Time for a good old-fashioned debate. This week, we dive into the now-infamous New York Times opinion piece by famed journalist Mark Robichaux, “Wacky Labels and Silly Names are Killing Craft Beer”.

With a few prominent craft beer industry leaders already having responded, we figured we should throw our expert opinions out there as well, just in case. With Bethany being a professional brewer for much of her career, Ron and Phaedra coming at it from the retail perspective, Matt as a distributor, and Doug as an avid consumer, we share our takes and see where things make sense and what parts fall flat, like those half-cans of Rainier you used to save for breakfast.

Crack a fresh one, tune in, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. Are silly names and wacky labels really killing craft beer?

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and Comic-Con merch. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 167: Wacky Podcasts Are Killing the Craft Beer Industry appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

We’re back, baby! The Washington Brewers Guild‘s 2025 Washington Craft Beer Summit took place this week in SeaTac, Washington, bringing nearly 100 Washington breweries together under one roof to meet with vendors, attend expert lectures, and crown the first-ever Washington Craft Beer Hall of Fame inductees. We posted up for a live recording on the showroom floor again this year and had the chance to hang with a few friends.

First was Bryson Foster, a fellow Tacoman who owns and operates Foster’s Creative, a local digital marketing business. Bryson filled us in on his Summit lecture regarding the future of marketing in the craft beer world.

We were also joined by Larry Rock again. Since we last talked, this local craft beer legend retired from Reuben’s Brews for all of one month before joining forces with his long-time buddy Mike Sutherland to help sell the award-winning White Bluffs beer.

Tune in for some tips on marketing in the world of AI, and catch up with Larry to see what has him excited about his recent work.

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and what Washington beer legends should be inducted next year. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 166: Live from the 2025 Washington Craft Beer Summit  appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

Happy Halloween, Grit & Grain family! This week, we thought we’d dress up as a super serious political podcast.

Just kidding!

But we were indeed joined by the 10th District Representative and former Tacoma mayor, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, who joined us this week to fill us in on the current government shutdown, her history in Tacoma, and her love of craft beer (including her and Matt’s shared love of a certain Belgian dark strong ale).

Tune in this week to dial the scope out and hear what’s happening on the national stage as we sink deeper into a government shutdown and inch closer to a lapse in SNAP benefits for working families.

**Please consider donating to local food security organizations like the Emergency Food Network, Feed 253, or contact your local food bank.**

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and favorite curse words. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 165: Budget Battles and Belgian Beer w/Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

It’s beer and cheese week! Beer industry veteran, professional cheesemonger, and German language educator, Ericka Baird, joined us this week to talk about everything beer and cheese.

We picked up a variety of cheeses, from real Wisconsin curds to the world-famous Rogue River Bleu, and tried them alongside a few beers chosen by Matt. Ericka and Matt walk us through the pairings, and we see what works and what doesn’t.  And of course, Ericka drops an insane amount of history with every new creamery we explored.

Open a fresh Kraft Single and tune in to learn why this was Ron and Doug’s favorite week ever, which cheese style smells like an actual foot, and why drinking directly from a fondue fountain is completely justified.   

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and most seductive pairing theories. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 164: Pairing Beer and Cheese with Ericka Baird  appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

The Great American Beer Festival wrapped up last weekend, and Ron attended for the second time with Peaks & Pints regular, Grit & Grain listener, and travel buddy, Bryan Johnson. Their four-day epic adventure had everything from hostile tap takeovers, $300 Lyft rides, Mexican food with a side of cliff diving, and, of course, a silent disco.

Tune in for all the details, plus Bethany and Matt went on their own beer-filled field trips, too!

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your most creative theories on what mysterious life-form evolves from the puddles of beer and regret on the Colorado Convention Center. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 163: GABF Adventures with Bryan and Ron appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

Our best buddies at Vice Beer just celebrated their 3-year anniversary, so we figured it would be the perfect time to get owner, operator, and North Bank beer ambassador Michael Perozzo back on the mic for his third Grit & Grain appearance.

Running a brewery three years out of a global pandemic comes with lots of ups and downs, but as you’ll hear on this week’s episode, it’s been a lot of ups lately! The Vice team is prepping for a major remodel and expansion of their brewery space, welcoming a new brewer into the fold (with a WILD resumè), and they are gearing up for a potential major media partnership.

Tune in for all the latest news and, of course, snag the next Vice beer you see!

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and what Atari elements should be added to Vice Beer’s new 18 x 64 patio dreamscape. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 162: Michael Perozzo, Part 3 appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

Back again with another hoppy episode this week! This time, we wanted to change it up and give you all a peek behind the curtain at a yearly industry tradition.

During hop harvest season, brewers from all over the world come to Yakima to rub elbows with industry friends and rub hops to find out which lots and blends they’ll be using for the following year. Matt and Ron were lucky enough to be invited to join Lucky Envelope Brewing for its hop selection process.

Tune in to find out what the process is like, what other brewers we saw on our trip, why some breweries might or might not participate, and for all the highlights of the day and our favorite hop varietals.

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and favorite smells. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 161: Hop Selection Connection appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

Nestled quietly in the margins of Oktoberfest and fresh hop season, pumpkin beers lay waiting to provide a reprieve from the punchy wet hopped IPAs and robust Marzen lagers.

This week, we quickly sample 15 different pumpkin beers currently on the shelves. What pumpkin beers are our favorites? Which ones are kind of weird? Which ones stand the test of time, despite numerous years in production and the emergence of new competitors?

Sheath your ego. Quell your pride. Embrace the pumpkin spice. It is here for you. It is here for all of us.

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and if you have found the “Rocky Horror” inspired, Gourdammit, Janet! You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 160: Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

This is super special! We all know Yakima is known for its incredible hop agriculture, but what many folks may not know is that the modern hop industry has its roots a little closer to Tacoma.

This week, we are lucky to be joined by Shelly Schlumpf, president of the Puyallup Historical Society at Meeker Mansion. As a long-time veteran of public service in the Puyallup area, Shelly has spent her career helping folks connect more with their community and history and has turned her sights onto hops. Her team and the City of Puyallup are embracing our favorite resinous flower with a new living museum dedicated to the history and agriculture of hops in the Valley, and to the work of famed Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker to catalog what became known as Hop Culture in America.

Tune in for details on this amazing project, some fantastic Ezra Meeker facts, and a story of actual buried treasure that you won’t believe!

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and suggestions for what you’d like to drink at the forthcoming Hop Museum in Puyallup. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio. We would also appreciate it if you could leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 159: Mansions and Museums in the Mecca of Hops appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

That’s right! Besides being fresh hop season, pumpkin season, and festbier season, it’s also homebrew competition season.

We’re lucky to be joined this week by Dustin Striplin from the Browns Point Homebrew Club to talk about their iconic Lights Out! Dark Beers Only competition making its return. With him is Phil Saurer, representing both Browns Point and the still young Peninsula Fermentation Society, to introduce their brand new All-American Homebrew Competition, featuring only American-developed styles of beer.

Tune in to hear what sort of work goes into running these events, the challenges organizers face, and if you’re a brewer yourself, jot down the info you need to register for these two exceptional competitions and get critical feedback on improving your beers at home.

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and where you can enter your Lucky Charms marshmallow dry-hopped mead. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 158: Homebrew Competition Season! appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.