Homebrewers and small breweries often make very good beer. In this episode of Good Beer Matters we continue exploring the world of small breweries, their evolution and their challenges with Resident Brewing in San Diego, CA.

In this episode of Good Beer Matters we continue our focus on small breweries to answer the questions, with so much good beer and competition out there, how and why do they step into such a competitive world.

Alesation Brewing crafts stories through the beer they brew from their tiny second-story nano brewery in Winchester, VA. They have fused history, culture and wonderful flavors into a glass for every patron willing to sip and listen.

In this episode we talk to Randy Scorby who was the 2011 American Homebrewer Association Brewer of the year and a Grand Master level 3 BJCP judge. He shares his experience with beer and travel as well as walks us through how to taste beer like a Master judge.

We all have been to pubs and breweries where a beer is just a beer.  We’ve also been to these places that try to create something special, where the beer is elevated.  But there is one brewery where the exceptional beer is only one small part of a larger story. I’m talking about Worthy Brewing in Bend, Oregon.

John Maier is the wizard behind the brew at Rogue Brewery in Newport, OR and has been the head brewer since nearly the beginning in 1988.  Still a homebrewer at heart, he has been a brewing innovator and somewhat of a godfather to the Northwest brewing community, and therefore the country, and even the world.  Some of the topics we discussed are his impressive plans for his eventual retirement, his surprising source of inspiration and how it felt to have brewed more than 20,000 beers.

Dan and Sarah Gamber are insatiable travelers having visited more than 60 countries and have literally spent years of their lives abroad.  They recently traveled for a year with their children.  Then, after returning to Portland, they started planning to move to Spain to continue feeding their wanderlust.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to ask them to share their experiences and their stories of good beer abroad.

Mauricio Mata, an American from Oregon, opened Stone Castle Brewing and Portland Ale House in Valencia Spain.  He is a part of a craft beer movement by brewing and serving NW American style beers with a distinct Mediterranean influence in the coastal city.  In this conversation, Mata shares his story of origin and execution as we explore craft beer in Spain.

I hope you enjoy episode 2 of Good Beer Matters with Mauricio Mata from Valencia, Spain.

Thank you for listening. ¡Salud!

Deschutes Brewery in Bend Oregon was founded in 1988 by Gary Fish and is now one of the top 10 Craft Breweries in the U.S.  It shares the honor of the top ten with breweries such as Yuengling, Boston Beer Company, Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium.  But there is more to Deschutes than just amazing beer. 

Good Beer Matters is a show about great beer, great friends and the experiences we create together.  It serves as a training hub for beer professionals and enthusiasts.