Dimmer)

July 14, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 72.5 MB

All Beer Busters Podcast hosts are present and accounted for again as we welcome Rob Tarves, Co-Founder of Our Town Brewery in Lancaster, PA. Our Town is a community-focused brewery with a vision for using fresh, innovative beer and a thoughtful food program to further connect people in Lancaster. We chat about the journey to opening the doors at Our Town, including how Tarves and Co-Founder Rob Patz’s time at multiple breweries over the years drove home the theme that breweries are huge par...

253: Suspended Brewing (or Big Yoga)

June 09, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 69.2 MB

We’re down one co-host this episode as Dan was otherwise engaged on the evening of the occasion of this recording. But Wayne does his best to hold the reins as he and Steph welcome Josey Schwartz, owner and brewer at Suspended Brewing in Baltimore. Located in the historic Pigtown neighborhood, Suspended is a fully vegan, cruelty free company with a mission to show that social justice and ecological stewardship can be a viable combination for business, and to be an uplifting presence in their...

252: Denizens Brewing (or We're Zigging)

May 05, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 81.6 MB

Joining us this episode is Julie Verratti, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer at Denizens Brewing. The founding of Denizens is a unique and compelling story, full of intrigue and – more seriously – political lobbying and law reform. We also get deep in the weeds on packaging sizes, barriers to entry for small businesses in certain sectors (related to the aforementioned packaging), taxes, and a lot more shop talk. Every once and a while we have an episode where we really dig into some niche i...

251: Hostful! (or The Lip Edition)

April 21, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 68.1 MB

This episode is (almost) entirely devoid of guests. But don’t worry, our trio of stewards will guide you through this auditory experience, and you will emerge a more fuller version of yourself. Plus, Patrick Reed, a founding organizer of Ephrata Brewfestpops in to give us the details on the upcoming 2023 festival at Whistle Stop Plaza in Ephrata, PA on June 24th. This is, legit, one of the most chill and fun beer fests to be found in our neck of the country. We have covered several in years ...

250: The Referend (or Barn Cats)

March 10, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 75.8 MB

In a wild and spontaneous episode (see what we did there?), we are joined by Co-Owner of The Referend Bier Blendery, James Priest. Specializing in spontaneous fermentation and blending, The Referend opened in Pennington, New Jersey in 2016 and relocated to Pinnacle Farms in Kutztown, PA in 2021. We take a dive into the world of traditional, wild fermentation and the craft that goes into it, as well as some risks and pitfalls. Other topics include aroma terroir, barn cats, and Ethan Buckman. ...

249: Pink Boots Society (or We're All Ears and Only Some Nos)

February 24, 2023 22:58 - 1 hour - 80.3 MB

We're joined this episode by some old friends and new from various corners of the beer world, all serving as the Leadership Team for the Pink Boots Society Greater Philadelphia Chapter. With local chapters across the world, Pink Boots' mission is to assist, inspire, and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry through education. Beyond serving for this amazing organization, this episode's guests are active in many areas of the fermentation world...

248: Athletic Brewing (or Tasting is Believing)

January 06, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 77.4 MB

We kick off Dry January with a brewery producing some of (if not the) best non-alcohol brews available. Joining us are Zoe Riccio, Director of Global QA and Compliance, and Russ Meister, Head of Quality, at Athletic Brewing. With facilities on both coasts, Athletic not only produces world-class liquid without the booze, they are also committed to being positive, inclusive, encouraging, collaborative, and people who are known to be a force of good. We chat about the inspiration for an exclusi...

247: Exhibit 'A' Brewing (or It's About the Experience)

December 09, 2022 11:00 - 2 hours - 98.8 MB

Joining us this episode are Co-Founder and Head Brewer Matthew Steinberg, and General Manager Kelsey Roth from Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company in Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in September 2015, Exhibit ‘A’ is well known for its “farm to can” initiatives focusing on local sourcing for its beers, sustainable practices, and social initiatives around equity in brewing. We chat about all of those things and much more, including exporting beer to Japan and who has and has not heard of Trillium...

246: Stickman Brews (or Don't Go to Applebee's, Go to Stickman)

November 11, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 70.8 MB

So…did you miss us? Sorry for the unanticipated hiatus. Unfortunately, Dan suffered a pretty gnarly injury involving alcohol, golf, and a tree. Thankfully, he’s well on the way to recovery and, after some much needed healing time, we’re ready to get back to it. And who better to remind us how we do this thing than perennial favorite friend-of-the-show Ethan Buckman, proprietor of Stickman Brews, maker of the finest beer in Southeastern Pennsylvania (and possibly beyond). We hear the tale o...

245: City-State Brewing (or Put Down the Lactose)

August 12, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 71.3 MB

This episode we’re joined by CEO of yet another Washington, D.C. brewery, James Warner from City-State Brewing. This craft brewery, taproom, arts venue, and event space celebrates the history and culture of DC and the people there strive to live its values in everything they make and do. Unfortunately, Dan was unable to make this recording and so Wayne and Steph attempt the steer the ship in his stead. Fortunately, James has lots of stories to tell and insightful things to say about beer, ...

244: Red Bear Brewing (or 150 Rainbow F*cks)

July 29, 2022 12:38 - 1 hour - 74 MB

Coming to us from Washington, D.C. this episode is Director of Marketing & Events/Owner of Red Bear Brewing, Bryan Van Den Oever. From rainbow fucks to long walks in dark alleys, from nuclear medicine technology to making pumpkin beers cool again, there is no shortage of riveting conversation. We also get a bit serious in discussing Red Bear’s work as a queer and veteran-owned brewery to promote diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. Plus, some interesting history of the building ...

243: Love City Brewing (or You Are the Machine)

July 15, 2022 12:56 - 1 hour - 66.9 MB

Joining us this episode is Co-Owner of Love City Brewing and Chairperson of the Brewers of PA Equity and Inclusion Committee, Melissa Walter. We discuss the committee and its goals, as well as several other initiatives and events by Love City aimed at promoting and supporting marginalized communities. Plus discussions on resources and organizations aimed at making safe spaces for everyone, including the book Making Spaces Safer from author Shawna Potter and WOAR Philadelphia Center Against...

242: PlantPub (or The Best Freakin’ Nachos Ever)

June 10, 2022 14:02 - 1 hour - 57.6 MB

Co-Founder of PlantPub, a concept that combines the world’s best craft beers with plant-based versions of pub foods favorites, Patrick McAuley joins us this episode. Patrick is a Boston-based serial entrepreneur, author, speaker, and startup consultant for ethical/plant-based companies. We chat about his discovery of the benefits of a plant-based diet and how he has dedicated himself to advocating and supporting businesses in the plant-based space. Other topics include how PlantPub strives...

241: Cartel Brewing (or Freeze Dried)

May 13, 2022 11:51 - 1 hour - 57.9 MB

Joining us this episode is Founder and Head Brewer at Cartel Brewing & Blending, Adam Chamberland. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Cartel was established in late 2019 by Adam and co-founders Cullen Farrell, Kyle Ober and Xiang (Sam) Guo. We chat about the history of Cartel, various variations of blending, myriad collaborations, and even duck sauce beer. Happy Fun Time featured a round of Libation or Fabrication and a generally chill time was had by all. Do you love Beer Busters? Of co...

240: Pour Man's Brewing (or It’s the Kleenex of Buns)

April 22, 2022 12:05 - 1 hour - 68.2 MB

This episode, like many things these days, was conducted in a hybrid fashion. We were on location for only the second time since the start of the pandemic at Pour Man’s Brewing Company. Joining us via Zoom (after a very long fight with technical difficulties) were Sam from Pour Man’s as well as Dean Pierce and Shannon Benshoff, General Manager/Partner at Dutch Country Soft Pretzels. Shannon tragically lost his son, Samuel, in an auto accident in January and Dean connected us to share how P...

239: Prototype Brewery and Meadery (or Robust Bathroom Facility)

April 15, 2022 02:11 - 1 hour - 63.4 MB

Our old friend and honorary Beer Busters, Kevin Keller joins us this episode to catch us up on the progress of Prototype Brewery and Meadery, specifically the upcoming Prototype Brewery Invitational 2022, that was originally slated to happed in 2020, but then COVID. The fest, featuring 45+ breweries, will be held Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Early Entry at 12:00 PM, General Admission at 1:00 PM) at the Zembo Shrine in Harrisburg, PA. If you’re around, grab some tickets...

238: Stickman Brews (or Ethan’s Grievances as it Relates to Lagers)

April 01, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 64 MB

Perennial podcast pontificator Ethan Buckman, proprietor of Pennsylvania’s own Stickman Brews, joins us this episode to…well, here are his own words: “I’ve got a lot to say and I’m hoping you will let me once again take this lovely thing you have made and co-opt it entirely for my own.” Those lots of things to say were about lagers, including addressing some comments made on our past lager-centric episodes. This one gets pretty deep in the weeds on the technical aspects of brewing, Ethan a...

237: BrewStacheStrong (or Must-Have Mustache)

March 18, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 63.3 MB

This episode we chat with Colin Gerner, President and Co-Founder of StacheStrong, a nonprofit that was born from brotherly love after Colin’s brother, GJ Gerner, underwent his first brain cancer surgery for Glioblastoma. Sadly, GJ lost his battle with this horrible disease in 2019 at the age of 30. #BrewStacheStrong is a collaboration beer project, open to any breweries that wish to participate, to help raise funds that go to directly to cancer research. Along with Colin, we are joined by ...

236: Therapy Brewing (or Kids, Horses, and Chickens, Oh My!)

March 04, 2022 18:25 - 1 hour - 70.2 MB

Joining us this episode is Chris Kuriga, Owner and Head Brewer at the rural and laid-back Therapy Brewing in Mill Creek Township, Pennsylvania. We chat about the unique location of this outdoorsy brewery, located on a sprawling 200 acres, the challenges in finding your way there, and the more-than-worth-it rewards you’ll enjoy when you do. We also talk about the history of Therapy and get a little nerdy about well water and water chemistry. All this and more, plus a round of What Band Made...

235: Lost Barrel Brewing (or One Beer Two Spoons)

February 18, 2022 12:49 - 1 hour - 79.7 MB

We’re joined this episode by General Manager/Head Brewer, Patrick Steffens and Marketing and Events Manager, Natalie Femia, from Lost Barrel Brewing in Middleburg, Virginia. The brewery opened in December 2020 and shares a property with an operational horse farm. Lost Barrel produces a variety of beers and hard seltzers, serves an elevated pub grub menu, hosts a variety of events including regular charity fundraisers, and has an on-site boutique fashion shop called Found. We chat about all...

234: New Trail Brewing (or Is It 3 or 4?)

February 04, 2022 14:09 - 1 hour - 69.3 MB

Several of the ladies of New Trail Brewing in Williamsport, PA, join us this episode, including Assistant Brewer Cloey Hertwig, Packaging Tech Bethany McDonald, Office Manager Morgan Tramontana, and Regional Sales Representative Helana Zimmerman. Plus, past guest and Director of Brewing Operations, Mike LaRosa. We get to know a little bit about each of these amazing women and how they became part of New Trail, as well as some of the latest happenings at one of Pennsylvania’s most sought-af...

233: Necromancer Brewing (or I'm Gonna Get a Beer)

January 21, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 67.6 MB

After chatting about this brewery in a few recent episodes, we sit down with Lauren Hughes, Head Brewer at Necromancer Brewing in Pittsburgh. We discuss the inspiration behind the brewery, opening during COVID, their mission to revive forgotten beer styles, Lauren’s journey to the brewery, and more. In Happy Fun Time, we play a round of There’s Weird in My Beer. And we drink a few tasty bevs, but it was a Monday so not too many. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave u...

232: Guardian Brewing (or Donut Boats)

January 08, 2022 15:18 - 1 hour - 59.8 MB

Kim Collins, Owner and Head Brewer at Guardian Brewing Company in Saugatuck, Michigan, joins us this episode. Guardian is a 100% LGBTQ-owned, women-owned, & brewer-owned brewery, Located just two miles from Lake Michigan. Kim is also currently a Board Member on the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Board and is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. We discuss all of this and more, including getting to know more about the amazing town of Saugatuck. In Happy Fun Tim...

231: 412 Brewery (or We Love Crispy Boys)

December 24, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 50.2 MB

Joining us this episode is Adam Bey, Co-Owner of 412 Brewery in Pittsburgh and member of the Pittsburgh Brewery and Diversity Council. We discuss the history of 412 Brewery, how Adam and others came to take over ownership of the brewery from the founders, the Diversity Council origins and the very important work they do. Do you know what a Canadian Destroyer is? Well, we learned all about that and a whole lot more when Adam revealed that he has been a professional wrestler for many years. ...

230: Trace Brewing (or Cool Sh*t Room)

December 10, 2021 14:07 - 1 hour - 68 MB

Co-Founder and CEO of Trace Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, PA joins us this episode to talk about the young brewery, his personal journey to founding Trace, how they are taking action to promote diversity in the beer world, and much more. A large chunk of our conversation centered around Trace Brewing’s Vocational Program, which offers six month paid internships at the brewery to candidates from underrepresented communities and those who would otherwise encounter steep barriers to entry in...

229: Tara Nurin (or I Should've Learned to Land Planes)

November 26, 2021 20:08 - 1 hour - 70.1 MB

In an episode that plays fast and loose with time, continuity, and word tenses, Steph and Wayne were joined by Tara Nurin, a writer who primarily covers lifestyle trends with a focus on craft beer, alcohol and culinary tourism and their impact on economic development, and author of the recently published, A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and CEOs – while Dan was galivanting around Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Since we’re no strangers t...

228: Hostful! (or Chug Foam Together)

November 05, 2021 12:37 - 1 hour - 53.2 MB

Due to circumstances beyond our control, our scheduled guest for this episode could not join us. So, it’s just the three of us this time. It’s been a while. We take some time to continue our conversation on the state of equality in the craft beer industry, focusing on resources and actions. Those aforementioned circumstances beyond our control were ongoing staffing shortages in the brewing industry (and the larger service industry in general). We take the opportunity to discuss this issue ...

227: Brian Mills (or That's Why I Opened My Mouth)

October 22, 2021 16:19 - 1 hour - 73.5 MB

This episode we’re joined by our friend/cool beer guy/podcast patron Brian Mills. We talk about the ongoing discussions of sexual harassment and assault in the beer industry. After an overview of where things stand, including the controversy surrounding the Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen, we move on to discussing how to affect real change in the beer world. Then, we move on to less serious conversation about world travels and beer stories, among many other random topics. In Happy Fu...

226: Chatty Monks Brewing (or I'm Two Ryans)

October 01, 2021 12:28 - 1 hour - 54.3 MB

After a short hiatus, we're back! And this time we're joined by the new crew at Chatty Monks Brewing in West Reading, PA - Devi Jagadesan (owner), Ryan Berkis (marketing), and briefly John Stemler (brewmaster and beverage consultant). We chatted about the challenges of taking ownership of a brewery during the pandemic, changes and future plans for the brewery, and Ryan taught us old folks about TikTok. #dontgetstemlered Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rati...

225: Devil's Eye Brewing (or Another Hot Chicken Sandwich)

September 03, 2021 14:25 - 1 hour - 67.1 MB

We’re joined this episode by Rob Getz, brewer at Devil’s Eye Brewing in Dillsburg, PA, who Dan (somewhat drunkenly) met at a Renaissance Faire beer fest. We discuss that story, Rob’s unusual path to brewing at Devil’s Eye, his shady beer hand-off with Steph at an abandoned hotel, and much more. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a round of Bad Beer Reviews, a game all about beer reviews that are not good. All while we sampled an array of Devil’s Eye brews. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course ...

224: Brews and Bands for Bart Beer Festival

August 20, 2021 14:58 - 3 hours - 128 MB

This episode was recorded on site at the Brews and Bands for Bart Beer Festival at Tattered Flag Brewery and Stillworks in Middletown, PA. This event was organized to raise money for the family of Bartley Kaminski, a huge figure in the beer world who sadly lost his battle with cancer recently. We invited a long list of friends to sit down and chat, catch up, and raise a glass to an amazing human being. Enjoy, and we hope you'll raise a glass too.

223: Lady Justice Brewing (or Edible Luster)

August 06, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 65.6 MB

This episode we are joined by Betsy Lay, Owner and Head Brewer, and her wife, Alison Wisneski, Director of Marketing for Lady Justice Brewing Company in Aurora, Colorado. Lady Justice is a not for profit (though not legally a non-profit, something we discuss) and community supported brewery whose mission is to brew great beer to make the world a better place. The Latina-founded, queer and woman-owned operation dedicates time, space, and money to nonprofits and community partners that suppo...

222: Brews and Bands for Bart

July 24, 2021 10:00 - 2 hours - 84 MB

Shortly after the recording of this episode, Bartly Kaminski lost his battle with cancer. Our thoughts and love are with his family, his many, many friends, and the countless lives he touched. The Brews and Bands for Bart Festival will go on as planned, to honor his memory and celebrate the joy that Bart brought into the world.

221: Stickman Brews (or Feral Packs of Chihuahuas)

July 02, 2021 12:07 - 2 hours - 85.7 MB

We’re joined this episode by our longtime friend and frequent podcast guest, Ethan Buckman from Stickman Brews. We chat about what’s new with Stickman, Ethan’s new venture, False Bottom Spirits, and a number of other things of varying degrees of randomness. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of the rarely-seen Brewery or Forgery, in which Dan, Steph, and Ethan compete to see who can spot the fake brewery names among the real. Also, we drank some Stickman beers. On a more serious not...

220: A Love Letter to Lagers

June 18, 2021 11:59 - 1 hour - 57.8 MB

This episode is an audio recording from our virtual event, A Love Letter to Lagers, held on June 8th, 2021, as part of Philly Beer Week. Our guests for this happy hour panel were Jack Hendler, Co-Owner and Brewer at Jack’s Abby in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Ashleigh Carter, Co-Owner and Brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, Colorado, breweries known for producing amazing, award-winning lagers. We talk all things lager, from the technical, to the historical, and why it’s just so good...

219: Philly Loves Beer (or You Had Me at Swill)

June 04, 2021 12:17 - 1 hour - 52.1 MB

Just in time for Philly Beer Week 2021, we catch up with Executive Director of Philly Loves Beer (the organization behind beer week), Christina Dowd. At the start of the show, we address the ongoing wave of reports of sexism and harassment in the beer industry. The outpouring of stories was sparked by an Instagram post by Brienne Allan, production manager at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts – and has sadly reached into all corners of the industry, including Philly Loves Beer. Lighte...

218: Hairless Dog Brewing (or Everybody’s Got Access to Rocks)

May 14, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 50.9 MB

This episode is a Beer Busters first, dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic beer. Joining us is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hairless Dog Brewing, Jeff Hollander. The Minneapolis based production brewery produces exclusively alcohol-free beer. And it’s for real. Most “NA” beers are brewed traditionally – alcohol and all – and then have the booze removed, leaving a product that can legally be up to 0.5% ABV. Hairless Dog, however, has developed a process in which alcohol is never introduced at a...

217: Bar Hygge/Brewery Techne (or Beans?)

April 30, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 75.9 MB

Joining us this episode are Tom Baker, longtime owner of Earth Bread + Brewery, and now founder of Bar Hygge  in Philadelphia, along with Duffy Lonergan, brewer for Bar Hygge’s on-site Brewery Techne. We talk about Tom’s long and storied history in the world of beer, Duffy’s (less long and storied) background and what brought him to Brewery Techne, and a whole lot of other various and occasionally random things. And, this episode’s Happy Fun Time Game is Libation or Fabrication: Pandemic E...

216: St. Boniface Craft Brewing (or Annivermilkary)

April 16, 2021 10:00 - 2 hours - 95.8 MB

This episode we share some brews with our longtime friend, Dain Shirey, from St. Boniface Craft Brewing in Ephrata, PA. This year the brewery celebrated its 10th anniversary, so we took a trip down memory lane and discussed the history of St. Boniface as well as our long association with the brewery (including the birth of “no squids were harmed”). Starting with the founding of the business in 2011, all the way up to opening a full-service restaurant amid the pandemic last year. We also ta...

215: Attic Brewing (or They Have a Parking Lot)

April 02, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MB

Joining us this episode is Laura Lacy, Co-Owner (along with her husband Todd) of Attic Brewing in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Open just over a year, Attic proudly serves a wide array of beer styles, offering limited delivery service within the city. We talk about opening a brewery just before the pandemic hit, how Laura and Todd ended up in Philadelphia and why they wanted to open a brewery, how they are giving back to the community, and much more. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne host...

214: Philadelphia Grain & Malt Symposium

March 19, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 62 MB

This episode features audio from our recent live virtual happy hour segment as part of the 2021 Philadelphia Grain and Malt Symposium. We were joined by our friend Nate Kresge, Founder of Harrisburg-based media production company, GK Visual in a panel discussion along with a lineup of people from the brewing industry including, Dan Hershberg from Workhorse Brewing, Dain Shirey from St. Boniface Brewing, and Tom Baker from Earth Bread + Brewery. Our discussion centers on the creative soluti...

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