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

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Music: Funky Intro 31 by TaigaSoundProd
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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.

Sarah Jane gathers some of her favorite people to drink beer and talk beer. Abit of a departure from our normal show, but we manage to cover growth in the industry, local beer, beer with adjuncts, collecting beer, contract brewing, and sample some pretty great brews.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. recently brewed Resilience ""Butte County Proud"" IPA, all profits from this beer will go to assist the victims of the Camp Fire in Northern California. Sierra Nevada put out a call for breweries around the country to do the same, making donated ingredients and the recipe available.

Over 1,200 breweries around the U.S. answered the call, including Atlas Brew Works in DC. Justin Cox (Founder & CEO) returns to the show to talk about the execution of the project. Bill Debaun (Co-Editor of dcbeer.com) also returns to discuss why so many brewers are compelled to give back to their communities.

It's a feel-good kind of day.

Beer journalist, John Holl is in town for a beer panel at Solid State Books tonight! He stopped by the studio to talk about his new book, "Think Beer, Drink Beer." While sipping Sierra Nevada Pale Ale we manage to cover beer trends, nerds, the ever-changing beer world, and fit in a few rants.

Over the past few months on Beer Me! we have explored different parts of the Homebrewing world, including competitions. One aspect of competitions we haven't had the opportunity to discuss is beer judging. Thankfully, Jen Blair joins the show this week to dive into that. 

Jen Blair is an Advance Cicerone, National BJCP Judge, and co-host of the beer and brewing podcast "False-Bottomed Girls". Last week, she led a virtual breakout session for Crafted for Action, "Turning the Beer Judging Tables: Strategies for an Inclusive Judging Environment"  (Watch the sessions: HERE)

On the show, we discuss what that beer judging typically looks like and some of the barriers that exist. Jen takes us through suggestions on how to make the beer judging process more inclusive both from a planning perspective and in the moment. She also has built an extensive resource for those looking to pursue beer judging. 

Beer judging can be an incredibly fun, engaging experience. It is endlessly beneficial for palette and brewing development. But it can be intimidating. Hopefully today you are inspired to dive into the world of beer judging. 

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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 practice of homebrewing was federally legalized in 1978 and from there, the world of independent craft beer was born. In an effort to spread the joy of homebrewing and in turn craft beer, John Moorhead (American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition Director) and Katie Marisic (Federal Affairs Manager for the Brewers Association) come by to explain the exciting competition they have just completed on Capitol Hill. That's right, for the third year now there is a Capitol Hill Staff Homebrew Competition, where anyone who is employed on the Hill can enter. Check out this week's episode to hear why they do it, how it went, and other beer ramblings.

Opening anything is like giving birth: painful, surprising, and messy. Brett Robison and Christian Layke come by to chat about their final push in opening their brewery in Silver Spring Maryland: Silver Branch Brewing Co. We also talk about some winter homebrew tips, dreamy beer experiences, and how to get involved in their brewery opening.

Chef Kyle Bailey (Chef Owner of The Salt Line) and Mike McGarvey (Co-Founder & Head Brewer of 3 Stars Brewing Company) come by to chat beer and food pairings, specifically Thanksgiving. We go through the whole meal, giving you suggestions throughout. We start with what to drink while everyone stands around awkwardly, making small talk, and carry you right on through to when people dip into politics and you need something to balance the fattiness of the sides and the rampant racism of your uncle. We get into some food as well! Eels (veal eels), Caul fat (fat cape), and apple pie sandos (with cheese). Happy Thanksgiving folks!

Sustainability, producing local beer, yeast wrangling, and wild ponies all get tackled in today's episode. Josh Chapman, co-founder and head brewer of Black Narrows Brewing Co. comes by to chat about opening a brewery in Chincoteague, Virginia; among other beer musings.

Today we talk about a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Li Liu, a professor of Chinese archaeology at Stanford University, and her team analyzed traces from stone mortars dating back some 13,000 years from a cave in Israel. They certainly made some interesting discoveries.
Nick "The Baltimore Beer Trekker" Nichols, who teaches beer history & appreciation enrichment classes at Johns Hopkins University and Howard Community College comes by to chat about the beer in the ancient world and Sarah Jane shares a Finnish beer appreciation poem.

If you take away anything from this episode: there is so much about beer history that is being updated, generalizations are being specified, and myths are getting separated from facts. Stay current with your beer history knowledge!

Full house today on Beer Me! Chef Mikey Friedman, the man behind The Red Hen & both All-Purpose locations, Co-Founder & CEO of DC Brau Brandon Skall, and Mari Rodela Chief Community & Culture Officer of DC Brau all come in to chat about what it takes to do a beer and restaurant collaboration. Chef Mikey dives into his joys of pairing beer with food and we get to try DC Brau's latest releases. Special appearance made by Full Service Radio Industry Night Co-host Nycci Nellis (also creator of "The List Are You On It?" and co-host of "Foodie & the Beast").

Kevin Blodger, Co-Founder & Director of Brewing Operations and Lynn Pronobis Operations Manager & Cask Ninja from Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore come down to DC to chat. We get really nerdy on cask flavor development, pine for the days of "regular IPAs", and discuss some exciting developments for Union.

Why are beer festivals important? What makes for a good one? How is it executed? Managing Partner & Beer Director, Greg Engert of DC's Neighborhood Restaurant Group breaks down the answers to these questions. He also shares exciting updates about the Snallygaster Beer Festival this Saturday in DC. There will be over 400 different beers, live music, food, and all ticket sales benefit the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture. Tickets are still available!

Allagash, a wonderful brewery in Portland, Maine founded in 1995 by Rob Tod. Matt Pollard is responsible for Allagash Field Sales for DC and Maryland and comes by to chat all things Allagash: new beer releases, Allagash White in a can (!), visiting the brewery, and the culture of the brewery. We do an accidental advertisement for visiting Portland, Maine and go off topic with DC beer events, but that's to be expected.

To celebrate their 3rd year anniversary Aslin threw an epic beer festival with over 60 brewers coming from all over the US, Canada, and Denmark. Beer Me got the chance to chat with a few of the brewers and hear some great stories.

Homebrewing conversations here on Beer Me often trumpet the same message: “It’s easy to get into! Just get a gallon kit!”. Well, what we don’t talk about is how the hobby is SO fun, SO engaging, next thing you know, you have a mini fridge in your garage with your own yeast strains and a mass of homebrew equipment slowly taking over your living space. Ok, maybe it doesn’t snowball to quite that level, but as someone grows as a homebrewer, so does the collection of equipment.

What can be done to combat that? Say you’re a homebrewer who lives in a smaller space or travels a lot. Enter the “homebrew collective”! Think of this like a maker space of homebrewing. You pay monthly dues to brew in a collective space with other homebrewers. All the fun and community, without all the storage.

About eight years ago, Andy Oetman founded “Fishbowl Collective Brewing” in DC. This is a brewing co-op that does about 6 brew days a year. Members of the collective are encouraged to participate in at least 3 per year. They take a survey to decide the beer style and each person is assigned different jobs.

We go down a few rabbit holes on making beer with stormwater and hop-co-operatives (or rather, a co-HOP-erative), but generally stay on track.

Check out this episode with Andy Oetman, Founder/Head Brewer of Fishbowl Brewing Collective in DC!

Shoutouts: American Homebrew Association, National Arboretum, Witbier, Brewing Water Science

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

We have skimmed the surface with Cask Ale here on Beer Me Radio, but today we take a deep dive with Dan Kopman, CEO of Heavy Seas Beer; which has one of the most impressive cask ale programs in the US.

DC residents are incredibly spoiled. There are so many museums and richly historic sites that forever languish on DC resident's bucket lists. The Heurich House Museum is a must visit! Kim Bender, the executive director of the museum comes by to chat about DC beer history, The Heurich house, the interesting man Christian Heurich was, and other beer tangents.

Dacha Beer Garden in the Shaw neighborhood of DC is on the brink of celebrating their five year anniversary and Oktoberfest. Co-Founder, Dmitri Chekaldin comes by to talk about all things Dacha; from opening day, #dogsofdacha, and their new location. Of Course, Oktoberfest is right around the corner, and Dacha has big plans for their celebration. O'zapft is!

Kicking off DC Beer Week with, that's right, a cider show! Sam Fitz, co-founder of ANXO Cidery comes by chat about cider 101, the proper way to taste cider, American Cider identity, and where to drink ANXO cider.

Get ready DC! August 19 - 26 our city will be celebrating our 10th annual DC Beer Week. Everyone is invited and Beer Me is getting the skinny on the events you can't miss. Tune in to plan your DC Beer Week right!

Chris Banich was the Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager for Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, Co. He comes by to talk about what it's like to represent a single beer brand, and what happens when a brewery needs to downsize. He also suggests some excellent breweries to check out in the DC area.

This week on Beer Me we talk politics, diversity in beer, and brewery expansion with Julie Verratti, the co-founder of Denizens Brewing Company in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Theresa McCulla is the historian of the American Brewing Initiative at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Her research focuses on the history of brewing, the beer industry, and Craft Brewers in America. Listen in to hear about new stories and artifacts she has collected!

During the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville this year, Beer Me got to sit down with Crosby Hop Farms. Zak Schroerlucke, the marketing specialist, describes the 5th generation hop farm out of Woodburn, Organ and how brewers make their hop selections.

June 30, DCBeer.com is teamed up with Helping Oppressed Peoples Survive (HOPS) to organize the local beer community with “1 Dollar, 1 Call, 1 Purpose” in support of #FamiliesBelongTogether. Organizers of the event Bill Dubaun & Aaron Morrissey (dcbeer.com), and Matthew "Heff" Heffernan (HOPS) swing by the stuido to discuss the event and how a brewing community got involved in the cause.

A fairly common scene: grocery and food market patrons judiciously select their produce from pristine displays. And what happens to the fruit that isn't selected? The produce with a slight blemish or a unique shape. More often than not, it ends up as food waste in a landfill, which is both harmful to the environment and wasteful. 

One effort to combat this? Beer. 

Atlas Brew Works of DC has partnered with Food Rescue US-DC to brew a beer using rescued stone fruit from different markets. Daniel Vilarrubi, Director of Brewing Operations joins the show to describe the process. He also talks about partnering with RavenHook Bakehouse to use their leftover bread in brews. 

Colleen Gillespie also returns to the show as she is now the Site Coordinator for Food Rescue US-DC. She describes different ways markets, restaurants, hotels, and other food production sites can help combat food waste.  An ongoing conversation on this show is how breweries are stewards of the community, and this is a prime example. 

Shoutouts: Food Rescue US-DC, Atlas Brew Works (soon-to-be) NEW location at Carlyle Crossing in Alexandria, VA, Andy's Pizza, RavenHook Bakehouse, Silent Neighbor Export Stout winning GOLD at the 2023 World Beer Cup! 

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

D.C. and NYC come together in this exciting new episode! Colleen Gillespie (Assistant General Manager of The Boundary Stone) makes a triumphant return to the show and Kathrine Kyle (General Manager of The Blind Tiger) calls in from NYC to discuss Cornell’s 2nd Annual Craft Beer Roundtable from this past May. We discuss staff & guest education, food & beer pairing, and growing interest in craft beer.

A major part of the Craft Brewers Conference is Brew Expo America, the largest Beer focused trade show in the U.S. While exploring the MASSIVE show, I got to chat with a few people. These interviews are from wildly different parts of the Beer world, which is what we here at Beer Me are all about!

This week’s show is a pre-recorded interview at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville this past May, with Ray Daniels. He is the founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Program. In this interview he tells the story of how and why the cicerone program was founded, he also takes us through the decision making process that lead to another level within the cicerone examination, the advanced level.

Mike Stein, of Lost Lagers and DC Brau, comes by to chat about D.C. beer history, including D.C.'s first Lager! Lost Lagers also has a class coming up at the Hill Center this weekend, check out this new episode for more information.

Bob Pease, President and CEO of the Brewers Association is in the studio this week to talk about SAVOR, the annual BA Hill Climb, and a fun re-cap on the Craft Brewers Conference earlier this month in Nashville!

Co-founders of Aslin Beer Co. in Herndon, VA Andrew Kelly and Kai Leskowicz come in to chat about their never ending love of hazy New England IPAs, the ups and downs of owning a brewery, and their pop-up near Nationals Stadium.
Warning: you might have to shot-gun a beer at the end of the episode.

Erika Goedrich owner of The Craft Beer Cellar on H Street Northeast is joined by Grant Vaught, beer collector, man about town to talk about buying beer. What to look for when buying beer, how to store your beer, and how to age beer (Meryl Streep style - gracefully)

This episode is for anyone in the food service industry or for anyone who knows someone in the industry. Today we take on the challenging subject of mental health support for food service professionals. Josh Kemp of The Brewer's Table in Austin, TX calls in to share his story and how he is supporting his staff.

Dan Bronsen, General Manager of Singlecut Beersmiths (Astoia, Queens) calls in live from the Craft Brewer's Conference in Nashville to talk about their brewery, why you should appreciate pilsners more, and hop terrior. Also, where can you find Singlecut IPAs in the D.C. area? We give you the scoop!

Lucy Burningham, Author of "My Beer Year" long distance chats with us from Portland. OR about her book, beer travels, and studying for the Cicerone exam.

With Homebrew Conference right around the corner (June 22-24 in San Diego), we thought we needed another episode focusing on homebrewing. 

This week, Julia Herz executive director of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA)—the nation’s largest hobbyist not-for-profit organization for homebrewers and fermented beverages joins the show. 

Julia gives us a little history on The Homebrew Conference, and how it’s grown over the years. There are some exciting sessions and topics this year, including a Hot Sauce making session (hey, it’s fermentation). 

We also dive into a conversation on new homebrewing technology (you can do an entire brew day from an app on your phone), and new styles that homebrewers are tackling. 

It wouldn’t be Beer Me if we didn’t leave you with a little how-to to start your homebrew journey!

Take a look at  American Homebrewers Association website, engage with your local clubs (shout out to the DC Homebrewers Club), or simply grab a 1-gallon kit and get brewing! 

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

Adam Dulye came by to chat about SAVOR (tickets on sale now, June 1+2, right here in D.C.), a recent beer dinner in Paris, and his new book: "The Beer Pantry"

Brett Robinson joins us to talk about "Sliver Branch" the soon-to-be new brewery opening in Silver Spring. We will also cover important things like waxing poetically about cask ale and pilsners.

This week we are joined by Sam from Legends Ltd. and Ben from Denizens Brewing Co. to talk beer sales. What do beer reps do? What is it like suppling all the fine establishment in the DMV area?