Graining In

An incomplete version of Graining In humbly got the opportunity to speak with brewing legend, Carol Stoudt. Carol is in the process of retiring, but she spent the last 33 years as brewmaster of Stoudt's Brewing Company in Adamstown, PA. While the conclusion of a brewing career longer than either Noah or Matt has been alive would be completely applaudable in its own right, when she founded her brewery (an extension of her family steakhouse), Carol Stoudt became the first female brewmaster/head brewer/brewer-owner/etc. in the United States since prohibition began. Since then, she made Stoudt's one of greater Philadelphia's most important breweries, continually stayed true to the core brewing principles that made her fall in love with beer in the first place, and  simultaneously inspired untold numbers of women to join the craft brewing community. In addition to her story, she talks with Noah about how much the beer industry has (and will continue to) changed, her love of lagers, and why glitter beer really is one of brewing's greatest disgraces. Please enjoy this conversation - Noah had no right having - with likely the most influential woman to ever touch a mash paddle.

Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

The guys make a triu--... well, a return to the solo format! They had a lot of rust to work off, but in the process, Noah recaps his trip to Philadelphia and Matt shares his experience of picking a fight with the wrong star and getting burnt/blinded as a result (seriously). On the eve of another barrel-aged Milo beer, Matty also brings up a phenomena he's noticed repeatedly in the taproom: the strong attraction most customers have towards the brewery's wooden vessels. This leads to a conversations about the overwhelming power of gin barrels, the catharsis from destroying a leaky foeder, and a classic three-bay focused around the holy trinity of carpentry, Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, Ron Swanson, and Jesus Christ himself.
.....Instagram: @GrainingInPod
.....Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

Baxter Key - "The coolest person on Earth" (-Noah's dad), seafood savant, DJ, typophile, and least importantly, this week's guest! Baxter is the co-founder/owner of High Roller Lobster Company, and we get right into its history as Bissell Brothers was one of the first places High Roller's food ever was served (second only to the lawn of Baxter's childhood home). We also get into how he could have ended up in the breakfast game, what it really means to be a High Roller, what merch and travel have done for the brand, and why it actually is ok to hire your friends. Noah repeatedly pitches a questionable stationery store concept, Matt repeatedly says "slaps", while Baxter repeatedly drops knowledge in a way that only he can... there's a lot more going on behind the impeccably coordinated red jumpsuits and sick sideburns than you might expect. Listen, and in the High Roller spirit, have a good time while you do it.

Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

In our first ever hotel room recording, we talk with Matt Miller of Bearded Iris Brewing. Matt's one of three owners of the brewery, an operation that left a huge impression with Noah (and presumably hundreds of other brewers in town) during the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference held in Nashville. The guys talk with him about starting the brewery there, it's evolution since, and also dive into branding, the importance of agility in business, and a  surprising similarity between saison and IPA. We also geek out on flagships, as Bearded Iris Homestyle occupies a very similar roll in the brewery as Substance at Bissell Brothers, despite getting there a very different way. Matt also pulls out an unprecedented response to the three bay with a walk down Nostalgia Avenue that makes this an episode very much worth listening to until the end.

Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

It's finally time to share our conversation with Genevieve Richardson, which was recorded over a month ago on a day marked by broken pipes and an extremely smoky wood stove. In addition to being extremely funny, Gen is the sales manager of Sleek Machine, and our conversation touches on how she manages over 300 accounts, the evolution of what defines "representation" in beer, how Matty would fare in sales, and how seemingly everything in life comes back to the possibilities created from the good ol' genuine human connection. Genevieve's husband (Evan Richardson, #08) and boss (Josh Schlesinger, #02) have both been on the podcast as well, and there's a lot of implications behind what the blatantly superior audio quality of her episode means on a broader scale. Beyond that, there's a lot to be learned from the meticulous concern she applies to her job without ever taking things too seriously. Also: cans, kegs, bottles, and TEMPTATION ISLAND.

Music: “Mountain Climb” by Jake Hill

With the podcast computer safely returned, it seemed only fitting to share a conversation with the man that ultimately got it back to us -- Henry Nguyen. He and his wife own Monkish, which produces some of the most sought-after beer in the US. But instead of talking about the freedoms of success, Henry talked with Matty and Noah exclusively about experiences and emotions that discussed too infrequently in the brewing industry. Between incessant self-doubt, the weight of indecision, fear of the future, and discussing what striving for perfection should cost a person, this was certainly one of the realest and cathartic conversations the podcast has seen. Henry's perspective and honesty is valuable to anyone who's been on either side of the counter of not only any brewery, but any small business, and we hope you get as much from it as we did.
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Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

GRAINING. IN. IS. BACK. 
The guys, back from the City of Angels, are recording on a new computer, and waste no time explaining both why that is and why an episode hasn't come out for three weeks...*spoiler alert*, it's because Noah left his laptop and the trifecta of interviews recorded on them at LAX security. The guys discuss how they each dealt with not having the weekly ritual of the podcast in their lives, share some experiences from the the trip itself (one of which involves two types of "Birds" and feces), and do a little teasing on the episodes that soon be retrieved. How sweet it is to be back in the groove of things.

Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

Fresh off a bottling run of a fruited spruce beer, the guys begin with a back-and-forth about the merits of one of Maine’s few indigenous adjuncts. Then things pivots to the upcoming trip to Los Angeles, with a discussion of their favorite LA movies, the food and beer they’re most excited to enjoy, and their first experience at the Comedy Store. This leads Matty to share a previously-withheld, albeit long-standing resolution: to perform standup! He spends the rest of the episode in extreme discomfort, but in trying to change the subject, drops what just may be the funniest story involving airport security and prescription cough syrup you’ve ever heard.

The guys get blessed with a rare "in-studio" guest this week, with Jacob Buck making the 2.5 hour trek south to Milo, all the way from Mapleton, ME. Jake runs Maine Malt House with his three brothers and their father on their multi-generational family farm. BBB will buy about 200 tons of grain produced by the Buck family in 2020, so their is no shortage of Noah playing fanboy as Jake explains how their farm - which for decades had grown only potatoes - diversified itself by beginning to produce brewer's malt. He paints a succinctly informative picture of the malting process itself, one that Jake and his brother Josh effectively taught themselves how to do at a very high level, despite not knowing beer was brewed with barley for the majority of his life. He also sheds light on the numerous and often surprising challenges farmers face in chasing consistency, as well as discussing the the pros and cons of working with your family and, importantly, the value in treating some breakfast cereals as a rotating crop instead of a base malt. A great conversation with an awesome person doing awesome things.
Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill

Recorded in Framingham, we talk with Matthew Steinberg, founding brewer/owner of Exhibit 'A'. Matt boasts over two decades in the brewing industry, and geeks out hard with the guys on his history in the New England scene, from his time at Harpoon, Mayflower, and Rapscallion. That opens itself up to some really interesting broader conversation on the nature of both ownership and mentorship, with three very different perspectives and paths into beer sitting at the same table. Noah wasn't going to leave the table without talking about Exhibit 'A's acclaimed Kolsch - Goody Two Shoes - which promptly steers the podcast towards talking (a lot) about the oft-forgotten hero of beer, grain, as well as pros and cons of narcissistic naming tendencies, all things rye, and even tires. Undoubtedly one of the most wide-ranging and enjoyable conversations we've had yet. 
Music: "Mountain Climb" by Jake Hill