Tap Takeover Podcast

The Tap Takeover Podcast Crew returns to Madison, WI this week to sit down with one of the hottest new breweries of 2018. Working Draft Beer Company's head brewer, Clint Lohman, and owner Ben Feifarek tell us about some of their amazing beers and we learn about the origin of their idea to open a brewery. And we also find out about the efforts that went into creating their new space. If you live in Madison, or if you are visiting the area, make sure to check this place out! They'll always have a selection of amazing hoppy beers, and they also serve great food using local products. Grab a pint of Pop Culture Hazy NEIPA and join us. Cheers!

For our 25,000 Downloads Celebration Episode, the Tap Takeover Podcast Crew has put together a special tasting with 4 bottles to celebrate some of our favorite milestone episodes over the past 2 years! The four brews on the taps today: a Tropical Milkshake IPA from Eagle Park Brewing, a 2016 BCBS from Goose Island, a 2017 Morning Delight from Toppling Goliath, and the Barrrel-Aged Paid Time Off from 3 Sheeps. Thanks to everyone for downloading and spending some time with us! Cheers!

The Tap Takeover Podcast crew hits the road for a special beer release Saturday. First up, we sit down with Max from Eagle Park Brewing in Milwaukee to discuss the release of their Nelson Sauvin New England-style IPA, as well as some other upcoming releases. Then we travel to contract-brewers Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, WI to check out the release of the Untitled Art/Mikerphone collaboration Barrel-Aged Hazelnut Stout. We sit down with Isaac Showaki from Octopi and Levi Funk from the Funk Factory Geuzeria, as well as special guests Danny and Jonny from TheFullPint.com, for a live tasting and a discussion about the making of a collab beer and all of the shenanigans that can occur during the process. Grab a pint of your favorite Special Release Beer and join us! Cheers!

Stay up-to-date with a quick 5-minute Installment from the Beer News Department at the Tap Takeover Podcast! Certified Fresh as of 10/04/18. Grab a bottle of The Brewing Projekt's Dare Mighty Things IPA and join us. Cheers!

The changing colors and the cooler nights can only mean one thing: Oktoberfest beers! The boys are back in the studio for an Octoberfest tasting, trying four Marzen style beers. With so many being released now, we wanted to see what a couple of old friends and some larger breweries had to offer. In today's episode, we tried the Oktoberfest beers from Fermentorium, Mobcraft, Bell's and Sierra Nevada. Hear what the guys had to say about the 2018 offerings from these four breweries, and enjoy a little history lesson from Alex about why we celebrate Oktoberfest. Grab your favorite Oktoberfest beer and join us. Prost!

This week, we've taken the Tap Takeover Podcast on a "beer-run" to visit Pulpit Rock Brewing in Decorah, IA! We sit down with head-brewers Robert Slack and Justin Teff as they lead us through a live tasting of their many highly sought-after brewery creations. In today's episode we'll be discussing Pulpit Rock's ties to the Decorah community and it's Norwegian heritage, the advantages and challenges of brewing in small, boutique batches, and we've got a number of shout-outs to many of Pulpit Rock's collaborators and brewing friends. Grab a can of Show and Tell Blackberry Berliner Weiss and join us! Cheers!

The Tap Takeover Podcast Crew get together for another special tasting episode. We wanted to pay tribute to the hazy beers of summer by trying the New England Style Hazy IPA's. We'll be discussing the transition of a "craze" into a "style," what the additions of different hops at different times in the brewing process can mean for the flavor profiles, and the spectrum between "juicy" and "bitey." The tasting begins with a side-by-side comparison of Eagle Park's Demon Haze IPA and 1840's New New Double IPA. Next up are two IPA's from our trip to Decorah, IA to sit down with Bob and Justin at Pulpit Rock Brewing (interview episode to follow next week), with a single IPA Decorah's Sweetheart and the double IPA Rhyme Animal. Then we round out our tasting with three offerings from the Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire, WI as we try the single-hopped Mosaic Dare Mighty Things, the single hopped Cryo-Citra "DMT," and a Double version of the original DMT IPA. Grab a pint of something hazy and juicy and see if you agree w

For Brewers and Fest-Attendees alike, the Great Taste of the Midwest feels like coming home, thanks, in large part, to the amazing volunteers and organizers who have performed the herculean effort of putting on this event for the past 32 years. This week on the Tap Takeover Podcast, we present our "Love Letter" to the Great Taste. Featured on this week's episode are a number of world class brewers discussing their beers, their breweries, and their reasons for returning to Madison, WI year after year. Surprises, breaking news, laughter and tears; Episode 51 is loaded with perfectly-timed experiences, and cogent moments! So grab a pint of something rare and delicious, and join us for the fun. Cheers! Breweries Featured: Wisconsin - Eagle Park, Raised Grain, Lakefront, Working Draft, Miller Valley, Shipwrecked Midwest - Toppling Goliath, Forager, Livery, Dangerous Man Breaking News - Mikerphone, Mobcraft, Central Waters Illinois - Hailstorm, 5 Rabbit, Cruz Blanca, Goose Island, Revolution, Off Color Fred's Corne

Stay up-to-date with a quick 5-minute Installment from the Beer News Department at the Tap Takeover Podcast! Certified Fresh as of 08/22/18. Grab a bottle of Lift Bridge Octoberfest Bier and join us. Cheers!

The crew heads just south of the WI-IL border to visit Antioch Fine Wine and Liquors for their 7th Annual Summer Tent Event! We catch up with old friends like Lakefront and Only Child, and meet some new friends from Canarchy, Collective Arts, 9th Hour, Half Day, Zum Bier, and the Boot Campaign for Veterans! We also sit down with Rick from Antioch for a special tasting at the end, along with Chris, our MVP! Lots of special beers from all of these breweries for our live tasting, and breaking news galore. Grab a glass of TTP/Mobcraft's Solid Non Fail Stout and join us! Cheers!

As promised, this week Fred Swanson and Jason Walters - organizers of the Great Taste of the Midwest beer festival in Madison, WI - sit down with the Tap Takeover Podcast to discuss the entire process behind the scenes of organizing one of the most successful beer fests in the country. We discuss some of the most outrageous table display award winners, the pre- and post-celebration festivities, and we put Fred and Jason to the test when we ask them to "take over the taps" with some of their favorite beers from over the decades. Thanks again to friends of the show at Ale Asylum for hosting us. Grab a pint of Velveteen Habit IPA to enjoy the episode, and we'll see you at the Great Taste of the Midwest! Cheers!

Stay up-to-date with a Special 6-minute Installment from the Beer News Department at the Tap Takeover Podcast! This week we sat down with Fred and Jason, the organizers of the Great Taste of the Midwest Festival in Madison, WI to discuss two of the most popular features of the fest - the Real Ale Tent and the Presentation Tent. Grab a pint of Schlafly Summer Lager and join us for the fun. Cheers!

The Tap Takeover Podcast Crew get together for another special tasting episode. Just in time for the 2018 release of Central Waters' Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale, we'll be tasting four Scotch Ales aged in different barrels. This episode has a local vibe to it as we are trying all Wisconsin beers! We start the journey with Raised Grain's Batch 200 - their Six Stone Scotch Ale aged in scotch whiskey barrels for 6 months. We then do a side-by-side of the 2017 and 2018 Lord Lyon from Good City Brewing - Scotch Ales aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels. We finish it off with Central Waters' 2017 Scotch Ale, this one is aged in Bourbon Barrels. Grab yourself a Wee Heavy and see if you agree with the guys! Cheers!

Stay up-to-date with a quick 5-minute Installment from the Beer News Department at the Tap Takeover Podcast! Certified Fresh as of 07/19/18. Grab a pint of New Glarus 2018 Wild Sour Ale and join us. Cheers!

We've taken the Tap Takeover Podcast on the road again this week for a little beer run down to visit Only Child Brewing in Gurnee, IL. We sit down with brewery-founder Ben and taproom-manager Charlotte as they lead us through a live tasting of their many delicious beers. In today's episode we'll be discussing Only Child's naming origins, both the name of the brewery and the fun names for the beers themselves, the brewery's emphasis on crisp, clean approachable ales and lagers, and we've even got some classic "Dad jokes" in store. Speaking of which...grab a pint of Dad Jokes American IPA and join us for the fun! Cheers!

Stay up-to-date with a quick 3-minute Installment from the Beer News Department at the Tap Takeover Podcast! Certified Fresh as of 07/05/18. Grab a pint of Bell's Oarsman Ale and join us. Cheers!

This week on the Tap Takeover Podcast, we visit owner/head-brewer Gordon Lane at Biloba Brewing in Brookfield, WI. Gordon leads us through an extensive tasting of his many craft beer offerings, including a dip into his barrel-aged cellar collection, we press him for stories about his glory days as the Chief Operating Officer at Briess Malt and his days as a certified cheese maker, and we discuss future plans for this wonderful family-run brewery. Grab a growler of Saison de Bourdon and join us for the fun! Cheers!

Stay up-to-date with a quick 4-minute Installment from the Beer News Department at the Tap Takeover Podcast! Certified Fresh as of 06/20/18. Grab a pint of Ale Asylum's Unshadowed Hefeweizen and join us. Cheers!

The Tap Takeover Podcast Crew is on the road again to visit owner/ head-brewer Alex Wenzel and head of marketing Eric Henzel at Lion's Tail Brewing Co. in Neenah, WI. Our gracious hosts lead us through an extensive journey of their brewery's beer styles with a live tasting in the taproom, we get to experience first-hand the french-pressed Custom IPA with citra hops added right at our table, and we discuss future plans for the Bourbon Trail line of stouts, each year aged in barrels sourced from different distilleries in Bourbon County, KY. Grab a pint of Juice Cloud and join us for the fun! Cheers!

Join the Tap Takeover Podcast Crew as we explore the 2018 World of Beer Fest, put on by the Beer Barons of Milwaukee! This should one of the must-attend fests on your beer calendar each year. We chat with Brewers and Reps from breweries across Wisconsin and the Midwest to discuss what they're pouring and what makes WoB special to them. The list of breweries in this episode includes Miller Valley, Black Husky, Lions Tail, Eagle Park, Riverside, Karben4, Founders, Delafield Brewhouse, and 1840 Brewing. Grab an exceptional beer from the cellar to enjoy the episode, and start planning your attendance for next year's event. Cheers!