Fire & Beer

In this episode of Fire and Beer, Marcel Gomez is joined by a multitude of people at Alternate Ending in Aberdeen, New Jersey. On the show today we have Assistant Brewer Steve, Head Brewer Brendon, Owner Scott, Head Brewer from District 96 Sung, Scott from Lorenzo the Beer Cat, and Perri from District 96.Alternate Ending is based in an old movie theater and all of its labels are movie-based. They even have the trademark on “What If?” and could try to take on Marvel if they wanted to (they don’t). Growing up, the Alternate Ending guys were movie-obsessed, and that played into the creation of the place. People in the industry tend to end up with alternate endings and it just seemed to fit.Now collaborating with District 96, both camps are having a blast creating brews. The talk turns to the specific gravity of brews and sugar content. The higher the gravity at the finish, the more sugar is left over. Both Alternate Ending and District 96 have creative branding. District 96 has a lot of stuff on tap and has a steady rotation. For Alternate Ending, as a brewery and pub, there’s no limit to what they can put out. There’s a chance for an eclectic menu.In recent years, craft beer and light beers have helped to penetrate the market more. Lighter lagers are an easy drink and historically a blue-collar thing. It’s about the culture and brewers brewing what they want to brew. We hear about how the perception of hype can cause more problems than solve. Hype for hype’s sake doesn’t mean good beer. The breweries that didn’t survive the pandemic probably had bad brews. Trends come and go but, in the end, it comes down to what you love.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: www.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

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This time we’ve got Jason Stein from Timber Ales. Jason’s love of craft beer began at the University of Michigan when he tried Bell’s Hop Slam for the first time. After graduating, Jason became active in the craft beer scene, writing with various publications and starting his own blog. The inevitable next step was to start up his own home brewery and Timber Ales was born, focusing on barrel aged, dark liquids.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: www.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

In today’s episode Marcel Gomez is joined by Sean Towers from The Seed: A Living Beer Project, recently named USA Today’s best new brewery. Located in Atlantic City, The Seed has 10 taps and a 7-barrel system. The Seed is a passion project of Sean and Amanda Cardinali and grows and changes with every new beer they introduce.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: www.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

This is a series within the Fire & Beer podcast, where Kamal and I talk shit about whatever is on our mind. In this episode we discuss:Line shares are back?!Shaun Hills view on the current beer scene.Kamal makes some dope announcementsNo episode in March what gives Marcel?Guests on the Kicking it series?!?This is not a podcast to listen to on the way to work, in this series we highly encourage you to crack open a beer and have a laugh with us!You can follow Kamal on Instagram @MarleymarlbeerzCheers and I hope you enjoy this episode!Feedback is super important to us please let us know what you think!Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comwww.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

In today’s episode Marcel Gomez is joined by Robert Austin Cho, chef/owner of award-winning restaurant Kimchi Smoke in Westwood, New Jersey. Robert started off with backyard BBQ before progressing to competitions, building a following and, eventually, creating Kimchi Smoke. Roberts’ food is American BBQ with a Korean influence, but don’t call it fusion!When he started out, Robert had a 9-5 job in real estate. It all began when he saw an episode of Pitmasters on the Food Network and was fascinated by what he saw. Growing up in New Jersey, he hadn’t had a chance to experience real BBQ food, or have a real BBQ experience and the smoke drew him in. Robert began by spending most of his free time experimenting with smoking. He lived in an apartment, so he had to settle for a small, portable grill to start. It barely fit a rack of ribs if you cut it in half, but it was a start.Find out more about Robert and Kimchi Smoke here: https://www.kimchismoke.com/https://www.instagram.com/kimchismoke/https://www.instagram.com/robertaustincho/Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: www.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

In today’s episode we are welcoming Tom Peters, owner of Monk’s Café in Philadelphia. Monk’s is regarded as one of the best beer bars in the world and one of the top 5 places to go before you die. With a cult-like following, largely in part to his passion for Belgian Beer and ability to pass that passion on to his employees and patrons, Monk’s has been serving in Philadelphia since 1997.Known as the Godfather of Beer in the US, Tom has a 35-year background in craft beer. His first beer was a Dortmunder Union, and he was spoiled right away. In 1984, Tom and his girlfriend stopped over in Brussels on their way to Paris, and his love of beer truly began. After seeing some sights, they stopped in a bar, ordered a Heineken, and were sad to find out that despite being in Europe, it still sucked. The bartender overheard and offered him a real beer, a Dubbel.Soon, the bartender was introducing Tom to a host of different beers and Tom started making notes on beer mats. This experience changed his life forever. The sheer diversity of what was actually available blew him away. It was here that he began regular pilgrimages to Cantillon and started a long-lasting relationship with the brewery.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: www.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

This is a series within the Fire & Beer podcast, where Kamal and I talk shit about whatever is on our mind. In this episode we have two special guest Anthony (@Stop_and_Smell_the_Hops) and Jose (@yankeerunner77) we talk candidly about Stout in a can, dope NJ home brewers, Melissa Wings, Untappd ratings, Anthonys creative process and so much more!This is not a podcast to listen to on the way to work, in this series we highly encourage you to crack open a beer and have a laugh with us!You can follow Kamal on Instagram @MarleymarlbeerzCheers and I hope you enjoy this episode!Feedback is super important to us please let us know what you think!Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comwww.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

Chris tells Marcel that he built on the concept of BierWax through passion. An honest love of both music and craft beer is what drove the conception of BierWax and is what continues to drive any changes. When he thought of the idea, he realized there was nowhere else around that married both of his passions. There is a careful curation of all aspects of BierWax, and any guest DJs are only allowed to spin vinyl – no digital. Chris has put in a lot of work to cultivate an inclusive and comfortable atmosphere as well as an intimate music venue.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

***Warning: Explicit language, can be offensive to some listeners***This is nothing like my first two episodes. This is a series within the Fire & Beer podcast, where Kamal and I talk shit about whatever is on our mind. In this episode we talk candidly about Pumpkin Spice beers, how Kamal and I met and decide to do this podcast series, our top breweries, and more.This is not a podcast to listen to on the way to work, in this series we highly encourage you to crack open a beer with us and have a laugh with us!You can follow Kamal on Instagram @MarleymarlbeerzCheers and I hope you enjoy this episode!This episode was sponsored by Asabasa Spice Co. Please visit https://asabasaspice.com and use promo code "FIREANDBEER" for 15% off your order.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comwww.FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

In today’s episode, Marcel is joined by William Horst of Hooked on BBQ. William runs a successful Instagram and website dedicated showcasing all things barbeque and spreading a message of positivity to his community. Learn more about William and Hooked on BBQ: https://www.hookedonbbq.nethttps://www.instagram.com/hooked_on_bbq/This episode was sponsored by Asabasa Spice Co. Please visit https://asabasaspice.com and use promo code "FIREANDBEER" for 15% off your order.Fire And Beere: marcel@fireandbeer.comw: FireandBeer.comIG: @FireandBeerSupport the show

In today’s episode, Marcel Gomez is joined by Pete Oates and Michelle DeLuca from Equilibrium Brewery in Middletown, New York. Pete is co-Founder and Master Brewer while Michelle is Brand Director and Social Media Coordinator. Marcel joins Pete and Michelle at Equilibrium’s new $3 million, 33,000 square foot facility to talk about creating from passion, surviving COVID-19 and the collaborative nature of the craft beer community. And more....This leads Marcel to ask about the recent addition of BBQ to their menu. You can order a whole, pre-cooked brisket and all you have to do is heat it up at home. The idea has been on the table for a while - Pete spent time in Austin and fell in love with Texas BBQ, befriending pit masters and learning their secrets. They would have someone grilling for their Saturday releases, so it was a natural progression to get some of the missing bottle share feeling back for them and their clients.Pete goes on to talk about the science of the BBQ process, which for a good brisket is 40 hours. There was a definite learning curve to perfect the process but it has definitely been worth it.Marcel ends the podcast by explaining that he started the podcast because of Michelle. During an Instagram Live stream, she told him he should start a podcast. He agreed as long as Michelle and Equilibrium would be the first guests, the rest is history.Learn more about Equilibrium here: https://www.eqbrew.comSupport the show