Beer Me!

There is a certain level of magic behind beer, in the fermentation alone. Those little yeasty cells are working hard to convert sugar to alcohol and CO2, but what else? Disco parties? Courtney Iseman, a Brookyn-based beer journalist, has recently published a zine: "Beer Tarot: Pulling Cards, Pouring Beer, & Discovering Self." She suggests adding a little mysticism, a little mag

The mix of wonderful and hilarious people one meets in the beer world is a marvel. There is no better time to celebrate those friends than Thanksgiving, or a few weeks after. Beer Me welcomes back to the show Carl Crafts, Sam Nellis, and Grant Vaught. We all met working at Birch & Barley/Churchkey in DC and all have gone off into various directions - but still mostly in beverag

"What are your hopes and dreams for the American Craft Beer Industry as a whole?" This impossibly hard-to-answer question was asked of three beer industry veterans during a live show, in the rain, during their first hour of the Snallygaster Beer Festival. Beer Me Radio returned to our "recorded live" roots for one special show during Snallygaster beer festival in Washington, DC, in

Successful collaborations are a hallmark of the brewing industry. There are countless examples of collaborations between breweries, brewers with restaurants, and even brewers with bands. The result of these collaborations is the beer, which is formed through many (MANY!) decisions that lead to the desired result (hopefully). As Beer Me Radio relishes in its "cheese era", the newest

"It was just a day of horse racing" explains Andreas Krenmair, Beer Author and Historian and most recent guest on Beer Me, as he describes the first Oktoberfest. Austrian-based Andreas has done significant research on the Vienna Lager style and Austrian and German beer & brewing history. Most recently he joined the Beer Me podcast to begin to scratch the surface of Oktoberfest

Jack's Abby Craft Lagers opened in 2011 in Framingham, MA by three brothers: Jack, Eric, and Sam Hendler. They set out to only produce lagers, in a world of IPAs, and have stayed true to that vision. Rob Day, the VP of Marketing for Jack's Abby, described how Jack Hendler studied brewing in Germany and continues his education in German brewing with an annual trip to traditional and

When boiled down (pun intended) beer is an agricultural product, as is chocolate. This is one of the many similarities between the craft beer and chocolate worlds. Chocolate is produced from the seeds of a fruit that grows on a tropical plant. As with beer, chocolate is also a fermented product, and much like beer, there is craft production and mass production. David Nilsen, beer w

After our last episode, talking beer and cheese pairings with Anne Becerra, we needed more cheese. As one does. And there are so many parallels between beer and cheese, both in the production and storytelling possibilities. This week we welcome to the show, Megan Vaughan, cheese expert and owner of Vaughan Cheese in North Beach, Maryland to discuss beer-washed cheese. Megan breaks

Almost as ubiquitous as a beer and pretzel, there is the classic pairing of beer with cheese. This pairing is also an excellent gateway into the beer world for those just starting on their beer journey, so we decided to do an episode dedicated to beer and cheese. We welcome Anne Becerra (Cicerone, Speaker, Consultant: annelikesbeer.com) back to the show to talk through her process

Homebrewing has been a topic of discussion many times here on Beer Me, but we haven't had many opportunities to dive into what it looks like to transition from hobbyist to professional. While it is a path that requires tenacity, there are certainly rewarding moments along the way. This week, we welcome to the show Jason Bell, Founder of Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton, Colora