Tales From The Cask Craft Beer Podcast

Just before Chip’s beach vacation the coast comes to us as we talk with Roger Harris and Billy Smith from the new Crystal Coast Brewing Company!  They tell us how they got started in the Atlantic Beach/Morehead City area and bring us plenty to try including Kill Devil Belgian Golden Ale, Helles, Cirrus IPA, Crystal Coast IPA, Fly the Salty Wind Black Gose, and Black Pelican Maple Porter.   We cover the big news in NC this week on the distribution limit deal struck between wholesalers and brewers and also include some commentary on how we felt the news can sometimes be skewed.  We always love listener news submissions and this week we got a great article about Rodenbach from our friend Steve!  We also report on the BA’s latest Top 50 craft brewers lists and hear about another shipwreck yeast strain that was harvested to brew a beer from the 1800’s.   Our #caskquiz this week is “what questions do you have for Sheryl Yuengling?”  She is the 6th generation of America’s oldest brewery and will be joining us on the

Spring is in the air, basketball is on TV and our good friend Wil Cooper from Coronado joins us to talk about the latest releases and news from San Diego.  Tony steps in as co-host while Chip is on assignment in Florida and helps out with some sampling as we try Leisure Lagoon, Berried at Sea and limited offering Tecolote Kriek.   We are all about wellness in the news this week and discuss the current trend of low alcohol beers as well as the best beers to drink for St. Patrick’s day if you are watching your weight.  We also have a follow up report on the Brewdog Air inaugural flight and learn about Metallica’s new beer! Our #caskquiz this week is “what questions do you have for Sheryl Yuengling?”  She is the 6th generation of America’s oldest brewery and will be joining us on the show very soon! We so love hearing from you! Please send in feedback and beer suggestions by calling us at (919) 502-0280, Tweeting us, following our Instagram or friending us on Untappd, posting on and liking our Facebook page, or

You guys all know what tech nerds we are, and you know we use Untappd all the time! So we were able to get Brandon Walker, the VP of Sales from Untappd, to join us at the bar! Brandon talks about the app’s origins, and he relates the exciting new projects they have coming soon! And since Untappd’s headquarters are in Wilmington, NC, Brandon brings us two locals to try: New Anthem Spin It Cream Ale and the Wilmington Brewing/New Anthem Collaboration Secret Lovers Triple IPA! The Bud Light #corntroversy rolls on and on, beginning in The Chicago Tribune’s humorous timeline of the Big Beer festering corn-fueled controversy! In a follow up to a story from last week, WTKR reports that the Lucky Charms flavored beer has sold out and is now listed for up to $450 on eBay! Next is The USA Today introducing some Mexican craft beers that are coming from south of the border, and then VinePair (thanks Steve!) uncovers scientists who have hacked beer yeast to produce CBD and THC! We close the newsweek with Forbes head

It took us a while but we just recently realized that we haven’t had our good friend Mackenzie Lawton from Austin Eastciders on the show! So Mackenzie joins us at the bar and tells us about the cidery’s explosive growth, and she also shares two amazing ciders with us: Austin East Rosé and Austin East Maker’s Stash Pear Rosemary! The Bud Light #corntroversy will not let up! The Chicago Tribune has the latest news that MillerCoors is exiting an uneasy beer alliance amid the Corn Syrup War with Bud Light! Next up there’s more from Chi-town via The Chicago Tribune where we can relax during an afternoon of brew-filled relaxation at Chicago beer spa, followed by The USA Today asking for you to vote now for American craft beer's best! We wind up the week with Food & Wine teaching us about a college that has courses on how to can craft beer and Market Watch spooning up a beer that tastes just like Lucky Charms! Last week we asked “what are some of your fave artistic beer labels?” This week we want to know “what c

Who’d a thunk it all those years ago? We are 300 this week!  To celebrate, Tony returns to guest host with us, so the original three are on the mic! We have the revels at our good friend Bruce McKim’s place, and so many friends drop in to cheers with us! You know there will be whales of course, and Jenn brings the goods for sure: Kuhnhenn Blueberry Eisbock, Fremont Coffee Cinnamon B-Bomb, and Wicked Weed Fraise Morte! The beer world must have known about our special show, so there’s extra news in store, beginning in Forbes’ report that Brewing News co-owner Bill Metzger will resign after last week’s publishing fiasco! Next up The Conversation tells us that drinkers prefer Big Beer keeps its hands off their local craft brews, while The Chicago Tribune paints a picture of the art of beer with Chicago artists bringing flair to local breweries' designs, and BoingBoing sweetens the news pot revealing that Carvel's Cookie Puss is now beer! We wind up the week via The BBC (thanks Frank!) discovering Danes who

They say he’s a man with a thousand voices - can we convince him to do some of them? Yes it’s our old buddy Scott Apicella with Hardywood Park Craft Brewery! Scott’s at the bar to tell us all the latest from Richmond, and he makes us very happy with some super treats: the all-new Suncrush line, including Tangerine, Grapefruit, and Ginger Lime; Richmond Lager; and a true fave, the Baltic Sunrise Baltic Porter! The fallout continues from the Superb Owl ads for Bud Light by A-B InBev, in our new #corngate segment! This week we are featuring none other than Jim Koch, the legendary founder of Sam Adams writing a blog post: Corntroversy - Deja Vu? Next up is another sad brewery closure, this time via OPB reporting that BridgePort Brewing Company in Portland OR is closing. We then head south to San Francisco where Eater reveals that workers at Anchor Brewing are moving to unionize. The Thirsty Wench (thanks Michael!) shares what she calls the sexist & asinine ramblings in Great Lakes Brewing News with a foll

We got a brief glimpse of our buddy Ryan Trask from Olde Hickory at the Holiday Spectacular… and now we have him for a whole show! Ryan shares the latest from western NC, plus the all-new canned offerings from the brewery, and a couple of thirst-quenchers: Death By Hops IPA (in cans!) and Small Batch IPA! The news exploded over the week! The biggest bomb dropped during the BIG GAME, summarized in The New York Times’ story on Bud Light picking a fight with corn syrup, Miller Lite & Coors Light in a Super Bowl ad! Next we have a craft beer version of MegaMergerMania from SFGate with the news that Sierra Nevada has acquired Sufferfest, the San Francisco brewer of gluten-removed beers, followed by The Daily Telegraph’s sky-is-falling piece claiming that the UK craft beer bubble is bursting. We wind down the week with SF Weekly profiling a prominent San Francisco craft beer bar with two women at the helm and Food & Wine revealing that historic Belgian brewer Rodenbach will make its first-ever collab

He escaped from the frozen wastes of the north just in time! With the polar vortex nipping at his heels, our good friend Andrew Blake arrives to share the winter goodness from Blake’s Hard Cider! We hear about the terrific year they had at the cidery in 2018, and we are able to sample two super ciders: Great Blake’s Coffee Infused and the astonishing Homage 5th Year Anniversary! We split the good and the bad in the beer world this week beginning with another installment of our MegaMergerMania series, this time from This Is Money (thanks Thomas!) reporting that Fuller's has struck a deal to sell off its beer business to Japan's Asahi for £250m. Next up Food & Wine shows us that beer shipments are down again while the number of breweries is booming, and then Craft Brewing Business profiles California’s Admiral Maltings. We turn then to VinePair asking how you say “hoppy” in Arabic, followed by Oregon Public Broadcasting stopping by for a last call at Widmer Brothers. We wind up the week listening to Ke

Our brewing buddy Thomas Vincent is back this week, and he is talking about his new venture, Nazz’d Brew Works! Thomas relates the progress on the new space in Graham, NC and fills us in on other things he is working on, including a podcast! Then he helps us taste some fine beers: Jenn’s own special Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 224, Adroit Theory I ADAM, and Sycamore Pakalolo! The US government dysfunction leads the news via WTVR reporting that a DC craft brewery is suing the government, saying the shutdown is hurting its new beer sales. Next we have The USA Today revealing that Bud Light is adding nutrition facts to label, and that could shake up craft beer, while VinePair believes that wheat wine is the most extreme craft beer style you haven’t been drinking. We follow with Techworld introducing the craft beer-obsessed techies disrupting the brewing industry, then Travel + Leisure visits  Disneyland’s very first craft brewery, and we wind up the week with Brew Your Own (thanks @evanrnhall!) showing you how t

It only took us 5+ years, but we finally got Mr. Draft himself, Jess Petrosky, back in the bar! Jess joined us way back in Episode 22 (!), and he is now working with the venerable NC brewing pioneer Highland Brewing! He shares all the latest from Asheville and brings terrific taste treats to try with us: AVL IPA, Cold Mountain Spiced Ale, and Barrel-Aged Black Watch Stout! There is already so much craftbeer news we had to cull a lot for this week! We begin with The New York Times reporting that craft beer is looking beyond ‘Young White Dudes With Beards’, followed by The Wall Street Journal’s scary piece revealing that Walgreens is testing digital cooler doors with cameras to target you with ads! Next up The Daily Mail reiterates that beer should be chilled and consumed as soon as possible because it loses its unique aroma when stored for too long, and then The Motley Fool ventures their opinion on whether or not craft beer is still worth investing in. We wind down the week with KNSD 7 (San Diego) showin

Craft beer is still growing gangbusters in our neck of the woods, and we this week we have our friend Rich Greene, Executive Director/Beer Czar from the NC Craft Brewers Guild to talk all about NC beer! Rich tells us about his early days at the Guild, the joys of working the NC State Fair, and tries a couple of NC beers with us! Those taste treats are Sierra Nevada Sierraveza and Foothills Spirit IPA! There’s exciting news to begin the week (thanks Steve!) as our very own hometown of Raleigh makes Number 6 on VinePair’s list of the world’s top 10 beer destinations for 2019! Next we have The Week’s recap of Stephen Colbert’s revelation that the government shutdown is coming for your beer, followed by The Mirror reporting that Icelandair is launching a new craft beer for passengers, and then Boston.com reveals that a New England state was just named the craft beer capital of the U.S. We close up the bar with The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s profile of guitarist and craft beer entrepreneur Keri Kelli talking

What a party we had with our 2018 Holiday Extravaganza! It was so much fun and work that we took off the last week of the year before opening up the bar, cleaning the mess, and kicking back just the two of us! To celebrate the new year, we have light and refreshing cider and beer: Austin Eastciders Texas Brut Cider,  Lagunitas Daytime IPA, and Sierra Nevada Brut IPA! The news is on the light side like our beverages this week, starting with The Motley Fool revealing that the BA’s craft beer definition is changing (again!). Next Paste (thanks Michael!) examines an endangered beer style: American Stout. Then The Guardian (thanks Frank!) has a terrific profile of two Native American women who are upending craft beer, and we close with The New York Times’ pricewatch showing where to get a 6-pack of beer for $26! Last week we wondered “what frosty malt goodies did you imbibe for the holidays? What did Santa bring you? (Hopefully some beer too!)” To start the new year right, this week’s #caskquiz asks you to rev

Ho ho ho! We are celebrating the season with so many of our friends from the year in our 6th annual Holiday Extravaganza! The little bar is filled with wonderful folks and terrific special beers from everyone’s secret stashes, and it’s a scene not to be missed! Plus it’s our last show for 2018, so as we sing (and you can sing along too!) “we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” We wind up 2018’s news in fun fashion, beginning with Punch (thanks Rob!) sharing the Proustian allure of the Miller High Life! Next we have The Sacramento Bee reminding us don’t listen to the naysayers, craft is here to stay! We close out the year with The Denver Post making a final toast to 3.2 beer, a relic but also a way to help kids learn about booze! Last week we wondered “are you a lager or ale person and what characteristics does that entail for you?” For our last #caskquiz of the year we want to know “what frosty malt goodies did you imbibe for the holidays? What did Santa bring you? (Hopefully some beer too!)”

It seems like forever since we had our friends from DuClaw Brewing on, and we have a plethora or beers to prove it! Our buddy Kris Harper stops by and shares the latest news from Balmer, plus he has a six-pack of deliciousness to share! We get to try Purple Passion, Sour Me Peach Sherbet, Strawberry Letter 23, Retribution 2018, Caramel Cookie Retribution and Devil’s Due! In the world of beer news, we start with Ad Age sharing the amazing feat wherein an imported beer brand tricks Facebook’s Search, followed by Digital Trends revealing that LG is rolling out the barrels at CES 2019 with a craft beer machine. We then have The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting that Schlafly Beer has apologized to 4 Hands Brewing Co. for 'derogatory' claims in anonymous newsletter, and then The New York Post says that your favorite beer says a lot more about you than you think. We wind up the week with Boston.com asking would you like free tunes with your beer? and Grapevine visiting geothermal beer in Hveragerði’s Ölverk

He’s back America! Yes, our co-founder Tony Walldroff is in the house this week and has some scintillating Sierra Nevada to taste! Tony starts out by filling us in on his new adventures with Sierra, and then he relates the really amazing story of Butte County IPA and the 1000+ brewers helping victims of the Camp Fire. And we get to try wonderful beers for the holidays: Tequila Barrel-Aged Otra Vez, Holiday Haze IPA, Winter Warmer Lager, and Coffee Stout! The news begins with our old standby MegaMergerManiaTM courtesy of VinePair sharing that with unregulated draft lines and AB InBev investments, Chinese craft beer is at a crossroads! Next we have The Richmond Times-Dispatch reporting that Deschutes won't break ground on a Roanoke brewery in 2019, followed by The BBC revealing that Yellow Belly beer could be discontinued over a trademark dispute. We head over to Forbes visiting a California bakery making bread out of beer, then The Voice of America says new tariffs are tapping into the US craft beer industry.

As we unwind after our Thanksgiving feasts, we kick back and relax in the bar with some wonderful seasonal cheer courtesy of our friends from Anchor, Foothills, and Lagunitas! We sample three taste treats: Anchor Christmas 2018, Foothills BA Sexual Chocolate with Coffee, and Lagunitas Willetized Coffee Stout! The news begins this week with a cool piece from Business Insider featuring our friends (and previous guests) Jen and Wendy Yuengling, who share an inside joke that completely explains their business philosophy! Next up is CNBC sharing an invention that keeps bottled beer cold, did $1M in sales in 10 days, and scored a million-dollar deal on 'Shark Tank', followed by The St. Louis Business Journal reporting that Phyllis Schlafly's heirs have lost their trademark appeal over a St. Louis craft brewery's name. We wind down with artsy showing craft breweries who are tapping artists to turn labels into works of art and The USA Today revealing that more than 1,000 breweries have answered Sierra Nevada's c

What a great year we are having with our friends from Wicked Weed! Our buddy (and brewery sales guru) Justin Crouch stops in to chat, and he brings along a large group of friends to dish on all the lastest from Asheville! Plus he has a couple of timely treats: Dark Age with Coffee and a mystery beer that will be coming out early in 2019! For Thanksgiving week we have more fun news than we have seen in quite some time! We begin with Extra Crispy revealing why so many brands are getting into beer now, followed by WTOP spotlighting a new exhibit at Heurich House that taps into DC’s history through beer. Next up is a terrific announcement on Facebook (thanks sfringer & evanrnhall!) by Sierra Nevada about their special Resilience Butte County Proud IPA, which has 100% of sales proceeds going to help victims of the Camp Fire conflagration in northern California. Then we go south to Los Angeles Magazine’s musical piece on how a local brewery created a beer worthy of the L.A. Phil’s centennial season, and we

We got a mead tease from the folks at Honeysuckle Meadery way back in Episode 180 (!), and now mead masters William Costen and Erik Lensch invite us over for a visit and a sampling! The guys share the story of the meadery’s journey thus far, and then we have six incredible meads to try: Elderberry and Elderflower, Blueberry Jam, PawPaw Patch, Midnight Bramble, Raspberry Jam, and the astounding Peanut Butter and Jelly! As he often does, Chip starts the news out slow and low and builds to a final crescendo! He begins with Bloomberg and the global climate change-related news that your craft beer is about to get more expensive. Next The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reveals the sad news that Great Waters Brewing Co. in St. Paul is closing. Then VinePair (thanks sfringer!) has specious “news” claiming that ​​​​​​​a new AB-InBev video says that ‘craft beer’ will be gone in two years (here come the trolls!), followed by Colorado Public Radio’s opinions that craft beer is finding it harder to stay king of the mountai

We can’t believe it’s been so long since our buddy Wil Cooper from Coronado Brewing joined us in the bar! Wil tells us what he has been up to, and lets us know about the latest and greatest from southern California! And as always he brings along terrific brews: Weekend Vibes IPA, Never Better DIPA, Early Bird Cold Brew Milk Stout, and Coronado’s classic first collaboration (with Libertine Brewing) Shared Waters Sour Blonde Ale! It’s a financial set of news sources, but don’t worry - there isn’t much finance to worry with! We begin with a couple of stories from Forbes - first up we learn that American craft beer is being inspired by Japanese sake, and then we pivot to find that a new Denver brewery is the world's first devoted to grapes and oenobeers! Next The Chicago Tribune reveals that ​as craft beer sales slow, Two Brothers and other brewers are launching into spirits, while Fortune reports that the BA’s definition of craft brewing may change. Again! We close up the newstime via the dictionary and M

It’s Halloween and we are on the road to celebrate Samhain with our friends Patrick Woodson and Roxanne Bellamy at a wonderful place to trick or treat: Brewery Bhavana! Patrick tells us all about the awesome brews he is concocting, and Roxanne lets us in on all the latest buzz-worthy news and events at the brewery! Then we share some astonishingly great treats including Pulp IPA, Cart IPA, Bounty 2018, Patina Dark, and Cellar Door No. 3! Repudiating the thread from last week’s news, we begin this week with a wonderful profile via VinePair on Carol Stoudt from Stoudt’s Brewing, aka ‘The Mother Of Craft Beer’, showing that women in beer are a powerful force. Next we have The Takeout asking Kate “why don’t all beer bottles have screw caps?” We follow that with Food & WIne (thanks @foolintherain!) with what seems like a weekly appearance by BrewDog, and their announcement of the ‘World’s First Craft Beer Airline’. We close the week out with The Growler detailing the evolution of brewing tech and innovatio