Danielle and Katie Nichols — the sisters behind CORK Natural Wine Shop & Restaurant in Stowe, Vermont — are back on CRAFTED to talk more about “natural wine”; discuss Italy, “priest stranglers,” and Corksicles; offer advice on holiday gift buying; and tell us about the revamped CORK Wine Club.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Natural Wine (4:27)
• Holiday Gift Help (15:24)
• Price Points & Natural Wine Importers (18:45)
• Cork Wine Club (29:44)
• Priest Stranglers & Connections in Italy (29:45)
• Curating the Market for You (34:31)
• Gift Cards and Corksicles (35:52)

RELATED LINKS

• Website: corkvt.com
• CRAFTED, ep.4: What is Natural Wine?
• Get the Blister x Fellows Artist Series Collab
• BLISTER Craft Collective
• BLISTER Open Mic Series

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

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

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

Artist, John Fellows, and New Image Brewing founder & head brewer, Brandon Capps, are back on CRAFTED to discuss our Blister Artist Series collab. John talks about his inspiration for the art and how he produced it; Brandon talks about creating the beer by starting with John’s artwork; Jonathan talks about how he came up with the name of the beer (Ambulation); and we also discuss the difference between an IPA & Double IPA; wabi sabi & kintsugi; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Creating the Artwork (2:21)
• Brandon’s perception of the Art (6:18)
• Creating a Beer based on the Art (10:46)
• Styles: Pale Ale vs IPA vs Double IP (16:29)
• Barley Wine (18:58)
• Naming the Beer: Ambulation (23:06)
• Back to the Art: Why Linoleum? (24:45)
• Wabi Sabi & Kintsugi (25:54)
• Where to find the Shirts & Beer (29:27)

RELATED LINKS

• Get the Blister x Fellows Shirt
• New Image Brewing
• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

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

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

This past June, Jonathan Ellsworth stumbled across a gelateria in Firenze (Florence) Italy, that basically changed his life. Because after going there every day — usually twice a day — he knew that he would have to come back to Florence and sit down for a CRAFTED conversation with Alberto and Julia Bati, owners of My Sugar Gelato Artigianale, to talk about the craft (and the hard work) of making some of the best gelato in the world. Here is that conversation, fresh from Florence.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• 300 gelato shops (5:30)
• Florentine gelato vs “tourist” gelato (6:58)
• Making gelato (9:43)
• What to avoid and what to look for (14:37)
• Texture (26:32)
• Ice cream vs Gelato (31:02)
• Teaching gelato making (32:30)
• What’s a typical day like? (37:31)
• Jonathan’s story of finding My Sugar (44:06)
• The Shop Name: “My Sugar” (49:54)

RELATED LINKS

• My Sugar’s Instagram
• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

In the ski world, ON3P Skis founder, Scott Andrus, is known for being maniacal about the craft of building skis. But today, we talk with Scott about his other obsession: knives. We discuss how Scott got into knives; knife quivers; patina chasing; price ranges; cutting boards; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Your background & ON3P Skis (6:27)
• How & When Did You Get into Knives? (8:45)
• What Types of Knives are You Into? (10:02)
• Difference Between a Good vs Mediocre Knife (13:17)
• Types of Grinds (15:33)
• Cutting Boards (24:14)
• What are ‘Knife People’ Most Obsessed With? (28:11)
• Patina (33:24)
• Knife Quiver (34:09)
• Price Range of Knives? (52:51)
• Polishing & Sharpening (41:57)
• If You Could be Gifted Any Knife? (43:21)
• Chef’s Knives (44:54)
• Durability & Maintenance? (44:54)
• Final Thoughts? (49:33)

RELATED LINKS

• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

We headed back to Shoreham, Vermont, to sit down with the head of whiskey development at WhistlePig, Liz Rhoades, to dive deep into the art and science of distilling, sourcing, yeast strains, specific types of rye, non-alcoholic whiskey, and … WhistlePig’s new bourbon.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Liz’s background & role at WhistlePig (3:46)
• What’s a “Diploma Distiller”? (7:27)
• Fermentation Science, Biochemistry, & Nutraceutical Beer (10:14)
• Whiskey as the “Beer Afterlife” (14:15)
• The Workers of Whiskey: Saccharomyces (17:13)
• Rye & What to Look for in Whiskey (23:13)
• Single Malt, Grain Whiskey, Batch Rectifiers (30:58)
• Maturation Processes (34:28)
• Finishing Processes (38:14)
• Blending (40:44)
• Non-Alcoholic Whiskey (45:49)
• WhistlePig Bourbon (51:07)
• The Boss Hog IX: Siren’s Song (54:32)

RELATED LINKS

• WhistlePig’s website 
• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

Barr Hill Gin is one of the best products being made in America today. And when paired with the mission of Barr Hill, you’ll understand why the company has such a fanatical following. Last week Jonathan Ellsworth was in Montpelier, Vermont, to spend the day at Barr Hill with Barr Hill president and distiller, Ryan Christiansen, to talk about bees and pollinators; the process of producing exceptional gin; what makes their Barr Hill vodka unique; the impact of their ‘Bees Knees Week’ initiative; their foray into the world of rye whiskey; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• What is Barr Hill? (5:28)
• Bees & Honey (7:08)
• Cocktail Culture Meets Agriculture (10:57)
• History of Gin, Gin Production, & Vodka (13:26)
• Gin & the Art of Extraction of Botanicals (26:11)
• Honey, Bees, & More to Learn (36:21)
• Exceptional vs Average Gin? (37:35)
• Current State of the Gin World (48:57)
• Tom Cat Gin (51:55)
• Bees Knees Cocktail (1:01:51)
• The Barr Hill Facility & Sustainability (1:09:00)
• Bees Knees Week (1:17:53)
• Bar Hill Accolades (1:24:40)
• Whiskey?? (1:29:14)
• Growth and Scale (1:35:38)

RELATED LINKS

• Website: Barr Hill
• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

This week Jonathan Ellsworth was back at The Alchemist in Stowe, VT, to sit down with its founders, Jen and John Kimmich, to dive into their philosophy on sustainability — in all of its forms — and to hear how they created a company that is leading the way on a number of these fronts. It’s an impressive story driven by shared principles, and we hope this conversation serves as an inspiration to other companies across many sectors. (And of course, along the way, we also talk a good bit about making great beer and keeping the bar high.)

TOPICS & TIMES:

• When did you get interested in sustainability? (3:05)
• Human Sustainability (9:10)
• Happiness, Job Satisfaction, & the Long Game (12:04)
• Quality vs Sustainability? (21:49)
• CO2 reclamation 24:07)
• Sidestreaming (28:30)
• Recycling (35:35)
• Food Composting & Food Recycling (43:18)
• Where do you get your ideas? (45:19)
• Authenticity (51:01)
• The Alchemist Foundation (58:13)
• What’s Next? (1:04:22)

RELATED LINKS

• The Alchemist co-founder & brewer, John Kimmich, Pt. 1
• The Alchemist co-founder & brewer, John Kimmich, Pt. 2
• The Alchemist Brewery
• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

Around here, we all think of Rob Dickinson as skiing royalty. But Rob is also the owner of Precise Painting, an interior and exterior paint and finishing company that does extremely fine work, and employs 25+ people in the Gunnison Valley of Colorado. We talk to Rob about the craft of painting and finishing homes; what anyone thinking about building, purchasing, or maintaining a home in mountain towns ought to know about exteriors; how to think about aesthetics vs. price vs. durability; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Skiers Talking Sh!t (3:48)
• Starting Precise Painting (6:42)
• The Family Business (10:29)
• Ski-Rep Dreams, Big-Mountain Comps (15:14)
• Work Hours & Ski Hours (21:42)
• Mtn Town Economics & Precise’ Model (24:55)
• Misconceptions about house painting (27:04)
• Age-Old Rules of the Trade (29:53)
• Interiors & Exteriors in CB & Mtn Towns (33:28)
• Aesthetics vs Price vs Durability (39:52)
• Example: Crested Butte Center for the Arts (42:44)

RELATED LINKS

• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

We talk to Blister reviewer (and medical doctor and lead heli guide), Paul Forward, about the art, ethics, and craftsmanship of traditional bows; when and how Paul became fascinated by them; and why we ought to appreciate their rich history and ethos, too.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Traditional Bow Hunter Magazine (1:53)
• Trad Life (4:38)
• Long Bows vs Recurve Bows (8:54)
• Trad Bows vs Telemark Skiers (19:34)
• Ethics of Traditional Bow Hunting (24:18)
• The Act / Art of Archery (25:58)
• “Bowyers” (35:22)
• Paul’s favorite bows (29:58)
• Self Bows (44:13)
• Custom Bows (49:24)
• Price Range of Traditional Bows (52:51)
• Arrows? (58:40)
• If you could be gifted any bow… (59:37)
• How long should a bow last? (1:02:47)
• Maintenance? (1:04:18)
• Final Thoughts: Good Archery Shops (1:07:13)

RELATED LINKS

• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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

With Heady Topper, John Kimmich created one of the most sought-after craft beers in the world, and effectively created the profile of the modern IPA. In Part 2 of our conversation, we dive into the evolution of Heady Topper; why making great beer is not enough for John & Jen; & more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Heady Topper: History & Evolution (1:32)
• Other Passions, Principles, & Priorities (16:26)
• Jen & Sustainability Initiatives (26:04)

RELATED LINKS

• Part 1: The Alchemist co-founder & brewer, John Kimmich
• The Alchemist Brewery
• BLISTER Open Mic Series
• BLISTER Craft Collective

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas
• Off the Couch
• GEAR:30

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