Happy New Year you beautiful nerds!

If you’re partaking in Dry January or just need a reason to try out some non-alcoholic options, the Grit & Grain has you covered this week. We are joined by Three Magnets Brewing Head Brewer Aaron Blonden, the brains behind the most exciting (and FIRST) N/A beer project in Washington state.  Titled “Self Care” the N/A line has exploded in popularity and into 41 states with its uniquely flavorful and true-to-style N/A options. Aaron fills us in on their approach to the project, their Start Engine investment campaign, and their plans for 2025.

Crack a beer (or don’t) and tune in!

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your New Year’s resolutions. 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 126: Dry January Special with Aaron Blonden from Self Care/3 Magnets appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

It’s pre-Christmas week and we have a doozy!  The famous Texas Dave and insanely skilled Ted O’Hanlan hung out this week to give us the scoop on their work at Seattle’s new sweetheart brewery, Here Today. Fresh off their many wins at Washington Beer Awards and SIP Magazine honors, they break down the brewery concepts origins, the invaluable help from industry titan Averie Swanson, and their artistic approach to bending beer traditions.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your favorite French Horn melody. 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 125: French Horns and Best Bitters with Texas Dave and Ted O’Hanlan from Here Today appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

It’s that time of year! This week, The Grit & Grain Podcast pulled a few of our favorite winter beers from this season so far and a few iconic examples from the past that you know and love.  Grab a can or bottle of your favorite toffee and spice-filled brown beer and get a little toasty with us while we answer some burning questions — like WTF is the difference between winter warmers and winter ales?

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your favorite winter warmer. 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 124: Getting Toasty with Winter Warmers appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

Whether you’re in the beginning stages of starting up a brewery, ready to expand your beer business with a new taproom location, or just a humble home brewer with a dream, we’re here to help you make smart financial decisions.  Joining us this week is our buddy Austin Patjens of Heritage Bank. When Austin isn’t fresh hop hunting (see Episode 119), he spends his days helping small businesses start and grow through the SBA lending program.

Tune in for some fantastic resources for beginners, key things to remember when applying for business loans, and some of the green lights he looks for in applications.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments and opinions. 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!

Check out the links below for more information on financial resources for small businesses:

America’s SBDC Washington 

SCORE

Business Impact NW

Craft3

Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise

Washington Center For Women’s In Business

The post Episode 123: Bottles and Cans, Dollars and Sense appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

It’s been a wild few weeks in the beer world around the Pacific Northwest:  Breweries closing, local beer brands changing hands, and a new family-owned distributor enters the chat with the purchase of a beloved local distribution company. So much news so little time! Plus, Matt takes us on a journey of his awkward hotel stay during Northbank Beer Week and catches us up on our F*@#-Up Story quota with some classic beer delivery tomfoolery.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your favorite Airways Brewing beer you’ll miss when they close Nov. 27. 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 122: Union busting and weird hotel vibes appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

Stop #2 of the Grit & Grain roadshow is in the books!  Our best buddy and director of events for the Washington Brewers Guild, Shawna Cormier, invited us to record live from the showroom floor at one of the best craft beer conferences in the country., Washington Craft Beer Summit.

Tune in while we catch up with Shawna for the first half of the episode — talking about what it takes to run a professional beer conference and her surprise hidden talent.  We were also lucky enough to get some beer ingredient insights from our friends Colin Harvin of Omega Yeast and Jon Mendrick of Country Malt Group.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your secret beer title. 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 121: Live at Washington Craft Beer Summit appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

We’re on location for Episode 120 — hanging out at Brewallup Craft Beer Festival in Puyallup! The crew trekked over to the birthplace of the Pacific Northwest hop industry to sit down with a few fantastic speed round guests and try some wonderful beers being poured at one of the best beer fests in Washington.

Crack a local beer for this one and tune in to hear about the hop history of Puyallup, Ron’s new house beer made by Vancouver’s award-winning Loowit Brewing, and we catch up with our buddy AJ Wiltrout from Caskcades who announces some big changes for their beer business.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your suggestion for a new GABF theme area. 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 120: Do the Brewallup! appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

That’s right!  One hundred forty!  But it wasn’t us; it was the two most diligent fresh hop hounds in Tacoma: Michael McCourt and Austin Patjens.  Our good buddies hung out with us on Episode 119 to relive their 2024 fresh hop journey including heavy hitters, surprise home runs, and a few that got away.  We discuss this year’s fresh hop beer award winners. We also debate McCourt and Patjens’ top 10 fresh hop beers for 2024.

Crack any leftover fresh hops you have, join us for this awesome recap, and be sure to take notes so you know the breweries to keep an eye out for next year.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your favorite fresh hop beers. 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 119: We Tried 140 Fresh Hop Beers! appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

The Great American Beer Festival just wrapped up and after nearly a year of speculation on the changes being rumored at the biggest craft beer awards show and festival, we were eager to grab a local friend and long-time beer industry professional, Urban Family Brewing Sales Manager David Maravilla, to hop on the mic this week. First — to introduce himself to you all, and second — to catch us up on the vibes at this year’s GABF.

Crack a beer, preferably a delicious Urban Family sour, and tune in for stories about life as a young beer rep, convenience store sabotage, and using balloons to attract fellow youths to craft beer festivals.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and your suggestion for a new GABF theme area. 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 118: The Beer Rep’s Journey to GABF with David Maravilla appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

That’s right!  Our good friend and social media savant Rachyl Fojtik is back on the mic again! Sometimes better known by her popular online alias, @beersandbedtime, Rachyl has been newly appointed as the social media manager for the viral new Thorntail Hard Agave beverage. She dives into her strategies for marketing, promoting, and education customers on a brand-new category of beer-adjacent goodness.  She also gives us some updates on new mechanics you should be using on each social media platform to optimize your beer content.

Crack a beer, or a hard agave, and tune in for your social media education.

Tap, tap, tap

Alright, Grit & Grainers! Email us at [email protected] with your comments, opinions, and how you meet like-minded people. 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 117: Hard Agave, Beers, and Bedtime with Rachyl Fojtik appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.