Beer Me! – Details, episodes & analysis

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 magic to the consumption side of beer; through Tarot. 

In this episode of Beer Me, she explains that while the practice of Tarot has been around for centuries, it has become more popular in recent years. Tarot has risen since the pandemic, "not as much as sourdough" Iseman jokes. People seek more introspective moments and creative outlets, and tarot answers both needs. 

To be clear, tarot is less about predicting the future and more about setting an intention, for example, "getting a vibe for the day", Iseman explains. (like bones or no bones, RIP Noodle). 

In her zine, Iseman dives into the history of Tarot and where it's surfacing in beer. For example, EJ Nunns & Max Sherman at Trve Brewing in Denver have designed a custom tarot deck. (it's stunning). 

What's in the cards? Maybe they suggest you try a new beer or branch out. Or they might suggest to stick to your favorite. Check out this zine for more details! 

Shoutouts: Trve Brewing, Brasserie l'Ermitage, Joanne Love, Noodle and the No Bones Day

MUSIC CREDIT: The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9552-funky-intro-31
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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 beverage. 

It is a tradition on Beer Me to gather once a year to answer the burning question: "What will you be drinking on Thanksgiving"?

 While exploring as many tangents as possible. 

While this isn't hard-hitting beer news (is it ever?), or complex topics rooted in education, it IS fun. 

Grab a beer, laugh, and enjoy some turkey! 

MUSIC CREDIT: The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9552-funky-intro-31
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Corn has never been given a fair shake. 

The evils of high fructose corn syrup have been bellowed from every soapbox, the most commonly grown corn is for animal feed, and is generally, not a much-beloved ingredient. 

This has also been the case in beer. Even as recent as 2019, Bud Light ran an ad during the Super Bowl calling out Coors Light and Miller Lite for using corn syrup in their beer. But the trend of lighter, more session-able beers is on the rise, including corn lagers. 

Some of the best breweries in the country are using heirloom varietals of corn in their beers- Fonta Flora, Bow & Arrow, and Black Narrows, to name a few. 

Josh Chapman, founder of Black Narrows Brewing Company in Chincoteague, VA joins the show to talk all things corn lager. We dive into the specific corn they use for their flagship "How Bout It" corn lager (Bloody Butcher heirloom corn from Bill & Bob Savage). Josh takes us through special brewing considerations needed for brewing with corn and how to keep the integrity of the corn flavor. 

The surface has only been scratched with corn lagers here on Beer Me! So we will undoubtedly return to this subject again.

MUSIC CREDIT: The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9552-funky-intro-31
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

History is in the making. Pizza Paradiso, DC Brau, and DC Homebrew Club are joining forces to host a homebrewer competition at the Georgetown location of Pizza Paradiso. The winner will get to brew their beer at DC Brau and have it served at every Pizza Paradiso location (now 5!). Michael Stein of Lost Lagers and Drew McCormick (executive beverage director of Pizza Paradiso) are in the studio to share the inspiration and the technical explanation of this event. We also dive into what it's like to submit your beer to a homebrew competition.

John Gartner of Port City Brewing Company and Bill DeBaun of DCBeer.com swing by the studio to talk about our mutual love of Port City. This is a brewery that sometimes gets overlooked for how amazing they are. We get into history, the beers, competition, and new beer releases - the importance of lagers. Also, reminders for the upcoming St. Baldrick's event at Boundary Stone and The Brewer's Ball.

Maureen O'Pray recently published a book "Beer in Maryland: A History of Breweries Since Colonial Times" and she comes by to take us through that history. We covered Maryland's first brewers, the industrial age, prohibition, and immigration. Through her research, she has uncovered some amazing stories and captured the human quality of this story.

Leah Cheston, co-owner/founder of Right Proper Brewing Co. in Washington, DC comes by to chat about the importance of brewery owners coming together. She is the VP & Treasurer of the DC Brewers Guild (a non-profit trade organization that supports DC Brewers). She is also one of the newest members of the Brewers Association board of directors (another non-profit trade organization advocating for brewery owner rights). The beer world is a supportive community, and Leah explains how that happens, and why it is so important.

The partial government shutdown includes the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). This is highly problematic for breweries as they need to get label and formula approval for new beers from the TTB. Not to mention make tax payments and file other operation reports. Prairie Artisan Ales out of Oklahoma tweeted about this on January 6th - and as you would imagine, got a deluge of varying responses. Wade and Cody from Prarie call in to talk about the shutdown and managing social media for a brewery.

To kick off the season, and the year, we are celebrating diversity in beer, community, and firsts. Beer historian and author, Micheal Stein, is welcomed back on the show to talk about DC brewery firsts - including DC's first female-owned brewery, first 100% gay-owned brewery, and first African American-owned brewery. Thankfully, diversity is growing in craft beer, let's keep it going.

In October we got the chance to cover this small, but mighty beer festival in Denver. Shelton Brothers Importers throws this festival every year, and in their words: "You’d have to spend months and countless dollars for a chance to meet this many world-class brewers." Listen in to hear a collection of interviews with brewers from Scotland, Canada, US, Tasmania, Germany, Belgium, Mexico, England, Switzerland, and Jordan.