Consuming the Craft

Kimberly Floyd has a Masters degree in Public History with a concentration on Museum Studies from North Carolina State University. She currently serves as the Site Manager at Zebulon B Vance Birthplace as well as the President and Founder of the North Carolina Craft Beverage Museum.

Kimberly joins me today to explain what the NC Craft Beverage Museum is and the projects and programs currently being planned for the museum. She explains her mission for telling the social, cultural, and economic story of North Carolina through the lens of craft beverages and the project ideas she has planned to educate children on the historical culture of our state. We also share a Booze Clues moment with a “purple port surprise” while discussing some of the unusual and taboo museum attendee behaviors Kimberly has seen while travelling the world and critiquing museums.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Tips for museum enthusiasts from a museum professional.

●     What is the North Carolina Craft Beverage Museum?

●     The projects she has collaborated with UNC Greensboro for research and developing programs for the museum.

●     Upcoming public access to oral history content.

●     The Booze Clues Purple Port Surprise.

●     What Kimberly is excited about for the upcoming NC Craft Beverage Museum.

Connect with Kimberly Floyd:

●     North Carolina Craft Beverage Museum

●     Facebook

●     Instagram

Leah Howard wears a lot of hats. She is the President of the Distillers Association of North Carolina (DANC), a mutual benefit corporation that strives to promote the common business and regulatory interests of businesses in the North Carolina craft distilling industry. She also serves as the CEO of Cultivated Cocktails, a distillery dedicated to creating joy and bringing people together over quality spirits and craft cocktails—and she does it all while being a mom.

Leah joins me today to discuss how the Distillers Association of North Carolina strives to level the playing field for all businesses in the state’s craft distilling industry. She shares the mission and history of the DANC and how it’s working to create parity between beer and wine. She also describes how the North Carolina ABC Commission functions, how their regulations impact local small businesses, and how consumers can support local craft distilleries and businesses in North Carolina.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     DANC’s campaign to call North Carolina the Incubator of Innovation

●     The mission and history of the Distillers Association of North Carolina

●     A great way to tie the hands of a small business owner and how distillery regulations have changed since 2019

●     North Carolina’s condition as a control state for liquor and alcoholic beverages

●     How consumers can help local distilleries and small businesses thrive in Alcoholic Beverage Commission stores

●     Creating a parity between beer and wine

●     Why no one is more concerned about underage drinking, overserving, and responsible drinking than distilleries

●     The state ABC Commission’s point-of-sale system

●     Why it’s illegal for distilleries to educate ABC store employees about their products

●     Booze Clues: creamy, great-by-the-fire winter snow drink from a local ABC store

Connect with Leah Howard:

●     Cultivated Cocktails

●     Distillers Association of North Carolina

●     Cultivated Cocktails on Instagram

●     Cultivated Cocktails on Facebook

●     Distillers Association of North Carolina on Facebook

●     Distillers Association of North Carolina on Twitter

●     Distillers Association of North Carolina on LinkedIn

●     Distillers Association of North Carolina on Instagram

●     Leah Howard on LinkedIn

●     Email: [email protected]

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 | GooglePlay

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

Visit our website to learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast.

If you think non-alcoholics are easy to make and have no future in the market, think again. John Lyda—full-time instructor at and stalwart of A-B Tech’s Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast and meadmaker extraordinaire—foresees that, as the industry innovates, non-alcoholic liquor will become as popular as their alcoholic counterparts. The industry, John says, will start to explore more flavor-wise, profile-wise, and body-wise in non-alcoholic beer—and that’s something important as people are starting to realize that DUI charges cost a lot of money.

In this episode, John and I discuss non-alcoholic beers, wines, and other beverages, why they’re difficult to make, and why they’re becoming more popular in the market. We describe ethanol’s function as a flavor component in beverages. We also describe how we’re diversifying our curriculum (and toys) at the CBI and explain how the Institute is supporting local breweries, wineries, and cideries.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Ethanol and how it marries the flavors in a drink

●     Distilling ethanol with a rotary evaporator

●     Why making non-alcoholic wine taste good is a feat

●     The reason non-alcoholic beer is difficult to make

●     No Drink November and the sober-curious movement

●     Why John and I love our jobs and how the CBI is supporting local breweries, wineries, and cideries

●     Consumers getting more educated in the world of craft beer

●     Low ABV drinks and why non-alcoholics are getting more popular

●     My seasonal drinking habit and the beer that transcends all time and seasons

Connect with John Lyda:

●     John Lyda 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 | GooglePlay

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.

Dan McConnell is the owner of McConnell Farms, a family-owned farm based in Henderson County, North Carolina. Since its establishment in the 1940s, McConnell Farms has grown and produced a wide variety of crops and livestock. Today, the farm primarily focuses on growing row crops such as strawberries, blackberries, and corn as well as fruit trees. Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture with a special focus on Fruits and Vegetables from North Carolina State University. McConnell Farms is one of our generous donors of fresh-pressed cider that allows our students to learn hands-on how to ferment and develop great-tasting brandy and other adult beverages.

Dan joins me for today’s Booze Clues segment and discusses why life’s too short to drink bad brandy. We discuss how consumers can change the flavor profile of various wines and brandies by adding a fruit juice ice cube to their beverage. Dan explains the “variety trials” at his farm and how they are creating new heirloom fruits for consumers. We also discuss why consumers want smaller apples than in previous years when he expects to see high-yield harvests from his fruit trees and the real reason why Johnny Appleseed started planting apple trees.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Changing the flavor profile of adult beverages with fruit juice ice cubes.

●     Tasting “a winner” of the peach variety trials at McConnell Farms.

●     Distilled spirits with figs.

●     CBI’s experiment with concentrating ginger.

●     Marrying apricots, peaches, and other fruits to create heirloom fruits.

●     Why consumers want smaller fruits.

●     When to expect high yields from fruit tree crops.

Connect with Dan McConnell:

●     McConnell Farms

●     [email protected]

●     (828) 692-2819

John Lyda is the master of all-things-brewing. He is a full-time faculty member and instructor at CBI where he shares his wealth of knowledge and experience on brewing, distilling, and fermentation with his students.

John joins me for today’s Booze Clues Special - his favorite type of spirit - tequila. We share our “o-pinas” on tequila and scotch and discuss some of the best-tasting tequila and scotch drinks we’ve enjoyed. We also discuss how CBI aims to help students learn the art of making craft beer, some of the upcoming classes you can participate in, and how we help breweries, distilleries, and companies develop and improve their products.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     What CBI does to help students learn the art of making craft beer.

●     Who the upcoming Stainless Steel Welding class aims to help and what you can expect from taking the class.

●     How we help breweries and companies troubleshoot various problems and pain points in their products.

●     How we help brewers and distillates develop new products and flavors.

●     Our history while working in the brewing industry.

●     What makes tequila a high-price product?

●     Varying flavor thresholds of certain types of beer.

●     Former students returning to CBI to become instructors.

It’s a sad time in the brewing industry. Bill (William) Coors, an executive at Coors Brewing Company, recently passed away at the age of 102. So, as John Lyda and I tip our glasses to remember the great Bill Coors, we share our thoughts on proper beer filtration methods and brewing styles.

John joins me to discuss “lazy brewing” and the brilliant marketing strategy behind the New England Style IPA beers. John shares his concerns about New England’s style and filtration methods and why he believes they should adopt better methods. I share why I believe their filtration method is a brilliant marketing strategy and the ying-yang balancing act of achieving optimal bitterness levels. We also share our thoughts on experiencing Brut IPA, and I learn an important lesson on what “dusty yeast” is and how it impacts the clarity of your brew.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Remembering Bill Coors and his amazing accomplishments in the beer brewing industry.

●     Why John believes New England Style beers practice “lazy brewing’ techniques.

●     Why your filtration method matters when brewing beer.

●     Why I believe New England IPA’s beer style is a brilliant marketing strategy.

●     Experiencing Brut IPA beer.

●     Balancing beer bitterness in your beer finish.

●     What ‘dusty yeast’ means?

●     How dusty yeast impacts a beer’s clarity.

This week on Consuming the Craft, John joins me to scratch the ‘beer-y itch’ and discuss all things related to lite beer. We dive deep into the history of lite beer and share who really invented the golden elixir. We discuss the process of reducing calories in beer, why lite beer was originally created, and the characteristics of the best-selling beer in the world. We also share our most and least favorite beer and wine choices and how to infuse your favorite flavors into vodka.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Who invented lite beer?

●     How to reduce the number of calories in beer.

●     Why lite beer was originally created.

●     The best-selling beer in the world and the characteristics that make it great.

●     Our most and least favorite beers and wines.

●     How to infuse flavors into vodka at home.

●     Deconstructing beer to create new flavor recipes.

Ian McHarg is the Herald of Hops; the Leader of Lupulin at Country Malt Group. With over 100 years of combined brewery and brewing experience as well as 11 warehouses across North America, the group is committed to providing a wide range of quality ingredients and excellent service throughout the craft beverage industry.

Ian joins me today to discuss the State of Brew-Union and share his analysis of the Hops Report. He explains why European hop harvest yields are low for 2019 while those in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly the United States, are above average. We also discuss why now is the time for brewers to consider contracting their hops to external producers as well as the Han Solo of Hops - a.k.a. Cryogenic hops - and the cryogenic process of separating noble hops from the lupulin.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Why malt is the backbone of craft beer.

●     The state of hop harvest yields in the United States.

●     The state of the European hop harvest and what caused the decrease in yields.

●     What is force majeure and should brewers expect it from European hop producers?

●     Why Ian encourages brewers to contract their hops for 2019 - and what that entails.

●     How the source of your water impacts the taste of your product.

●     Hopped vodka and the interesting “experience” of tasting it.

●     The balancing act involved in creating hopped vodka.

●     Cryo hops, noble hops, and the cryogenic process.

Greg Hill is a Certified Cicerone and the Production Director at Urban Orchard Cider, a family-owned and operated craft cider producer based in Asheville, NC. Since it’s launch in 2015 at the Craft Beer Rising event, the company has gained multiple awards and recognition including taking First Place as the Best Place to Drink Cider in America in 2017 by Food & Wine Magazine. In addition to crafting some of the best tasting cider in the country, the company frequently holds events at their West Asheville and new South Slope locations.

Greg joins me today to discuss Urban Orchard’s newest location and the type of cider beverages they currently have on tap. We discuss their unique dry ciders and their process for using different yeast varieties to achieve various flavor profiles unattainable by other cider producers. We also discuss their carbonation process and how they achieve their champagne-like bubbles, as well as their new flavors such as the blueberry-flavored Blue Monday and jalapeno-infused Hopaleno.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     Urban Orchard’s newest location and the variety of beverages currently on tap.

●     How they make their blueberry lager.

●     Their unique dry ciders and how they use different varieties of yeast to achieve different flavor profiles.

●     What is flocculation?

●     Their carbonation process and how they achieve champagne-like bubbles.

●     Why he enjoys teaching at CBI.

●     New flavors the Urban Orchard Cider is currently working on.

Chris Reedy is the Director of Food, Beverage, and Natural Products at NC BioNetwork. NC BioNetwork offers educational and lab resources, courses, and training programs that impact the economic and workforce development within the biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and life sciences industries across North Carolina. Chris is responsible for providing leadership and administrative oversight for statewide programs and resources.

Chris joins me today to discuss the Food Safety Modernization Act and what brewers and alcohol producers need to know to comply with the new FDA policies. He explains the difference between good brewing practices and good manufacturing practices, what producers should consider when storing and reusing spent grain, and how producers can determine when it’s time to conduct a hazard analysis to comply with FDA standards. We also discuss the difference between micro-toxins and aflatoxins and the long-term health effects of excessive aflatoxin consumption.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     What brewers and producers need to know about the Food Safety Modernization Act

●     The difference between good brewing practices and good, current manufacturing practices.

●     What breweries and producers can do with spent grain while being compliant with the new FDA standards.

●     Proper storage of spent grain under the new policy.

●     Chemical and physical contaminants to consider when storing or reusing spent grain.

●     When producers need to conduct a hazard analysis according to the new FDA standards.

●     What aflatoxins are, how they lead to bottle gushing, and the long-term health effects of human consumption.