CRAFTED

Dearborn Denim founder, Rob McMillan is a thoughtful guy with some grand ambitions. He’s working on building a big apparel company that ethically manufactures premium products at an affordable price, right in Chicago. Impossible you say? This past Monday, Jonathan Ellsworth met up with Rob at Dearborn Denim’s factory in Chicago to tour the factory with him, then record this conversation where he lays out the blueprint.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Why Rob started Dearborn Denim (2:47)

Profitability vs Mission/Ethics (7:25)

Why Chicago for Apparel Manufacturing? (13:38)

Misconceptions about US Manufacturing (18:46)

‘Made in the USA’ Debate & Shopping Local (22:11)

Cost (28:33)

Solving for Fit & Advertising Challenges (33:39)

Premium -- but Affordable?? -- Products (38:03)

Growth & Scale (41:11)

Materials & Fabrics: What Should We Know? (49:46)

New Products & Contract Work (56:08)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

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Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

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Yia Vang is a multi-nominated James Beard Award chef; the founder & head chef of Union Hmong Kitchen, and he’s carved out time to compete on the Netflix show, “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” host the show, ”Feral” on the Outdoors Channel, host another show, “Stoked” on the Food Network, and host the excellent podcast,“Hmonglish” which focuses on the Hmong people, their culture, representation, and Asian excellence overall.

Yia and Jonathan discuss all of the above, plus his ‘run & gun’ approach to running a restaurant; the history of the service and sacrifices made by many Hmong people on behalf of the USA; patriotism; curiosity; football; the art of Hmong cuisine; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Managing Restaurants, Flexibility, & Football (8:29)

Current State of Food Culture in the USA (22:16)

Being Anti "Fusion" (28:01)

Hmong / US History (34:02)

Hmong Cuisine & Hmong Clans (46:41)

The Craft of Hmong Cuisine (51:46)

Past, Current, & Future Projects (56:20)

RELATED LINKS

Hmonglish Podcast

Union Hmong Kitchen

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

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How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again? Or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question is at the heart of this conversation about official offerings vs independent bottlings, but Matt and Jonathan also find time to talk about Scotch and spit buckets; Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands; the short lifespans of humans vs the long lifespans of craft categories; upcoming ski trips to Japan (Blister members, listen up); and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Peated Scotch & Spit Buckets (3:18)

Signatory, Edradour, & Independent Bottling Co’s (6:41)

Matt’s Top-3 ‘Hottest’ Scotch Producers (14:22)

Country-Specific Offerings: Scotch & Skis (21:38)

Blister Members: want to go to Japan? (26:15)

“Consistency,” Quality, & “Craft” (29:00)

Sherry (43:49)

The Short Lives of Humans & Craft Products (49:45)

Cheese, Gin, & Maple Syrup (56:22)

Fair Warning: Things Get Loose. Stop Listening? (1:01:30)

Austrian Food Review (1:01:35)

Arran 10, Arran 18, & Tamdhu 15 (1:09:54)

Drunken Blister Summit Offer & Ramblings (1:19:52)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 2

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

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Matt Manser (Atomic Ski Boots), is back to dive into the world of Scotch and independent bottlings. He and Jonathan compare a Bunnahabhain independent bottling against their official 12-year offering; discuss a single cask that cost $19M; debate whether you should add water to your Scotch; learn about the fanciest bottle Matt currently owns; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

What does a ski boot designer do in the summer? (4:10)

Recapping our first Scotch conversation (10:08)

What’s Your Fanciest & Favorite Bottle You Own? (13:23)

Red Cask (16:55)

Barrel & Cask Talk — plus a $19M cask (19:34)

Time to start sipping! (23:56)

Independent Bottlings (26:24)

Adding / Not Adding Water to Scotch (30:46)

Oban 14 (37:55)

Back to Independent Bottlings (41:44)

First Sip: Bunnahabhain 12 & the Magic Spoon (51:13)

Bandaids & American Oak vs European Oak (55:16)

Letting Your Pour Rest (58:50)

Production volumes of Various Producers (1:06:25)

More on Red Cask (1:11:39)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 1

CRAFTED: Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 3

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan Ellsworth and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form?); and finally, we discuss Troy’s Top 5 All-Time Tennis Players, which leads us back into the big question of how to think about assessing greatness in any sport.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Troy’s Tennis Background & Playing Andre Agassi (5:59)

Tennis — the Greatest Sport? (9:07)

David Foster Wallace: Roger Federer as Religious Experience (18:40)

Watching Tennis on TV vs In-Person (25:32)

Troy’s Top 5 Men’s Tennis Players (29:56)

Troy’s Top 5 Women’s Tennis Players (49:55)

Plot Twist: Re-Ranking the Top 5 (55:49)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Napa Valley is home to some of the most respected wineries and coveted wines being produced, but not too long ago, it was a sleepy farm community. So in this conversation, Jonathan talks with Marilyn Harris of Paradigm Winery about how Napa … became Napa. Marilyn and her husband, Ren, own Paradigm Winery in Oakville, CA, and they’ve had a front-row seat — and played a first-hand role — in the evolution of Napa Valley.

TOPICS & TIMES:

How I met Marilyn & her lifelong history in Napa (2:19)

When did winemaking start in Napa? (11:33)

Importance of 40-acre lots in Napa (17:03)

Zinfandel (18:07)

Napa & Cabernet Sauvignon (22:46)

Cult Wines & Organic Grapes (24:59)

Scale & Growth (27:28)

Paradigm’s Paravines Red Wine & Rosé (29:00)

Climate Change & Napa Wine (34:20)

Pringles (38:22)

Monday Morning Calls (40:13)

The Business of Paradigm & Where to Find It (42:31)

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Jonathan headed to The Crown in Oakland, California, which is the Coffee Lab and Tasting Room of Royal Coffee. He was there to sample experimental coffee drinks, meet with Royal Coffee CEO, Max Nicholas-Fulmer — whose favorite ski is the Moment Blister Pro — and to discuss the world of specialty “green” (not-yet-roasted) coffee.

Max and Jonathan discuss the history of changing coffee preferences; the business of importing green beans; the stages of roasting coffee (do you know about first crack and second crack?); current trends; and how Royal Crown is encouraging home roasting with The Crown Jewel.

Royal Coffee is a very impressive operation; The Crown is a place that any coffee lover ought to check out; and this conversation covers fascinating but less-well-known aspects of coffee.

TOPICS & TIMES:

The BLISTER Pro: Bringing People Together (2:55)

Royal Coffee: the Family Business (11:47)

Max’s Background (15:12)

Green Beans & Dark vs. Light Roasts (16:23)

First Crack: Caramelization (26:38)

Second Crack: Carbonization (30:55)

How Altitude Affects Coffee Beans (32:27)

Processing Methods (38:00)

Coffee Fermentation & Wet Mills (44:42)

Geographic Trends & Geisha (46:55)

The Crown Jewel & Home Roasting (52:14 )

RELATED LINKS

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re discussing the rules of rum with Karen Hoskin, founder of Montanya Distillers, which produces some of the best rum in the country — right here in Crested Butte, Colorado.

If you’re someone who hasn’t been all that into rum, this conversation will shed light on why you might have felt that way; explain why Karen doesn’t make Montanya’s rum the way that a lot of mainstream rum is produced; and is a pretty amazing crash course in the history of rum, rum culture, the longstanding tradition of “mountain rum”, and more.

As you’ll hear, Karen not only has a lot of conviction about her own rules for rum making, but she has a number of deeply held principles that extend well beyond the craft of exceptional rum-making.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Turning Point: Dec 23, 1988 (3:25)

Rum in the 2000's (8:55)

Ways of Making Rum (13:28)

​​Rum & Louisiana Sugar Cane (20:47)

Laws for US Sugar Cane (29:42)

Why Distill in Colorado? (32:32)

Advertising Rum & Environmental Concerns (36:46)

Challenges of Making Great Rum (40:31)

Montanya’s One-of-a-Kind Stil (44:04)

Aging & Barreling (50:46)

Montanya’s Staple Rums (58:31)

RELATED LINKS

Montanya Distillers: Where to Buy

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Bikes & Big Ideas

Off The Couch

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not all beer is created equal, and that certainly goes for NA beer, too. So what’s the secret? Bravus Brewing Company has been making some of the very best NA beer out there, so I headed to Bravus’ headquarters in Anaheim, CA, to meet up with Bravus founder, Philip Brandes. We talked about what led Philip to start a non-alcoholic craft brewery back in 2015; what Philip regards as some of the better - and worse - ways of making craft NA beer; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• The NA Beer Space Today (5:26)
• What Led Philip to Start Bravus? (8:30)
• How to Make Great NA Beer (19:12)
• Heat & Yeast (25:51)
• The Current NA Market (33:00)
• Bravus’ Lineup of Beers (40:27)
• Anaheim, CA (48:08)

RELATED LINKS

• Blister Craft Collective
• Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• GEAR:30
• Blister Podcast
• Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before Alex LeBlanc started Calibration Coffee Lab in Greenville, South Carolina, he was a mechanical engineer by trade, a home brewer, a home distiller, and a home coffee roaster. So what led him to leave the world of engineering to start Calibration Coffee Lab, and roast beans for a living? And how did he go about doing it? This conversation is about the process of turning your passion into a business, and the process of creating some very good roasts, too.

Want to try some Calibration coffee? Check out the following deals:

• Use the code Blister for 15% off your first order
• Use the code COFFEELOVE to get $10 off of your first subscription
• Sign up for their email list to get 15% off of your first order of non-subscription coffee.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Wave Coffee (2:44)
• Home Brewing (6:15)
• Home Roasting (18:44)
• Alex’s Engineering Background (22:13)
• Roasting Preferences (28:31)
• The Engineering & the Art of Roasting (30:10)
• Why Start a Roasting Company? (34:42)
• Beans & Blends (51:23)
• Farmers Markets & Where to Purchase (1:01:04)

RELATED LINKS

• Blister Craft Collective
• Become a BLISTER+ Member

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off The Couch
• GEAR:30
• Blister Podcast
• Happy Hour

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.