Good Beer Hunting

I’m Natalya Watson, and you’re listening to the Good Beer Hunting podcast. My guests today are Miranda Hudson and Derek Bates, co-founders of Duration Brewing, a progressive farmhouse brewery in Norfolk, England. Bates—known mononymously to most—left his post as head brewer at London’s Brew By Numbers in late 2016 to set out on his own. He’d had an idea kicking around for years, but in 2017, he and his wife, Miranda, put their plan into action. Wanting to be a bit out of the way, they found a site among the ruins of a 12th-century priory in West Acre, Norfolk. But the rather challenging location required a year-and-a-half of planning before the build began in late 2018 and finally completed nearly a year later. During this time, Duration began brewing collaboratively and nomadically with breweries across the U.K. and beyond. Not only did this approach get their beer out there, it got them out there, too. Miranda and Bates became familiar faces to members of the U.K. beer industry, many of whom got enthusiastically involved in following the pair and their progress, which was frequently documented on their website and social media. Now that they’re finally brewing in their own facility, as of October 2019, the goal for this first year was, as you’ll hear, for Bates to have the chance to experiment. That wouldn’t just enable him to showcase his breadth as a brewer, the thinking went, but to discover which styles were a hit for the brewery, and to decide which journeys they wanted to take their drinkers on away from the Pale Ale and IPA monoculture, as Bates calls it. But only five months after they settled into their brand-new brewery, COVID-19 hit. While it certainly hasn’t been the first year they were expecting—with a market too unstable to truly fine-tune their core range, and a destination brewery most are unable visit—they talk me through their initial response to the pandemic. They discuss the challenges (and triumphs) they’ve faced, from their wholesale model becoming essentially unviable overnight to how they were able to get their online shop up and running with the flick of a switch to why they’ve taken their brewery tours online, essentially welcoming drinkers into their “home,” as Miranda puts it. Miranda and Bates aren’t just business partners: They’re life partners and parents, too. You’ll hear, in earnest, some of the challenges they’re up against at the moment. But you’ll also hear how they’re looking ahead. Not just beyond COVID, but five, 10 years down the line. Even during this incredibly difficult time for the industry, they’ve doubled down—expanding not only their capacity, but their team, too. They tell us about the breweries in the United States they’re inspired by, what sets Duration apart, and the legacy they’re looking to leave behind. This is Miranda Hudson and Derek Bates of Duration Brewing. Listen in.

Today's guest is historian Omar Foda, author of the book Egypt's Beer: Stella, Identity, and the Modern State. In this book, he traces the country's history through one iconic national beer brand: Stella (not to be confused with Stella Artois). Recently, Omar wrote an article for GBH called, "You Cannot Hate These People — Heineken, Nasser, and the Fight to Decolonize Beer in Egypt," similarly using a specific incident to highlight how decolonization changed everything for one Heineken-owned brewery. What struck me about this article was how urgent the issues felt, which is noteworthy, since Omar wrote a historical account of an incident that happened over half a century ago. I felt like I was reading about something that was happening right now—and that's partially intentional on Omar's part. In this piece, he deftly bridges the gap between what's happened in the past and why we should care now. And in this conversation, we talk about how to make history relevant (Omar has done AMAs on Reddit before), how the lens through which we view history is always marked by our own experiences and interests, and why a disagreement at a brewery in Egypt over 50 years ago can shine a light on what's happening in our society today. Here's Omar Foda. Listen in.

Today’s episode is the kind of conversation I’d typically have in a bar over a few pints with a friend—one in which we’d talk shop and inevitably start prognosticating about a brewery or a beer in a way that would bend each of our opinions into oblivion before we’d finally run out of stamina and order one last round. Brewery Ommegang—what the hell is up with Brewery Ommegang? Over the past couple months we learned that the brewery’s CEO, Doug Campbell, was leaving. Next to depart was Brewmaster Phil Leinhart. Now, the foreseeable future for this history-making, Belgian-inspired brewery—which once brought us iconic beers like Hennepin—will now be devoted to a juicy, Hazy IPA called Neon Rainbows. The Brewery Ommegang story has been one of total whiplash over the last few years, as it has adjusted to tumultuous U.S. market trends; its increasing physical isolation, compared to the taprooms now populating every corner of U.S. towns; and its sale to Duvel, alongside breweries like Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Boulevard Brewing Company. A lot of gravity for that network of breweries is currently coming out of Kansas City. Now the question remains: Will it inevitably suck Ommegang out of its unique, idiosyncratic orbit? And if it does, what will be left of this once-legendary U.S. craft brewer? To get to that, I wanted to talk to beer writer Jeff Alworth. He and I were both at the last—and seemingly final—edition of the annual festival called Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. And we spent most of that time together talking about the odd arc of the Ommegang story, and where it might go next. Organizers put the festival on hiatus after that most recent celebration, seemingly to take a moment and figure out how to evolve it in 2019. Well, it never quite got back on track—and with all the news, I found myself wishing I had a pub, a pint, and Jeff Alworth to talk to about it. This is Jeff Alworth, one of the country’s best beer writers. Listen in.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Lars Marius Garshol for the first time. Before then, like much of the internet, I had followed along with Garshol's adventures via his eponymous website, Larsblog, where he has been documenting his beer travels and curiosities since the early 2000s. Though he works as a software engineer, Garshol is particularly devoted to the subject of farmhouse brewing in Europe—so much so that he has written several books on the topic, including this year's award-winning release, "Historical Brewing Techniques — The Lost Art of Farmhouse Brewing." In his spare time, he also helps organize Norway's primary farmhouse beer festival, the annual Norsk Kornølfestival; collects yeast samples; and even collaborates with researchers on scientific papers. His work is varied, but Garshol is probably best known for spreading the word about kveik, Western Norway's farmhouse yeast family, now celebrated across the world for its extraordinary abilities—and that's how I came to meet him. Lars was a major source for both of my long-form features on kveik and farmhouse brewing for GBH, the first of which came out in the summer of 2019, and the second of which was published last month. That most recent article arose out of a trip I took to Voss, Norway in February, and that's where Lars and I finally crossed paths, when I attended a talk he gave as part of a kveik symposium. Today's conversation kicks off when I ask Garshol about this year's edition of the Kornølfestival, which was held entirely over Zoom. We also discuss his book, chat about why even seasoned beer drinkers might be perplexed by farmhouse beer styles like Vossaøl and Stjørdalsøl, and he sheds light on how vast the world of farmhouse brewing really is. There's a lot to dig into here—and a fair amount of jargon—but this conversation was illuminating to me in at least 10 different ways, and I hope it is for you, too. This is Lars Marius Garshol, author and blogger. Listen in.

Today you’ll hear Claire Bullen read her story, “The Land of Fire and Kveik — Farmhouse Brewing at the Crossroads in Voss, Norway,” published on Good Beer Hunting’s website on September 30, 2020. This is Claire’s second deep dive on kveik, the renowned farmhouse yeast family that originated in Western Norway. Claire’s first piece, “A Fire Being Kindled — The Revolutionary Story of Kveik, Norway’s Extraordinary Farmhouse Yeast,” which you can also hear her read out loud, is a technical exploration, uncovering the transformative power and heritage of kveik. In the story you’re about to hear, Claire actually travels to Voss, Western Norway to see kveik in action, and to experience first-hand just how important the tradition of farmhouse brewing is to the region. Here’s Claire reading, “The Land of Fire and Kveik — Farmhouse Brewing at the Crossroads in Voss, Norway.” Listen in.

It’s really easy these days to think about the things that we’ve lost, whether it’s time with friends and family or the ability to exist in public spaces, whether we’d want to, or not. We are stuck at home, coexisting in our self-selected pods of people we can continue to see, but literally and figuratively, the world is more closed for us. But that’s just one side of this coin. Granted, it’s digitally, but there are more opportunities to connect than ever, and even as news, politics, or our climate tries to defy our inner optimism, there is still hope. And it’s up to us to share that with others, and inspire them in any way we can. There is an undeniable brightness that Eugenia Brown brings to the world of beer. She is upbeat, energetic, social, and perhaps best of all: hopeful. Through her organization and brand of Black Beer Chick, she’s working to celebrate, empower, and connect people who share a love of beer. Especially communities long ignored by a very white, very male U.S. craft beer industry. She is a black woman creating change, making a lot of friends, and embracing her growing role as someone many are looking up to. You may have heard her name or social media handle in recent months as she launched a project known as the “Road to 100,” which is helping 100 women of color work toward certification in the Cicerone program, beer’s equivalent to wine’s sommelier program. In our conversation, you’ll hear Eugenia talk about her own road to where she finds herself today. Once fearful of playing imposter in a community of beer professionals and fans, her trajectory has taken her about as far from that as possible. She’s empowering others, whether that’s from her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, or virtually with friends and fans all over the country. Eugenia carries light and love wherever she goes, and maybe her source of hope will inspire you, too. This is Eugenia Brown of Black Beer Check. Listen in.

Today’s guest is a revisit with one of my favorite people. Collin McDonnell of Henhouse Brewing in Northern California. It’s a bit of a long one, and if you follow GBH closely you probably already understand the nature of my admiration for Collin and the focus of our conversations—so I won’t belabor the intro here. In short, we’re both business owners who often commiserate, support, and draw out of each other some of the more vulnerable and anxious parts of doing what we do. And our hopes for things being better than they are—whether that’s quality and freshness, culture and social justice, and the role that work, beer, and people play in our lives. The context for today’s chat, of course, is the particular 2020 Collin and his team are facing—the pandemic, the fires, the weariness of it all—but that’s not to say this is bleak. At least, not to me. I find a certain hope against hope anytime I talk to Collin—and this was no different.

Welcome to the Good Beer Hunting Collective podcast, the show where members of our team interview each other to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of our favorite articles. I’m Evan Rail, international editor here at Good Beer Hunting. As a longtime fan of Hong Kong action movies from directors like Tsui Hark and John Woo, I’ve often wondered about life in the city. With Hong Kong in the news over its ongoing protests and the tightening of Chinese rule, it was fascinating to read “City on Fire,” Christopher DeWolf’s recent article for Good Beer Hunting on craft beer in Hong Kong and the political situation there. Although the piece focuses on the city’s leading craft brewery, Young Master Brewery, it also brings up lots of other questions, including ideas about audience, and what it means to be a local flavor. For example, if people in Hong Kong love a particular taste, spice, or type of food that is actually from mainland China, does that not eventually become a local flavor in Hong Kong itself? What would a Hong Kong beer actually taste like? How are breweries there dealing with the demonstrations in support of democracy? And how have things been affected by what was already a third wave of coronavirus infections? In this episode, I talk to Christopher, a long-term Canadian resident of Hong Kong who is currently in Montreal. We discuss craft beer in Hong Kong, the political situation there, and even the city’s legendary street food scene, as well as the article Christopher’s working on next. Here’s Christopher DeWolf.

I’ve been downloading a lot of interviews lately by Brandi Miller, a writer, equity advocate, and minister, among many other things. On her podcast, Reclaiming My Theology, she begins every interview with a question that sounds simple, but gets complex answers: “How do you describe who you are?” As humans, we can be many things: consistent or conflicting, led by personal or professional goals—there is no wrong answer to the question of how we construct our identity, both for ourselves and the world around us. And the way Brandi Miller leads into her conversations has impacted how I’m thinking about these Good Beer Hunting podcasts, and the people we talk to. That’s why, when you hear Latiesha Cook in just a few moments, we’re going to start by asking her that same question about describing herself. It’s one she’s been rightfully asking of the U.S. beer industry for the last few years. As CEO and president of Beer Kulture, a nonprofit focused on equity and “changing the world one beer at a time,” Latiesha is an important voice, and offers a valuable point of view as a Black woman encouraging the very white, very male beer community to reassess and think about how it wants to describe itself. There are many social, cultural, and empathetic reasons to do this even before considering economic ones, like the business-focused idea of why it’s finally time to expand craft beer’s consumer base. And the way Latiesha sees it, this movement and what she wants to accomplish with her team at Beer Kulture boils down to one, easy phrase: “Simply being human.” So let’s turn it over to her, hear her story, and find out how she describes herself, and what she hopes to hear from the industry around her as it wrestles with the simple, powerful questions of what it is, and who it’s for. This is Latiesha Cook of Beer Kulture. Listen in.

This is GBH Out Loud, and I’m Ashley Rodriguez. Today you’ll hear GBH contributor Beth Demmon read “Witch (Craft) Beer — How a New Wave of Brewers are Incorporating Magic into Beer,” published on Good Beer Hunting’s website on October 31, 2019. Did we plan to release a story about witches on Halloween? Yes, we did, but Beth’s story manages to go beyond stereotypes and explores the world of the unseen, and the spiritual forces that some brewers tap into to create their beer. Part of Beth’s fascination with witches, as you’ll hear her discuss, is primal. It’s the search for the unknown, and the belief that there are things around us we cannot always see or immediately understand—but which can have an outsize impact on our lives. Here’s Beth reading “Witch (Craft) Beer — How a New Wave of Brewers are Incorporating Magic into Beer.” Listen in.