Ep. 28 - Pete Slosberg of Pete's Wicked

A note from host John Holl:

I’ve been sitting on this interview for a few months now. It features Pete Slosberg, the co-founder of Pete’s Wicked, a brewery and brand that helped shape the course of craft beer as we know it today. 

In an industry that would become known for a lot of big personalities and members of the first name club, Pete was a trailblazer. His Pete’s Wicked Brand was on the radio, in advertisements and thanks to beer recipes that delivered on flavor as well as lifestyle, he led legions of fans into craft. 

Then it was gone. 

This conversation was recorded towards the end of 2019 in Belgium while we both were judging the Brussels Beer Challenge and Pete leads me through the founding of the brewery, the early days, the big plans that never happened, and the eventual sale of the company. 

Towards the end he offers up his insight on what to do when something ends. 

It seems apt for a lot of breweries these days that are facing hardships like never before. Sometimes things end. Sometimes it’s out of your control, sometimes it’s a hard decision that has to come personally. 

No matter the case, Pete, who now works with small companies, has some advice for anyone who runs a brewery. And for us fans, I think his words help us understand how the beer industry works and lets us walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. 

Everything starts at the beginning, so that’s where I started with him, early on a Sunday morning in a tiny hotel room at an even smaller table."

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