A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast alumni, Karen (Kay) Gonzalez, joins me to share her experiences during her month-long trip to Mexico. She reveals the main flavor characteristics of the beers she tried and what she missed about American beer. We discuss why Mexico is one of the leading rum producers and what it’s like to bring diversity to the brewing industry. Kay shares the new recipes she is working on and tips for anyone wanting to start a craft brewing company. And in our Booze Clues segment, Kay and I sample Two Trees Rye Bourbon.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●      The beers Kay sampled during her month-long trip to Mexico

●      The main characteristics Kay noticed about the beverages she tried

●      Why Mexico is one of the leading producers of rum in the world

●      How Kay’s company is bringing diversity to the brewing industry

●      Booze Clues: Two Trees Rye Bourbon

●      What Kay missed about American beer during her visit

●      The current challenges with Aluminium supply in the brewery industry

●      New recipes that Kay is developing

●      Advice for anyone thinking of starting a craft brewing business

●      Future plans for Kay in the brewing business

Connect with Kay Gonzalez:

●      Oklawaha Brewing Company

●      Oklawaha Brewing Company on Facebook

●      Oklawaha Brewing Company on Instagram

This episode is brought to you by…

McConnell Farms - Taste the Way You Remember. Enjoy homemade ciders and ice cream made from only the best produce on the market. Visit the McConnell Farms website to learn more about our seasonal inventory and delicious creations you can make with our homegrown produce.

Consuming the Craft 

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts.

To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.

I am often tasked with trying unusual spirits, exotic flavors of craft beer, and new and exciting products in the beverage industry. Today I sample something that those of you in the Chicago area will know very well… and you probably have a love-hate relationship with this particular spirit.

Today, I explore the unusual and distinctive flavor of the bäsk liquor, Jeppson’s Malört. I share the interesting history of the spirit and how it is made. Sampling the flavor palate and unusual fragrance of Jeppson’s Malört, I suggest some possible uses in mixed drinks. I also share how this incredibly bitter spirit is a ‘rite of passage' for Chicago drinkers and how the liquor is seeing a resurgence throughout the US and Europe.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     The history behind Jeppson’s Malört

●     How Jeppson’s Malört is made

●     The unusual fragrance of the spirit

●     How Jeppson’s Malört plays on the palate

●     Possible uses for mixed drinks with this spirit

●     The resurgence of Jeppson’s Malört in the market

Resources Mentioned:

●     Jeppson’s Malört

This episode is brought to you by…

McConnell Farms - Taste the Way You Remember. Enjoy homemade ciders and ice cream made from only the best produce on the market. Visit the McConnell Farms website to learn more about our seasonal inventory and the delicious creations you can make with our homegrown produce.

Consuming the Craft

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts.

To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.

Chad Slagle is the Co-Founder of Two Trees Distilling Co. and Chief Executive Officer of Two Trees Beverage Co. Inc. As a serial entrepreneur, Chad has been an innovator and inventor in the fitness, technology, and beverage industries since 2005. He is the co-inventor of the rapid whiskey aging technology utilized at the Two Trees Distilling Company and has worked as the head of product development for the company since its inception in 2018.

Chad joins me to share the journey of the Two Trees Beverage Company into the ready-to-drink market. He shares insights into perfecting the taste profile of a new hard seltzer and shares what it was like to work with the people on TV show, Moonshiners. He reveals some new products that his team is working on at Two Trees. Chad also shares the plan for rolling out the new product to stores and what the future holds for Two Trees.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●      The diversification of Two Trees from distillation into the RTD (Ready To Drink) market

●      The process of perfecting the taste of the new hard seltzer

●      Appearing on and working with the people on the Moonshiners TV show

●      New products that the team is working on at Two Trees

●      Booze Clues: Two Trees Bourbon Barrel Aged Seltzer

●      The product rollout plan for the new Two Trees hard seltzer

●      Future plans for the Two Trees Beverage Company

Resources Mentioned:

●      Two Trees Bourbon Barrel Aged Seltzer

Connect with Chad Slagle:

●      Two Trees Distilling Co.

●      Two Trees Distilling Co. on LinkedIn

●      Two Trees Distilling Co. on Instagram

●      Two Trees Distilling Co. on Facebook

●      Chad Slagle on LinkedIn

●      Chad Slagle on Twitter

This episode is brought to you by…

McConnell Farms - Taste the Way You Remember. Enjoy homemade ciders and ice cream made from only the best produce on the market. Visit the McConnell Farms website to learn more about our seasonal inventory and delicious creations you can make with our homegrown produce.

Consuming the Craft

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts.

To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.

John Lyda is my cohort in arms at the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. After working as the Senior Vice President and Brewmaster at The Highland Brewing Co. for over 20 years, John took his passion to the next level and began teaching at the Craft Beverage Institute as a Brewing, Distillation, and Fermentation Instructor.

John joins me for today’s Booze Bits to discuss vegetable-based spirits and shine a spotlight on a delicious, potato-based liquor called Aquavit. We taste the incredible Norwegian cask-matured beverage and explore the unusual nose and palate experience. We also share how you can use this Norwegian spirit to create unique cocktails and which foods would pair well with Aquavit.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●      Working with vegetable-based spirits

●      Booze Bits: Norwegian Cask Matured Aquavit from LINIE

●      The unusual nose and palate journey of Aquavit

●      How Aquavit can make traditional cocktails more unique

●      Foods that would pair well with the Aquavit

Resources Mentioned:

●      Norwegian Cask Matured Aquavit from LINIE

●      Copita Nosing Glasses

Consuming the Craft

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts.

To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.

Stephen Daniels is the Food and Beverage Business Development and Sales Manager at Filtrox, North America. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an Associate's Degree in Viticulture and Enology from Walla Walla Community College. He is a filtration expert at Filtrox, working on innovative filtration technologies for the beverage industry.

Today, Stephen joins me to discuss all things filtration, including the latest media from Filtrox that removes TCA. We explore why many filter presses and filter sheets get a bad reputation and the benefits of good depth media filtration technology. Stephen shares how you can create haze stability for a consistent product and what’s next in the filtration industry. He also shares his thoughts on hard seltzers and the importance of shelf life and stability in your finished product.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●      A new filtration media from Filtrox that removes TCA

●      Why many filter sheets and filter presses have a terrible reputation

●      The benefits of depth media filtration technology

●      Creating haze stability for consistency in the finished product

●      Booze Clues: Vermouth Barrel-Aged Aphrodisia (Pyment) - Superstition Meadery

●      Booze Clues: Matchstick Straight Bourbon - McClintock Distilling

●      What’s next in the filtration industry

●      Is Hard Seltzer here to stay

●      The importance of shelf-life and stability

Resources Mentioned:

●      FIBRAFIX TX-R for TCA Removal

Connect with Stephen Daniels:

●      Filtrox Website

●      Filtrox on LinkedIn

●      Filtrox on Instagram

●      Filtrox on Facebook

●      Filtrox on Twitter

●      Stephen Daniels on LinkedIn

Consuming the Craft 

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts.

To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.

Chall Gray is the founder of three companies with experience in hospitality, real estate, and entrepreneurship. His Slings & Arrows Consulting bar projects have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Whiskey Advocate, and more. Chall is the co-owner and Booze Jockey of the acclaimed local bar, Little Jumbo in Asheville, NC, and the author of The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator, covering everything from choosing an initial bar concept to the day-to-day business operations of running a bar.

Chall joins me today to share the inspiration behind his cocktails to-go concept and how it helped keep his bar afloat during the pandemic. He reveals what’s next for his Little Jumbo bar and the latest bar design projects of his Slings & Arrows Consulting company. Chall shares the artistry and chemistry in pre-batching cocktails and why efficient service doesn't have to stifle cocktail creativity. He also shares the inspiration behind the name for his bar, why your ice machine is an essential purchase and the common pitfalls of bar ownership.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     How Chall and his team navigated through the challenges of the pandemic

●     What inspired Chall’s idea for ‘cocktails to go’

●     What’s next for the Little Jumbo bar now that it’s reopened

●     Chall’s latest projects with Slings & Arrows Consulting

●     The artistry of pre-batching cocktails

●     Why efficient service doesn’t have to affect cocktail creativity

●     The inspiration behind the name ‘Little Jumbo’

●     Booze Clues: Vermouth Barrel-Aged Aphrodisia - Superstition Meadery

●     The importance of choosing the best ice machine

●     The markers of a great bar… and a bad one

●     Common pitfalls of bar ownership

Resources Mentioned:

●     Kold - Draft Ice Machines

●     Hoshizaki Ice Machines

Connect with Chall Gray:

●     Little Jumbo Bar

●     Little Jumbo Bar on Instagram

●     Little Jumbo Bar on Facebook

●     Little Jumbo Bar on Twitter

●     Nest Realty

●     Slings & Arrows Consulting

●     Chall Gray on LinkedIn

●     Book: The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator

This episode is brought to you by…

McConnell Farms - Taste the Way You Remember. Enjoy homemade ciders and ice cream made from only the best produce on the market. Visit the McConnell Farms website to learn more about our seasonal inventory and delicious creations you can make with our homegrown produce.

Consuming the Craft

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Consuming the Craft Podcast, brought to you by AB Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts.

To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.