Beer Busters

  With Adam and Diana Dellinger at Sunny Brae Hops Once again in Carlisle, PA, this time to visit Sunny Brae hop farm with owners Adam and Diana Dellinger. We talked about the inspiration for and challenges and triumphs of starting a hop farm as first-generation hop growers. Returning the favor from our previous episode, Zach Ziegler from Molly Pitcher also sat in. Dan got us up to speed with news including a child named Miller Lite and a milestone for American breweries. Wayne also chimed in with news of a distribution deal for the Blood, Sweat, & Beer documentary. We played Hopscotch Part Deux in Happy Fun Time and Steph beerducated us on hop aromas in Know Your Beers. All amidst sipping on an array of brews made with Sunny Brae hops as well as a few other special treats.

With Zach Ziegler at Molly Pitcher Brewing Company We took a trip out to Carlisle, PA to Molly Pitcher Brewing, next to the cemetary where the famous Revolutionary War namesake is memorialized, and sat down with Brewmaster Zach Ziegler for the usual chatting, beer and some shennanigans. There were also some cameos by next episode’s guest, Adam Dellinger from Sunny Brae Hop Farm and our good friend Chelsie Markel from Stouts and Stilettos. Dan brought the newsiness with stories about NFL beer prices and Metallica beer cans. In Know Your Beers, Steph taught us how to prepare for a beer festival. And we played a brand new Happy Fun Time Game about weird old beer recipes. As always, we sampled a scrumptious lineup of brews.

The 18th Annual Capital City Invitational Beer Festival at Appalachian Brewing Company Returning once again to the stage at the Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing in Harrisburg, we set up shop at the 18th Capital City Invitational Beer Fest to sample the amazing array of local brews and chat with the brewers, owners, reps and others pouring their quaffs. Some old friends returned to the mic and we met some new ones as well. Kicking things off were Artie Tafoya, Director of Operations, and Adam Cole, Head Brewer for Appalachian. Then we ran down the line and enjoyed the plethora of good beer and good people. Be sure to check out our previous appearances at ABC: Last year’s Capital City Fest and the Little Big Beer Fest during Harrisburg Beer Week.

With Josh Oliver, Mark Brault, Scott Welsh &Josh Fryauff at Deer Creek Malthouse We took a trip out to Deer Creek Malthouse, a small craft malting operation in Glen Mills, PA and sat down with the crew to chat about the process of malting, the challenges and advantages of producing malt in the region and to sample a long list of beers from area breweries that use Deer Creek malts. Dan ran through some news including some exciting happenings with our friends at Evil Genius. We played Libation or Fabrication in Happy Fun Time and Steph and the Deer Creek crew talked about the malting process in Know Your Beers. Be sure to check out our video we shot at Deer Creek back in April to get yourself amped up for this episode release.

Mike Manning from The Colony Meadery& John Rowe from County Seat Spirits Housed in the same building as HiJinx are two other purveyors of craft beverages, The Colony Meadery and County Seat Spirits. After hanging with the HiJinx guys we invited Mike from the meadery and John from the distillery to sit down with us and share some of their delicious creations. We were taken out of our beer tasting comfort zone and treated to quite an educational experience with these different nectars of fermentation. Mike and John are just as passionate about their craft as any of the brewers we’ve met and having these three businesses in one spot makes for quite a unique experience.

  With Curt Keck and Chris Beckerat HiJinx Brewing Company We had an evening of tomfoolery at HiJinx in brewing in Allentown, PA with co-founders and brewers Curt and Chris. Our gracious hosts talked about their brewing history, their adventures at HiJinx and more. Dan gave us the low-down on some news including Wheaties beer and some sports! themed bantering on beer cans. We played There’s Weird in My Beer in Happy Fun Time, Steph talked about one of her favorite days of the year, Zwanze Day in Know Your Beers. Plus, as always, we sampled a wide variety of excellent HiJinx brews, complete with table service and some exclusive treats!

With John Companick at Spellbound Brewing For our first podcast recording outside the bounds of our home state of Pennsylvania, we took a trip to Spellbound Brewing in Mt Holly, New Jersey. Co-founder John Companick sat down with us to talk about the brewery, the beers and to make fun of us for being from PA. Also making a cameo was our good friend Mark Graves, formerly of Manayunk Brewing, now with Flying Fish. We met Mark (aka Rockin’ Gravy, aka Slimy Sauce) when we recorded at Manayunk last November. Dan brought the news including an update on Goose Island’s Bourbon County, we played Libation or Fabrication, Steph beerducated us on alcohol content and we sampled an extensive lineup of truly excellent Spellbound brews.

With Tom Sheridan at Do Good Brewing We sat down with owner Tom Sheridan at Do Good Brewing to chat about all the good he’s been doing. Tom talked about the brewery’s begininnings, plans for expansion and how everything Do Good does helps charity. Dan brought the news, including some lists, a new beer for the apocolypse and the latest w00t stout. Wayne debuted a brand new game (christened “Are You Smarter Than a BJCP Judge?” by Steph) and we learned about proper beer storage in Know Your Beers. And, of course, we sampled some Do Good brews.

With Tim Patton & Christina Burrisfrom Saint Benjamin Brewing In a historic building where beer was once hauled on horse-drawn carriages in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, we set up amongst the shiny and releatively new brewing equipment at Saint Benjamin Brewing Company with co-owners Tim Patton and Christina Burris. We talked about the history of the building, the brewery and the neighborhood as well as their hopes and plans for the future of all three. Dan gave us the low down on a beer that just might improve your eyesight, we played Band or Beer in Happy Fun Time, Steph beerducated us on Cream Ales in Know Your Beers and we, of course, sampled an array of excellent Saint Benjamon Brews.

Chester County Homebrew Fest 5at The American Helicopter Museum We set up shop in view of various choppers for the Fifth Annual Chester County Homebrew Fest, held to raise money for the local Elk’s Lodge. Event organizers Ken Delise, Troy Vogt, and Owen Winkler helped us kick off the show and chat about the event and its origins. Event sponsors and friends of the podcast, the crew of Levante Brewing Company also sat in and shared some of the awesome brews they were pouring. Then, we ran down the line of homebrewers and sampled a wide array of offerings all vying for Judges’ and People’s Choice Awards. We had an awesome time, seranaded by the tunes ofSubterranean Groove Theory and filled by the eats by Cornucopia Catering.

With Andrew Knechel from Bucks County Brewery We took a trip out to Bucks County Brewery in Pipersivlle, PA on one of their popular Food Truck Fridays to talk with owner, brewer and Renaissance Man Andrew Knechel. Andrew talked about the brewery's beginnings, trying to keep up with the demand for his excellent beers, some of his favorite concoctions and various other interests, hobbies and distractions. Dan shared his joy (misplaced, in this editor’s opinion) over Taco Bell’s recent decision to serve alcohol, we played There’s Weird in My Beer in Happy Fun Time and Steph gave us the low down on English Mild Ales in Know Your Beers. After recording and sharing Andrew’s delicious brews, we stayed to enjoy the tunes of The Mike & Brian Project and tasty eats from Phoebe’s BBQ and Mr. D’s Nomadic Kitchen.

Philly Beer Week Evil Genius Scavenger Hunt at Lucha Cartel Our good friends at Evil Genius invited us to be a part of their Philly Beer Week Old City Scavenger Hunt/Bar Crawl in which participants had to journey from bar to bar (sipping Evil Genius beers along the way) and participate in some activity at each stop. We held a Happy Fun Time Games Extravaganza at the last stop, Lucha Cartel, and the hunters had to step up to the mic and answer trivia questions to complete their beer-laden quest. Several of the Evil Geniuses also sat down to chat and we got to sample the debut 867-5309 IPA. Many questions were asked, prizes were awarded and craft beer celeb Ashley Rouston (aka The Beer Wench) happend to stop by and stepped up to the mic for a bit and talked about her book, The Beer Wench’s Guide to Beer. So that was pretty awesome.

With Dusty Wise from Canal Street Pub We return once again to Canal Street Pub in Reading, PA – where we set up shop for Brewphoria back in November – this time to dedicate an entire episode to Bar Manager and accomplished beer collector Dusty Wise (as well as a selection of other guests pulled from the audience). Before unloading a never-ending stream of brews from his collection upon us and our gathered fans, Dusty chatted with us about his beer and bartending history as well as the current state of craft beer. Dan brought the news, we played a new Happy Fun Time Game: Band or Beer and Steph gave us some stats about the craft beer industry in 2015 in Know Your Beers. And then, the beers…my god the beers…

With John Stemler from Free Will Brewing Company Kick off Philly Beer Week with this episode at Free Will with renowned brewer John Stemler. John won a raffle for a trip to Belgium to brew at Hof ten DormaalFarmhouse brewery in Tildonk. Tragically, the brewery suffered a fire in January. We recorded this episode at a fundraising event at Free Will. Aside from chatting with John about his brewing experience and his trip to Belgium, we spread the love of Philly Beer Week in both the news and Know Your Beers segments, and played a Philly-themed Years of Beers in Happy Fun Time Games. Also, a cameo appearance by our good friend Bart Kaminski from Hop Hedz who won a bottle of one of the highest-rated and rarest beers in the world, Trappist Westvleteren 12, in a raffle and was uber-cool enough to share it with us on the show to round out our tasting of the equally impressive Free Will brews.

With Greg Galczynski of Laureldale Libations Our scheduled guest for this episode had to cancel at the last minute and Steph sprung into a frenzy to track down a last-minute replacement. Saving the day was Greg Galczynski, a homebrewer who recently returned to the area after a stint living in the cradle of craft beer in Colorado. While living in the midwest, Greg met the guys behind Chain Reaction Brewing Company in Denver and he spoke highly of the young brewery. We also talked about his homebrewing adventures, attending GABF and other various beer talk. Dan gave us the skinny on craft beer offerings at MLB stadiums, we played Libation or Fabrication and Steph brought the knowledge on Rauchbiers. We also sipped some homebrews, including a Lambic by bonus guest Ron McDonel, as well as a trio of sublime offerings from 3 Stars Brewing Company.

On Stage at the HBG Beer Week Little Big Beer Fest at Appalachian Brewing Company For the second time the Beer Busters took over the stage at the Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing in Harrisburg, this time for the crowning event of Harrisburg Beer Week: the Little Big Beer Fest. The fest featured big beers from a limited number of local breweries. We managed to corral someone from just about every brewery represented (and a few other old and new friends) to come up on stage, sip some beers and chat. This was an awesome event and a fitting end to an incredible week of beer in Harrisburg, orchestrated by the ladies from Stouts and Stilletos and Sara Bozich. Here’s to hoping next year is even awesomer!

With Mike and Kristen Brubaker from Moo-Duck Brewery We took a trip to Moo-Duck Brewery in Elizabethtown on the ocassion of their six month anniversary and sat down with owners Mike and Kristen. Dan gave us the scoop on a class action lawsuit against MillerCoors and bottle opening teeth. Wayne presented the brand new HFTG Firstborn Brews and Steph brought the hard truth about calories in beer. We sampled an array of awesome Moo-Duck brews and learned some interesting facts on the backstory of their names. Oh yeah…and we had cupcakes. They were delicious.

With John Wible from 2nd Story Brewing We took a trip out to sit down with Head Brewer John Wible on the second story of 2nd Story Brewing in Philadelphia. John talked about his brewing history, how 2nd Story came to be and what has made this young brewery so successful. Dan ran down the newsiness including the cost of beer at ballparks, Wayne challenged John and his fellow Beer Busters to guess the top rated beers by style on Beer Advocate, and Steph beerducated us about Vienna Lagers in Know Your Beers. Of course, we sampled an array of truly spectacular 2nd Story brews, spanning styles from traditional German Lagers and English Ales to modern American IPAs and more.

With Sara Bozich of SaraBozich.com andTierney Pomone, Chelsie Markel, and Colleen Nguyen from Stouts and Stilettos The crew from Stouts and Stilettos, a blog focused on “real beer talk from real women”, Tierny, Chelsie and Colleen along with their partner-in-crime, Harrisburg nightlife writer Sara Bozich of the eponymous SaraBozich.com, joined us to talk about their magnum opus, the first-ever Harrisburg Beer Week. The ladies made the trek to the Beer Busters Podcast Basement (with Colleen on the phone) bearing gifts of beer from HBG Beer Week presenting sponser,Appalachian Brewing Company. We celebrated the Ladies Night theme with a Happy Fun Time Game all about women and craft beer and a Know Your Beers segment dedicated to the Pink Boots Society.

With Colin Presby & Tom Scoglio from Golden Avalanche Colin and Tom have both sat in on a few episodes of Beer Busters, but we finally got to visit them in their house at Golden Avalanche Brewing in the Kutztown Tavern in Kutztown, PA. We chatted about where the brewery has gone in the last year since Colin took over as head brewer, their plans for the future and more. News included a list and infographic, we played a brief new experimental Happy Fun Time Game, Steph taught us about Juniper Beers in Know Your Beers and we sampled some of the current Golden Avalanche offerings.