Good Beer Hunting

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

At this point of the American brewing industry, it's safe to say beer is many things to many different people. It can be nothing more than a drink or maybe something to be discussed, but at an increasing rate, it's also become the core of serious study. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham is many things. She's a teacher, writer, homebrewer, community activist, and more. In many ways, beer finds itself at the center of her wide-ranging universe. As Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Randolph College, she teaches on topics of media and technology, but she's also long examined the connections between beer and its place in American culture, often through an analysis of people and histories that tell the beneficial and challenging sides of the industry. For generations, beer has acted as a foundation for so many other aspects of our lives. It's not just a packaged good or something poured from a tap, but a major piece of our social structure, for good or bad. J.'s work provides context to the stories and myths that surround this beloved thing—a fermented beverage that can bring people together and, at times, push them apart. With a complex history and culture, beer is a way to better understand the psychological and social realities that surround our lives. It's a part of who we are, and, as J. shared with me, there's not always easy answers to the difficult questions beer can raise—as a product or focus of academic study.

I’m Bryan Roth, and you’re listening to the Good Beer Hunting podcast.

At this point of the American brewing industry, it’s safe to say beer is many things to many different people. It can be nothing more than a drink or maybe something to be discussed, but in an increasing rate, it’s also become the core of serious study.

J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham is many things. She’s a teacher, writer, homebrewer, community activist and more. In many ways, beer finds itself at the center of her wide-ranging universe. As Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Randolph College, J teaches on topics of media and technology, but she’s also long examined the connections between beer and its place in American culture, often through an analysis of people and histories that tell the beneficial and challenging sides of the industry.

For generations, beer has acted as a foundation for so many other aspects of our lives. It’s not just a packaged good or something poured from a tap, but a major piece of our social structure, for good or bad. J’s work provides context to the stories and myths that surround this beloved thing - a fermented beverage that can bring people together and .. at times … push them apart.

With a complex history and culture, beer is a way to better understand the psychological and social realities that surround our lives. It’s a part of who we are … and as J shared with me, there’s not always easy answers to the difficult questions beer can raise - as a product or focus of academic study.

I’m Bryan Roth, and you’re listening to the Good Beer Hunting podcast.

At this point of the American brewing industry, it’s safe to say beer is many things to many different people. It can be nothing more than a drink or maybe something to be discussed, but in an increasing rate, it’s also become the core of serious study.

J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham is many things. She’s a teacher, writer, homebrewer, community activist and more. In many ways, beer finds itself at the center of her wide-ranging universe. As Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Randolph College, J teaches on topics of media and technology, but she’s also long examined the connections between beer and its place in American culture, often through an analysis of people and histories that tell the beneficial and challenging sides of the industry.

For generations, beer has acted as a foundation for so many other aspects of our lives. It’s not just a packaged good or something poured from a tap, but a major piece of our social structure, for good or bad. J’s work provides context to the stories and myths that surround this beloved thing - a fermented beverage that can bring people together and .. at times … push them apart.

With a complex history and culture, beer is a way to better understand the psychological and social realities that surround our lives. It’s a part of who we are … and as J shared with me, there’s not always easy answers to the difficult questions beer can raise - as a product or focus of academic study.

Ask a beer lover, and there are plenty of cities whose names can be synonymous with the drink they love. San Diego, Grand Rapids, Portland, Fort Collins ... Portland again. In North Carolina, Asheville has long held that designation, gaining local and national attention, but part of the fun of watching beer's growth can be the creation and explosion of cultures in new places. In recent years, that's been the case in Charlotte, North Carolina, about two hours away from Asheville and now home to about 20 breweries and a burgeoning beer scene. One person who's had a unique perspective of seeing this happen is Alexa Long, head brewer at Legion Brewing, an almost two-year-old business in the city's Plaza Midwood neighborhood. After graduating from UNC-Charlotte in 2011 and working locally at a homebrew store, Long went pro at Charlotte's Heist Brewing before joining Legion in fall 2015 and being a part of the crew that earned Legion the title of "best new neighborhood brewery" by Charlotte magazine in 2016. Long's connection to Charlotte provides her a unique perspective of how the city and its love of beer has changed, as drinkers have now come to expect more than just juicy IPA, even if that continues to be a bestseller for Legion and others. As Charlotte's star continues to rise, Long has and continues to be a part of that.

Ask a beer lover, and there are plenty of cities whose names can be synonymous with the drink they love. San Diego, Grand Rapids, Portland, Fort Collins ... Portland again. In North Carolina, Asheville has long held that designation, gaining local and national attention, but part of the fun of watching beer’s growth can be the creation and explosion of cultures in new places.

In recent years, that’s been the case in Charlotte, North Carolina, about two hours away from Asheville and now home to about 20 breweries and a burgeoning beer scene. One person who’s had a unique perspective of seeing this happen is Alexa Long, head brewer at Legion Brewing, an almost two-year-old business in the city’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood.

After graduating from UNC-Charlotte in 2011 and working locally at a homebrew store, Long went pro at Charlotte’s Heist Brewing before joining Legion in fall 2015 and being a part of the crew that earned Legion the title of “best new neighborhood brewery” by Charlotte magazine in 2016.  

Long’s connection to Charlotte provides her a unique perspective of how the city and its love of beer has changed, as drinkers have now come to expect more than just juicy IPA, even if that continues to be a bestseller for Legion and others. As Charlotte’s star continues to rise, Long has and continues to be a part of that.

Ask a beer lover, and there are plenty of cities whose names can be synonymous with the drink they love. San Diego, Grand Rapids, Portland, Fort Collins ... Portland again. In North Carolina, Asheville has long held that designation, gaining local and national attention, but part of the fun of watching beer’s growth can be the creation and explosion of cultures in new places.

In recent years, that’s been the case in Charlotte, North Carolina, about two hours away from Asheville and now home to about 20 breweries and a burgeoning beer scene. One person who’s had a unique perspective of seeing this happen is Alexa Long, head brewer at Legion Brewing, an almost two-year-old business in the city’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood.

After graduating from UNC-Charlotte in 2011 and working locally at a homebrew store, Long went pro at Charlotte’s Heist Brewing before joining Legion in fall 2015 and being a part of the crew that earned Legion the title of “best new neighborhood brewery” by Charlotte magazine in 2016.  

Long’s connection to Charlotte provides her a unique perspective of how the city and its love of beer has changed, as drinkers have now come to expect more than just juicy IPA, even if that continues to be a bestseller for Legion and others. As Charlotte’s star continues to rise, Long has and continues to be a part of that.

In the age of hyper-local craft, we have a competing—or perhaps complementary?—narrative in the U.S., and that's heritage brands. You may have heard my counterpart, Matthew Curtis (who's based in London), mention the UK's traditional breweries more than once. It's an interesting dynamic having young, upstart craft brands entering the market alongside these elder statesmen who are sometimes hundreds of years old, and both sets of companies are trying to reach drinkers with a message about quality and craftsmanship. To U.S. ears, it's a bit like listening in on a bizarro universe. We simply don't have much of that traditional brewery credibility left because of prohibition. Most U.S. drinkers only rewind the tape as far as Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams. If you're from Pennsylvania like me, you might think of Yuengling (founded in 1829). Or in Minnesota, perhaps Schell's comes to mind (founded in 1860). But those are the wonderful exceptions that prove the rule. By and large, the U.S. doesn't have a traditional brewing scene. One other exception, this time on the west coast, is Anchor Brewing Company. Founded in 1896, it's largely known for its Steam Beer, or the California Common, arguably the only wholly-American-invented style of beer. It even owns the trademark on that. It operated in regional obscurity for almost 100 years before Fritz Maytag bought it and saved it from closure. Without that beer, the story goes, breweries like Sierra Nevada may have never started. Anchor is still brewing its open fermentation beers, as well as many newer styles, in the location on Potrero Hill it moved to in 1979. But in 2010, it was purchased by The Griffin Group, an investment company specializing in alcoholic beverages. Shortly after, the brewery started distilling spirits. Through all those years, the changes have been few, including the changes in brewmaster. And the latest shift in that role happened quite recently, leading to a host of new beer offerings that straddle the line between the traditional brewing approach of Anchor, and the constantly evolving craft beer industry of 2017. Scott Ungermann has taken the weighty rings of this storied business and is combining his longstanding desire to have his own brewery with his experience at Anheuser-Busch to help bring Anchor along into the next generation ever so delicately.

In the age of hyper-local craft, we have a competing or perhaps complimentary narrative in the US — and that’s heritage brands.

You may have heard my counter-part, Matthew Curtis who is based in London mention the UK traditional breweries more than once. It’s an interesting dynamic having young, upstart craft brands entering the market alongside these traditional brands, sometimes hundreds of years old, both trying to reach the drinker with message about quality and craftsmanship.

To US ears, it’s a bit like listening in on a bizarro universe because we simply don’t have much of that traditional brewery credibility left due to prohibition. Most US drinkers only rewind the tape as far as Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams. If your from Pennsylvania, like me, you might think of Yuengling from 1829. Or in Minnesota, perhaps Schell’s comes to mind from 1828. But those are the wonderful exceptions that prove the rule - by and large, the US doesn’t have a traditional brewing scene.

One exception on the west coast is Anchor. Founded in 1896, it’s largely known for its Steam Beer, or the California Common, arguably the only wholly-American-invented style of beer. It even owns the trademark on that. It operated in regional obscurity for almost 100 years before Fritz Maytag bought it and saved it from closure. Without it, the story goes, breweries like Sierra Nevada may have never started.

Anchor is still brewing its open fermentation beers, as well as many newer styles, in the location on Potrero Hill it moved to in 1979. But in 2010 it was purchased by The Griffin Group, an investment company specializing in alcoholic beverages, and shortly after the brewery also started distilling spirits.

Through all those years, the changes have been few, including the changes in brewmaster. And the latest shift in that role happened quite recently, leading to a host of new beer offerings that straddle the line between the traditional brewing approach of Anchor, and the constantly evolving craft beer industry of 2017.

Scott Ungermann has taken the weighty rings of Anchor Brewing and is bringing his long-standing desire to have his own brewery, combined with his experience at Anheuser Busch, to help bring Anchor along into the next generation ever so delicately.

In the age of hyper-local craft, we have a competing or perhaps complimentary narrative in the US — and that’s heritage brands.

You may have heard my counter-part, Matthew Curtis who is based in London mention the UK traditional breweries more than once. It’s an interesting dynamic having young, upstart craft brands entering the market alongside these traditional brands, sometimes hundreds of years old, both trying to reach the drinker with message about quality and craftsmanship.

To US ears, it’s a bit like listening in on a bizarro universe because we simply don’t have much of that traditional brewery credibility left due to prohibition. Most US drinkers only rewind the tape as far as Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams. If your from Pennsylvania, like me, you might think of Yuengling from 1829. Or in Minnesota, perhaps Schell’s comes to mind from 1828. But those are the wonderful exceptions that prove the rule - by and large, the US doesn’t have a traditional brewing scene.

One exception on the west coast is Anchor. Founded in 1896, it’s largely known for its Steam Beer, or the California Common, arguably the only wholly-American-invented style of beer. It even owns the trademark on that. It operated in regional obscurity for almost 100 years before Fritz Maytag bought it and saved it from closure. Without it, the story goes, breweries like Sierra Nevada may have never started.

Anchor is still brewing its open fermentation beers, as well as many newer styles, in the location on Potrero Hill it moved to in 1979. But in 2010 it was purchased by The Griffin Group, an investment company specializing in alcoholic beverages, and shortly after the brewery also started distilling spirits.

Through all those years, the changes have been few, including the changes in brewmaster. And the latest shift in that role happened quite recently, leading to a host of new beer offerings that straddle the line between the traditional brewing approach of Anchor, and the constantly evolving craft beer industry of 2017.

Scott Ungermann has taken the weighty rings of Anchor Brewing and is bringing his long-standing desire to have his own brewery, combined with his experience at Anheuser Busch, to help bring Anchor along into the next generation ever so delicately.