Our guest today is Lauren Kendzierski of the late Black Rabbit Farm Brewery in Southwick, MA.

She did beer the way I did. Only more authentic and actually on a farm. Sadly, we can’t taste her beer now that her brewery has closed but we can hear the story and feel the passion that went into every bottle.

And I hope that both of those come through in this interview. She tells her story from inspiration to construction all the way to distribution and final dissolution. There’s a lot in there and I’m eternally grateful that she took the time to share it.

She knows her shit. She’s an artist. She even understands business. But as we’ll hear over the next couple of hours, it wasn’t enough to keep her farmhouse brewery alive.

You’ll notice I’m a little annoyed and maybe a little sad during parts of this interview. Lauren and her team got to do what I wanted to do. My long-term plan was to get back to the land and make beer the way they did. I’m well-aware now that it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of story, except maybe to add a few hundred thousand more to the amount of money I lost. But imagining how those days were spent still makes me nostalgic about it.

I hope you enjoy this episode and Lauren’s brewery’s story as much as I enjoyed recording it for you. Cheers and listen in.

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Our guest today is Dean Brundage of New Republic Brewing Company. 

Like any good drama, this is a story of love, hope, betrayal and complete annihilation. He and his business partner started their brewery together with stars in their eyes back in 2010. Only a few years later their disagreements turned into Dean being forced out of the company he helped found, create and build. New Republic has always had a cult following here in TX and to this day they have a legion of loyal fans. These guys produced a selection of straightforward beer styles with recognizable packaging that should have had a brighter future. I’m fond of saying that I don’t interview assholes that make shitty beer in ugly packaging and New Republic is a perfect fit for this podcast. Well, at least the partner I interviewed anyways…… 

We recorded this episode at The 101 in Bryan/College Station and owner Jeremy joined us in drinking, commenting and even a little bit in lamenting the direction this industry we all love is headed. I do want to apologize for some of the audio. There were some fans blowing and some cars passing by. I’ve cleaned it up substantially but there are some noises inherent with on-site interviews. I think loosening Dean’s lips with a steady flow of beer and the addition of Jeremy’s insights was worth the little bumps in the audio. I hope you agree. Dean also references how to take a deeper dive into the emotions and truth of exactly how he got ousted from the brewery he helped imagine into existence. His wife Adrienne had some things to say and I love it. 

Here's that blog post. 

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Our guest today is Chad Mitchell from Mixtape Beverages in SouthEast Asia. 

He shared the story of his day job, BeerVana International with us in Episode 16 so if you haven't listened to that one yet, I'd recommend you do that first. 

His brewery is contract-brewed, which I'm starting to think might be one of the best business models under 10K annual BBL of production. He's got a ton of useful insights and stories to share and he's just a blast to hang out with. 

Sit back and listen, you might just learn something. 

Our guest today is Chad Mitchell  from BeerVana International in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. They distribute beer from all over the world but have an especially strong affinity for what we call American Craft Beer. As you'll hear, they are an anomaly in beer distribution; they actually care about the art and craft of the beer they represent. They believe in giving honest feedback, legitimate sales projections and partying like you love your job. They are beer nerds in a beer job and just listening to Chad's passion should inspire you to be better at what you do.

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Your best friend Harry has a brother Larry

While the lyrics of that 1989 Young MC jam have nothing to do with this episode, they’ve been bangin’ around in my head while I’ve edited it so now they’re in yours.

Our guest today is none other than the ubiquitous Harry Schumacher, the founder, writer, editor, podcaster and all-around badass at Beer Business Daily.

His is a publication that’s been reporting about beer and the business of beer since before most of us even know that it was possible to make beer that wasn’t fizzy yellow piss water.

He’s seen Kings made, empires fall and has insight into what makes the encumbant leaders in the beer business tick. He knows these CEOs personally and has reported on their successes as much as their failures.

And that’s why I wanted to have him on the show. He shares a perspective that most of us didn’t even know that we didn’t know. Since we only talk to other craft beer guys, we tend to miss some of the macro business metrics that drive the broader beer market. But Harry was generous enough to share his insights with us. So buckle in and knuckle up because Harry is about to take us on a big beer ride.

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Today we are joined by Laron Cheek from the late Rabbit Hole Brewery outside of Fort Worth. Laron and his co-founders learned the hard way that owning a brewery is hard. Like really hard.

During the time we shared together Laron offered advice about distribution, packaging and management. He's got opinions about the state laws here in TX, what it would take to actually run a profitable brewery and how inane online beer reviews can be. 

But it's the poem he wrote and presented as a toast on the final day the brewery was open that really struck me. 

So we'll begin this episode with the final words he spoke to friends and family on his retirement day. 

" As this journey down the rabbit hole is coming to an end, 

And although we've all gone mad, I'm proud to call you friend. 

As we toast this final brew, from our heart and from our soul, 

We thank you all for joining us, down the Rabbit Hole. "

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Our guest today is Alan Ward from Brigadoon Brewery and Brew School. Alan’s brewery is likely one of the most unique beer producers in the US.

They are located on the grounds of the Texas Renaissance Festival, are only open 19 days per year, and even brew some of their beer on equipment and using techniques from 500 years ago.

Alan has served as president of District Texas of the Master Brewer’s Association of the Americas and he hosts a bi-weekly radio show reviewing beer. So he knows how to make beer and how to taste beer. But it’s his experience opening and, subsequently closing, a second location South of Houston that interested me in having him on the show.

His story offers some insights and experiences in everything from dealing with city government to the challenges of self-distribution.

Please open your minds and open your ears because Alan is about to teach us How NOT to Start A Damn Brewery. 

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