The Brewery Underground Podcast : Craft Beer Stories and Adventures

There are many great places to visit in Cincinnati, Ohio, for craft beer. Among them, Esoteric Brewing CompanyHead Brewer Anique Thomas and Assistant Brand Manager John Reece joined us on this episode. We had the opportunity to meet them both on a recent visit. We wanted to find out more about who is behind putting Esoteric on the map as a minority- owned brewery in the area.Having opened in the challenging year of 2020, John Reece discusses how far they have come in a short period of time.Anique Thomas is fairly new as the head brewer. But, not new to Esoteric. You will hear about her path to success in creating the craft beer people try when they visit. Esoteric continues knocking out new craft beer, including many available at their location and other stores in the area. Scott & Steve raved about the beers they had at Esoteric back in May. Brian chimed in on beer ratings and whether they pay attention to them.Cheers!

In this episode we talk about the differences between CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout) and KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout).We have A LOT of discussion about KBS and how they like to maintain integrity within the series. Steve and Scott mention a couple of the Founders barrel aged beers that really have stood out to us, and Jeremy and John go in detail about some of their barrel aged processes, the thoughts behind it, and what they like to put in bourbon barrels.Does Founders have a recommended time that you should age your KBS bottles at home (or should you at all?)Not only did we talk about KBS extensively, but we started discussing All Day IPA - which has turned out to be their flagship beer and now they have several variants of it.Not only does Founders brew beer, but they are active in community initiatives like preserving fresh water for future beer drinkers.We hope you enjoy this episode and we'd love to hear your feedback. Cheers!

Our good friend Ashley Rotruck joined us for this episode, and we had a great time with a lot of laughs.We've labeled Ashley "The Queen of Sours", due to her love of fruited sour beers, and it's well earned.Ashley - AKA- @brewdettewv, has a huge following of her Instagram beer page, and it's how we got to know her. In this episode, we start out by all 3 of us having a flight of 4 fruited sour beers - Steve and Scott have 4 different beers from Rar Brewing, from their 'Out of Order' series, that Ashley sent us. Ashley has a flight of 4 fruited beers from XUL and Southern Grist - all from Tennessee, that we sent her. We may have all been pre-diabetic after drinking those beers.We ask Ashley about when and how she started her beer page, how and what she posts on her page, Instagram algorithms, real beer pages vs. phony ones, what she drank before craft beer, how are women perceived in craft beer and so much more.Ashley is famously known for her love of pickle beers, and we take a deep dive into those.We thank Ashley so much for joining us and spending so much time with us. She gave us so much great content and really knows her stuff. We value her friendship and her continued support of the craft beer industry. She's a great ambassador for craft beer and the craft beer community.Cheers!Steve and Scott-The Brewery Underground Podcast

In Part 2 with our interview with Sean Jones, we continue our discussion about Untappd.We further discuss each of our criteria for what we rate a beer. What deserves a 5.0 rating?What are our starting points for an above average beer?What is the minimum score we give beer in order to have it again?We talk Untappd badges, levels of badges, will Sean get a badge for reaching 50,000 unique check-ins?What's the most check-ins Sean has had in 1 day?What is his most checked in style?What are ways Untappd could be improved?You're probably wondering where does Sean rank, with his number of check-ins, in the US and in the world. We certainly talk about that and those questions are answered.There is so much packed into this episode, we hope you enjoy it.Our continuing partnership with The Foamy Heads, has been very fruitful and rewarding. We love Mitch and Rich, and we have a lot more in store with those guys coming soon.Cheers!The Brewery Underground PodcastSteve & Scott

We love talking about Untappd. It's a controversial tool in the craft beer world, and a tool that we use pretty much everyday, as we check in and rate our beers.We met a guy who has mastered Untappd and has the most check ins that we've ever seen or even heard about. Sean Jones is his name and we are all extremely impressed with his numbers - which by the way- have increased by 360 since we recorded this. In this episode, we specifically ask Sean how he has been able to achieve these staggering numbers, and how does he even come across that many beers. We also discuss Sean's rating system and processes, when he checks beers into Untappd. Sean is also a moderator, in addition to an insider on Untappd, and we find out what that is and what it entails.Has Sean ever heard from Untappd in recognition of his numbers?This is another episode where we teamed up with The Foamy Heads - Rich and Mitch, as they are certainly our partners in crime, and we share a ton of the same interests in craft beer. We all were extremely interested in Sean's Untappd numbers, and had to get to the bottom of how he was able to achieve them.We bill our collab with the Foamy Heads, as The Foamy Underground, and we love partnering with those guys.This is just Part 1 and Part 2 comes out next week.Cheers!The Brewery Underground PodcastSteve & Scott

We're calling this a bonus episode, as we had so much content with Jonathan and Robert from Cedar Glade Brews, while we were at their brewery recording our 100th episode with Mitch and Rich of The Foamy Heads.We just kept the party and recording going as we drank beer, shared stories - including our desert island beers, and just enjoyed being in good company.As we sample a variety beers - Jonathan and Robert go into detail about some of their beer makeup and recipes, also they talk about coming up with beer names, and we have a discussion about Mayday Brewing, that was an original brewery in Murfreesboro, TN - and how much they meant to Cedar Glade Brews.We hope you enjoy this episode.Cheers!Steve & Scott-The Brewery Underground Podcast

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We hope you enjoy this earlier in the day released episode - while you're cracking a beer at 8AM. (It's a holiday - you're allowed)The Foamy Heads and The Brewery Underground Podcast kept the night going after our 100th Episode collab.This was an extra special episode (both parts 1 and 2), because immediately after we recorded our 100th episode at Cedar Glade Brews in Murfreesboro, TN, the Owner - Jonathan, and the Head Brewer - Robert, both sat down with us for an extended conversation and a fantastic interview.Jonathan and Robert were gracious hosts and they made sure we were hooked up with beers for the entire night.We sampled so many of their beers, including a flight and something none of us had ever had or ever heard of - a Koduolu Farmhouse Ale, that is a style of beer from Estonia, sometimes called a raw ale.In this episode we talk about the Murfreesboro, TN beer scene which included some brewery closings of breweries we were all fans of.We're all in agreeance that Cedar Glade Brews is a destination brewery in Murfreesboro, and a place you can spend an entire afternoon or evening at.The other thing we enjoy so much, is the banter Jonathan and Robert have between each other. They are hysterical and reflective of the fun they're having brewing beer.Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, as we are going to release that episode and the ones afterwards, earlier in the day than we normally have, as part of a new strategy.Cheers!Steve and Scott-The Brewery Underground Podcast

Welcome to Episode 100! We celebrate our 100th episode of The Brewery Underground Podcast at the same time as The Foamy Head's 100th episode, so we HAD to celebrate together.We recorded this episode at Cedar Glade Brews in Murfreesboro, TN and we could not be more appreciative of them to host us, and roll out the red carpet for us. Jonathan and Robert treated is exceptionally well and treated us like VIP's.Our next episode features Jonathan and Robert of Cedar Glade Brews, as we continued the evening after this episode, and they were gracious enough to sit down and talk with us and sampled a lot of their beer. Stay tuned for that one.In this episode we all reminisce about some of our previous episodes, our paths in getting to 100 episodes, and some of the people we've met along the way.We ask the Foamies about some of their memorable episodes and what are some of their proudest moments. We also discuss some of their earlier episodes (make sure to check out their Heaven and Hell episode), what we've learned along the way, how the craft beer community is supportive in the community, and even had a Mallort conversation. Congratulations to Mitch and Rich of The Foamy Heads for their 100th episode! We will be there to support you in your next 100 episodes as well.We are proud to know you guys inside and outside of our Podcast world. We thank you for including us in so many collabs and for setting this episode up at Cedar Glade Brews.BTW, are we syndicated yet?Cheers!Steve and Scott- The Brewery Underground Podcast

Welcome to Part 2 of our Common John Beer Fest episode where we partnered up with Rich and Mitch of The Foamy Heads.In this episode we talk to Mike from Broadcast Brewing, from Nashville, TN and Matt Love who is the founder of Hop Passport.Mike talks about how he got started in craft beer and how he started his brewery, brew days being his favorite part of the day, how he likes his taproom to be communal and people meeting each other for the first time over beer. Mike also discusses his current beers and what he has coming out for the fall, including something new, that we can't wait to see what it is.Matt talks about what Hop Passport is about, where it can be used, the process in which they use in signing up vendors, who can benefit from using the Hop Passport and a lot more.It was great meeting and talking to Matt and he taught us a lot about the Hop Passport.We hope this isn't the last Common John Beer fest, so that we can do this again next year.We hope you enjoyed both episodes and thanks to the Foamy Heads, Lebron, and Jon or having us, and to Michelle, Parker, Chad, Mike and Matt, for sitting down with us and chatting.Cheers! Steve and Scott- The Brewery Underground Podcast

The Foamy Underground teamed up once again. This time it's at the Common John Beer Fest in Manchester, TN. We joined Mitch and Rich from the Foamy Heads on September 20, 2025, to experience one of the best Beer Fests around - labeled as 'The Last Beer Fest on Earth....Maybe'.We talked to Jon Pritt, who is Chief Festival Office for Common John Brewing Company, Parker Loudermilk, who is the owner of Fait La Force Force Brewing, Michelle Rumrill, who is a beer ambassador and was pouring for Marble Fox Brewing Company, and Chad Mueller who is the co-owner of Stoke Haus Brewing and Barbecue.The Joy of Pancakes was also there, making pancakes out of our logos as you can see in the into and is posted on social media. What a cool thing. We discussed how long the beer fest takes to put together with Jon, beer styles with Parker, food and beer pairings with Michelle, and Chad talks about how it's been since Stoke Haus Brewing & Barbecue has opened.It’s craft beer, community, and collaboration — all poured into one final, unforgettable festival (maybe). Grab a pint and join us on this Adventure.We want to thank Common John Brewing Company for having us at their great event, and to The Foamy Heads for letting us partner with them on this collaboration episode.Prost!Steve and Scott

The Brewers Association is a nonprofit trade organization based in the U.S. that supports and promotes small and independent American craft brewers.In this episode of Brewery Underground, Steve and Scott sit down with Matt Gacioch, staff economist at the Brewers Association, to dig into the numbers, trends, and future of craft beer. Matt breaks down the Brewers Association’s role in supporting independent breweries, shares insights from the 2025 mid-year production survey, and explains how consumer shifts, tariffs, and “beyond beer” products are shaping the industry.From the rise of non-alcoholic options to breweries experimenting with ciders, seltzers, and even pickleball courts, this conversation highlights the creativity and challenges facing today’s craft brewers. We also dive into beer style trends (IPAs, lagers, and even nostalgic throwbacks), industry consolidation, and what defines a “craft brewery” in 2025.Whether you’re a brewer, a beer lover, or just curious about where craft beer is headed, this episode is packed with stats, stories, and plenty of laughs over a pint.We had a lot of fun with Matt and learned quite a bit. We love stats and appreciate that Matt does too. To quote him in this episode "An ideal world would be all numbers and beer". We love that!Thank you Matt for joining us and spending so much time with us. Prost!- Steve and ScottThe Brewery Underground Podcast

Welcome to Episode 90 of The Brewery Underground Podcast! Since it's Oktoberfest season, we thought we'd comprise a montage of clips from previous episodes, where we talked specifically about Oktoberfest beers and the season.In this episode we feature clips from our conversations with The Hilltappers, Esoteric Brewing Company, Johnson City Brewing Company, Hoppin' Frog Brewery and Steve and Scott have their own discussion about it.This is our favorite time of the year for beer, hence wanting to do a little something different for this episode.What are your thoughts on Oktoberfest season and Oktoberfest beers?Cheers!

2 of Nashville's craft beer podcast teams come together once again. The Foamy Heads and The Brewery Underground Podcast team up to talk about a HUGE acquisition in the Nashville craft beer scene.Xul Beer Company has purchased Southern Grist Brewing Company, and it's something we all wanted to get together and discuss.This was more or less an impromptu episode (hence dropping it on a different day than we normally do) as the news had just broken, and Rich had the great idea of us all getting on the mics to talk about it.We are all fans of both breweries, and as much as we don't want Southern Grist to go away - we are extremely excited to have Xul in Nashville, in hopes that they brew their beer here, as well as in Knoxville.Not only do we have an in depth conversation about Xul and Grist, we discuss a few other things as well (as we always like to do) .Things like Rich switching back to an Android phone from iOS after 3 years, how Oktoberfest basically starts in March now, Mitch finishing his Cantillon that he wasn't able to share with breweries in Nashville - which lead to a deeper conversation about sharing outside drinks in breweries. Sticky Keys was born as a new beer name, will Steve get a tattoo,? Rich has a new addiction called Tavour and he doesn't know this - but he almost has Scott convinced to join as well, did Mitch work on Labor Day?, how many Oktoberfest beers did Steve buy?BTW, when the Foamies and BUP get together, we actually call ourselves The Foamy Underground. This won't be the last you hear us doing an episode with The Foamy Heads, as we have something planned at Common John 's Beerfest on 9/20 together.We welcome Xul Beer Company to Nashville, and we are officially rolling out the red carpet to them.Stay tuned for more from us and, make sure to check out The Foamy Heads Podcast.Cheers!Steve and Scott

Part 2 of our interview with Fred, John and Zachary of Hoppin' Frog Brewery, picks up where we left off. The importance of making sure the beer tastes like it says it does, is extremely important to Hoppin' Frog. A chocolate covered strawberry Stout should taste exactly like that! Steve describes the one he had, and you can almost taste it yourself!Did you know Hoppin' Frog Brewery has distributed to 22 states and 40 foreign countries? From Denmark to Hong Kong to Hawaii and so many more.We have a great conversation about some of the different laws and taxes they have to navigate between states and different countries. (without going down a rabbit hole :-) )Taproom events are a big deal at Hoppin' Frog and especially their upcoming Shandy Day which is August 23rd with 16-18 shandy's on tap.What other events do they have in the taproom? Will Hoppin' Frog be expanding any time soon? How important is can art and brand recognition? All of these questions are answered in this episode, plus a whole lot more - but you have to listen to find out. Thank you Fred, John and Zachary for joining us on this episode. We truly are appreciative of you and Hoppin' Frog Brewery.Your whole team is phenomenal. Keep up the fantastic work and keep brewing fun and happiness! Cheers!Steve and Scott

Fred Karm, John Humphrey and Zachary Bastin joined us from Hoppin' Frog Brewery out of Akron, OH and we couldn't have had more fun.Interviews like this is why we love doing this podcast!We start off talking about Oktoberfest season and Oktoberfest beers, including a story about Hoppin' Frog winning a blind tasting, (which included 18 different Oktoberfest beers), with their Oktoberfest Froggy Style Lager. Hoppin' Frog Brewery is about to celebrate their 19th Anniversary on September 1st, which is a testament to their leadership, their team, and of course the beer and shandy's they make.We discuss what the craft beer scene looked like 19 years ago in the Akron area, what it means to Zachary and John to be with Hoppin' Frog for 14+ years, and our experience of visiting their taproom back in May.We also dive into the (B,T,Q,D).O.R.I.S series and what exactly that is, barrel aging their beers, what types of barrels they've used and how they've come about them, and how Hoppin' Frog's beer styles are perceived in the industry.Hoppin' Frog is selling fun, and if you spend any time around these guys, visit their taproom, or drink their beer, you'll absolutely know it.We hope you listen to this episode and share in the fun we had with this great group of guys.We have a lot more coming in Part 2, next week.Cheers!Steve and Scott- The Brewery Underground Podcast

We continue our chat with Dave "Juggles" Fischer and Dan "Mudder" Thomas of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Vintage Baseball Team.These guys are in a baseball league that follows the rules of the game as it was played back in the day.They share stories of traveling to other major league ballparks across the country. We had to find out if these guys enjoy craft beer, or the beer that has been around for decades. We all love baseball movies! Which ones are the best? We had a fun discussion about that and so much more. Cheers!

One of our passions, besides craft beer and breweries, is America's favorite pastime, Major League Baseball! The Cincinnati Reds have the oldest team in Major League Baseball, formed in 1869. (known then as the Red Stockings)Our guests this week, Dave "Juggles" Fischer and Dan "Mudder" Thomas are part of a league that still play the game by the rules of when it all first got started. They are members of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Vintage Baseball Team.You will hear all about those rules, the uniforms they wear when playing, and where they travel to play. Plus, the connection they have with The Cincinnati Reds these days.Lot of discussion in this episode about some of the all-time greats in major league baseball. Cheers!

Preds Beer Fest 2025 is in the books! Our friends, The Foamy Heads, invited us to do a joint podcast with them at this year's Preds Beer Fest. This is an event that Mitch and Rich have done for several years, and it was a treat to share the mics with them.This is the actual place and event that we met these guys, 1 year ago. If you go back and listen to their 2024 Preds Beer Fest episode, we show up at the end.We have been homies ever since, and it's been great getting to know them, and sharing many beers and sake together - whether it be in person or on virtual happy hours.This episode had us talking about Mitch's awesome Polaroid camera (there are a couple of pics in the intro video from it), as well as Rich's Double IPA's that he recently brewed. We also talked about some of the breweries in attendance like Marble Fox, Dark Shadow, Honey Tree Meadery, Catfish Brewing, Tennessee Brew Works, Broadcast Brewing, Hi-Wire and many more.We shared some beers and sake at the table and then walked around and partook in some food and beers from the many beer vendors.We even had 2 guests that sat down and chatted with us - Gnash and Armando AKA: Brew McCoy. That Gnash character never stops talking. Armando spent a lot of time with us and we got to discuss his photography and some of his processes. He was great on the mic, and we hope to have him on again soon.Marble Fox won the day by getting voted as the best brewery of the Beer Fest by the fans, and deservedly so.We had a lot of fun with this episode and it's always a great day when you can spend time with your friends, while being surrounded by beer.Thanks again to Mitch and Rich for inviting us to their party and for providing the equipment and the episode file. Go checkout their podcast too!Cheers!Steve and Scott

If we left you wanting more of the Hilltappers after the last episode - well here it is - the conclusion of our discussion with Tom and Brad of the Hilltappers.In this episode we talk about starting their social media account, and what their process is for adding photos to it when they go to a brewery, has anyone ever confused them or called them by the wrong name? (maybe for a whole weekend?).We also talk about some of their favorite breweries in Louisville - including a Top 5 list that they brought, the Untappd app, getting stickers from breweries and what to do with them.Because Oktoberfest season is somewhere between 5 and 9 weeks away - we have an in-depth discussion about it and what Oktoberfest beers they like best. We additionally roll pumpkin beers into the conversation and how they run parallel to Oktoberfest season.We ask Brad and Tom if they have any funny stories from their many adventures - which of course they do.We close by asking Brad to do his famous George W. Bush impression that just KILLS, every time he does it. We can't get enough of it!These guys are will make you laugh and you'll feel like you've known them for years.Thanks again to Tom and Brad for joining us, and this won't be the last you hear about them from us.Cheers!

Tom Peterson and Brad Knoop are known as The Hilltappers, and they joined us on this episode for a fantastic time.These guys are a dynamic duo of craft beer drinkers, who hail from Louisville, KY (Looavul) but will drink craft beer anywhere.They are so awesome that they brought their own intro music, visual aids and a special cooler to the podcast.We've gotten to know Brad and Tom over the past year and have drank a lot of beer with them on several different occasions, at a ton of different breweries, in multiple cities.It's not often that we meet people that love craft beer as much as we do, but the Hilltappers certainly do.In this episode we go back to the origins of The Hilltappers and where their name comes from and when they were formed.We discuss how great beer flights are, what they like to get on them, the types of beers they tend to stay away from, "Sour" beers and their place in craft beer, some of their favorite breweries that they've been to and more.You're also introduced to a new character that Steve has had tucked away for years, and is mentioned for the first time on The Brewery Underground Podcast. You can either thank or blame the Hilltappers for the "awakening" of this character. If you've ever met these guys you know how hysterical they are and how much of a joy they are to be around - there is a never a dull moment. We had such a great time with Tom and Brad and had so much content, that we had to split it into 2 parts. Part 2 will come out next week.The Hilltappers are exactly what this craft beer community needs in passion, positivity, sense of humor, beer knowledge and camaraderie. We're proud to call Tom and Brad friends and we have from the minute we met them. We think after listening to this episode - you will too. Cheers!Steve & Scott- The Brewery Underground Podcast