Taplines

In the mid-2010s, J Jackson-Beckham, PhD was an academic with a homebrewing habit, blogging incisively about what she called “the unbearable whiteness of brewing.” Her deep expertise and singular voice eventually caught the eye of the Brewers Association, which tapped her to serve as the trade group’s first-ever “Diversity Ambassador” in 2018. Today, "Dr. J" joins Taplines to reflect on that moment — not only a pivotal one in her own career but also in the trajectory of the craft beer industry writ large as brewers big and small began trying to square their professed values with their business practices (and ideally, bring more paying customers to their taprooms, too.) That work is ongoing: shortly after we recorded this episode in late 2023, she joined the BA full-time as its director of social impact. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining Taplines today is Seth Gross, a former Goose Island Brewing Co. brewer who was at the meeting where Goose Island then-brewmaster Greg Hall and the late, legendary master distiller Booker Noe, of the Beam bourbon dynasty, first came up with the idea to barrel age a beer, how they did it… and what happened once rank-and-file drinkers got their hands on the final product. Some three decades later, Gross is still barrel-aging his own beers at Durham, North Carolina’s Bull City Burger and Brewery — just one of the hundreds, or more likely thousands of brewers who have taken up the BA gospel since. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join the podcast as Wolfgang Puck shares the rise and fall of his brewpub in '90s LA, facing challenges in the craft beer and dining industry. From brewing struggles to business setbacks, learn about missed opportunities, failed ventures, and marketing challenges. Discover insights on scaling a beer business, launching new products, and the complexities of beer preservation. Explore the concept of beer as a culinary product, pairing it with dishes, adding flavors, and innovating in the market. Don't miss out on the redemption and new brewery aspirations discussed in the episode!

The podcast discusses the rise and fall of beer balls, a unique packaging format popular in the 80s. Fred Matt, President of FX Matt Brewery, shares insights on their history, origins, success during prohibition, and challenges faced by the craft beer industry. They explore the convenience and limited options at parties in the 70s, the decline of beer balls due to costs and consumer preferences, and the impact of craft brewing. The conversation reflects on the beer ball era, discusses reinvention and partnerships, and explores innovative packaging and business structures.

Joining Taplines today is Jacinta Howard, a veteran culture and music writer and editor in Atlanta, to talk about a very specific, very special, and very star-studded "sponsored content" series that hit the airwaves back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, long before "sponsored content" was even a thing. St. Ides malt liquor first arrived on store shelves in 1987, but it wasn’t until the brand’s parent company hired the iconic DJ Pooh to enlist a who’s-who of blue-chip rappers — from Ice Cube to the Wu-Tang Clan — in the production of original mixtapes and music videos about the “Crooked I” that it began to take off. And when it did, sales followed — but so did the controversy that would eventually bring St. Ides’ breakout #sponcon project to an end. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore the pioneering role of Left Hand Brewing in introducing nitro beer to America, their challenges in bottling Guinness and achieving taste parity, the technique of the hard pour for nitro beer, the costs and rollout strategy of introducing a new beer, scaling up production challenges for craft breweries, and the impact of strategic partnerships in the craft brewing industry.

Athletic Brewing Company wasn’t the first non-alcoholic beer brand, not by a long shot. But it was the first to successfully cross the flavors and aesthetics of the craft beer segment consistently, and at scale. Its considerable success since first hitting the market in mid-2018 has helped open up horizons for millions of drinkers — and today, co-founders Bill Shufelt and John Walker are here to talk about how it all went down. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Coors brewer Keith Villa discusses Blue Moon's rise to success, facing criticism from the craft brewing industry. They explore the challenges in gaining popularity, the evolution of craft brewing, the significance of tap handles, and the early marketing campaigns of Blue Moon.

Keith Villa, the brewer who created the original recipe for Blue Moon beer at Coors, talks about the controversial rise of the brand. He shares insights on its success, the debate of it being a craft beer, pushing boundaries in brewing, and the early days of Blue Moon.

Joining Taplines today is longtime beverage-alcohol journalist, VinePair writer at large, and author of the hotly anticipated forthcoming book "Dusty Booze," Aaron Goldfarb, to discuss Other Half Brewing Company's meteoric rise from humble beginnings to coveted hype brewery. Having found himself a few times in the line that formed outside the brewery on release days, Aaron witnessed firsthand a shift in the Brooklyn brewery's clientele and cachet as New York City’s contemporary masters of the universe — finance bros — became enthralled by the drinkability, variety, and most importantly scarcity of the brewery’s liquid wares. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.