Expert interviews, brewing insights, and industry trends.
It’s hard enough to win a GABF medal in an IPA category. In 2021, North Park Beer won two—one hazy, one West Coast. Founder Kelsey McNair discusses their dogged approach to improvement and new techniques to maximize the flavor and impact of hops.
The Oslo-based author and researcher of heirloom yeasts and traditional brewing techniques talks about game-changing kveik, lost farmhouse beer styles, and more.
Poland’s Browar Pinta established a reputation for risk-taking in craft styles, focusing on hop-forward IPAs and extending that creative approach to everything from dry-hopped Baltic porter to barrel-aged big beers.
Writers and critics Stan Hieronymus, Kate Bernot, Alex Kidd, Samer Khudairi, and Joe Stange share their favorite beers and noted trends from the past year.
You have spoken! And so have we. In this once-a-year special episode, Joe Stange and Jamie Bogner share Craft Beer & Brewing’s Best 20 Beers in 2021 and the results of the annual reader survey.
In Longmont, Colorado, this small passion project devoted solely to spontaneously fermented beers trusts in data and science to better understand and guide their fermentation, aging, and blending.
From the rolling hills of Kansas, Central Standard has embarked on an ambitious program to explore everything from mixed-culture grisette to Norwegian-inspired farmhouse ales, including a range of styles brewed with kveik.
This Northwest Arkansas brewery strives for a threefold balance, focusing on agreeable beer for those new to craft as well as distinct character and technical function.
Beale Street Brewing in Memphis has a focus on culinary- and cocktail-inspired beers that evoke poignant flavor memories while connecting with drinkers through the city’s rich musical and cultural history.
In rural southern Illinois, Scratch may be America’s most compelling example of farmhouse brewing. In this episode, the cofounders explain their methods for adding natural, foraged ingredients, as well as the work-intensive process of wood-fired brewing.
Simultaneously pursuing great lagers alongside a two-pronged approach to hazy IPA—with both sweeter and drier iterations—has established this Kansas City brewery as a creative force in the Midwest.
The cofounder and brewer for the suburban Chicago powerhouse of progressive styles makes coveted beers with a workmanlike, no-nonsense approach.
For the director of brewing operations at California’s The Bruery, sensory evaluation is what drives decisions, and beers earn their shot at becoming bigger releases by working their way up the tiers.
The co-owner and brewmaster of the Southern California brewery shares strong opinions on developing beers where nothing is added and everything—from hops to coffee and spices—is considered a recipe ingredient.
Firestone Walker’s Propagator brewhouse manager discusses the R&D process for popular beer families such as Luponic Distortion and Mind Haze, as they follow the path of subtle but continual evolution.
Are you getting the most you can out of the hops you use? Could you get even more? Brandon Capps thinks so. He’s been exploring the limits and potential of brewing with extracted terpenes.
It’s hard work to keep things simple, and this New York brewery proves that maxim with complex fermentations for their core beers and an ongoing focus on ales served on cask.
Sierra Nevada’s founder discusses the process of creative and technical innovation that drives the brewery today, as well as their fanatical, industry-leading approach to beer quality.
For the head brewer of Urban South in New Orleans, focusing on tight process, healthy lactic fermentation, and quality fruit is the difference between dull and delicious quick-soured beers.
For Oregon’s Heater Allen, slow growth and focused experimentation allowed them to dial in quality long before craft lager caught on. They learned to brew the beers they want with the equipment they have—but there’s one thing they won’t sacrifice.
The maker of some of California’s most coveted wines discusses what drove him back to beer, and to a particular focus on lager as a way to explore the vibrant flavors of barley varieties.
Over the past decade, Figueroa Mountain has won 25 GABF medals by focusing on exquisitely crafted, broadly traditional ales and lagers. Brewmaster Kevin Ashford spares no beer in the push for further improvement—even those that’ve won multiple medals.
The head brewer of Northern California’s East Brother Beer shares details on their successful lager program—including the award-winning Bo Pils—and much more.
Ryan Crisp, Alesmith’s director of brewing operations, shares the behind-the-scenes design and technique that make their Speedway imperial coffee stout so iconic.