Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

Gone are the days when a brewery could turn a wire spool on its side, buy some cheap chairs, install some taps and flip on the Taproom Open sign. Today's beer drinkers have become more choosy about where they spend their beer dollar and breweries are finding they have to actually provide an experience to draw customers in. That might mean trivia nights or live music.Breweries have had to navigate the transition from serving the hospitality industry to being part of the hospitality industry. They have to thread the needle of drawing in their own customers, while not stealing customers from their hospitality accounts.What does hospitality mean to today's craft breweries? Bill Eye of Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Amy Loebig of Dancing Gnome, and and Mark Babson of River Roost Brewery joined the panel to discuss brewery hospitality.Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.This Episode is Sponsored by:Berkeley YeastOur Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme converts the precursors in barley to free thiols that smell and taste like passionfruit and grapefruit. It’s super clean. No off-flavors like burnt rubber or other sulfurous notes. Just tropical aromatics. You don’t have to do anything unusual either, like mash hopping. Just pitch dry Tropics and supercharge your hazy IPA.All About BeerAt All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.Host: Don TseGuests: Bill Eye, Amy Loebig, Mark BabsonSponsors: Berkeley Yeast, All About BeerTags: Hospitality Photo: Matthew Arielly

The Great American Beer festival is this weekend in Denver and for the first time in a long time, it has a new location. That’s just one of many changes coming to the venerable gathering. Tristan Chan, formerly of PorchDrinking, is in the host seat this week. He's joined by Shawnee Adelson the Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild and Jonathan Shikes of the Denver Post. They talk about what to expect, the changes, and what this means for festivals in general. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.This Episode is Sponsored by:Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.All About Beer podcast listeners are among the first to know: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s famed rare beer Celly Drippins will be released to the public on Friday November 6 at both the Chico California and Mills River North Carolina locations. Learn more about the details of the release events at ​https://sierranevada.com/event/celly-drippins-release-2026 and plan your trip to experience this extra special beer, available only on tap at the brewery for a limited number of days while supplies last.”Berkeley YeastOur Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme converts the precursors in barley to free thiols that smell and taste like passionfruit and grapefruit. It’s super clean. No off-flavors like burnt rubber or other sulfurous notes. Just tropical aromatics. You don’t have to do anything unusual either, like mash hopping. Just pitch dry Tropics and supercharge your hazy IPA.All About BeerAt All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.Host: Tristan ChanGuests: Shawnee Adelson, Jonathan ShikesSponsors: Berkeley Yeast, All About BeerTags: GABF, Festivals, Denver Photo: Brewers Association

On the weekend that Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich the real fun was happening in Brooklyn. Eckhart Beer celebrated its one year anniversary and held a proper celebration of lager. John Holl was there and hosted a panel that covers all the fun of the season, what it means to brew lager in New York City in 2026, and ways to make the most out of hospitality. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.This Episode is Sponsored by:Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.This episode is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, innovators in craft beer since 1980 and still 100% family owned. Experience the finest quality and purest ingredients in person by visiting the iconic Sierra Nevada breweries in Chico, California – where it all started – or Mills River, North Carolina, the country’s only Platinum LEED certified production brewery. Visit Sierra Nevada dot com to learn more. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Still Family-Owned, Operated & Argued Over.All About BeerAt All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.Host: John HollGuests: Nick Meyer, LaTreace Harris, Adam WolfeSponsors: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., All About BeerTags: Hops, Oktoberfest, Lager, NYC, BusinessPhoto: By John Holl

As Western North Carolina marks two years since Hurricane Helene, we have a guest episode from On the Blue Ridge, a podcast by former All About Beer Managing Editor Jon Page. He recently sat down with Chris and Jessica Whaley of Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort, a town of fewer than 1,000 people about 25 miles east of Asheville, just off Interstate 40. The brewery was severely damaged by the storm, and their conversation looks back at what happened, the long road to rebuilding, the support they received from their community, and what it took to finally return to brewing. --Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.This Episode is Sponsored by:All About BeerAt All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.Host: Jon PageGuests: Chris Whaley, Jessica WhaleySponsors:  All About BeerTags: On the Blue RidgePhoto: by Jon Page

A conversation with Shelley and Eric Desmarais of CLS Farms in Moxee, Washington about the 2026 hop harvest and what life is like for families during the regions busiest time of the year. Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.This Episode is Sponsored by:Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.This episode is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, innovators in craft beer since 1980 and still 100% family owned. Experience the finest quality and purest ingredients in person by visiting the iconic Sierra Nevada breweries in Chico, California – where it all started – or Mills River, North Carolina, the country’s only Platinum LEED certified production brewery. Visit Sierra Nevada dot com to learn more. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Still Family-Owned, Operated & Argued Over.All About BeerAt All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.Host: John HollGuests: Shelley and Eric DesmaraisSponsors: Berkeley Yeast, All About BeerTags: Hops, Harvest, Family, Farming, BusinessPhoto: By John Holl