Utah Grape and Grain

In the final episode of season 1, we sat with Chris Barlow, one of the founders of Beehive Distilling, to hear an unfiltered story on how the distillery certainly didn’t start in the garage of the founders on what most definitely was not a homemade still. We covered the state of distilling in Utah and enjoyed Chris’ take as one of the very first distillers to begin making spirits in the Beehive State.

We recorded at the under-construction Beehive Distillery Headquarters, in the shadow of the original tarnished Beehive Still and the beautiful newer addition (which Chris was eager to see accumulating a worn patina to match its smaller, older sibling). This episode captures everything we hope for in a Utah Grape and Grain interview - we hope you’ll enjoy it, preferably with a barrel-aged gin in your hand.

If you’ve ever had a drink in the Salt Lake Valley - there’s a pretty close to 100% chance that you’ve been the beneficiary of Tanner Lenart’s hard work!

“It was either jail or wine. I chose wine".”

Tune into our latest episode to hear the backstory on THAT comment, as well as the full skinny on one of the characters most integral to the food and beverage world in Utah - Francis Fecteau. Francis is the owner of Libation SLC, a wine and spirits brokerage “specializing in program development, industry training and consumer education”.

If you work in the restaurants or bars around Salt Lake City, you probably already know Francis. For the rest of you, you really do need to take a moment to listen to this guy tell his story. If the only thing you get out of this episode is a great new instagram follow (it is great, and that won’t be the only thing you get), then we’ll feel OK about life.

Like every good wine broker, Francis is a sucker for the story. So we spent a few hours drinking Mezcal at the AC Lounge and hearing a whole bunch of those. Tune in and we think you’ll enjoy the stories and opinions of Francis Fecteau as much as we did.

OUR FIRST BEER EPISODE! In this one, we sit with Shades Brewing founder, brewer and president Trent Fargher. Trent talked to us about what it’s like to bootstrap a brewery on limited cash and grow into one of Utah’s top local beer producers. We loved Trent’s no-bullshit approach to entrepreneurship and the associated joys and hardships. We also enjoyed sipping 13% ABV Belgian ales while we recorded this pod after hours in the Shades taproom.

In this episode we got to sit down with Brett Ludemann, founder and owner of Flora Fauna Wines. In his own words:

“Flora/Fauna Wines is a small, independently owned and operated wine brokerage located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our goal is to introduce authentic, terroir-focused and natural wines made by artisanal producers rather than large, corporately owned wineries. We prefer wines made with organic and sustainably farmed fruit using natural techniques without any commercial additives—yeast, powdered tannin, coloring agents, acid, enzymes, nutrients, etc.”

Despite having a newly founded brokerage, Brett has been slinging wine in the area for many years and has deep knowledge in the industry. He’s also a family man and his wife Kate helps run the marketing for their company. Tune into this episode for Brett’s story about how he came to prefer natural wine and why he decided to strike out on his own. If you drink natural wine in Utah, there’s a very good chance that it’s something Brett brought into the state.

Sugarhouse Distillery isn't new to Utah, but they have evolved at such a rapid pace that you may want to revisit them if you haven't paid attention lately. From the branding to the grain-to-glass spirits, we were impressed with founder James Fowler's approach to making spirits in Utah. In this episode we talk about what has worked and what hasn't, the evolution of Sugarhouse Distillery and some of the most exciting new products coming out right now. Don't take our word for it, give this episode a listen and the stop by and say hello to James at the distillery!

In this special installment of Utah Grape and Grain we're bringing you a recording of the first in a series of live events being held at Creek Tea.  This series, entitled "From the Beginning", are live conversations in which Creek Tea founder Josh Rosenthal is talking with Utah booze entrepreneurs about their journey to starting libations businesses in the Beehive State.

We sat down with Alan Scott, co-founder at Waterpocket Distillery, to hear how his passion for rediscovering lost and forgotten spirits has led him and his his wife to create Waterpocket.  Alan told us about his dramatic career change that started it all, his desire to introduce new flavors to his customers and his passion for reviving 'lost' recipes.  If you've never explored the world of Amaros, Digestifs or Kümmels - you're in for a treat.  This episode is best enjoyed with a taste of Waterpocket Notom in hand, but if you're not convinced yet then have a listen and we think you'll be on board by the end.

We got to sit down recently with Stephanie Cuadra of Terrestoria Wine Imports and discuss her #WineForUtah project. Stephanie has a unique perspective on wine in Utah because she spends most of her time abroad in Italy searching for wines to bring into our state. Tune into this episode for some insights into how she sees our food and beverage scene changing and to hear why we all need to quit complaining about the quirks of our market.

Come with us to that mecca of winemaking known as South Salt Lake, where we hear from owner and winemaker Evan Lewandowski about his years-long project to make wine in the beehive state.  A prophet has no honor in their hometown perhaps, and too many Utahns aren't aware of just how thirsty the world is for Lewandowski wines. But the secret is out - Evan's wines are a hot commodity on the coasts and we're LUCKY to have him right here in Utah.

Show notes:

Ruth Lewandowski: http://www.ruthlewandowskiwines.com/

This Episode Sponsored by: https://www.creektea.com/