The judging for the Arizona Craft Beer Awards concluded last weekend and Andrew provides a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a competition.  We then look forward a few days when we will be at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver representing Arizona at the United in Beer Guilds Pavillion. Arizona is one of 10 states chosen to represent the advocacy work state and regional guilds provide to our nation's breweries.

This year we are showcasing 988 beers produced in Arizona. These beers provide awareness of the 988 Suicide Lifeline. It's becoming a national movement--and it all started with Arizona's OHSO Brewery. We'll also be rooting for our breweries at the GABF awards.  Tickets are on sale for the following events: StrongBeerFest.com WickenburgOktoberfest.com We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

The Frontier Team is back in the office with Rob returning from the EU. So many things happened in the last 10 days or so in Arizona beer news that we felt it was a good time to catch everyone up before we did a show on Belgium and France.   The closures of Lonesome Valley and the announcement of the closure of Flying Basset are disappointing since each had a community that appreciated their businesses.

Ad Astra closes shop but will shortly be open under a new name in Tempe.

Helton's sale to OHSO will enable OHSO to compete as one of Arizona's largest breweries. We also put the sale in context given OHSO's announced relationship with Hensley as their new distribution partner. Do these moves and closures signal the contraction of our industry or is this part of maintaining an overall brewing eco-system? Tickets are on sale for the following events: StrongBeerFest.com WickenburgOktoberfest.com We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

We had a plan to cover Rob's time in Belgium and Paris but things don't always work out that way. What was once some video notes for a bigger beer episode, now becomes the show! Rob looks at Consumer Package Goods (CBG) and relates the to beer and brewing. We also looked behind the scenes at Belgian Beer Week in Brussels. Next week we'll wrap up this monster beer trek with the full Frontier Team!  We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

With the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly unanimously passing S3038, it seemed like the odious measures put forth by an out-of-control liquor department last July. After all the agency seemed to lean out of enforcement with the governor's signature seeming inevitable. No. This is New Jersey after all home of the fictional character from Boardwalk Empire, Nucky Thompson (and based on real life New Jersey crime boss and politician Enoch L. Johnson) and something is Nucked up!

Learn what happens next as the Governor and agency seem to want to squelch breweries' free speech, fundraising, and ability to raise public awareness as they fight back. The Beer Frontierians explain how all of this relates to Arizona and how a simple drive home from a meeting can get complicated. C'mon Phil. Sign the Bill. Tune into Steal This Beer here: http://www.stealthisbeer.com/episodes with John Holl and Augie Carton. We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is known for its more remote and tranquil beauty. We'll tell you about the best place to enjoy a beer. (Maybe even from your own porch.) We also discuss the new legislative session even as the current laws from the last session have not gone into effect. Rob has a crazy idea about Shock Top. More politicians are weighing in on the projected grocery merger. Oh, New Jersey. You need to eject your Governor. We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

The Beer Frontier team was on the scene at Beer Research Institute as they made their big announcement to distribute beer through Quail Distributing.  We spoke with Matt Tretheway in great depth about the 9 years that he and his team have invested in getting to this points, often punctuating growth with no, no, no, and never. But never can also be sometimes or always. A key piece of the big move is brewer Nick Remane. We learn a little about Nick's genesis and his new Czech lager. Trout fishing, the Ottoman Empire, amusement park rides, COVID reflections, being your own frenemy, scratch food, punk rock heart of gold. It's all in this episode.   Is there a Gravitron in BRI's future, Time will tell. We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

Anheuser-Busch sells 8 former acquired craft brands to cannabis company, Tilray. With our bud, Ken Wilson from Lumberyard Brewing Co, the podcasters bluntly weed through the deal. Does the deal make sensi? We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

Korean and Latin in our title. You may be asking why? Rob shares his thoughts on his time in Montgomery attending a Montgomery Kimchi Minor League Ballgame and all of the things to do in town including civil rights movement history, Nat King Cole and Hank Williams. And yes, this story has beer value! Anniversaries coming up for Huss, Black Bridge and Sedona Beer Co. We also discuss the USPS Shipping Equity Act, you know the one that allows the USPS to ship beer. Who could possibly be against that and why? You may not believe the why I'll tell you depending on how cynical you are about politicians.

Finally, after 204 record days, the 56 Legislature adjourns. Sine Die! We'll let you know about three major changes that postively affect our breweries and when those changes take effect. We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

They say that Hell is other people but you have to talk to people to be effective at any kind of lobbying you do professional or otherwise. Most other years, we find that Members of Congress and their staff are always glad to see us. We're usually pretty invigorated during and after our DC trips. Meeting with our colleagues is pretty special too. But was it hellish on the hill because of the hot temps and high humidity.

We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs

Yes, we are under that low pressure heat dome right about now and on our 20th consecutive 110F-plus days in Phoenix. Our brains are bit cooked, so you get a recap of the week in AZ beer in a stream-of-consciousness manner. This episode has everything, beer, beer news, inside podcasting, hats, haberdashey, Tucson, brewery anniversaries, Tap and Bottle, alternate grains, the flat beer market, the click-bait festival story, and then we just unload on Sapporo and the deception about the Anchor closure. We take you behind the scenes on what actually gets talked about during the beer breaks too. Links:

• Dave Infante on twitter for grear beer reportage. https://twitter.com/dinfontay
• https://www.fingers.email/
• Derek Guy on twitter for hot takes on mens fashion https://twitter.com/dieworkwear
• AXIOS Phoenix https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix
• All About Holl https://allaboutbeer.com/podcast/
• A DECADE OF CHANGE FOR CRAFT BREWERY GUILDS https://allaboutbeer.com/a-decade-of-change-for-craft-brewery-guilds/

We asked the fun duo, wetigersukesongs if we could use their version of Minas de Cobres and they graciously agreed. We hope you like it as much as the original. wetigersukesongs can be found here! https://www.youtube.com/user/wetigersukesongs