In our latest issue, Louisville’s Atrium Brewing scored a category-leading 98 for their barrel-aged stout Denny-Lou, Blend 1, and that was as good a reason as any to check in with cofounder Mark Rubenstein and head brewer Spencer Guy for some background on brewing stouts. Their proximity to some of the best distillers in the Western hemisphere informs their approach to both aging and blending, and they take the same iterative approach to building flavor in more ingredient-laden beers.

In this episode, they touch on:

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For this 400th episode of the podcast, Neil Fisher of Weldwerks takes over the host chair and puts Jamie Bogner in the hot seat for a ranging conversation about business, passion, creativity, discipline, openness, and why the current prevailing narrative about the “end of craft beer” in no way describes the reality for many brewers today. It’s a departure from the normal technical conversations that define the podcast—instead, for this special episode, it’s an open conversation among old friends who offer honest takes.

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“If you’re a brewer and you’re not making things that you really want to make, or things you want to experiment with and learn more about, then what are you brewing for,” asks James Herrholz, Chief Creative Officer for Corporate Ladder Brewing in Palmetto, Florida. While some may feel “forced” to brew crowd-pleasing adjunct-laden stouts, Herrholz signed on for the challenge, and approaches the style with zeal and a drive to make the very best. Over the past six years, he’s seen incredible results from this dogged and open-minded focus—three GABF medals, including a gold in 2022, while the brewery has maintained its spot on Untappd as the highest-rated brewery in the state of Florida.

In this episode, Herrholz maps out their approach to pastry stout (barrel-aged and not), and along the way he touches on:

And more.

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Over the past few years, Denver's River North Brewery has collected accolades from top beer competitions around the world—four GABF medals, four World Beer Cup medals, four European Beer Star medals just to name a few—and beers like Father Time and Anniversary 11 have earned top scores from our blind panel. They most recently earned midsize brewery of the year honors at the inaugural Colorado Brewers Cup. While they brew a wide range of beers, including frequent medal winner Nightmare Fuel coffee stout, they're probably most well-known for the beers that push into the peaks of the ABV range—stouts, Belgian-style strong ales, and barleywines that regularly hit 15% and higher.

In this episode, founder Matt Hess and head brewer Matt Malloy share their techniques for making beers that not only turn heads for the their sky-high numbers, but also remain drinkable and as balanced as such beers could be. From controlling fusel alcohols through careful fermentation management, to building layers of flavors through malt selection, they share insights garnered from ten years of pushing the envelope. In this episode, they touch on:

And more.

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“If you like beer," says Greg Casey, "There’s no better time in the history of mankind to be living in the United States, right now.”

In this episode, Casey hits on turning points in American lager brewing history, outlining the contexts and driving factors in large scale recipe changes, consumer preferences, ABVs, and more. Along the way, he discusses:

And more.

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At its height, Pompano Beach’s Odd Breed in Pompano Beach was one of the best-regarded breweries in Florida, winning four GABF medals over a span of three years, and shipping mixed-culture beers to fans around the world. However, real-estate market forces ultimately worked against the niche brewery, and founder and brewer Matt Manthe closed up shop in the summer of 2024.

That’s no reason not to talk brewing, however, and Manthe learned plenty over his years shepherding his mixed cultures from homebrew to commercial scale, changing and adapting processes along the way. While he’s now brewing classic lager and ale styles in the mountains of Colorado—at Dillon Dam, about 70 miles west of Denver—mixed-culture beers still hold a strong place in his heart.

In this episode, he discusses:

And more.

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Mark it down: Baltic Porter Day this year is January 18, always the third Saturday of this month. This year’s will be the 10th edition of a commemoration that began in 2016 in Poland, where rich, hefty, cool-fermented porters reign supreme. Marcin Chmielarz has worn many hats in the industry—bar manager, brewer, video blogger—but one of his most notable achievements is helping to draw Poland’s attention to its own distinctive porters.

In this episode, Chmielarz digs into the history of the style from the Polish perspective, while also highlighting the ingredients and techniques behind it—featuring great malt complexity but smooth character, high gravities, and patient fermentation with lager yeast. He also discusses modern iterations, including those that are dry-hopped, barrel-aged, or flavored with ingredients such as Polish smoked plums.

Along the way, the conversation also hits upon:

And more.

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The city of Grodzisk Wielkopolski was once a major center of brewing in 19th century Poland, but political unrest, world wars, communism, and then misguided capitalism all played parts in closing the previous chapter of the city’s brewing history in the early 90’s. But the rise of craft beer also led to a resurgence in interest for obscure styles like the smoked wheat beer that made the city famous, and by 2016 a new group of owners relaunched the original Grodzisk brewery with a heartfelt mission—to share this homegrown Polish beer style with the world. In this episode, head brewer Marcin Ostajewski shares history and process for the style, as well as ways that modern brewers are keeping the style vibrant and alive through modern variations.

Through the episode, Ostajewski discusses:

And more.

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This final episode of 2024 is our chance to look back at the conversations that resonated most with you, the listeners. Here, we count down the ten most-dowloaded episodes of the past year, with excerpts from each. The countdown includes:

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It’s easy for New World brewers to lump Czech beer into the “historical” category, but—while many prominent brewers there focus intently on the lagers we all love—a growing contingent are also tackling evolving styles such as hazy IPA, fruited sour, pastry stout, and more—and they’re often doing it in their own ways.

In Louny, a historic town about 40 miles northwest of Prague, Pivovar Zichovec is just such a brewery. Lager is their biggest category, but they’re not locked solely into traditional styles, and they’ve been exploring just how far they can go in making trendier styles such as hazy IPA, but using Czech ingredients and processes.

In this episode, Zichovec’s Martin Urban, Adam Huml, and Honzik Petru discuss:

And more, including this take from Huml: “When you’re doing a triple decoction and you don’t have [a direct-fired kettle], you’re just burning gas.”

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