Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

On the weekend that Oktoberfest kicked off in Munich the real fun was happening in Brooklyn. Eckhardt Beer celebrated it’s one year anniversary and held a proper celebration of lager. John Holl was there and hosted a panel that covers all the fun of the season, what it means to brew lager in New York City in 2026, and ways to make the most out of hospitality.
 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer ind...

As Western North Carolina marks two years since Hurricane Helene, we have a guest episode from On the Blue Ridge, a podcast by former All About Beer Managing Editor Jon Page. He recently sat down with Chris and Jessica Whaley of Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort, a town of fewer than 1,000 people about 25 miles east of Asheville, just off Interstate 40. The brewery was severely damaged by the storm, and their conversation looks back at what happened, the long road to rebuilding, the support they received from their community, and what it took to finally return to brewing. 

A conversation with Shelley and Eric Desmarais of CLS Farms in Moxee, Washington about the 2026 hop harvest and what life is like for families during the regions busiest time of the year.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
This episode is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, innovators in craft beer since 1980 and still 100% family...

 Back in Yakima for a second week and visiting another brewery. This time it’s Bale Breaker, the famed Washington brewery with its very own hop fields. Don Tse is again in the host seat and sitting down with brewmaster Kevin "Smitty" Smith. 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but...

This episode was recorded in Yakima, Washington where the 2026 hop harvest is just getting under way. Lots of brewers and beer fans will be making their way through this city for selection and to taste fresh hop ales, and nearly everyone will come through Single Hill Brewery for pints. 

Zach Turner the Head Brewer and general manager of Single Hill joins guest host Don Tse for a conversation.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering t...

A conversation with Jeff Erway of La Cumbre Brewing on quality, not folding to trends, and being true to the brewer's core mission.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme converts...

Beer is soaked into the fabric of American history. There are important and timeless brands that have become a part of communities and can tell the story of a place and a people.  The importance of Lone Star extends well beyond Texas and author Jeremy Banas captures the people, recipes, and essence of this iconic brand in this well-researched book. He shares the story of this iconic brewery in his new book and joins the podcast to talk about the brand history. 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on up...

On this episode, you'll hear the remarkable story of Bass Pale Ale. This story begins at the dawn of the industrial age, and charts Bass’s rise as one of the first global brewing brands. Over the course of two centuries, its pale ales evolved to meet the times, and today we know Bass as one of Britain’s classic cask ales—a beer enjoying a current renaissance among the country’s pubs.
 

In many ways, in telling the story of Bass, we’re recounting the history of brewing in Britain over the past two centuries: its technol...

Day Bracey, the co-founder of the Barrel and Flow Festival is here to talk about the evolution of the community minded gathering.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

John I. Haas
When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder in the brewhouse. LupoMAX® was engineered to deliver concentrated lupulin, intense aroma expression, and reduced process loss, helping b...

Great Lakes Brewing Co. recently turned 38-years-old and the Cleveland, Ohio brewery continues to innovate and grow. CEO Chris Brown sits down for a conversation about taking on macrobeer, getting into THC, and the juggernaut that is Great Lakes Christmas Ale.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

John I. Haas
When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder...

This is a somber episode as we celebrate the life of Alan Sprints, the founder of Hair of the Dog brewery who died last weekend at age 66. The cause was bladder cancer.

His family posted the following obituary: 

Alan was born on September 7, 1959, in Culver City, California, to the late Lila Entis and Martin Sprints. In 1988, following his passion for the culinary arts, Alan relocated to Portland, Oregon, to attend the Western Culinary Institute. After honing his craft for several years in the food and beverage industry, Alan took a bold leap in 1993 by founding t...

A bonus episode of the All About Beer podcast that goes deep on innovation in the beer space.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

John I. Haas
When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder in the brewhouse. LupoMAX® was engineered to deliver concentrated lupulin, intense aroma expression, and reduced process loss, helping breweries improve yields while maintaining t...

A conversation with Nick Smith of South Africa's Soul Barrel Brewing.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

John I. Haas
When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder in the brewhouse. LupoMAX® was engineered to deliver concentrated lupulin, intense aroma expression, and reduced process loss, helping breweries improve yields while maintaining true-to-type hop character. Available in standout v...

How are breweries making decisions based on data? Brewing is still very hands on and it’s also artistic and creative, but there are benefits to using tech to help the process and get insight into how to run things efficiently.  To examine this a bit more, John Holl is joined by Dustin Jeffers the VP of Producer Product at Next Glass, the parent company of brands like Ekos, Ollie, Untappd, and Hop Culture and Teddy Gowan the Vice President of Brewing Operations at Societe Brewing in San Diego. 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read orig...

Andy Crouch interviews Dan Kenary, the co-founder of Harpoon Brewery, on the company's 40th Anniversary.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

John I. Haas
When every pound of hops matters, brewers need products that work harder in the brewhouse. LupoMAX® was engineered to deliver concentrated lupulin, intense aroma expression, and reduced process loss, helping breweries improve yields while maintaining true-to-type hop c...

Andy Crouch hosts a special episode of the podcast recorded live from Notch Brewing's Forever Lager '26 Festival. The panel includes Brittney Barrie of Barrie Haus Brewing, Tom Beckmann of Goldfinger Brewing, and Todd DiMatteo of Good Word Brewing. Together they answer the question "How Do Brewers Overcome the 'Lager is Cheap' Messaging."
 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

A...

A panel conversation recorded during Notch Brewing’s Forever Lager '26 festival. A smart group of brewing professionals got together and answered the question: How do you stay relevant in a copycat craft brewery world? Guests include: Kaitlyn LeLoup, Jason Bullen, Morgan Snyder, Amanda Cardinali.

 
Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

John I. Haas
When every pound of hops matters, bre...

As the summer season heats up, Jason Ufema of Shy Bear Brewing joins the podcast to talk about how he is embracing outdoor space, an active kitchen, and brewing beers that bring people in for a good time.
 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

All About Beer
At All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories tha...

During the recent craft brewers conference All About Beer set up at Human Robot for a suite of podcasts. I was happy to get together with Brandon Jones, the long-time brewer and creator of Embrace the Funk. 

It’s a conversation that goes into the evolution of extreme beers to nuanced, complex brews. As Jones has begun to note the shift of consumer preferences, he sees a move away from hazy IPAs towards more unique, experience-driven beers.

He advocates for brewers to ask questions and learn from each other. As the industry involves, he...

Mild is one of the oldest continuous beer styles in the English speaking world, it was the working class pint, the beer that fueled industrial England, pulled from cask and corner pubs, consumed in volume by people who needed something honest, drinkable and affordable at the end of a long shift.

At its peak in the early 20th century, mild accounted for the majority of beer sold in Britain. It wasn't a specialty, it wasn't a conversation piece, it was just beer and then almost disappeared entirely post World War II.

By the 1980s...

There was a time when "adjunct" meant "cheap beer." One of America's largest breweries even paid millions of dollars to run television commercials during the Super Bowl accusing another of America's largest breweries of using worse adjuncts than they themselves used.

Oh, what a world!

But for craft breweries, an ingredient is an ingredient. What if adjuncts added flavor?  What if adjuncts actually cost more than malted barley?  What if adjuncts could tell a story of time and place?

Corn and rice aren't cheap anymore.  They have a history.  They tell...

From side pull to beer engine, the perfect pour makes all the difference to how you enjoy a beer.  The pub isn't just the place you drink the beer.  Great pubs know that pouring a perfect pint is the final step in the beer making process.

The right glass, clean and kept at the right temperature, combined with the right faucet in skilled hands is the difference between a good beer and the perfect beer.  Find out how great publicans ensure customers get a perfect pour on this special episode of Drink Beer, Think Beer, with special gue...

Let’s talk about hop sensory. Last week the craft brewers conference was held in Philadelphia and brewers from around the world worked to better understand processes, ingredients, and recipe development. One thing brewers and therefore drinkers can always benefit from is hop sensory. There’s no argument that hops bring great depth of flavor and aroma to beer, but aside from some top notes that many of us are able to pick out, there’s not always a lot of extra layers discussed. To dive into this deeper, Master Cicerone Max Finnance has a conversation with Jeff Dailey of Joh...

This week it’s a look at the Garden State. New Jersey isn’t usually on the top of lists when it comes to craft beer, but Brie Devlin, the executive director of the state’s brewing guild, is looking to change that through initiatives and outreach.
 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a Lo...

This week, it’s a conversation with Dan Kleban, a co-founder of Maine Beer Co. where we talk about the intersection of owning a small business, brewing, and politics.

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Click here to support independent journalism covering the beer industry.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Calling all hop heads! Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA is a fantastically hoppy India Pale Ale that’s beautifully balanced thanks to their...

This week, it’s a conversation with Todd Malloy and Robin Reed of the Glenwood Canyon Brewpub in Colorado. It’s celebrating 30 years, and in the previous two years has taken gold for festbier at the Great American Beer Festival. They brewed a fresh batch for this year’s World Beer Cup, which is currently holding its first round of judging. The brewing duo talk about getting a beer ready for competition, and how to build an award winning festbier. 

Visit AllAboutBeer.com for more podcasts, to read original articles, and to get info on upcoming events.

Welcome to This Week in Rauchbier for April 1, 2026.
 

Our Rauchbier spotlight is on the Pacific Northwest where eight breweries have come together to release Smoke Break, a collaborative Rauch Märzen built around a simple idea: Rauchbier is great, and more people should be drinking it.

"The project brings together Cloudburst Brewing, Obelisk Beer Co, Varietal Beer Company, Ladd & Lass Brewing, Ravenna Brewing Company, Urban Family Brewing Co., Human People Beer, and Single Hill Brewing (who hosted the collaboration.) It is a larger-than-usual collaboration centered on a style that does not often get th...

Two for one on this episode as John Holl talks with a duo of Colorado brewers who teamed up to create something special for the upcoming Collaboration Beer Festival happening in the Rocky Mountain state next month. What goes into collaboration, how does it stoke creativity, and what should brewers learn from each other? Andy Parker of Odyssey Beerwerks and Ross Koenigs of Second Dawn Brewing discuss it all and more.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new...

Let's keep St. Patrick's Day rolling. This week it's a conversation Guinness Brewery Ambassador Colm O’Connor.

Host: John Holl

Guest: Colm O’Connor

Sponsors: All About Beer

Tags: Guinness, Stout, New York
Photo: by Andy Crouch

The city of Philadelphia is a great beer town. It’s also a great food town and a place to get a dose of history, while living your best life. This week on the podcast it’s a conversation with Andrew Rubenstein of Sacred Vice, who shares tips and insights on visiting the city of brotherly love. 

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme conve...

This week it’s a conversation with Ken Correll of Human Robot, the Philadelphia based brewing company that specializes in lagers. We’re talking about how to build a hospitality program, the importance of festivals, being creative in a controlled space, and just about every tangent we can pull out during our time together. Many pints hit the table, and we just about manage to keep it on the rails.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Sponsors

Barrel One Collective
In a landmark merger betwe...

Let’s go to the movies. It’s a conversation with Josh Miller, of Flix Brewhouse, a chain of breweries and movie theaters that brings pints to the silver screen experience.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme converts the precursors in barley to free thiols that smell and taste like pass...

The nature of lagers is changing and there are brewers leading the charge. Niko Tonks of Double Elbow Brewing is here to talk about brewing European lagers with only American ingredients. It’s a fascinating look at the evolution of brewing.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Sponsors

Barrel One Collective
In a landmark merger between two pioneers of New England’s craft beer industry, Mass. Bay Brewing Company and Finestkind Brewing LLC proudly announce the formation of Barrel One Collective. The Collective will house 14 tota...

Sarah Real of Hot Plate Brewing joins the podcast for this episode.The small brewery in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts is leading the way when it comes to showing what a modern community space centered around beer can be.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Sponsors

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Calling all hop heads! Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA is a fantastically hoppy India Pale Ale that’s beautifully balanced thanks to their unique continual hopping method. Delivering a pungent hop flavor that isn’t crush...

The Super Bowl airs this Sunday and amid all the commercials, you might catch one for Columbia, the outdoor gear company. The makers of tough weather clothing partnered with Oregon’ Breakside Brewery to create a lager brewed with… yup, you guessed it: bear poop. 

Ben Edmunds the brewery’s founder and brewmaster joins the show to talk about what went in to making this lager.
 

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Sponsors

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Calling all hop heads! Dogfish Head’s 60 Minut...

The eisbock story is a fun lore of beer myth, a hapless brewery employee left a barrel of doppelbock outside during a snowstorm in Germany and some of the beer froze, concentrating flavor and thus creating a whole new beer style. While the roots of this story may not wholly be true, it’s a fun addition to a beer style made by distillation processes at its most base level.

These beers are rare in the United States as you need special licenses to make them but in Europe, the rules are a bit different and in...

This week the show welcomes Ron Extract of Garden Path Fermentation for a conversation on mixed fermentation ales, mead, cider, wine, and taking on the Federal government.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Sponsors

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Calling all hop heads! Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA is a fantastically hoppy India Pale Ale that’s beautifully balanced thanks to their unique continual hopping method. Delivering a pungent hop flavor that isn’t crushingly bitter, 60 Minute is continually hopped throughout the boil for a full 60 minute...

John Weikert is well known in homebrewing circles. As a writer, a judge, and as a brewer, he has garnered accolades across the country, and is beloved in his homestate of Pennsylvania. Last year he achieved a long-time dream of becoming a contestant on Jeopardy!, the popular television gameshow, beamed into millions of home each weeknight. Not only was he a contestant, but he won six out of the seven games he played, earning him a spot in the tournament of champions, the annual event on the show where big winners are invited back to compete against each other.<...

We’re not quite in the dead of winter, but it feels like it – at least from the home office – so I wanted to think about warmer weather, growth, life, and green. So I’m excited to have Darren Gamache of Virgil Gamache Farms in Washington’s Yakima Valley here on the show. We talk about 2025 hops, what 2026 might bring, and the farm’s hop water – which could be a good fit for your drinking even if you’re not doing Dry January.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer check out All About Beer.

Sponsors

This episode drops on the last day of 2025 so I’ve invited my colleague and All About Beer  co-owner Andy Crouch on to talk about the year that was for our media company and what we have planned for the year ahead.  Journalism, like the beer industry, is in a difficult spot. We know you rely on good news and information just like you do a quality pint. Supporting your local brewery is important, so is supporting the sites and shows you believe in and trust.  From podcasts to articles to events, this was an eventful year for All About...