The Pellicle Podcast

In this discussion, Paul Jones, founder of Cloudwater Brew Co., shares his journey of transforming the brewery into a leader in quality and social activism. He reflects on navigating the pandemic challenges while prioritizing employee safety over profits. Paul emphasizes his commitment to community support, from paying industry-leading wages to empowering emerging breweries. The talk also dives into brewing techniques for diverse styles, showcasing Cloudwater's dedication to innovation and flavor, all while fostering a stronger Manchester beer scene.

In October 2016, six months into being a full-time beer writer, I waded into the murky waters of cider writing. On publishing my first piece I was—a little surprisingly—met with a considerable amount of resistance to my view that “cider had an image problem” but there were also positives, which kick-started my journey into cider in earnest. This episode takes a dive into that piece, in which I said that “there needs to be more British cider that takes itself seriously in terms of both flavour and the way in which it presents itself.” It could be argued that we have that now. However, the further I dig to cider culture, the more it feels evident that divisions remain. In this episode I attempt to work out why that is, while also considering that when most people think about cider, they still consider it to be something fizzy and sweet that comes in cans or pints—certainly not 750ml bottles or bag-in-boxes. Consider this a thought experiment in trying to work all of this out, and where UK cider is now compared to where it was five years ago. All opinions within are to be taken with a pinch or two of salt. Listen in to hear what might be next for cider culture, and try to figure out why we can’t all just get along.Read the original cider article from 2016 here: totalales.co.uk/blog/2016/10/23/the-skys-the-limit-cidre-latypique-and-the-uks-cider-renaissanceDig into Pellicle’s cider archive here: pelliclemag.com/home?category=CiderSupport Pellicle on Patreon here: patreon.com/pelliclemagEpisode Host: Matthew Curtis

It's that time of the year where we're making our lists and checking them twice. No, not for Christmas, but for our annual best-of's! In this drink-along Christmas special, join Matthew as he recounts his favourite beers, wines, ciders and meals of 2020 over a couple of cans. It's been a rough year for many of us, but hopefully this will help spread a little bit of Christmas cheer. Thanks again to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast possible throughout this tumultuous year. If you’re able to support Pellicle with a monthly donation, please head to patreon.com/pelliclemag.Episode Host: Matthew CurtisRead more at www.pelliclemag.com

Welcome you what you could consider the beginning of The Pellicle Podcast 2.0. After much deliberation we've made the decision to switch from a series-based format to an episodic one. We just didn't have the time or the resources available in our current schedule to produce the documentary-style episodes we had in mind when originally launching this podcast. This change will allow us to produce episodes in a more timely fashion, thus keeping the show's momentum going.We've also made a few editorial changes, for example we'll be introducing more long-form interviews. We know a lot of beer podcasts already do these very well, but you know the feeling where you're listening to a conversation and wish they'd ask the question that's burning away at the back of your mind? Well, we're in an advantageous situation where we can do exactly that, and who are we to deny you folks? In addition, our host—Pellicle co-founder Matthew Curtis—will be using the podcast as his personal scratchpad to explore his feelings on some of the bigger (and smaller) topics in beer, wine and cider.Which brings us to our latest episode. Over the past few years the UK's beer industry has been embroiled in debate over whether or not some of its smallest brewers are paying enough tax, and if some of its larger brewers are paying too much. In this episode our host explores his personal feelings on a matter he's spent much of the past three years covering, with few holds barred, and a conclusion that perhaps changes to the duty system should be the least of small brewers concerns. If you enjoy this new format of the show—or you didn't—drop us a line and let us know.In this episode we reference an article on Marston's by Jonny Garrett for Good Beer Hunting, which can be read here: https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2019/12/9/years-of-lying-to-pub-tenants-could-cost-marstons-millions Thanks again to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast possible. If you’re able to support Pellicle with a monthly donation, please head to patreon.com/pelliclemag.Episode Host: Matthew CurtisRead more at www.pelliclemag.com 

Welcome to this special edition of the Pellicle Podcast. Today’s episode was recorded back in February at Cloudwater’s Friends and Family and Beer Festival. It’s hard to believe that such a brilliant event actually happened in 2020, but we’re so glad it did, and we’ll remember that weekend fondly for a long time to come. Thanks again to Paul, Doreen and Connor at Cloudwater for inviting Jonny and I up to host these talks at the festival.In this episode, we chat to Alex Troncoso of Lost and Grounded in Bristol, and Katie Pietsch from WhiteFrontier in Switzerland, as we get into conversation about what makes lager so universally appealing, and contemplate why its popularity has been steadily growing among craft beer consumers who typically lean towards American hops, complex sours, and delectably big stouts.Thanks again to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast possible, including Cloudwater, who are one of our pro-tier subscribers. If you’re able to support Pellicle with a monthly donation, please head to patreon.com/pelliclemag. Host: Matthew Curtis Guests: Alex Troncoso — Lost & Grounded, Katie Pietsch — WhiteFrontierRead more at www.pelliclemag.com 

Welcome to this special edition of the Pellicle Podcast. Today’s episode was recorded back in February at Cloudwater’s Friends and Family and Beer Festival. It’s hard to believe that such a brilliant event actually happened in 2020, but we’re so glad it did, and we’ll remember that weekend fondly for a long time to come. Thanks again to Paul, Doreen and Connor at Cloudwater for inviting Jonny and I up to host these talks at the festival.In this episode we take great pleasure in chatting to two bonafide industry legends: Doug Odell from Odell Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Paul Wood, now retired but formerly of Manchester’s own JW Lees Brewery. Over the next half hour, we chat about how styles vital to the beer heritage of the United Kingdom such as bitter and mild remain as vital today, and tomorrow, as they’ve always been.One additional, very important thing about this episode. At the moment I am not actively supporting JW Lees brewery, due to their stance on beer taxation reform in the UK, and how this might negatively affect many of the UK's small breweries. However, I really enjoyed this conversation, and still consider it having value, hence why I’m sharing it. But not everything I say during this recording is reflective of my present stance—find me on twitter @totalcurtis for a more updated view.Thanks again to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast possible, including Cloudwater, who are one of our pro-tier subscribers. If you’re able to support Pellicle with a monthly donation, please head to patreon.com/pelliclemag.  Host: Matthew Curtis Guests: Paul Wood — J.W. Lees, Doug Odell — Odell BrewingRead more at www.pelliclemag.com 

Welcome to this special edition of the Pellicle Podcast. Today’s episode was recorded back in February at Cloudwater’s Friends and Family and Beer Festival. It’s hard to believe that such a brilliant event actually happened in 2020, but we’re so glad it did, and we’ll remember that weekend fondly for a long time to come. Thanks again to Paul, Doreen and Connor at Cloudwater for inviting Jonny and I up to host these talks at the festival.In this episode Jonny Hamilton chats with Khris Johnson from Green Bench in Florida, Andrew Schwartz from Modern Times in San Diego, California and Felix Nash from The Fine Cider Company here in the UK, on what happens when the production of beer, wine and cider are brought together, and what potential experiences does this offers to the curious drinker. This is a fascinating insight into the crossover of beer, wine and cider, and I hope you find this discussion as compelling as I did when I got to sit in the audience and listen in.Thanks again to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast possible, including Cloudwater, who are one of our pro-tier subscribers. If you’re able to support Pellicle with a monthly donation, please head to patreon.com/pelliclemag.Host: Jonny Hamilton Guests: Khris Johnson — Green Bench, Andrew Schwarz — Modern Times, Felix Nash — The Fine Cider CompanyRead more at www.pelliclemag.com 

Here’s something a little different for you. The latest episode of our podcast is spoken word recording of our co-founder Matthew Curtis’ popular article on his visit to Russian River’s brewpub in Santa Rosa, California, for a taste of its revered Pliny the Elder at the source. It’s a short episode at just 13 minutes, but one we still hope you’ll enjoy a great deal.Regular listeners will know that we’ve narrated a couple of our stories before during a couple of the episodes in the first series of our podcast. This time, however, we’ve not only decided to produce a spoken word version of a feature, but also underpin it with a score. One will—hopefully—add a little extra drama and impact to the listening experience. It should go without saying that we welcome all feedback on how this worked (or didn’t) for you.There is intent behind this too, as we wanted to see how viable it would be in terms of time and resources to record scores for the episodes planned as part of The Pellicle Podcast’s second series. The answer is that 12-minute-long soundtracks probably aren’t going to become a regular part of our broadcasting, but hopefully we’ll figure out a more time-sensitive way of adding a little colour and flare to S2 when it’s in post-production. More on that soon.For now, please enjoy this episode, which you can either stream or download below, or via popular services such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many more. If you’re enjoying our podcasts please subscribe on your app and leave a review if you’ve time, and if you want to help fund more content like this, please consider signing up for a monthly donation via our Patreon page. The track in this episode is called “Sonoma” and is written, produced and performed by Matthew Curtis. We recommend sitting in a big, comfy chair with headphones and a cold class of IPA for an optimal listening experience.  Host: Matthew Curtis Read more at www.pelliclemag.comSupport our podcast at patreon.com/pelliclemag

It’s over to my partner in crime Jonathan Hamilton to host this, our final panel talk from FyneFest 2019. This discussion is all about spontaneous, mixed fermentation and wild ales—perhaps collectively better known, for better or worse, as “sours”. He’s joined on the panel by Andy Gibson, who at the time was working for BrewDog Overworks, Steven Smith-Hay from Vault City, Jim Rangeley of Abbeydale’s Funk Dungeon project, and Andrea Ladas, who helped establish the Origins project at Fyne Ales. This episode is a must listen for anyone curious about the production of sour beers, as this is a super fun, and geeky chat. I’ll leave it there but quickly want to say thank you for listening to these talks, and thanks again to Fyne Ales for having us. We’ll see you back in the Glen in 2021. And I’ll be back in a week or two with some more episodes, including yet more panel talks from this year’s Cloudwater Friends & Family & Beer festival. Stay tuned!  Host: Jonny Hamilton Guests: Jim Rangeley — Abbeydale, Andy Gibson — BrewDog Overworks, Steven Smith-Hay — Vault City, Andrea Ladas — Fyne AlesRead more at www.pelliclemag.comSupport our podcast at patreon.com/pelliclemag

In recent months I’ve become fascinated by the idea of legacy in modern beer, and what kind of impact today’s brewers will have on the next generation of beer lovers. We’re incredibly fortunate for the existence of beers like Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Harvey’s Best, St. Austell Tribute and Fyne Ale’s very own Jarl—beers with a seemingly timeless quality that will hopefully continue to be enjoyed for decades to come. But what’s next? They say it takes at least 10 years to build a brand, and with many modern breweries focusing instead on limited releases and one-off beers, what are they building in terms of brand and identity? In this discussion we try to get to the bottom of this.I’m joined on this panel by three people who are highly invested in their brands: Tina Breslin, the illustrator behind the compelling cans from Manchester’s Wander Beyond, Andrew Mathews of Vibrant Forest Brewery, known for its equally vibrant artwork, and the lovely Iain Smith, marketing manager at Fyne Ales, who was the person kind enough to let us folks at Pellicle host these talks. It’s a fascinating chat, especially if you’re interested in branding and design as well as the beer itself. And apologies for a little background noise, this was recorded at a festival heading well into the livelier portion of its afternoon. Host: Matthew Curtis Guests: Tina Breslin — Wander Beyond, Andrew Mathews — Vibrant Forest, Iain "Arrows" Smith — Fyne AlesRead more at www.pelliclemag.comSupport our podcast at patreon.com/pelliclemag