Better on Draft | Craft Beer Podcast

While in Denver recently Rob visited Renegade Brewing and pretty much forgot to leave. Wendy and Rob talk to Chris of Renegade about the awesome things going on there. The great beer, community, and fun times that can be had in this lively and exciting place.

https://www.renegadebrewing.com/ 

We also talk a fair bit about the Ales for ALS project and Renegade's participation this year. You can learn more about this cause and find a party near you: https://fundraise.als.net/renegade

In this not-episode Rob explains why this is not an episode!

Upcoming events:

- May 22 - Chris Lane from Renegade in Denver

- May 29 - Rob is at Books & Brews Brownsburg at a Schlafly Tap Takeover

- June will be prerecorded things due to vacations

- July 18 is the Indiana Brewer's Guild Summerfest at Victory Field

- August 20th is the Michigan Homebrew Festival that we heard about in episode 388

Wendy and Rob talk to Greig of Brewaucracy with Bill and Michelle of the Detroit area about beer judging. We get some of our burning questions answered about how to get started and see a bit behind the curtain of what a beer judging session looks like at a competition. If this show piques your interest in getting involved in beer judging or sheds some light on what a style is and why it's important, let us know!

Some organizations and events discussed on the show:

BJCP

Brewer's Association (BA)

Cider...

Kristen Radaich joins Wendy and Rob to talk about her recent book, Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin & the Upper Peninsula. We talk about hiking with dogs, finding breweries near trails, finding trails near breweries, beer flights, and so much more.

Wendy and Rob get caught up on various pieces of beer news. Some new laws, TTB stuff, mergers, grocery store beer, harbingers of spring, celebrities doing celebrity things, and some cool new technology useful to the beer industry.

March Draftness is coming to May. If you are a brewery in Michigan who wants to be involved, email us!

We had some real-world difficulties this week so cut the show very short. 

Episode 386 will be on March 27 and will most likely be a news show.

April 10 we will talk to Kristen Radaich about her book: Beer Hiking Minnesota, Wisconsin & the Upper Peninsula: Great Hikes and Breweries from the Twin Cities to the Northwoods

May 8 we have Nick Lesogor of Exit 12 Homebrew to learn about BrewTubers, an online homebrew club. 

Wendy and Rob catch up on some beer news and important lists!

Vinepair's highest rated beer in each state (and DC) using BeerAdvocate's ratings

Vinepair's article about cheersing with a list of equivalent sayings in other languages.

Portland, OR's Shebrew beer festival

USA Today's multiple articles - the final 20 that will be voted on for rankings:

Wendy and Rob talk to Stephen of OPA Design Studio about designing breweries, taprooms, and fun places to visit.

OPA Design Studio's blog with more looks at their projects and related topics: https://www.breweryarchitect.com/blog

The Obituary card game Stephen designed: https://obituarygame.com/

Wendy and Rob catch up in the new year and make some predictions for 2026. Predictions were about apples, the trend with IPAs, big releases, effects of consolidation, average ABV on shelves, and packaging formats.

We also talk about non-alcoholic versions of styles and what that means when you get into things like beer judging, Untappd, or as a consumer looking to purchase a beer.

Is Rob alone in having craft beer singles become rare to find around him?

What are some breweries you think could be legacy breweries and how are they changing...

Wend and Rob talk to Jared Williamson, lead brewer at Schlafly of St. Louis. We talk about beer education, some historic styles, Schlafly's growth and role in the community, and the community of St Louis. This episode may cause you to want to visit St Louis!

Every year, like clockwork, we celebrate the winter solstice in December. Kuhnhenn Brewing is celebrating this year by releasing 13 heavyweight beers. They will be on draft and your preorder bottles are ready for pickup. Wendy and Rob catch up with Eric and Bret on the night before their festival which begins December 20th and they still have a lot of work ahead of them.

Kuhnhenn website with more information!

Wendy and Rob prepare for Christmas with a little beer news and a lot of Christmas beer discussion.

39 Affordable Towns With the Most Craft Breweries Per Capita -- With some suspicious math but could help with planning a move or vacation.

MLive's Analysis of the brewery scene in Michigan with parallels to the US.

The Michigan Craft Beer Community on Discord.

What Christmas beers are you looking forward to? Let us know!

Wendy and Rob talk with Carmen Amato, author of the Galliano Club book series. This series takes place in upstate New York (Rome, NY is the inspiration) during prohibition. Beginning as a murder mystery and continuing as a power struggle for different factions related to the distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages (such as beer, of course!). We ask Carmen about her research into this series and learn a few things about bootlegging during prohibition.

You can learn more about the Galliano Club books and Carmen Amato at her website.

Better on Draft is an...

Wendy and Rob talk to Jeremy, founder and operator of Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative. We talk about what it means to run a business as a cooperative, Broken Clock's philosophy about where they fit in their world, and we get a little off topic here and there...

You can learn more about Broken Clock at https://www.brokenclockbrew.com/ 

Better on Draft is an independent production. If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the show you can reach out to us at https://betterondraft.com

Wendy and Rob talk about the Great American Beer Festival's medal winners from Michigan, Indiana, and a few other places. We'd love to hear about your GABF experiences as an attendee, brewer, vendor, volunteer, judge, or concerned citizen! Reach out to us on any of our social media sites (we're betterondraft on all of them) and let us know what stuck in your memory from a GABF.

Article displayed in the video is from the Brewers Association 

Better on Draft is an independent podcast and always looking for guests and sponsors.

Wendy and Rob are joined by Seth from Elm Street Brewing. Hear how Seth got into brewing at Elm Street and became the head brewer there, designing and brewing his own recipes on a commercial scale. Elm Street Brewing's main space is set up to accommodate large groups easily and serve them delicious food from an exciting kitchen. We also talk about the city on Muncie, IN and why a beer tourist might want to spend a day there.

You can learn more about Elm Street Brewing at their website!

Better on Draft is an...

Wendy and Rob talk to Steve Murray, one of the founders of Burn Em Brewing in Michigan City, IN. Burn Em is in a newer space with an interesting kitchen and lots of good beer on tap. You can find out more at their website. If you would like to see the labels mentioned in the show, those are also on their website.

Wendy and Rob talk to Brian Koch from Phantom Canyon Brewing in Colorado Springs, CO. Colorado's oldest brewpub sits right in the heart of the Springs' downtown and is worth a visit for provisioning your next hike or celebrating your hiking success - or because you want some good food and good drink (you earned it, you woke up today!). Brian has been in the industry for a number of years and talks about his experiences - how he started, how his career grew, and what he enjoys about being a head brewer.

Better on Draft is...

Wendy and Rob talk to Liz and Chelsea of Berkeley Alley Beer and BodyByBeer podcast. 

Berkeley Alley Beer can be found at https://thealleybrews.com/ and in Denver, CO. It is a proudly welcoming space so you should go check it out!

The Body by Beer podcast website https://www.bodybybeerpodcast.com/ has information about the podcast and the books we discussed (and the jerky related to the book).

Wendy and Rob talk to Derek from Unmapped Brewing outside Minneapolis, MN. 

You can learn more about Unmappd and plan a visit (maybe for one of their charity events, maybe for their to-be-determined winter parking lot event) by visiting https://unmappedbrewing.com/ 

NOTE: The brewery from Strange Brew is called Elsinore, not Excelsior like Rob thought.

Rob talks about his recent trip to Grand Rapids aka Beer City, USA. Wendy talks about her upcoming trip to Columbus, Ohio and her cruise from Boston. 

Wendy and Rob talk to Steve aka Hold MI Beer about his last year of being a beer writer, bartender, and traveler.

Steve writes for Better on Draft: https://www.betterondraft.com/ and you can follow him and find additional writing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562608120577

Wendy and Rob talk to Eric Bean from Columbus Brewing Company.

If you find yourself in Ohio, especially in Columbus, check out some of their beers. Eric talks about how he got started in craft beer in the early 90s all the way up through the things they're doing today (year of the lager!).

Learn more at https://columbusbrewing.com/ and follow them on Facebook
@columbusbrewing, Instagram @columbusbrewingcompany, and TikTok
@columbusbrewingco

You can follow Better on Draft wherever you got this podcast or at www.betterondraft.com (and all the socials).<...

It's summer and that's a great time for beer festivals! Rob and Wendy talk about two upcoming (or already-passed depending on when you hear this) beer festivals. Whether you attend these festivals or not you may learn some strategies to apply to your next fest - or have strategies to share with us.

July 19: Indiana Brewers Guild presents Summerfest 2025 - https://drinkin.beer/event/summerfest/

July 25 & 26: Michigan Brewer's Guild presents Summer Beer Festival 2025 - https://www.mibeer.com/Events/summer-beer-festival-2025

Rob has often stated that Books & Brews Brownsburg is the best beer bar in Brownsburg. Wendy and Rob get to talk to Nick Valentin, the owner and proprietor of the best beer bar in Brownsburg!

Books & Brews Brownsburg can be found on Facebook if Brownsburg, Indiana alone isn't a big enough draw for you to visit in person: https://www.facebook.com/BnBBrownsburg

Rob and Wendy talk to Chris Overlay, founder of Get Hoptimized about what a marketing company can do for breweries. You can learn more about Get Hoptimized and listen to their podcast at https://www.gethoptimized.com/

Rob and Ed talk to Adam Ross about his involvement in Twin Span Brewing in the Quad Cities area. 

Twin Span Brewing

Adam's playing HuntAKiller games, Rob suggested Grand Gamers Guild's 18Escape series.

Your winners of the 2025 March Draftness competition decided to throw a big party at their venue on Saturday May 17th in Portage Michigan, and Ed, Ken, Wendy, and Bill all came down to check it out. 

Ed and Ken sat down with the owners and head brewer to talk about the business, fighting through the 2020's, and how they are able to keep progressing forward with a great fanbase and even better beer!

Presidential Brewing Co: https://presidentialbrewing.com/


In 2025 Better on Draft will be recording on the second and fourth F...

Adrienne Banka of Cerveceria Punta Sur joins us (from her distillery) to talk about opening the first brewery in Cozumel, Mexico. From educating the politicos to educating the local community, hear how she has grown a business that serves the local community while managing the tourists in a vacation destination. You can also hear about the joys of learning to make things work when you are brewing on an island and dealing with a lot of ambient heat.

If you stop by and have a pint let them know you heard Adrienne! Their website: https://www.cerveceriapuntasur...

Rob talks at great length about the things he saw and did at and around the Craft Brewers Conference. Sessions, the show floor, events, and other beery trips all show up. Hear his (not an expert) advice to small taprooms based on what he thinks he heard in some of the educational sessions! Most importantly, Barleywine Is Life #BIL.

More information about the Craft Brewer's Conference is available at their website: https://www.craftbrewersconference.com/home

More information about the World Beer Cup and this year's winners are available at that website: https://www.worldbeercup...

Wendy and Rob discuss some recent news articles and generally catch up since the last news show.

Article 1, a more sustainable beer
Article 2, draft beer sales are up!
Article 3, more effects of tariffs
Article 4, Bad Dad expansion
A short quiz's source - there's more wonderful beer names here
Article 5, Indiana on Tap's Sale

We also discussed the Craft Brewer's Conference
The seminar Wendy mentioned

Presidential Brewing's March Draftness Victory Event on May 17!

Wendy and Rob talk to Roman from Tapster, a self-serve beer bar that is popping up across the country. Roman talks about how he came to start such a business and some of the decisions that had to be made in an attempt to make the space more friendly to all levels of beer-enthusiasts from those who want to tick every beer, get a deep appreciation for particular beers, or were dragged along by friends.

More information about Tapster including how to find one near you (if there is one near you): https://tapstertastingroom.com/

<...

Wendy and Rob talk to Benny and Tony from Hear.Say Brewing and Theater, a not-quite-a-year-old establishment in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Come audially explore this unique space. Head brewer Benny gives us a lot of insight into what he's looking for when he brews (and he says "dropping trub" a few times). Tony talks about the experience of working with different communities and how fulfilling it can all be.

Hear.Say Brewing and Theater: https://www.heardotsay.com/

The book mentioned, Unreasonable Hospitality, can be found at its website: https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/

...

Ken and Matt Bush discuss the March Draftness brackets now that we're at the round of 32 and heading into the Stout 16.

Let us know your predictions!

You can participate in March Draftness by voting for your favorite brewery in each matchup over in our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterondraft

You can connect with Matt Bush of Re/Max First at https://www.mifirsthouse.com/ where he would like to help you find a home.

Wendy and Rob talk to Courtney and Derek Guggenberger of Guggman Haus Brewing, a well-regarded and decorated brewery just outside downtown Indianapolis. Starting as a small brewery in 2019 and growing to a slightly larger brewery recently, hear about their brewing philosophy and their unique and interesting brewhouse. 

In 2025 Better on Draft will be recording on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 8:30 Eastern. You can watch us live to share your questions, opinions, and drinks on Facebook, Twitch, and Youtube.

Guggman Haus Brewing: https://www.guggmanhausbrewing.com/

Wendy and Rob talk to Anni of Naptown Trivia about what it's like to create and run a successful trivia business and how instrumental it can be for newer breweries as they grow their regular clientele. If you're unfamiliar with pub trivia maybe this episode can help you understand the appeal. If you're familiar with pub trivia then you're going to hear all the tropes and secrets behind running trivia and dealing with "those" teams (you know the ones).

In 2025 Better on Draft will be recording on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 8:30 Eastern...

Wendy and Rob catch up on recent doings, discuss drinking the alphabet, and the odd occurrence of having things thrown at you unexpectedly.

Articles in the show:
 - Greg Hall and Virtue Cider: https://chicago.eater.com/2024/11/27/24306883/virtue-cider-greg-hall-renovations-fennville-michigan-inbev-independent-sale
 - Beer Choir: https://www.kimt.com/news/beer-choir-makes-its-north-iowa-debut-on-monday/article_38fbc1da-ead0-11ef-b737-6748bdf6a7ee.html
 - Hulk Hogan Beer: https://www.newsweek.com/sports/wrestling/wwe-news-hulk-hogan-real-american-beer-being-sued-negligence-2030974
 - Peas in Beer: https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/02/pea-sugars-can-speed-up-sour-beer-brewing/
 - VinePair's article on consolidation: https://vinepair.com/articles/craft-brewing-consolidation/
 

In 2025 Better on Dra...

Rob and Wendy talk to Mark Lasbury of Indiana On Tap about the Tasting Society Marketplace, working with breweries, On Tap tickets and festivals, and beer around Indiana and Michigan and beyond!

In 2025 Better on Draft will be recording on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 8:30 Eastern. You can watch us live to share your questions, opinions, and drinks on Facebook, Twitch, and Youtube.

Mark runs and writes for Indiana On Tap: https://indianaontap.com/

Running Ken-less, Rob and Wendy will talk to Joel Geier of Brewery Travels about his new book, Flights Across America: A Brewery Lover’s Journey. Hear about his travels and experiences in breweries across the country!

In 2025 Better on Draft will be recording on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 8:30 Eastern. You can watch us live to share your questions, opinions, and drinks on Facebook, Twitch, and Youtube.

Flights Across America is available at many locations and Amazon is one of them: https://www.amazon.com/Flights-Across-America-Brewery-Journey/dp/B0DN3RH9KJ

For Ken's last podcast as a regular host he invited Eric Briggeman of Rochester Mills Brewing, the first guest on Better on Draft ever. Join us for a bit of nostalgia and catch up on Rochester Mills and Eric's (and Amanda's) current activities.

In 2025 Better on Draft will start recording on the second and fourth Friday of the month at 8:30 Eastern. You can watch us live to share your questions, opinions, and drinks on Facebook, Twitch, and Youtube.

Sponsors:
Visit Detroit – The Detroit Brew Trail – https://visitdetroit.com/food-drink/breweries-wineries-distilleries/detroit-brew-trail/
Zetouna Liquor – https...