#28: Mike Fava | Oxbow Brewing

The guys venture into the woods of Newcastle, ME to talk with Mike Fava, head brewer of Oxbow Brewing. The conversation - held inside a literal farmhouse next to the brewery - makes a great case for the podcast's best so far. Fava (as he's known by essentially everyone) cut his chops brewing at Dock Street and Nodding Head in Philadelphia, and he walks us through how he ended up going from pub to farmhouse brewer with some help from a guy known as "The Dude". He shares his thoughts on what defines saison, the value in displaying production time on a beer's label, and how Oxbow came to be champions of the Italian-style pilsner through both brewing Luppolo and hosting Pils & Love. After a mutual gushing over spontaneous fermentation and Oxbow's Native/Wild, things wrap up with a Three Bay involving two of Fava's favorite things: lambic and VHS. All said, it's a truly inspiring conversation, and got Matty and Noah immediately thinking about Part II.
Song: Mountain Climb by Jake Hill and Deep Creek