In today's pod, we discuss the hop harvest season, a major acquisition in Europe, and unexpected acquisition in America, and an expected acquisition that didn't happen. All that plus the announcement of a new sponsor--pFriem Family Brewers.

Gigantic Brewing's Van Havig joins Patrick and Jeff in episode 84. Van is one of the most transparent brewers in beer, and he offers his unvarnished opinions about Vienna malt, brewing kölsch, running a business, hoppy beers and more. Warning: salty language herein!

PHOTO: Jon Urch/Drinking Classes

In this episode, we are joined by Japanese beer expert Red Gillen and cidermaker Nat West to discuss the blossoming world of craft beer and cider in Japan. We discuss the history and development of these beverages, explore Japanese drinking culture, and taste some of the beer and cider Nat brought back from a festival he attended.

Pity the poor pale ale, once the king of craft styles. Since IPAs supplanted pales in 2011, they have fallen further and further from the center of the beery discussion--but they remain one of the very best expressions of American brewing. In today's episode, we explore the history, brewing techniques, and evolution of the humble pale ale. Long live the king!

Photo source: Kegerator.com

Over the past month, Patrick and Jeff have been rambling around the country on a vacation. In today's episode, they tell us about the delights they found, including a secluded little brewery in the Maine woods that should be on every beer fan's bucket list.

We conclude our tour with one of the most interesting people in beer: Paul Arney of Ale Apothecary. Paul's approach is incredibly hands-on, with a focus on wood (even the mash tun is wooden!). Paul tells his story, from how he got from Deschutes Brewery to a garage in the Deschutes National Forest.

In part four of our visit to Bend, Oregon, we talk to one of the more interesting and unique characters in Bend brewing, Tony Lawrence of Boneyard. Tony has a long history in brewing but got his start in the kitchen at Deschutes decades ago. From his hands on approach to building a brewery from the discarded parts of others (from their 'boneyards'), to the relatively unique situation of selling almost all their been in kegs, Tony's story and brewery is a must listen.

In part three of our visit to Bend, Oregon, we talk to a living legend in Brewing--Larry Sidor. Larry has been brewing beer since 1973 (!), when he worked for Olympia Brewing. He has had an incredible career, but far from resting on his laurels, he's in the midst of his latest project at Crux Fermentation Project, where he's doing some very interesting things. We taste one product of his experiments on the pod.

In the first of our spotlight interviews, we speak with the OG of Bend beer, Gary Fish--founder of Deschutes Brewery back in 1988. Gary talks about what it was like to get started, how the brewing industry has changed, and where things are headed. Lots of fantastic anecdotes, including the one rule employees couldn't break back in the early days.

Patrick and Jeff recently made a trip to Bend, Oregon on one of their periodic explorations to beery cities. With a population of just 100,000, Bend punches way above its weight with two dozen breweries. Patrick and Jeff give an overview of this small city and what makes it tick.