241: Edward Slingerland Argues that Beer is an Evolutionary Adaptation, not an Accident

Northern Virginia’s Aslin Brewing are brash and outspoken with a no-holds-barred approach that’s reflected in their progressive take on brewing. They’ve been tinkerers and experimenters from their earliest days brewing on a 2 bbl system, and this year they’re on track to brew over 5,000 barrels of beer on a small 8.5 bbl system, almost all of which is canned and sold from their dock because the brewery doesn’t currently have a taproom. In this conversation with Jamie Bogner, cofounders Kai Leszkowicz and Andrew Kelley discuss everything from their collaborative approach to competition (“As much as it’s sad, we look at Untappd every day”), to their processes using hops, adding adjuncts, rousing tanks, and even their pricing strategy with margins that support employees, allow them to grow with little debt, and prepare for a shakeout in the brewing industry, if it ever comes. “We say that we’re competitive, and it sounds intimidating, but at the same time it doesn’t mean that we’re not going to be friends. That we can’t work together. That we don’t have something to learn from you, or you from us. We’ve never said ‘no’ to anybody. We’re still good people and nice. We’re just ‘if this is the field of play, we’re in a game right now, we’re going to win.’ We would like to win. We’re out here to do our best and be the best at what we do. We’ve definitely not achieved that yet, and there are tons of critics that are willing to tell us [so], which is great, because we’re using that as jet fuel to continue our search.”

5 Okt 20181h 7min

From the best kinds of salts to use to how it can mess up some brewing equipment, there's no one better to talk about gose than Fal Allen. This week he talks about his new book that focuses on the style, what he's learned brewing them at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. and how gose almost disappeared. This episode brought to you by CraftBeer.com, home of the most powerful brewery locator in the universe. Whether you’re traveling in a new city or planning your next beer-cation—head to CraftBeer.com and explore the wide world of American craft beer. Want to support small and independent breweries? Look for the independent craft brewer seal when you search.

28 Sep 201855min

Pinthouse Pizza Director of Brewing Joe Mohrfeld joins Jamie for a hop-centric conversation that touches on everything from hop trends in the 2018 crop year, hot and cold-side hopping methods, their small-scale approach to production brewery-style blending, building relationships with hops growers, using cryo-hops to achieve different flavors, yeast harvesting despite dry-hopping during active fermentation, learning from peer brewers, and more. Beer is agriculture. Listen in.

21 Sep 201859min

Greg Koch, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Stone Brewing, joins Jamie Bogner for a conversation about their challenge in launching a brewery in a difficult market, their experience launching a distribution business to connect their beer with retailers, the importance of lean business practices in helping brewing businesses weather the cyclical storms of the beer business, the challenge of keeping the art in brewing as the business grows, the impact of a death by a thousand cuts that cost-cutting corporate brewers face today, and the constant drive to iterate and improve even the most sacred of brewery cows—mainline core brands.

14 Sep 20181h 1min

Equilibrium Brewing's co-owners Ricardo Petroni and Peter Oates talk about using mathematics to get the most out of hopping, the benefits and worries of "Line Life" and what they've learned from homebrewing and measured growth to help strengthen their business today. This episode is brought to you by American Homebrewers Association (https://www.homebrewersassociation.org).

7 Sep 201848min

When you put quality first in your beer, your employees will follow suit with all the other aspects of the business, says Michael Kane, founder and brewer at Kane Brewing Co. In this week's podcast he talks about a brewers love for lager, why attending festivals around the country helps his New Jersey-only distribution brewery, and adventures in barrel-aging.

31 Aug 201850min

Bull puns, flavored IPA, and the challenges of contract brewing at three separate locations are just a few of the ways Bob Olson of Bolero Snort Brewery spends his day. From talking about when the moment was right to go pro and then eventually break ground on his own brewery, to using odd ingredients to achieve dessert flavors in his beers, Olson shares the struggles and joy of small brewery ownership. Subscribe to Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine at https://beerandbrewing.com/subscription

24 Aug 201847min

Keeping the homebrewing spirit and inspiration alive and top of mind is paramount for Chris Cuzme of Fifth Hammer in New York. This week he discusses brewing seasonally and with special ingredients, how music can impact beer, and the benefits and limitations of brewing in a major city.

17 Aug 201853min