
Podcast Episode 62: Falling Rock's Chris Black: Blurring the Lines of the Three-Tier System
Falling Rock Taphouse cofounder Chris Black is known for his strong opinions and bombastic style—befitting for one of America’s most influential publicans.

Expert interviews, brewing insights, and industry trends.

Falling Rock Taphouse cofounder Chris Black is known for his strong opinions and bombastic style—befitting for one of America’s most influential publicans.

It’s been three weeks since an internet post where issues of wages, beer service, and recipes were leveled against Trillium Brewing Co.

This week on the podcast is Greg Engert, the beer director and managing partner for Neighborhood Restaurant Group in Washington D.C. which includes Bluejacket, The Sovereign, Churchkey, and Birch and Barley, among others.

When he and his two brothers founded Jack’s Abby Brewing in 2011, Jack Hendler thought their brewery making only lagers might grow to brew 3000 bbl of beer per year. Fast forward to 2018, where they’ll finish the year around the 50,000 bbl mark.

There's a lot to like about brewing in Portland, Oregon but for Justin Miller the Head Brewer of Hopworks Urban Brewery having access to terrific hop growers just a short drive away tops the list.

Jeremy Wirtes, cofounder and head brewer for Triple Crossing Beer in Richmond, Virginia, may never be completely happy with the beer he makes. “We can always be better, and it’s a constant pursuit of that,” he says.

Dave Engbers, the cofounder at Founders Brewing Company has learned a lot about brewing from both the beers he likes to drink, and how it's evolved to the way to keep the lights on.

From his pioneering masters thesis on fermenting with Brettanomyces to his current role running a 10,000 BBL per year brewery and artisan-focused craft distributorship in Denver, Colorado, Chad Yakobson has made his mark on the world of brewing.

In this special edition of the podcast be among the first to hear the breweries who made the list and why, and get a peek behind the curtain on how beers are selected.

What fruits work best when it comes to brewing a Florida-weisse? J. Wakefield has the answer in this week's podcast. The celebrated homebrewer turned pro also talks about his love of stouts, the art of collaboration and much more.

Northern Virginia’s Aslin Brewing are brash and outspoken with a no-holds-barred approach that’s reflected in their progressive take on brewing.

From the best kinds of salts to use to how it can mess up some brewing equipment, there's no one better to talk about gose than Fal Allen. This week he talks about his new book that focuses on the style, what he's learned brewing them at Anderson Valley.

Pinthouse Pizza Director of Brewing Joe Mohrfeld joins Jamie for a hop-centric conversation that touches on everything from hop trends in the 2018 crop year to hot and cold-side hopping methods.

Greg Koch, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Stone Brewing, joins Jamie Bogner for a conversation about their challenge in launching a brewery in a difficult market, their experience launching a distribution business, and much more.

Ricardo Petroni and Peter Oates talk about using mathematics to get the most out of hopping, the benefits and worries of "Line Life" and what they've learned from homebrewing and measured growth to help strengthen their business today.

In this week's podcast he talks about a brewers love for lager, why attending festivals around the country helps his New Jersey-only distribution brewery, and adventures in barrel-aging.

Bull puns, flavored IPA, and the challenges of contract brewing at three separate locations are just a few of the ways Bob Olson of Bolero Snort Brewery spends his day.

This week he discusses brewing seasonally and with special ingredients, how music can impact beer, and the benefits and limitations of brewing in a major city.

"We’re all in. We are doing this because it’s the only thing we wanted to do. There is no plan B."

CJ Penzone, the head brewer at Wallenpaupack Brewery in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains talks about making beers for locals, responding to seasonal spikes, and how one classic style has captured a new generation of drinkers.

Jeffers Richardson, Director of Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks program, joins the podcast to discuss bottle conditioning wild beers, maintaining head retention in sours, building a common language for sour beer blending, and much more.

Dan Suarez sits down with John Holl to discuss the pressures of being popular, brewing with fruit, and why he'll never sell his brand to a larger brewing company.

Miller discusses their always-evolving brewing techniques, from continually “turning up the volume” on hops, to issues with changes in hops, and the return of Simcoe. Plus, the recent (temporary) shutdown of their new production brewery by the TTB.

Boulevard Brewmaster Steven Pauwels has made significant impacts on the American craft beer landscape over the past 19 years with classic beers like Tank 7 farmhouse ale and others.