Good Beer Hunting

On this week’s bonus episode, we’re going to get to know some of our subscribers, a community we started called Fervent Few. These folks subscribe to GBH like a magazine, supporting us financially each month, and as part of there subscriber benefits, they join the GBH team in a community forum where we discuss a wide range of topics, often including professional retailers, brewers, distributors and sales people with expert perspectives. But in the Fervent Few community, everyone has an equal voice, and a respect for others opinions. I’ve been thrilled to see so many genuine and intellectually honest conversations transpire.

Our Fervent Few community is managed by Jim Plachy, and each week he hosts a weekly topic with our members. We're going to get to know him a little bit better, and I think you'll see why we immediately fell in love with him and put him in charge of this thing. He joined as a subscriber himself, and through a natural force of personality, pretty much took over anyways.

Then we'll ring up a couple Fervent Few members and get their perspective on the community, and what they thought about this past week's topic, the new Independent logo created by the Brewers Association.

On this week’s bonus episode, we’re going to get to know some of our subscribers, a community we started called Fervent Few. These folks subscribe to GBH like a magazine, supporting us financially each month, and as part of there subscriber benefits, they join the GBH team in a community forum where we discuss a wide range of topics, often including professional retailers, brewers, distributors and sales people with expert perspectives. But in the Fervent Few community, everyone has an equal voice, and a respect for others opinions. I’ve been thrilled to see so many genuine and intellectually honest conversations transpire.

Our Fervent Few community is managed by Jim Plachy, and each week he hosts a weekly topic with our members. We're going to get to know him a little bit better, and I think you'll see why we immediately fell in love with him and put him in charge of this thing. He joined as a subscriber himself, and through a natural force of personality, pretty much took over anyways.

Then we'll ring up a couple Fervent Few members and get their perspective on the community, and what they thought about this past week's topic, the new Independent logo created by the Brewers Association.

Chicago's beer story is an historical one, full of the bawdiness that to this day continues the association of beer with the rougher parts of our civility. It's political - in the burbs is where the temperance movement spawned, we've had workers riots and rallies, and our alderman would use their saloons to sway the vote. As American craft brewing brings beer back to the local, and hyperlocal level, some of these histories don't seem so remote. Tied houses, saloon culture, and good old-fashioned bartending are newly refreshed in their relevance to our daily experience, but the ways in which history repeats itself are sometimes not what we expect. Are breweries with taprooms the same concern as tied houses a hundred years ago? Does "local" mean the same thing in contemporary craft brewing? What's the role of a bar when it's not just the corner spot but some sort of craft beer concept, or a sportsbar. And for today's guest, a lot of that is tied to the role of the bartender themselves. Bill Savage is a Chicago historian, writer, teacher, and long-time bartender going back some 30 years. All of that has led to him being one of the most important voices in Chicago's drinking culture, and that of our entire country. His new project, The Old Time Saloon originally written by George Ade and resurrected by Bill, kicks off today's conversation. And it serves as great window into many topics relevant to today's craft beer drinker.

Chicago’s beer story is an historical one, full of the bawdiness that to this day continues the association of beer with the rougher parts of our civility. It’s political - in the burbs is where the temperance movement spawned, we’ve had workers riots and rallies, and our alderman would use their saloons to sway the vote. As American craft brewing brings beer back to the local, and hyperlocal level, some of these histories don’t seem so remote. Tied houses, saloon culture, and good old-fashioned bartending are newly refreshed in their relevance to our daily experience, but the ways in which history repeats itself are sometimes not what we expect.

Are breweries with taprooms the same concern as tied houses a hundred years ago? Does local mean the same thing in contemporary craft brewing? What’s the role of a bar when it’s not just the corner spot but some sort of craft beer concept, or a sports bar.

And for today’s guest, a lot of that is tied to the role of the bartender themselves.

Bill Savage is a Chicago historian, writer, teacher, and long-time bartender going back some 30 years.

All of that has led to him being one of the most important voices in Chicago’s drinking culture, and that of our entire country.

His new project, The Old Time Saloon originally written by George Ade and resurrected by Bill, kicks off today’s conversation. And it serves as great window into many topics relevant to today’s craft beer drinker.

Chicago’s beer story is an historical one, full of the bawdiness that to this day continues the association of beer with the rougher parts of our civility. It’s political - in the burbs is where the temperance movement spawned, we’ve had workers riots and rallies, and our alderman would use their saloons to sway the vote. As American craft brewing brings beer back to the local, and hyperlocal level, some of these histories don’t seem so remote. Tied houses, saloon culture, and good old-fashioned bartending are newly refreshed in their relevance to our daily experience, but the ways in which history repeats itself are sometimes not what we expect.

Are breweries with taprooms the same concern as tied houses a hundred years ago? Does local mean the same thing in contemporary craft brewing? What’s the role of a bar when it’s not just the corner spot but some sort of craft beer concept, or a sports bar.

And for today’s guest, a lot of that is tied to the role of the bartender themselves.

Bill Savage is a Chicago historian, writer, teacher, and long-time bartender going back some 30 years.

All of that has led to him being one of the most important voices in Chicago’s drinking culture, and that of our entire country.

His new project, The Old Time Saloon originally written by George Ade and resurrected by Bill, kicks off today’s conversation. And it serves as great window into many topics relevant to today’s craft beer drinker.

We've got what I consider a bucket-list interview today. In the past, I've been thrilled to sit down with people like Sam Calagione, Lauren Limbach (formerly Salazar), Jim Koch, Garrett Oliver, Bill Covaleski, and others who were so fundamental to the world of beer that we enjoy now with all its diversity, innovation, and re-invention of the model. These are people who made it all happen by practically rubbing two sticks together. And because of that, almost anyone willing to put in the work has the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. But of course, for breweries like Allagash, their story isn't all about the past. Allagash, one of my north star breweries, is a company still making big moves and leading the way on things like regional agriculture, wild ales and, more recently, within the Brewers Association. Founder Rob Tod started Allagash in 1995 with a Belgian White Ale. But these days, his most important role is arguably his post at the Brewers Association as he helps them welcome in a new generation of brewers, sometimes referred to as the "long tail." Alongside his brewmaster, Jason Perkins, he's also helping lead conversations on resourcing and quality that are critical to craft beer, as a niche, not missing a step on its longterm growth trajectory. And one of the things I admire about Allagash the most is its ability to focus on what's possible in craft brewing rather than complaining about the things that have always held it back. Beer is a competitive industry with a lot of different kind of players, but for Allagash's part, it seems as though there aren't enough hours in the day to devote to all the positive, impactful things that a brewery connected to its community can accomplish. And that kind of attitude comes through in every person I've ever met from the company. But especially this guy.

We’ve got what I’d consider a bucket-list interview today. In the past, I’ve been thrilled to site down with people like Sam Calagione, Jim Koch, and Bill Covaleski and others who were so fundamental to the world of beer that we enjoy now with all its diversity, innovation, and re-invention of the model. These are people who made it all happen by practically rubbing two sticks together. And because of that, almost anyone willing to put in the work has the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. 

But of course, for breweries like Allagash, their story isn’t all about the past. Allagash, one of my north star breweries, is a company still making big moves and leading the way on things like regional agriculture, wild ales, and more recently within the Brewers Association. 

Founder Rob Tod started Allagash in 1995 with a Belgian white ale. But these days his most important role is arguably his post at the Brewers Association as he helps them welcome in a new generation of brewers, sometimes referred to as the "long tail." Alongside his brewmaster, Jason Perkins, he’s also helping lead conversations on resourcing and quality that are critical to craft beer, as a niche, not missing a step on its long-term growth trajectory. 

And one of the things I admire about Allagash the most is its ability to focus on what’s possible in craft brewing rather than complaining about the things that have always held it back. Beer is a competitive industry with a lot of different kinds of players, but for Allagash’s part, it seems as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to devote to all the positive, impactful things that a brewery connected to its community can accomplish. And that kind of attitude comes through in every person I’ve ever met from the brewery.

We’ve got what I’d consider a bucket-list interview today. In the past, I’ve been thrilled to site down with people like Sam Calagione, Jim Koch, and Bill Covaleski and others who were so fundamental to the world of beer that we enjoy now with all its diversity, innovation, and re-invention of the model. These are people who made it all happen by practically rubbing two sticks together. And because of that, almost anyone willing to put in the work has the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. 

But of course, for breweries like Allagash, their story isn’t all about the past. Allagash, one of my north star breweries, is a company still making big moves and leading the way on things like regional agriculture, wild ales, and more recently within the Brewers Association. 

Founder Rob Tod started Allagash in 1995 with a Belgian white ale. But these days his most important role is arguably his post at the Brewers Association as he helps them welcome in a new generation of brewers, sometimes referred to as the "long tail." Alongside his brewmaster, Jason Perkins, he’s also helping lead conversations on resourcing and quality that are critical to craft beer, as a niche, not missing a step on its long-term growth trajectory. 

And one of the things I admire about Allagash the most is its ability to focus on what’s possible in craft brewing rather than complaining about the things that have always held it back. Beer is a competitive industry with a lot of different kinds of players, but for Allagash’s part, it seems as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to devote to all the positive, impactful things that a brewery connected to its community can accomplish. And that kind of attitude comes through in every person I’ve ever met from the brewery.

Our resident composer for the podcast and our commercial video work, Andrew Thiboldeaux, is writing original scores devoted to beers he finds fascinating. These are interpretations of the experience of drinking them. But they're also just great tunes. This episode is devoted to Trophy Brewing Co's Trophy Wife Session IPA

Our resident composer for the podcast and our commercial video work, Andrew Thiboldeaux, is writing original scores devoted to beers he finds fascinating. These are interpretations of the experience of drinking them. But they're also just great tunes. 

This episode is devoted to Trophy Brewing Co's Trophy Wife Session IPA