This week, we’re back on the West Coast for a visit to Modern Times Beer! After having several of their offerings on various episodes of The HOP, a full feature was long overdue. Modern Times was founded by Jacob McKean in 2013 and, (true to its namesake,) the company has become a utopian society for lovers of well-crafted brews. They currently operate 7 locations along the Western seaboard and in 2017 gained the impressive distinction of becoming California’s very first employee-owned brewery. If that’s not enough, Modern Times offers an in-house coffee operation featuring innovative blends, hand-sourced single-origins and even cold brews!

Featured beers: Fruitlands Rosé Sour and Chromatic Illusion Porter (w/ Threes Brewing.) Plus: Stephen & Gabe make a This Week in Gross promise and things get weird behind the scenes at Disney World!

This week, we’re heading back down to the Garden State for one final stop on our New Jersey brewery tour! Husband & wife owners Denise & Leo founded Montclair Brewery in 2014, bringing their Afro-Caribbean roots to the American beer scene. Their eclectic beer lineup is truly impressive, featuring exotic, tropical ingredients such as Baobob fruit and a truly playful, adventurous approach to beer styles. Having visited the taproom not long ago, the boys hop on the mics for several unique offerings, including one beer to render everyone speechless!

Featured beers: Tantrum Sour Stout and Baobiere Golden Ale. Plus: Gabe takes a torch to tiramisu and Stephen picks a fight with America’s pastime.

The boys are back together for a visit to Rogue Ales out of Portland, OR! Founded in 1988 by three former Nike executives, the company is widely recognized as one of the original American microbreweries. True to the name, Rogue is anything but ordinary, known for unique, quirky and memorable twists on classic beer styles. (They once brewed a beer with yeast found in their brewmaster’s beard!) Join us to find out which beer caught Stephen & Gabe off guard and to see if the classic Dead Guy Ale truly lives up to its hype!

Featured beers: Yellow Snow Pilsner w/ Spruce Tips, Batsquatch Hazy IPA and Dead Guy Ale. Plus: An April Fools’ Joke makes our “This Week in Gross” segment and Stephen has a new favorite word!

"Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey." This is the town motto of New Britain, CT and the inspiration for Alvarium Beer Co.! Brian Bugnacki, Chris DeGasero and Mike Larson founded Alvarium in 2017, approaching beer with a philosophy of “Artistry through Industry.” The company has garnered acclaim for a stellar lineup of hazy IPAs, as well as a state-of-the-art taproom hand built by the owners themselves! Our boys sample several (hilariously named) offerings, plus beer news, comedy & more. And in our new weekly segment, Can Art & Crafts, Gabe has the floor to break down the brewery artwork and can designs!

Featured beers: Platinum OG and Honey Shot Double NEIPA w/ Wildflower Honey. Plus: The most NSFW beer description we’ve ever heard and a heated debate over cereal.

This week, the boys head back down to the Garden State for a visit to Hackensack Brewing! The company was founded by Herbert Lamont Barr III and Mike Jones, neighbors with a love of beer in search of a like minded community. Today, their warehouse taproom has become a local favorite, complete with music memorabilia, graffiti artwork and a lineup of incredible brews. First, we bring back our “Taproom Special” segment as Stephen & Gabe drink to stay warm in a parking lot igloo. Then, we’ll head back to the mics for one more Irish Stout (done the New Jersey way!)

Featured beers: Delayed Opening Winter Lager, Hundo West Coast IPA, Politics & Religion Coconut Milkshake DIPA & Moment's Notice Irish Stout. Plus: Gabe drops the most shocking news we’ve ever heard on the show!

In our 2nd annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, Stephen & Gabe return to the Emerald Isle to see what else the Republic has to offer! First, we’ll kick things off with a shot of Irish Whiskey from The Notorious himself, Irishman Conor McGregor. Then we’ll head down to Baltimore to see what Guinness is up to at their Open Gate Brewery, an experimental brewhouse right here in America. Finally, Gabe rounds things out with an offering from Lough Gill Brewing, a family-run, independent operation and the first brewery to grace the Irish borough of Sligo in more than 100 years!

Featured drinks: Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, Guinness Baltimore Blonde, Guinness Gingerbread Spiced Imp. Stout and Lough Gill’s Irish Sloe Barleywine. Plus: How many bad Irish puns can Stephen fit into an episode? Sláinte!

This week, Stephen & Gabe head to the Windy City and visit a brewery known for raising beer from the dead! Chicago’s Off Color Brewing was founded by industry veterans John Laffler and Dave Bleitner in 2013 with a strong focus on lost, forgotten beer styles. Today, the expansive tap list includes styles like Gotlandsdrick, Serf Stout, Biere de Miel & Casa de Campo. Perhaps most impressive of all: Not a single IPA!

Featured beers: “Socks” Wild Fermented Saison and Dino S’Mores Marshmallow Imp. Stout. Plus: Fruit Loop pizza is a thing and Gabe’s too Italian to stand for it.

We have a simple rule here at The HOP: If a brewery sends us beer we will feature it on the show. Thus, we return this week to San Diego’s AleSmith Brewing! After appearing on Round 58, AleSmith’s team graciously offered us samples of their latest creations. Having debuted less than a month ago, the new additions to AleSmith’s year-round beer lineup are refreshing, enticing and pleasing to almost any palate.

Featured beers: Limeberry Twist Gose Ale, Kickbackrelax IPA and Cloud Stream Hazy IPA. Plus: Who’s the worst kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

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This week, Stephen & Gabe hit the west coast for a look at a dope new brewery with a strong focus on social justice. Crowns & Hops was founded by Beny Ashburn & Teo Hunter as a way to expand diversity, inclusion and representation in the craft beer industry. The pair has talked about creating an ecosystem of brewers, investors and consumers driving sustained economic growth in underserved communities of color. The boys sample several of their latest creations and take a look at what’s ahead for a young brewery on the rise!

Featured beers: BPLB Hazy DIPA and Urban Anomaly American Stout. Plus: Our worst Scottish accents and a chance to go to space!

For craft beer drinkers in the state of Connecticut, New England Brewing Company has long been synonymous with quality, well-crafted and truly remarkable ales & lagers. Driven by a deep passion and love for beer, founder Rob Leonard is widely recognized as a pioneer and visionary in the industry. Now, the company has teamed up with the beer science program at Sacred Heart University to create an African American Brewers Scholarship dedicated to helping diversify the brewing community. In keeping with our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we jumped at the opportunity to participate in the event and bring these beers to The HOP!

Featured beers: Raisin’ Helles, Fuzzy Baby Ducks, G-Bot DIPA and Coffee Breath Imp. Stout. Plus: Shakespeare is coming back to Connecticut!

**Information about the scholarship is available here. For information about the newly formed American Globe Center @ Stratford and how you can contribute, please visit americanglobecenter.org.**