Uppers & Downers is almost here. If you’re in Chicago and listening to this now, chances are you’re going to be there along with almost a thousand other coffee and beer nerds at Thalia Hall. We’ve shared a lot about the origins of this festival, our partners, and the vision we have for coffee and beer cultures. But one story we haven’t shared yet is the incredible collaborations between Intelligentsia and Solemn Oath Brewery that have been a critical part of the concept since day one. Together, Jay Cunningham of Intelligentsia and Paul Schneider of Solemn Oath have created over thirty different coffee beers together, some of the best I’ve ever tasted in fact. And that says nothing about the uncountable iterations they’ve brewed, blended, and tweaked on their way to their proudest results. Today I wanted to introduce you to these two individuals, and give you a sense of what it takes to truly explore the relationship between coffee and beer. It’s going to get nerdy. But for anyone out there exploring this space right now, it’s going to get pretty inspirational too. Two of my favorite people in Uppers & Downers. It means the world to me to have these two working so hard, and so intelligently together in this shared pursuit.