Good Beer Hunting

How many times have you heard some version of the phrase “beer brings people together?” We get it: eating and drinking with others is an ancient and deeply human way to connect with our communities, and beer plays a huge role in that. It’s such a foundational idea that gets thrown around so much that honestly, I’ve sort of forgotten it means anything. But after talking with Trevor Nearburg, owner and brewer at Beerburg Brewing in Austin, Texas, it’s the first time in a long time that the concept has actually made sense to me in a new and relatable way. You see, Trevor’s not just a brewer. He’s a forager, herbalist, vegan, and dare I say aspiring poet, discussing concepts like ethical and intentional living as universal responsibilities that each and every one of us owes to the land upon which we exist. It’s the process of gathering, tasting, creating, and sharing with one another that brings us together, and it’s that foundation that drives him rather than the beer itself. Of course, beer still plays a huge role at Beerberg, and his rotating portfolio of both classic and esoteric styles redefine not just what beer is, but how it’s made and where it comes from. In this episode, Trevor shares his journey of intentional living and brewing, and how he uses the world around him to inform what he makes and how it changes with the seasons, weather, and other climate events across the sometimes harsh Central Texas landscape. I laugh a lot in this conversation—how could I not, when he’s openly lamenting about the acorn harvest this year or waxing nostalgic about a particularly great yield of mugwort? I hope you laugh too, and learn something new about what it means to make beer in the same way Trevor aspires to exist in nature: without ego or judgment.   

By definition, the realization that you’ve experienced a close brush with death can’t come until after you’ve survived, but sometimes you might realize you’re already standing on thin ice, left to wonder how you’re going to stay alive. We hope these moments in life are few, if at all, but when they do occur, reliving them with the safety and clarity of hindsight can teach us lessons about ourselves that we may otherwise never know.   In his piece “Melting Away — Ice Fishing on LSD While Your World Dissolves,” a story published as part of Good Beer Hunting’s Olly Olly series in collaboration with Oskar Blues, writer and photographer Mark LaFaro describes his venture onto a frozen lake in Minnesota and what brought him there in the first place—the end of a partnership for him and the dawning of a new era for his friend Finney, who recently became a new parent. Beginnings and ends like these can feel similarly rudderless and isolating, something Mark and Finney found out during what ended up being a more treacherous outing than they originally anticipated. In this conversation with Mark, he told me he’d do it all again, maybe with a bit less LSD and definitely with some more safety precautions. He also talks about how despite the fact that fishing is closely tied to drinking, how the two alcohol-free friends managed to still open their horizons and hearts to one another during a terrifying, but somewhat necessary catharsis for them both. The two friends danced on the edge of life and came back to tell the tale, and we’re fortunate to hear all about it.  

Last year, while attending the Georgia Brewers Conference, I heard a DEI presentation from Isaiah Smith, the CEO of Our Culture Brewing Co, Fenwick Broyard, vice president of culture at Creature Comforts Brewing Co., and Tracy Bardugon, then a taproom manager at Fire Maker Brewing who now works at  Elsewhere Brewing. You might think once you’ve heard one DEI talk, you’ve heard them all, but I found this one to stand out because it detailed the importance of creating an inclusive environment before injecting diversity into it. Instead of focusing on bringing in diversity first, make sure your brewery is inclusive and ready to accept more diverse employees. The trio also detailed during the talk about the value of collaborating beyond the brewhouse—connecting different departments within a brewery with each other to share knowledge and best practices. Since then, I haven’t looked at brewery collaborations the same.  What’s so valuable about this idea is that breweries in planning like Our Culture can benefit from years of experience from a brewery like Creature Comforts, one of the biggest craft breweries in Georgia. I was excited to learn how their ideas became action—in May 2023 Creature Comforts created a brewing residency program where the Our Culture team was partnered with a counterpart at Creature Comforts. I recently had a chance to join both breweries in Athens where they shared their experience of creating this partnership and how it was beneficial to both parties. First, you’ll hear from Jossette Footman-Smith, co-owner and head of operations and community engagement at Our Culture Brewing, and Issac Smith, co-owner and head of brewing operations, as they share how Our Culture got their start.  Then, you’ll hear from Isaiah Smith and Creature Comforts’ Fenwick Broyard about the residency program, and what they learned along the way. We also dive into the story behind their collaboration beer, “Seeds Take Up the Soil,” a sweet potato Ale that is a great representation of the beers Our Culture is planning to bring to market, focused on highlighting flavors of the African diaspora.  

It’s a new week and that means new drama, news, and more on this episode of The Gist, with Kate Bernot and me, Beth Demmon. We bring you the latest beer world news with all the context—and the tea—you need to know on what’s happening right now. This is the Gist.

Look around beer today and it’s easy to find lots … beyond it. Breweries are making hard seltzer, canned cocktails, wine, or opening up restaurant extensions. Whether it's over the counter at a taproom or in a store, the challenges to sell beer have never been more unique and plentiful as people can now choose to drink just about whatever they want in a variety of formats, flavors, and experiences. Which is part of the reason why the growth of New York City’s Grimm Artisanal Ales shouldn’t come as a surprise. The company was started a decade ago focused on beer, but the curiosity of its founders, Lauren and Joe Grimm, has helped it expand beyond it. Just over a year ago they launched Physica Wines, a wine-making spinoff focused on low-tech, spontaneous fermentations with regionally-sourced grapes and other fruit. Then more recently, it was Lala’s, a New Haven-style pizzeria. All three businesses and their products share a similar passion and purpose and represent what Lauren and Joe see as natural extensions of their past decade of work. If you’re a beer fan, you may know Grimm as a once-nomadic brewery making beers beloved by enthusiasts, whether IPAs for Wild Ales. But in this conversation, we’ll get into what drives Lauren and Joe’s interest in doing more beyond beer and how they go from experimenting with food and beverage at home to serving their creations for customers.  

When we talk about what they appreciate about beer, it’s not uncommon to hear them mention the people; the “community.” And in a very tangible way, there are few examples for how this appears than at a beer festival. All over the country, almost all year-round, you can find examples of packed event halls, convention centers, and even parking lots where enthusiasts and novices alike mill about, sampling different beers. But more recently - and certainly partially because of the COVID pandemic - these festivals have hit a rough patch. For some of the most prominent beer fests, interest isn’t as high as it used to be and ticket sales are just a little tougher. In Canada, the annual Windsor Craft Beer Festival was canceled due to lagging sales while it easily sold out during its heydays of the mid-2010s. Similarly, The Oregon Brewers Festival was canceled this year after organizers shared that higher costs, lower attendance, and extreme weather were making it harder to stay a successful event. Last year, the Great American Beer Festival cut its ticket numbers by 20,000 across multiple sessions after years of more challenging sales.  So what is the state of these special events? Let’s dive into it with Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot…  

If you follow me on Instagram, you know my love for beer is only rivaled by my love for cooking. Cooking is not only a therapeutic experience but a creative outlet . When I'm not in the kitchen, I'm probably watching cooking shows. Without a doubt, MasterChef is my favorite, and I've been hooked since its first season. I was delighted this year when two people from the beer industry impressed the judges enough to earn white aprons and compete for the title of MasterChef. I was beyond ecstatic when Grant Gillon, a sales rep from Kinship Brewing Co, made it to the finals and eventually won the competition. He rose above his competition by showcasing his Italian heritage and his passion for beer.   Grant and I share a love for cooking and beer, and we both believe that craft beer has a place in the world of fine dining. In this episode, we delve into  what meal or menu prep looks like when beer is involved. You'll hear Grant share two of the most significant lessons he learned from cooking in the MasterChef kitchen. He also provides tips for learning how to cook with beer and offers advice on getting your kids involved in the kitchen. But the common thread in our conversation? His love for Iowa.  

Communities can be built through mutual joy just as easily as through shared struggle, and in the rugged landscape of the American frontier, it can also be built through necessity of survival. Along the banks of the Salmon River, the small town of Stanley, Idaho, embodies these ideals of wonder and respect for nature, but residents’ way of life is changing, in sometimes unexpected and unwelcome ways. In her piece titled “Dancing In The Dust — Idaho’s River Runners Navigate a Changing American West,” a story published as part of our Olly Olly series in collaboration with Oskar Blues, freelance writer and environmental advocate Claire Barber takes us on a journey down the river and through the town, capturing the heart and spirit inextricably tied to the rushing waters that literally keep the region alive.  In this episode, Claire describes when she first heard about Stanley and what drew her there to document the spirits of adventure, as well as isolation, in the nearly off-the-grid utopia. She also talks about the changes she witnessed first-hand and what gave her hope in spite of the challenges Stanley faces. People come and go, but the river will always remain, and her ride down the rapids provides a glimpse both into the past and towards the future. Let’s take a ride with her, right now. 

There are many movements throughout the craft beer industry shining a light on the importance of diversity and seeking ways to create more inclusive environments. One of these movements is Tha CommUNITY, a multi-brew initiative led by April Dove. Since its launch in 2021, April has brewed 11 beers with breweries in and around Charleston, South Carolina, while providing breweries with a blueprint on how to attract Black drinkers to their taprooms. In this episode, April shares the unlikely story of how Tha CommUNITY got its start. We discuss the challenges of bringing Black people into the craft beer scene. While it's challenging to create a checklist of things to guarantee an inclusive, diverse taproom, April shares her approach to planning releases for her beers, which includes creating a familiar atmosphere for people who haven't set foot in a taproom before. We'll also explore her takeaways from beer school and how the Brewer's Association mentorship program is helping her take Tha CommUNITY to the next level.  

From a declaration of maturity to mergers and acquisitions, cannabis, craft share, and beyond, it’s been a big week in beer. Let’s get the heart of what’s going on right now on The Gist, with Kate Bernot and me, Beth Demmon.