Beer Busters

This episode was recorded just before the pandemic roared into full swing, businesses like Stolen Sun were still operating mostly normally – but there was already unease. We brought sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to the recording, but we weren’t yet living in full-on quarantine mode. Obviously, the subject of Corona came up, though not immediately, and we tried not to talk about it at length. We did address the uncertainty small businesses were facing – an uncertainty that has, unfortunately, only grown since. If your reading these words while all of this unpleasantness is still happening, please support local businesses like Stolen Sun any way you can. They are adapting, offering curbside pick up and delivery, trying to keep their livelihoods intact and their families, employees, and customers safe. If you’re reading this in the future, maybe try to send a tweet back in time and tell us everything will be ok. All that said, this episode is not really a bummer, we promise. We drank and made merry and talke

We return again for a night of rabble-rousing and spirited conversation to Naked Brewing in Huntingdon Valley, PA. Joining us are podcast alums Jim and Dave, as well as Beer Busters virgins Kevin and Shawn. With the sweet sounds of live music by Mojo & The Helper Monkeys wafting in the taproom, we discuss Naked’s upcoming second location in Bristol, their involvement with Pink Boots Society and the Bold Women & Beer Festival (spoiler: we’ll be podcasting there), tap room etiquette and more. Our bellies were filled with amazing vegan sandwiches and mac and cheese courtesy of Un Soul Food, and we even got a chance to chat with owners, Bryon and Natasha Dockett. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Libation or Fabrication, and Steph taught us all about the beer/cider hybrid, graf, in Know Your Beers. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

This was quite an epic night. It began with crowlers of helles and pilsner (nice) and ended with drunkenly driving farm equipment around the property (not that we condone such activity – we are professionals on a closed course). Warwick Farm Brewing is a “family owned and operated Brew Farm that produces high quality independent beer on a historic farm in Bucks County Pennsylvania.” It’s also a pretty cool place with some pretty awesome people, two of which – Ryan and Tim – sat down and shared some brews and stories and barely kept the show on the rails. Also, Dan fell off a chair. In the news, we talked about the closure of Stoudt’s Brewing. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Bad Beer Reviews. And Steph talked about unfiltered beers in Know Your Beers. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Honestly, we could podcast here every episode. In fact, our guest and one of our favorite people in the beer industry, Ethan from Stickman Brews, has his own podcast. It’s called Bad Beer and High Prices and features Ethan and partners Jim and Kate. You should check it out. You should also listen to this episode of Beer Busters. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew were ailing and couldn’t join us. But, Ethan is more than enough for an episode chock full of honesty, ranting, and laughter. We discuss Untappd, Yelp, selling out, the prevalence of  drugs in the food/beverage industry, and much more. Dan reported on the news, including the acquisition of Press Seltzers by Constellation Brands. Wayne hosted round two of There’s Weird in My…Booze in Happy Fun Time. We skipped Know Your Beers to allow for more drinking and chatting. After this, check out our previous Stickman episodes here, here, here, and here. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platfor

Our old friend Greg Orth, Master of Flavor, returns for the 7th year in a row for our annual Valentine’s Day-ish tradition. Over the years, Greg – founder of Craft Tastings – has lead us through a wide variety of beer and food pairings. We started with chocolate, then moved on to a much wider array of snacks from bacon to popcorn and beyond. This time around, we come back to chocolate but swap out the beer for whiskey! Greg has been experimenting with using whiskey for his specialty pairing events, and we were more than happy to be his guinea pigs. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of There’s Weird in My…Booze. And, Steph, being out of her comfort zone, channeled our friend Lew Bryson in a Know Your Bourbon segment. After all of that, you will be surprised to learn that we actually remained relatively sober throughout the evening. Like real adults. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

After joining us for several years at Harrisburg Beer Week’s Little Big Beer Fests to promote his upcoming brewery, Brooks Hemauer finally gets his own dedicated podcast episode. Since Hemauer Brewing is not quite yet open, however, he was kind enough to make the trek to the Beer Busters Basement. We talk about how Brooks got into brewing, why he decided to open a brewery, what that brewery will look like, and a lot about digging holes. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts another round of Libation or Fabrication: GABF 2019 Edition. And, Steph takes a dive into the Oatmeal Stout style in Know Your Beers. Plus, we sample some of Hemauer’s brews and a few other surprises. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

With Nick Cox and Tim Kreider at Cox Brewing Company In this episode we take a trip to Rheems, PA to hit up the veteran owned and operated Cox Brewing to chat with owners Nick and Tim. We discuss their shiny new brewing system, expansion plans, connections to Rheems, and much more. Dan reports on the sale of New Belgium Brewing (which was fresh news when we recorded this). In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a round of Bad Beer Reviews: Hazy Edition. And Steph talks about the process of backsweetening in Know Your Beers. All the while we sip on a pleasant panoply of Cox beers. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Another pod in our back yard in the City of Brotherly Love, we set up shop at Philadelphia’s Love City Brewing with owners Kevin and Melissa. We talk about the journey to opening the brewery, the history of the amazing building that houses it, the Philly brewing community, and more. Dan lead with the (now somewhat old) news about more craft brewery acquisitions. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Libation or Fabrication: GABF Edition. (The punishment this time around was provided by one of our patrons, Jill Chivers. Check out our Patreon to find out how you can watch the losers suffer through it.) In Know Your Beers, Steph gave us the scoop on Smoked Porters. All the while we sipped on the amazing beers Love City has to offer. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

We return once again to our favorite hometown beerfest, Brewphoria 17 at Canal Street Pub and Restaurant in Reading, PA. This is our sixth year running as podcasters-in-residence for this amazing night of beer, music and food. It is the first time, however, that Steph was not with us. (She seems to be skipping all the fest episodes, her loss.) We welcome back some old friends, and meet some new ones, nestled in our corner booth at this historic and cozy establishment. As usual, the night was a blast and we had some excellent brews and awesome conversations. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

We’re back at Moo-Duck Brewery in Elizabethtown, PA (for the first time since 2015) for their 5 year anniversary celebration. Joined by founders and owners, Kristen and Mike Brubaker, we catch up on all the amazing things Moo-Duck has been up to over the last few years. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of First Born Brews and in Know Your Beers, Steph went over some barrel-aging tips for homebrewers. All while we sipped on some exciting new brews and some old favorites – including the annual anniversary release, King Slava Imperial Stout. Slava is Naked (aka not barrel aged) in the episode proper, we sip on the barrel aged version in Last Call – patron-ears only! Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

We drop in on the lovely town of Ephrata, PA once again, this time to visit Black Forest Brewery and chat with Owner Bob Harter and Bar Manager Eric Sears. On a crisp fall morning (this might be the record for the earliest podcast recording in Beer Busters history), we discuss the inspiration for and story behind Black Forest and the attached 1777 Americana Inn Bed & Breakfast. We also dive into upcoming expansion plans and marvel at Black Forest’s commitment to producing Reinheitsgebot-abiding brews. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of There’s Weird in My Beer and Steph continued the long-running series of hop-ucation in another Know Your Beers all about German hops. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

After three years, we finally return to the Delaware Museum of Natural History for one of the most unique beer/wine/food events we’ve been lucky enough to be a part of. Now in its 13th year, the annual Wine & Dinosaurs festival serves to raise funds for the museum with an evening of wine and beer tasting, hors d’oeuvres, live music and more. Dan and Wayne are left to try to keep it together without Steph (and – more importantly – Rich), but with the help of our good friend and patron, Ron McDonel, things went perfectly. This was once again a great chance to tap into a beer scene that we don’t often get to, in the great state of Delaware. And, as expected, The First State does not disappoint with a stellar lineup of amazing beers, from awesome breweries and cool people. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

It’s been a year already. We return to the Second Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Brewers Fest at the Reading Liederkranz German Club in our hometown. This unique beer fest featured home brews from local homebrew clubs alongside commercial beers from area breweries. There was live music and awesome German food as locals sampled the craft of the regions finest home brewers and professionals alike. We chatted with members of the various clubs, as well as some of the commercial breweries on hand, and more. Prost! Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

We return to the Beer Busters Podcast Basement to sit down with Chuck and Lou, two guys with a big vision. With many years of experience in the worlds of food and beer, the pair envision re-creating long-lost beers that helped establish Philadelphia as the brewing capital of America. In the news we talk about and taste the Sheetz and Evil Genius collab beer, Project Brewberry Muffinz. Wayne hosts a round of Brewery or Forgery in Happy Fun Time. To the shock of no one, Steph continues her Know Your Hops series, this time with German hops. All the while we sip on a variety of beers from the vaults, and even some patron homebrew. Unfortunately, since the recording of this episode the Ür Brewery project has been abandoned after a long struggle to secure financing. After listening to our incredible conversations with Lou and Chuck, we are certain you will agree that that is an enormous shame. There is still hope, however, that the dream will be realized in some form and we would love to see that happen. Do you lov

In the space that once housed Broken Goblet, we set up shop at the soon-to-open Second Sin Brewing Company in Bristol, PA. With CEO Mike Beresky, Facilities Manager Phil Harris, and Head Brewer Jake Howell, we chatted about where these three came from, how they decided to open a brewery, what Second Sin will look like, and much more. In the news, Dan reported on the acquisition of Platform Brewing by AB-InBev (it was fresh news when we actually recorded this). Wayne hosted a round of There’s Weird in My Beer in Happy Fun Time. And, Steph continued her Know Your Hops series with Part…8?! Also, we drank beer. It was good. Keep your eyes peeled for when Second Sin officially opens their doors, Facebook is probably a good place to start. Plus, in our Patron-exclusive bonus segment, Last Call, we drank some really…interesting (Patron provided) beers. Support us on Patreon to get the inside scoop. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice a

We return once again to Levante Brewing in West Chester, PA and the usual madness ensues. Joining us are President Tim Floros, CMO Jim Adams, Head Brewer Greg Harris, and Brewer and Brand Coordinator Spencer Holm. In a secret back office we plowed through cases upon cases of delicious Levante cans while discussing exciting new beers, collaborations, beer delivery, and some rather uncouth things about muppets and much more. Plus, we sampled the new line up of really tasty seltzers (all the cool kids are doing it) released under the name ReVibe. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Bad Beer Reviews. And, Steph continues her one-thousand-part series on hops in Know Your Beers. This one is off the rails from the jump – you’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, but you’ll also learn a thing or two…we promise. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

This one’s been a long time coming. We finally made it to one of Pennsylvania’s best known breweries (and one of our long-time favorites), Victory Brewing Company. At the original Downingtown location with founder and owner Bill Covaleski, we talked about the history of Victory, exciting new innovations, the past, present, and future of craft beer, and so much more. Tap room Head Chef Jeremy Hammond lead us through some beer pairings with new brews and new dishes, and talked about the experience at Victory. Plus, we dug deep into the packaging design and marketing with Senior Graphic Designer Bobby Zwahlen, and ruminated on how this cornerstone of the beer world has shaped our palettes and lives with long time super-fan Justin Grilli. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Libation or Fabrication: Backstory Edition. And, in Know Your Beers, Steph taught us all about the beauty of the Slow Pour. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of c

Once again we bravely tread outside our comfort zone, this time with an episode all about mead. Rebel Hive Meadery is a newly-established, award-winning mead-making outfit, headed by husband and wife team Ryan and Meghan Ludwig. At their new production facility (to include a future tap room) housed in a beautifully restored location in Reading, PA, we sat down with the pair to sample their amazing honey-based libations and chat about the business, their history, and the world of mead. This episode was recorded with a pretty long lead time before release, so rather than bring you old news, Dan forwent the news altogether – giving us more time to bask in the rare occasion to learn about a product we are relatively unfamiliar with. Continuing with the theme of booze beyond beer, Wayne hosted a round of There’s Weird in My…Wine in Happy Fun Time Games. And Steph shared some tips on making mead at home (home-meading?) from BYO Magazine. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and re

Another Ephrata Brewfest, another beautiful sunny day at Whistle Stop Plaza. We’ve been to every Ephrata Brewfest since it debuted in 2016, but this year we recorded a podcast on site for the first time! Joined by many old friends from the amazing breweries in attendance, as well as several new-comers to the show, we got to chat and sample some incredible brews. The show kicks off with Patrick Reed, one of the fest’s founders, and the good times continue to roll all day. There are so many beer festivals out there, and we are lucky to be able to pick and choose the best to bring to your ears. This is definitely one of the good ones and we can’t wait to return next year. If you want to check out our adventures from past Ephrata Brewfests, you can eye up our photo galleries and past coverage here. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

It’s summertime and that means Beer Busters heads “down the shore” to return to Cape May Brewing Company in beautiful Cape May, New Jersey. Returning to the show is long-time friend and podcast veteran, Mark Graves, now serving as Packaging Manager for the brewery. Joining Mark is new-comer and Cape May Head of Innovation, Brian Hink. We catch up with what’s been happening at Cape May since our last visit in late 2016, including exciting collaborations, expansion plans, lots of new brews, and more. In the news, Dan reports on more changes to New Jersey state law that are putting craft breweries in a tough spot. Wayne hosts a new game in Happy Fun Time, pitting real hazy IPA names against computer-generated ones, courtesy of Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine. And Steph continues her deep dive into hop varieties in Know Your Beer. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.