School’s out and it’s time for a drink! This week, The HOP takes to the beach, ushering in the summer season with a jam-packed lineup of summer beers. The “summer ale” can be many things, and Stephen & Gabe are on a mission to find the perfect beer for beach day. Today’s episode features FOUR different breweries, each offering a unique take on the seasonal style. Gabe kicks things off at Harpoon in Boston, MA before heading back home to BK for a stop at Five Boroughs Brewing. Meanwhile, Stephen has the West Coast on lock, starting the party at Santa Monica Brew Works and then heading down the coast for a return to San Diego’s Pizza Port. Bust out your buddy’s bucket hat and join us for some fun in the sun!

Featured beers: Harpoon Summer Style, SM Brew Works 310 Stomped Shandy, Five Boroughs Summer Ale & Pizza Port Joys of Summer IPA. Plus: How much would you pay for a burger?

**Sponsored by FNX Fitness! Check them out and use the promo code HOPOD15 for 15% off.**

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

Originally posted 11/5/2020

Home-brewer Rob Croxall established El Segundo Brewing in 2011, “leaving a cushy corporate job to risk it all on craft beer.” Today, what started as a garage operation is now producing over 400bbls per month, having gained quite a reputation for an incredibly fresh, hop-forward beer lineup. Stephen & Gabe stop in for a round of brews highlighting the increasing creativity & stylistic diversity of the beer scene in Southern California.

Featured beers: Steve Austin’s Broken Skull IPA, Station No. 1 Red Ale, Clear AF IPA & Old Jetty Barleywine (2019.) Plus: Jon Lester sets an example for baseball players everywhere… (Looking at you Mookie Betts!)

**Sponsored by FNX Fitness! Check them out and use the promo code HOPOD15 for 15% off.**

Stephen & Gabe are going Hollywood this week as The HOP is back in Tinseltown for a stop at Boomtown Brewery! When co-founders John Rankin & Sam Chawinga started brewing together in 2015, they had a vision of becoming the first brewery in Hollywood. This became impractical due to costs and logistical challenges, leading Boomtown to settle in Downtown Los Angeles. Landing in the arts district, (which Rankin refers to as the “Brooklyn” of LA,) quickly proved to be just the right fit for a young, hipster brewery on the come up. Today, Boomtown is a thriving celebration of Hollywood culture and all things Los Angeles, from their “industry appropriate” beer names to their artsy taproom and event space, (complete with a big-screen projector when it’s time for Dodgers baseball.) 

Featured beers: Ingenue Belgian Style Wit & Nosejob West Coast IPA. Plus: How do you like your pasta – rock hard or soft & limp?

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

Originally posted 7/9/2020

This week, Stephen and Gabe visit a brewery in their own backyard. Alisa Bowens-Mercado founded New Haven, CT’s Rhythm Brewing Co. in 2018, looking to fulfill a need in the craft beer scene: Clean, crisp and refreshing craft American lagers. Contract brewing out of neighboring breweries, Bowens-Mercado does it all - brewing, canning, distributing, marketing . . . you name it! She is also the 1st African American woman to brew craft beer in the state of Connecticut, (one of the few in the entire country,) and her work is diversifying the craft beer scene in a big way.

Featured beers: Unfiltered Lager and the Unfiltered Light Lager. Plus: Gabe still hates hard seltzer and we HAVE to talk about Hamilton.

**Sponsored by FNX Fitness! Check them out and use the promo code HOPOD15 for 15% off.**

We’re doing things a bit differently this week on The HOP, abandoning beer for tequila in honor of Cinco de Mayo! Tequila serves as the base for some of the world’s most famous cocktails, most notably the margarita. With several varieties of standout tequilas in hand, Stephen & Gabe set off on a journey to unpack the margarita, its core recipe and a world of endless possibilities. From smoky mezcal to sweet añejo and everything in between, this episode is full of our best tips & tricks to help take your margarita-making game to the next level! 

Featured drinks: Lobos 1707 Mezcal & Gran Coramino, (Cristalino and Añejo.) Plus: An unauthorized beer appearance and the top 50 craft breweries in America!

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

Originally posted 4/8/2021

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!

This week, The HOP is in Stephen’s backyard as the boys head to Paperback Brewing in Glendale, CA! Originally conceived of in 2013, Paperback was founded on the premise that “every beer tells a story.” The grand opening of their aircraft hangar brewery & taproom was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but by 2021 the company was finally able to  welcome the public. Today, Paperback has hit its stride, earning a reputation as a favorite amongst locals and a mainstay on the Los Angeles beer scene. Stephen & Gabe sample several offerings from a varied and ever-changing beer menu, and in our Can Arts & Crafts segment, Bob Ross takes in some of the best beer artwork we’ve ever seen.

Featured beers: Satan Wears Pajamas Red Ale, Dollar Store Heroes Black IPA and Bunny With a Chainsaw Hazy DIPA. Plus: Monopoly to the death and spreading the good word of Satan!

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

Originally posted 8/6/2020

Stillwater Artisanal may not have a building, they may not have a home base, but they do have an extensive list of eccentric, creative and experimental beers that have garnered praise and accolades since 2010. Baltimore native Brian Strumke started Stillwater, pivoting away from a successful career as an internationally renowned DJ. Today, the operation still functions as a “gypsy brewery,” crafting ales all over the United States and around the world.

Featured beers: World Famous Pilsner and “This is Not a Test” 006, (a Nitro Mocha Cappuccino Stout brewed w/ coffee, cocoa, vanilla and milk sugar!) Plus: Gabe learns what beef is… and the return of Superspak.

This week, Stephen & Gabe stop off in Asheville, NC for a visit to Wicked Weed Brewing! Since opening as a brewpub in 2012, Wicked Weed has earned a reputation for pushing the craft beer envelope, offering a diverse, interesting lineup of brews that always deliver on flavor. Having grown substantially in the past decade, the company currently operates 4 taprooms in the Asheville area including a Funkatorium devoted exclusively to sours. Though lesser known outside of the Southeastern U.S., Wicked Weed has certainly become a powerhouse in the local market making it the perfect spot for The HOP’s first visit to the Tar Heel State.

Featured beer: Dr. Dank West Coast IPA. Plus: Scientists in the UK are working to battle an unlikely source of climate change . . . we promise it’s not what you think!

The boys are staying sober this week which means a return to our THROWBACK THURSDAY series! Enjoy this trip down memory lane and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

Originally posted 1/28/2021

We can almost guarantee you’ve never heard of Four City Brewing, but it’s a powerhouse young brewery that demands attention from craft beer lovers near and far. Founded in 2016 by Anthony Minervino, Roger Apollon Jr. & Jeff Gattens, this 7bbl shop is working to define the unique profile of New Jersey craft beer. In a new edition of our “Taproom Special” segment, Stephen & Gabe stop by the brewery for a killer flight featuring a variety of beer styles from Germany to Belgia!

Featured beers: Oat Cream Man IPA, We Think It’s a Dunkel?, It’s Better Than Yours Milkshake IPA, St. Cloud Belgian Dubbel, Fourghettastoutit, Blueberry Maple Stout & Crescent Moon Chai Latte Imp. Stout. (SHEESH!) Plus: Would you spend $10K on a rock?