Beervana Podcast

If you step into a beer hall in Cologne, you’ll be handed a stange of kölsch. Your bitter will come in a pint glass in London. And in Brussels you might be handed a tulip glass. On today’s show, we plunge into the thorny thicket of beer glassware. We’ve got some on hand and we’ll discuss which is appropriate, as well as some of the features that serve different purposes in each.

In Show 104, we have a special guest in the studio to talk about the Oregon Beer Awards, which recently announced winners for the 2020 competition. He his Ben Edmunds, the competition director of the event and brew master at Breakside Brewing. We will talk to Ben about why this festival is different, why he and the organizers of the OBA reworked style categories, and also what constitutes excellence when comparing beers.

On episode 103, we take a look at a topic of some confusion: aging beer. A decade ago, everyone was doing it, and aged bottles were fetching hundreds of dollars online. Modern juicy IPAs have re-set our expectations about age, however, prompting a renewed focus on freshness. In this episode, we’ll look at the process of aging, what happens chemically inside the bottle, and which beers are suited for cellaring.

In episode 102 we look at a style that seems like a revival of something much older, but is in fact a modern invention: mixed fermentation saisons. These beers, made by regular fermentation combined with wild inoculation, have great depth and complexity, but are balanced and approachable. They may be the most accomplished beers made in the world today.

On today’s podcast, we address a trend that has changed direction of the industry and has breweries quaking in their rubber boots: seltzer. Introduced just four years ago, the segment has grown into a $3 billion behemoth. We’re going to explore the topic today with cider maker Nat West, whose Cascadia brand recently introduced a line of seltzer. We’ll talk about their impact on the market, how they’re made, and of course we’ll taste a few.

A slightly dodgy mic didn't dampen our excitement in having John Harris join us live at his brewery, Ecliptic, for our 100th episode. The mic problem cleared up after about ten minutes, and we had a wonderful time hearing John's perspective as a veteran whose career started in 1986 at the McMenamins, took him to Deschutes, where he was the founding brewery, and Full Sail before Ecliptic.

In a special edition of Beeronomics, we’ll be welcoming Josh Lehner of the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. Josh looks at a number of indicators affecting the state, and one of his special interests is beer. One of his recent posts caught our eye, and in this episode, he discusses some of the currents that will be affecting the brewing industry in coming years.

Today we have a special guest in studio: Ezra Johnson-Greenough, the founder and contributor at the industry website The New School. Ezra is perhaps the most well-connected voice covering beer in Oregon, and he is always the first to suss out the latest news. In this episode, we'll discuss the new brewery projects in Oregon that Ezra recently wrote about. PHOTO: Portland Business Journal

Today we’re going to look at a topic of perennial interest: good beer cities. For at least three decades, American municipalities have been heavily invested in touting themselves as great beer destinations. Over time, the competition for bragging rights has only grown as more and more places develop an interest in beer. The problem, though, is that no one can agree on the definitions. Are brewery counts a good metric? Does barley need to grow nearby? What about the availability of imports? Well, we’re going to sort all of this out and give you the gold standard of measurement.

As we record this podcast, it is the last day of the decade—at least as decades are popularly tracked. A lot happened in the 2010s, from changing fortunes in the craft and mass market segments, the emergence of new product categories, and lots of change and evolution in the beer itself.

We are just a few days away from the Christian celebration of Christmas—a big deal in many countries, including of course Belgium. And as with so much, this little country does things differently when it celebrates Christmas, from the steaming mugs of gluhkriek handed out in the Grand Place to the ubiquitous tradition of bière de Noël—Christmas beers. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss these wonderful holiday ales and use them as an opportunity to consider the question of spicing in beer. When Americans spice their beers, it can be off-putting, but when Belgians do it, it’s delicious. We’ll examine why. PHOTO: EVENING STANDARD

When we taste a beer and our brain tells us “chocolate” or “grapefruit,” what’s happening? Flavor is a composite of what our bodies tell us—our hardware, so to speak—and what our brains do in synthesizing that information into meaning—our software. In today's podcast, we take a look at the very complex processes involved in constructing what we call "flavor."

In episode 93 we were delighted to welcome Level Brewing's Jason Barbee. Jason has impressed us with his love of small, simple beers, and especially those from the British tradition. His brewery, Level, is known for smaller, more balanced beers--and of course the occasional hazy IPA or three. We discuss how brewers appeal to drinkers with something like a Vienna lager or mild ale when all they clamor for are IPAs. PHOTO: THE OUTLOOK

Portland has seen ten brewery closures or sales in the past year--and one was even announced while we were recording this podcast! In Episode 92, Patrick, our resident beeronomist, offers us ways to think about this through the lens of game theory, economies of scope, and more.

In episode 91, we conclude Jeff's travels to Europe with perhaps his most interesting stop. Lithuania has one of the most unusual beer cultures in Europe, one that emerges from the country's similarly unusual history. Jeff and Patrick discuss what makes Lithuania so interesting, and of course taste some of the beer.

In today's episode, we have an interview with UK writer Mark Dredge about his new book: A Brief History of Lager: 500 Years of the World's Favourite Beer. Mark has gone deep and discusses things we didn't know.

Today we are going to continue on with Jeff through his European travels. After he left Belgium, he made stops in Vienna, Krakow (Poland),and Berlin. In pod 89, Jeff will let us know what’s shaking in the lands of maerzen, grodziskie, and Berliner weisse.

Jeff returns from Europe with fantastic and wonderful tales. In today's pod, he describes how Belgian brewers have reacted to the craft beer incursion--by rediscovering their ancient heritage. He discusses the importance of Brasserie de la Senne in this process, and describes the young brewers at Verzet who are reviving oud bruin. All that, and the regular features.

Jeff phones in from Belgium to discuss the adventures he had in the country he just left: England. He discusses the state of heritage brewers, craft brewers and cask ales. Patrick drinks beer.

Jeff travels to Lewes in East Sussex, UK to talk to Head Brewer Miles Jenner of Harvey's. Patrick holds down the fort in Portland and through the miracle of modern technology, they communicate!