Living on the road is like catching up with old friends all the time. And meeting back up again with Lizzy and Thomas in Alabama after meeting them for the first time in Baja, was no different. Working seasonal jobs keeps them busy but never too busy to tell us how they do that, travel, take care of their pup, and still live a life of adventure.

Some backstory, here. I had just finished producing the podcast episode where we sat with Lizzy and Thomas for the first time in Baja outside of a quaint bar and hotel called, Cielito Lindo, when I had the brilliant revelation that I should see what they were up to now. Now, being amidst the pandemic, early May. It was serendipitous! Just as we were getting ready to travel again and leave Gulf Shores, Thomas and Lizzy were doing the same and heading into Gulf Shores.

Grabbing some takeout food and beer to go we made plans to meet on the recently opened white sands of Alabama's pristine beaches. Under the warmth of the sunny blue sky, surrounded by the sounds of kids playing and waves crashing, we caught up with friends, feeling almost normal. 

It was so great to see fellow travelers and talk shop: travel, life on the road, Baja adventures, and how this friggin pandemic has both pissed us all off, yet slowed us down and managed to bring us together again. From one ocean to another, we hope you enjoy catching up with Thomas, Lizzy, and Umphrey as much as we did.

Oh, now go buy a van, grab your pup, maybe a surfboard or two, find a seasonal job in Baja, and start living. 

Want More?

For all the places we went, beer we drank, resources, and more on Thomas and Lizzy, check out the show notes at Living a Stout Life at https://livingastoutlife.com/a-journey-of-creating-a-life-on-the-road-with-seasonal-jobs/

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

• Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music
• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

Curious as to how breweries are doing today during a pandemic? Wondering how and when they will ever open back up? From our travels and love of craft beer, we've met brewery owners, brewers, and many other brewery industry peeps, so we thought, "Why not bring you a candid conversation with some of the people we've met along the road? Why not have some beer with friends and find out what's really going on in our beloved world of craft beer during COVID-19?"

They are working hard to brew beer, to open when they can, to continue building a community we all know, love, and can't wait to get back to outside of Zoom calls. So, be good to people, be nice, be patient. We're all going through this pandemic one way or another, it might as well be with friends over a good craft beer.

From conversations about birthdays, to opening new locations during a pandemic, to drinking Wild Turkey to dreaming of 2022, we've got insight into the world of craft beer through eyes of the people that help create our beloved beverage.

We hope you enjoy this panel of experts, that somehow have decided that they like us enough that we now consider them all friends.

The Panel

• Steve Skalski, Owner
• Guanella Pass Brewery
• Georgetown, CO

• Rose Schweikhart, Owner
• Jimm Powell, Brewer
• Superior Bathhouse Brewery
• Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs, AR

• Patrick Mulcahy, Owner
• Paul Sink, Owner
• Chris Horn, Brewer
• Kettle & Spoke Brewery
• Boulder, CO

• Allo Gilinsky, Journalist and Craft Beer Industry Employee
• The Craft Beer Concierge and #DrinktheStory
• Russian River Brewing Company
• Sebastopol, CA

• Travis Smith, Brewmaster
• LazyG Brewhouse
• Prescott, AZ

• Tim Myers, Owner, Brewer, Head Janitor
• Strange Craft Beer Company
• Denver, CO

Want More?

Check out our brewery panel's individual Stout Conversation videos where we sat down with each of these crazy peeps and talked more in depth about their breweries before the pandemic. Head on over to Living a Stout Life for those stories and more.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

• Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music
• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

In this feature length interview, we talk with Jordan and Michelle about nature, travel, owning a brewery, surviving an earthquake and an avalanche, and having a baby during a pandemic.

Originally meeting Jordan at his brewery that he co-owns with Chad Moore, we knew we needed to talk extensively with him about his very sciencey, very nerdy, yet still very cool and active lifestyle. With his equally kick-ass wife Michelle, and his Wood Boss, Jr, Miss Penelope (their newborn), we learned about forestry, river science, conservation, hydrology, beer (of course), and how to travel while respecting the culture of the region.

Coming at you live from Jordan’s closet – he thought it would prove to be a quiet space for a Zoom call, but thankfully that didn’t happen. It’s the real life-stories that we like to capture, and that is exactly what we did…live from Michelle and Jordan’s closest.

Oh the places we went!

• Woods Boss Brewing Company – Denver, CO
• Sherpa Brewery – Nepal
• Sherpa House Restaurant and Culture Center – Golden, CO
• Peru
• Nepal

Oh, the beers we drank!

• No Root No Peacock American Blonde Ale from Woods Boss in Denver, CO
• Start’n Early American Light Lager from Woods Boss in Denver, CO
• Dos Pedrinos Dark Mexican Lager from Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs, AR
• Dick Danger Ale IPA from Dick’s Brewing Co in Centralia, WA
• Deschutes Black Butte Porter

More Resources:

• HistoriCorps– workforce for saving historical places
• Hike for Help Nepal – exactly what it says – Golden, CO

Want More?

Check out Jordan's Stout Conversation where he delves more into Woods Boss Brewing Company, his beer, and how his background helped to create a work ethic that creates truly amazing beer within an amazing space. Head on over to Living a Stout Life for that story and more.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

• Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music
• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

We don’t actually think Thomas and Lizzy are weird, dirty hippies. But they are definitely redefining the American Dream. 

While travel may be a bit on hold these days, dreams and memories of travel are still running rampant, as they should be. So with that, meet Lizzy and Thomas, van-lifers, mountain bikers, dog lovers, surfers, rock climbers, beer-lovers, and all around good people. These two are redefining what it means to grow up and live the American Dream.

Meeting them for the first time at Cielito Lindo last fall just south of Ensenada in Baja over cheap margaritas and Mexican beer, we hope it won’t be the last time. As happens so many times when saying hi to a stranger, we became friends.

Oh, and the ex-pats, that live here? They’re a hoot; we can’t not mention them.

With margaritas to put you on your ass, ex-pats to keep you rolling in laughter, palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze, and Lizzy and Thomas to inspire you to move into a van, harvest hemp, hike the Grand Canyon, and surf Baja, there’s no doubt about it. If you ever thought you couldn’t do something, these two, along with Umphrey, their pup, and Carini The Van will send you into van life faster than you can quit your job.

Oh the places we went!

• Cielito Lindo – bar, camping, hotel – San Quintin, Baja California Norte, Mexico
• Father John’s Microbrewery – Bryan, OH

Oh, the beers we drank!

• Indio
• Tecate Black Label
• so many cheap Mexican beers
• strong as shit margaritas

More Resources:

• Duolingo – language learning app
• iOverlander – travel app
• Cheers2Now – redefining the American Dream
• The Unbeetable Experience – beet harvest – seasonal job possibility

Want More?

Oh, we’ve got more! How about a tour of Carini the Van and how Lizzy and Thomas fit their active lifestyle in one little van? Or stories about Baja travel and the expats we met along the way? Head on over to Living a Stout Life for those stories and more.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

• Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music
• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

The Big Horns brought us to Wyoming, Ten Sleep kept us there. Most people would drive straight through a small town in Wyoming, especially one with less than 300 people. And most do just that, being that they're on their way to either the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore or Yellowstone. But as many of you know, we're not most people.

Although I did say it was the Big Horns that brought us to Wyoming, those of you that know us, know damn well it was the beer. It's always about the beer...and the community that comes with it. And if there's also camping involved...at a brewery, and beer born in a barn, and nights spent at the local dive bar after closing down the brewery, yeah, you know we're suckers for all of that.

So it was a given that we had to find out more about the people that started this brewery in a barn in small town Wyoming.

Nestled next to the Big Horns between the Black Hills and Yellowstone, tourists, climbers, and locals alike gather at Ten Sleep Brewing Company for wild west tales, great beer brewed in a barn, and historic adventures. 

We absolutely loved sitting outside on a picnic table with the Big Horn Mountains as a backdrop, soaking up some sunshine while sipping on some stouts and shootin' the shit with Justin and Dave of Ten Sleep Brewing Company. Just as they did with us, they will impress you with their tales of family and turmoil while setting up a brewery in a barn, all while keeping you intrigued with the history of this stunning region, their family ties, and the love that goes into creating BEER!

Oh the places we went!

• Ten Sleep Brewing Company - Ten Sleep, WY
• Big Horn Bar - Ten Sleep, WY
• Platte River Saloon - Fairplay, CO
• St. Elmo Bar - Bisbee, AZ

Support Craft Breweries

• The Craft Beer Concierge - Meet Allo. He started #DrinktheStory and is just a really cool guy
• #DrinktheStory - Join the Facebook Group and share craft beer stories.
• Drink Local Think Global - Donate to their This One's for You campaign to support local beer industry peeps in need of our help.
• Visit Local Breweries and Get Beer to Go!

Want More?

Another (many) stop on our way to the craft beer journalism conference we mentioned was Bozeman. Check it out - great beer scene. And for more info on the beer conference (slated for August 2020 but probably not happening) click here to learn more about BeerNow.

Head on over to the show notes page for pictures of the traveling bar top and more at LivingaStoutLife

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

• Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music
• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

Kenny and I seem to think that we are entertaining enough to be guests on our own podcast. We can only hope you think the same thing, too.

We each had an assignment to come up with five questions to ask each other. We were not allowed to know what the questions were ahead of time, and they couldn't be obvious, easy-to-come-by answers.

In other words, we had to think. Ugh!

From asking about mountain biking tales to what beer flavors we would be to garden gnomes - yeah, garden gnomes?!?! - to laminated lists and hall passes, we think we came up with some pretty original questions, and some honestly hilarious answers. 

Go ahead - Do this with your person - We dare you! Let us know how it turns out. We'd love to hear what you came up with.

Oh the places we went!

• Fairhope Brewing Company - Fairhope, AL
• Big Beach Brewing - Gulf Shores, AL
• Bonsai Brewing Project - Whitefish, MT
• Storm Peak Brewing Company - Steamboat Springs, CO
• Lowdown Brewery and Kitchen - Denver, CO

Oh the trails we rode:

Check out Trail Forks and MTB Project: two apps we use to find mountain biking trails everywhere we go.

• Slick Rock - Moab, UT
• Buffalo Creek - Buffalo Creek, CO
• Whitefish, MT
• Steamboat Springs, CO

Support Craft Breweries

• The Craft Beer Concierge - Meet Allo. He started #DrinktheStory and is just a really cool guy
• #DrinktheStory - Join the Facebook Group and share craft beer stories.
• Drink Local Think Global - Donate to their This One's for You campaign to support local beer industry peeps in need of our help.
• Visit Local Breweries and Get Beer to Go!

Want More?

I rambled on about our first real mountain biking experience in Moab where Kenny flipped over his handlebars. I also mentioned something about our best worst beer?! Curious? Check it out here.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music

• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

Meet Jill and August Wheeler, van-lifin', mountain bikin', beer drinkin' Idahoans with adventurous dreams of traveling the world while giving us all much needed trail and travel advice and inspiration. Brand new to full-timing, these two didn't hesitate to quit their jobs, jump behind the wheel of their van, and hightail it out of Idaho to explore the world.

It was a warm sunny day at Lake Guntersville State Park, when I glanced out the window of RAIF and noticed that we had new neighbors. Were they weekenders or were they here for the now-cancelled-RVE Summit? With Idaho plates, they had to be some of our peeps, and that they were.

From the moment we said hey (say hi to strangers), we were in love. Like so many people we have connected with on the road, we knew immediately we would be drinking with these two around many a camp-fires. Little did we know we would also be dancing with them, riding bikes with them, and planning trips with them.

When you meet a couple like Jill and August, you are immediately inspired to get your ass off the couch, grab your skis or boards or bikes or whatever it is that makes you move, and move.

Riding in blue jeans, racing in high school, using Clorox wipes before it was a necessity, camping in tents, braving tornadoes, traveling the world, owning a brewery, building out a van - twice, and working in health care - Uh, these two are our heroes.

We want to be them when we grow up.

Idaho in the house!

Connect with Jill and August

• On their website at OutsideNomad.com
• On Instagram
• On Facebook

Oh the places we went!

• Back Forty Beer Company - Gadsden, AL
• Yellowhammer Brewing - Huntsville, AL
• Straight to Ale - Huntsville, AL
• Little Island Brewing Co - Singapore

Oh the beer we drank!

• Sierra Nevada
• Yellowhammer Black Lager
• Yellowhammer Belgian White
• Back Forty Freckle Belly IPA
• Back Forty BamaMosa Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut

Oh the trails we rode!

• Squamish Mountain Biking Trails - Vancouver, British Columbia
• Coconino National Forest - Sedona, AZ
• Lake Guntersville State Park - Guntersville, AL
• Huntsville, AL trails
• Noccalula Park - Gadsden, AL

Resources:

• Dogfish Head was mentioned as an influential brewery. Haven't been there? We hope you get there; the treehouse is almost as cool as the beer. Almost.
• Heath and Alyssa Padgett - where we got our inspiration to RV full-time and creators of the RVE Summit
• Michael Franti and Spearhead - inspirational, rockin', kick-ass music for physical distancing and beyond

Want More?

Click here to meet Lizzy and Thomas. Another awesome couple that lives in their van with their dog, and they travel everywhere. We met them in Baja. We love the people we surround ourselves with, and we hope you love them, too.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music

• A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design and for putting up with our crap about SEO. Thanks, Teresa and Brian!
• J from Moore Adventure in Life for constantly putting up with our mountain biking heckling. But seriously, you kick ass on that bike!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

Jason Ford is not just the owner of Broken Compass Brewing Company in Breckenridge, Colorado, he is an icon in the Colorado craft beer scene. His passion for life and commitment to community are infectious. 

An avid cyclist, mountain lover, brewer, and builder of the Man at Burning Man, this guy’s got life figured out. If you‘ve never been to Breckenridge, this quaint (albeit busy) little mountain town has held a place in our hearts for many years. The ski resort, the people, the mountain vistas, the fall leaves, the hiking and mountain biking trails, and the breweries here - you get the picture.

If we hadn’t moved into our RV, this is where we would have lived. In fact, we might just park our RV here forever. 

We hope you catch the passion bug from Ford like we did. In fact both he and Kenny were so excited to be chatting about Burning Man, the mountains, and beer, that neither of them could stop pounding the table. Anyhow, Ford will get you stoked for community while encouraging you to live the life you love. So while you may not be able to move to Breckenridge right now or head off to Burning Man yet, you can definitely start planning.

Oh the places we went!

Broken Compass Brewing Company

Other Summit County Craft Breweries:

Dillon Dam Brewery

Pug Ryan’s Brewing Company

The Bakers’ Brewery

Highside Brewing

Angry James Brewery

Outer Range Brewing Company

Resources:

More on Burning Man - A city in the desert. A culture of possibility. A network of dreamers and doers.

Want More?

The mountains and beer have always inspired us to live our Stout Life. Click here to read a post Kenny wrote all about the beginnings of our adventures - A Broken Compass and a Bold New Adventure

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music

A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

Meeting up again with Jesse and Janae in Denver after they finished hiking the 485 miles of the Colorado Trail was bittersweet. Trying to find their normal after a full time job of hiking for months is not easy. The culture shock that comes with resuming life back in traffic, back in a city, and the thought of having to go back to work can be a bit overwhelming. 

This time we met with them in Denver at Declaration Brewing. It was a beautiful blue sky Colorado day, so the patio was really the only option. Enjoying music and flights of beer on a sun-soaked patio made for great conversation. Not quite sure yet what normal looks like, this interview was both inspiring and bittersweet. Inspiring because of what they had accomplished. Bittersweet because all good things come to an end.

We’ve all become pretty good friends, so while we didn’t interview them after this, we did end up in their driveway for a week in Missoula, where they are living a normal for them life. But, really, what is normal?

Oh, the places we went!

Declaration Brewing - Denver

Missoula, Montana:

Conflux Brewing Company

Imagine Nation Brewing

Draught Works Brewery

Gild Brewing

Kettlehouse Brewing Co

The Oxford Saloon and Cafe 

Resources:

The Colorado Trail is a recreational narrow path from Denver to Durango, passing through six national forests, six wilderness areas, five major river systems and eight mountain ranges.

The Colorado Trail Foundation offers a great deal of resources on hiking this epic trail.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music

A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations

Have you ever met someone and knew instantly they would become friends? That's what it was like when we met Jesse and Janae. About a week away from finishing their 485 mile hike of the Colorado Trail, we were stoked when they agreed to sit down with us for an interview. These two will crack you up as they revel you with their tales of challenges, successes, and adventures while hiking from Denver to Durango, passing through six national forests, six wilderness areas, five major river systems, and eight mountain ranges.

When we first met them, we had already visited Avalanche Brewing Company the previous night, but liked it so much we ended up there again for some stellar beer and pizza. The patio was crowded, but these two didn't hesitate to invite us to join their group. We chimed in on their conversations about the environment and hiking and soon realized they had all just met while hiking the trail. The beer flowed, soon after, the whiskey sipping began, and the rest is history.

Meeting with them the next day for the actual interview, we all snuggled together on a rooftop, huddling against a spring rain, drinks in hand. Now that's how a friendship is made.

We hope you are inspired by these two as much as we are. 

We met up again with them in Denver just after they finished the trail. We had to know what it was like when they were done, off the trail, and how they planned on resuming a normal life. So be sure to check out the next episode where we catch up with them after the Colorado Trail.

Oh, the places we went!

Avalanche Brewing Company

Resources:

The Colorado Trail Foundation offers a great deal of resources on hiking this epic trail.

Connect With Us:

The Craft Beer Travel & Adventure Podcast is hosted by Living a Stout Life, where we share stories, community, and resources for all your craft beer travel and adventure lifestyle needs.

We would absolutely love it if you subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review. As my nephew once said, "We say please and thank you!"

Subscribe to Living a Stout Life:

• Newsletter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shout Outs:

Owen X Pishna and Kumquat Asterson, two talented brothers, for creating the show’s theme music

A Fearless Venture for assisting Ken with the stunning logo design

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/craft-beer-travel-and-adventure/donations