Modern Brews + Beats Podcast began August 11, 2019. On episode 229, we celebrate our anniversary and interview Stefan King of HopLore Brewing in Leesburg, IN. We've partnered with HopLore to make a collaboration beer for the 5th annual Barrel & Flow Festival in Pittsburgh, PA. Learn more about the beer and Stefan's experience in the restaurant industry before going into brewing. For this episode's Tasting Notes section, Collin Zreet discusses pairings for Irish Red Ale beers. As we celebrate six years of the pod, we are very grateful for your support for this show with reviews at iTunes and Spotify and especially our Patreon supporters. Thank you!

Joe Krutz of Morrilton, Arkansas's Big Cuppa returns to the show to discuss how he's diversifying his coffee operations. In our Tasting Notes segment, Collin Zreet talks about his favorite pairings with Irish Stout-style beers. Speaking of beers, we're discussing New Belgium, New Glarus, Big Beach Brewing, and our upcoming collaboration with HopLore Brewing for Barrel & Flow.

We're excited to welcome back Jon Renthrope, CEO of Cajun Fire Brewing Company in New Orleans, LA. In addition to his work with Cajun Fire, he is now the President of the Board of Directors for the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A). We discuss NB2A, Crafted for Action, exporting Cajun Fire product in Asia, and the latest developments for the East New Orleans Cultural Hub.

For this episode's Tasting Notes segment, Advanced Cicerone Collin Zreet brings pairing suggestions for English Porter-style beers. Be sure to grab your tickets for Collin's upcoming craft beer and chocolate pairing at Central Market Fort Worth on July 8.

Additional discussion points include:

Get ready for Crafted for Action 2026

Our Culture Brewing X Creature Comforts collaboration

Congrats to Vine Street Brewing winning a Gold ADDY award for marketing and design

Soulshine Kolsch from Bentonville Brewing

Do the Hop Thing from Narrow Gauge x Brothas & Craft Beer

DJ Sun - Loveletter

Misha - Flying

Hiroshi Suzuki - Cat

Our September 2024 conversation with Jon Renthrope

Kuumba "Smitty" Smith of Smittox Brewing joins us to discuss Black Eyed Peas' 1998 debut album, Behind the Front. Smitty also shares about his collaborations currently at Oak Cliff Brewing, Balanced Rock Brewing, and False Idol as we prepare for his brewery's grand opening.

In our Tasting Notes segment, Collin Zreet discusses flavors and pairings from three stouts - oatmeal, foriegn extra, and tropical. Be sure to get your tickets for Zreet's craft beer and craft chocolate pairing at Central Market on July 8, 2025.

Tony comes with a new Top Five segment listing his favorite Biggie guest verses in celebration of what would've been The Notorious One's 53rd birthday. Plus, Collin Zreet provides food pairing suggestions for American Stout beers.

Additional notes from the show:

Jazzanova - In Between Live

Mariah Carey celebrating 20 years of The Emancipation of Mimi

Vicki Sometani & MAX RAD

Jeff is a Certified Cicerone based in the Dallas area, a hip-hop fan, and he's one of our "day one" supporters. On episode 223, he shares his experience with coffee classes from White Rock Coffee, and we discuss the sensory comparisons between beer and coffee. In this week's Tasting Notes segment, Collin Zreet shares delicious foods you can pair with American Porter beers. Additional conversation notes include:

Big Cuppa

Bentonville Brewing

Eiland Coffee Roasters

Black Milk and Fat Ray

Bamily

A Tribe Called Quest

And finally, shout out to LaTreace Harris, The Beery Godmother, for the opening tag.

On episode #222 of Modern Brews + Beats, our special guest is B. Bass, CCO and Co-Founder of BVP Coffee Co. Find how this Texas A&M and Howard University alum is making a difference for HBCU students one bag of beans at a time. Plus, Collin Zreet joins us to talk about pairing notes for California Common beers.

New York-based jazz bassist, band leader, and educator Alex Tremblay joins us for episode 221. We discuss (and hear selections from) his latest recording, People and Places on La Reserve Records. Plus, Collin Zreet brings pairing suggestions for American Brown ales.

Tony brings a Late-Ass Album Review segment on Gil-Scott Heron's 1981 album, Reflections. Also, Jerry talks about his experience at Little Beer V in Duluth, GA, and Collin Zreet talks food pairing with American Amber Ale.

We did have some garbles in the show due to connection issues. We tried to remove as much of that as possible and apologize for any interruption in your audio experience.

Additional discussion notes

Yukimi - For You

Jack J - Opening the Door

Smokin' George from Bluejacket (actually 6% abv)

All About Beer

Butcher Brown - Letters From the Atlantic

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - IC 02 Bogota

This audio tour from Kansas City, Missouri's Vine Street Brewing was originally shared with our Patreon audience last year. We decided to share here on the main feed for two reasons. One, our recent experience with Autonomous Society Brewpub's Saturday Night Spin honoring Phife Dawg was a blast. We brewed a small batch just for the event that the crowd really enjoyed. Also, we wanted to interest you in supporting what we do at Patreon. Enjoy the audio tour, Sounds Around Hip Hops Hooray.  Special thanks to Jeff and Greg for their support, Vine Street Brewing, Funkytown Brewing, Friction Brewing, Red Crow Brewing, and all who attended and shared on the podcast.